hive beetles

09/13/09 05:07 PM

A hive beetle and some ruined honey.
The hive beetle is the little black thing in center,
and the brown cell next to it is ruined.
The bees are clearing out bad honey around it.

Well, the hive has hive beetles. The beetles have been eating the honey, leaving their waste in it, laying their eggs in it, an generally ruining it any way possible. Luckily, it does seem to be a fairly small infestation, and I"ve set up an oil trap for them. The bees chase the beetles away if they find any, so they need a hiding place. The trap has holes in it small enough that the beetles can fit through but the bees can't, so that"s where the beetles go. But the trap is full of oil, so the beetles drown.

Here I am filling the oil trap.

hornets

08/24/09 01:22 PM

A few weeks ago, a colony of hornets started up in a hollow tree only a few yards from the beehive. At first we didn't think this would be a problem, but the bees got more aggressive and one stung me, so we did some research and found that hornets eat tree sap, wasps, and bees! We got hornet spray, which apparently is the only way to get rid of hornets without being stung half to death, and started to work out a plan. We needed to protect the bees from the spray since the can said kills bees on the side, so we decided to use a tent over the bee hive and a blanket over that. We also planned to use a ladder to get closer to the hive, and Papa (who was going to be the one to actually spray the hornets) would wear a winter coat and my bee veil and gloves. We put it off for about a week, but finally where ready. Papa claimed he was sure he was going to die from stings or fall off the ladder, and we brought a thick blanket to hide under if the hornets attacked. but it went smoothly, nobody got stung, and the hornets were gone by morning. Since then I checked the bees, and they are going strong, the hive is gummed up with propolis, and more bees are hatching out all the time.

second hive body

07/10/09 12:14 PM

I just added a second box of frames to my hive, making it twice as big. A couple of weeks ago the bees started hatching out new workers, and the hive was suddenly full of bees. They started drinking a jar of sugar water a day, and the entrance got so crowded the bees could barely get out! That was a good thing, but it also meant they needed more space. So I ordered another hive body (the boxes) just like the last one, only this one I got wax base for the bees to build on instead of plastic. The plastic is stronger and easier to deal with, but I have heard people say that the bees prefer building on wax. While I was at it, I got a bottom with a screen in it for the hive. These keep out pests because hive beetles fall through the screen and out of the hive.

I also went to an extraction another beekeeper who lives near me was doing. It was very interesting, and gave me a good idea of what an extraction is like. I forgot the camera, so no pictures, but here's the process: First, the frames are taken away from the hive and all the bees brushed off. Next, a hot knife is used to melt off the wax, and the frames spun in an extractor, which uses centrifugal force to draw out all the honey. The honey is then strained of wax and dirt and bottled. Water must be kept out of the honey, because it is the only thing that can cause honey to rot, apparently. Without water, honey can be stored indefinitely.

Tags: adding a second hive body

third inspection

05/30/09 06:12 PM

Hank's first sting. Read More...

Tags: the first sting

second inspection

05/23/09 06:01 PM

The queen has been busy laying eggs, and Hank finds both eggs and larvae. Read More...

Tags: laying eggs

the first inspection

05/16/09 12:54 PM

After a week of wondering if the hive accepted the queen and established the hive, Hank opens the hive to inspect the colony and finds a heart shaped burr comb. Is it a message? Read More...

Tags: burr comb