honey bees, how to start

[Anny]

did you ever see the dirty jobs episode on bee keeping They are bee resistent not bee proof Mike still got stung

They do make suits that are sting proof. The suit he probly had on was just a cotton jump suit. The string proof suits are actually designed so people with bee allergies can keep bees. They are going to cost you though.

Honestly I don't think bee stings are THAT horrible sure they hurt. But if you're good to the bees the bees are good to you. Just like dog bites hurt, but if you're good to the dog you're not going to be bite.

 

[me&thegals]

For Pete's sake! I got stung tonight! I was in forever last night, messing with combs, cleaning up attachments, looking for the queen and getting fallen combs off the bottom of the hive with nary a sting. Not one after 45 min total.

Tonight, I ran out to check on the syrup. I just scooted the cover to expose the back but couldn't get it back on. I think I was doing more jerking and bumping than I meant to, trying to get that thing back on. All of a sudden, bees were pouring out, up my gouchos, stuck in my long hair, up my sleeves. Nuts! I hadn't prepared at all for being that up close and personal with the girls.

But, as Anny says, the stings really are not bad. My worst so far was on my thigh, where a bee was stuck inside my pants. I crushed one accidentally with my hand and got stung. Not bad. This one tonight was on my jaw, and I'm actually wondering if it was a fly or mosquito it is so mild. Okay, time to be way more careful with the girls and let this be the last of my stings!

 

[the simple life]

You probably got stung today because you messed with them so much last night.
If I do any kind of serious maniuplating I make sure I don't have to go back in for at least a week.
They have a memory of, some say 3 days othesr say a little longer but either way they do remember and are on high alert for a few days.
They will settle down and forget about it by the end of the week.

 

[me&thegals]

That's what I figured, too. Plus, it was almost dark so everyone was home and now they have brood and a bit of honey to protect!

Here's my chance to brag Yesterday, we found LOTS of eggs, beautiful ovals of capped brood and even some capped honey at the tops of the comb. I neglected to take care of one attachment and lost a whole brood comb--absolutely sickening--but it was a great chance to show it all to the kids really up close, taste some of our honey and send the rest to school for the classes to see. You could easily see eggs and larvae, pollen and nectar. Saw the queen in 1 hive, great laying patterns in both hives.

Does anybody else talk to their bees while working the hives? I was giving my queens high praise the whole time ... and those workers, who work themselves literally to death providing for the hive. It just gives me a feeling of awe and gratitude.

The whole family is on honeybee watch. At first, we only saw them near the hives, now we're seeing them as far as 3/4 mile away (the distance from our house to the family farm). I'm also keenly aware of anything blooming within a 2-mile radius of our house, hoping the girls find it and that the neighbors haven't sprayed it. Even my conventionally farming husband who typically makes use of every square foot of land for his crops is planning to plant a patch of clover near the hives just for the girls Ahhh... This is wonderful. I hope we get to experience just this bliss for a while...

 

[the simple life]

I am so glad that you are enjoying your girls. and that they are doing so well.
They truly are amazing creatures.
The other day we were at a nursery a mile or so from my house and I said to my husband look at all the honey bees on that (flowering) shrub.
He said to me whats funny is that they actually could be our bees.
That hadn't occured to me until he said that.
I bought one of those shrubs since the bees seemed to love it and I had gone over to look at it because it was so pretty.
We have a nursery approx 2 miles and under in either direction from my house and one of them is also a farmstand that grows all their produce in the fields behind them so it definitely helps their food supply.
Its finally sunny and beautiful here today, is been gloomy and rainy off and on every day.
Its great for cleaning out closets but not so great for gathering nectar so hopefully they have a productive day.
I have to do a quick inspection today, I have been waiting for it to get nice enough to go in there.

 

[me&thegals]

Isn't that great, Natalie, to see "your girls" doing their job in the neighborhood? Or, at least they could be your girls Until we got ours, we had not been seeing any honeybees. After almost 1 week, we started seeing them in the area, so it's exciting to think of how much will get pollinated in each of our locales because of the bees!

 

[me&thegals]

So, how is it going for you beeks out there?

The end of June, one of our hives swarmed. It was high excitement, as we got to watch the whole process! We could see the hive was getting croweded but couldn't get in. Then, we saw queen cells through the observation window but still couldn't get in due to weather. Then, they started bearding, and we still couldn't get in. Then, the weather changed and they swarmed

So, we took 3 brood bars from that huge hive, 3 brood bars from the other very large hive and formed a third hive. That new hive has a verified queen. The first hive is still booming and the swarmed hive probably has a queen. They were so awful (20+ stings) that I never made it all the way to the broodnest to verify the queen. But, they are bringing in pollen again after only pounding out the honey for weeks. I think they may have a queen.

I'd love to hear how the rest of your girls are doing and if you're getting much in the way of honey!

me&thegals