I still need to come up there and get some honey.
The bees need space for brood and honey. You can split a hive and create another hive with the split. Or you can keep stacking honey supers to prevent them from swarming. All in what your goal is. I'll typically only have 2 deeps and 2 supers. If they need more room I'll take the bottom super and harvest and replace with fresh super depending on the flow. Otherwise it gets to tall.Questions for @Racerx or others familiar with bees, as a potential new beekeeper in the future;
-If you split hives to prevent overcrowding, don’t you eventually run out of time and money because you’re doubling your hives every so often?
-Assuming you keep hive height reasonable adding only a few boxes, are splits typically done once a year? I realize some of this is related to pollen and nectar flows, but in general is this correct?
-If you limit the number of hives you manage, and you don’t spilt, they will swarm, right? Can you just naturally let them leave, and the half left behind will raise a new queen, with all the brood, honey, and comb that’s already there?
-if all we do is split hives and prevent swarms, then genetically won’t the swarm genes start faltering? Maybe silly.
Believe me, there are FARRR worse things in illinois.oh heeeeeeeeeeeell no. what state is that in? I'll make sure I'm out of town fo sho.
Believe me, there are FARRR worse things in illinois.
Generally speaking, the fewer legs, the scarier.You mean, like, one-legged prostitutes?
When they swarm like this the old queen is in the middle of the cluster somewhere. Clip the branch and shake em in a hive and you should have the queen in there. Close the box up and see if the ones out foraging or the ones that didn't make it in the box try to make their way into the new hive. If you see a cluster at the entrance, they smell the queens pheromones and know she's in there and want in.So bees will just live in a different hive if you put them there? I always assumed they were "loyal" for lack of a better term, to their queen (mother) and sisters.
According to the county, I'm a bee farmer....we don't name the livestock.Do you know all their names?
I've had bees in the plane before....but today is a bit windy. Plus I don't know if I've got enough equipment to add another hive. I think I'm at 22 total. Not including nucs.@Racerx a short flight for ya
If you need any advice feel free to pm and ill give you my number. Fascinating little creatures that I had no intent on learning about....but here I am a full on beek....bee geekOk the second pass around my yard on the mower, I saw this:
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About a foot from where my head was on the first pass. I'm not a beekeeper, but I am bee-curious. This is obviously a swarm, yes? Probably split off from the aforementioned "hackberry hive" that's about 50' away? How long will they hang out there? Will they inhabit another hollow tree in my yard, my house, or go further away? I'm amazed the tree hive would split this fast... Or do hives regularly create swarms healthy or not? At this point I'm tempted to go buy some boxes and a suit. Just what I need is another hobby.
So I find myself seriously considering running up town and getting a hive box. Here's the question... how much work is it? Watching the wild hive take care of itself makes me think that they're more self sufficient than I realized.If you need any advice feel free to pm and ill give you my number. Fascinating little creatures that I had no intent on learning about....but here I am a full on beek....bee geek
For one hive, once it's put together....15 minutes once a week if you look at every frame and try to find the queen...which isn't necessary. The nectar flow has tapered off so you could probably go every other week once they're established and you know the queen is there.So I find myself seriously considering running up town and getting a hive box. Here's the question... how much work is it? Watching the wild hive take care of itself makes me think that they're more self sufficient than I realized.
I think if you're a beekeeper you can claim your land as farmland and get a tax break!!Called my beekeeper neighbor. He brought a box and some sugar water and got them in. We'll see what happens. He said he'd help me get started. He also said that small of a swarm will have to be fed to have any chance of making it through the winter. Guess I finally have an answer for when people ask if I have any livestock.
That's the ONLY reason I do it.I think if you're a beekeeper you can claim your land as farmland and get a tax break!!
It actually looked like a decent size swarm. Feeding isn't a bad idea. The nectar flow is pretty well done and the fall flow can be hit or miss. Rain can wreak havoc on the fall flow.Called my beekeeper neighbor. He brought a box and some sugar water and got them in. We'll see what happens. He said he'd help me get started. He also said that small of a swarm will have to be fed to have any chance of making it through the winter. Guess I finally have an answer for when people ask if I have any livestock.View attachment 129711View attachment 129713
My neighbor says he thinks 60% of his honey comes from soybeans. He says when they start blooming his bees starting making honey like crazy, so hopefully they'll be established by then and can make some progress.It actually looked like a decent size swarm. Feeding isn't a bad idea. The nectar flow is pretty well done and the fall flow can be hit or miss. Rain can wreak havoc on the fall flow.
Welcome to the hobby!
Alfalfa honey is really good. Just saying.My neighbor says he thinks 60% of his honey comes from soybeans. He says when they start blooming his bees starting making honey like crazy, so hopefully they'll be established by then and can make some progress.
We're friends with the owners of Curtis orchard in Urbana. She keeps bees in the apple orchard there and that is the best honey I've ever had by an order of magnitude.Alfalfa honey is really good. Just saying.
Gets 1 beehive and is suddenly a honey connoisseur.We're friends with the owners of Curtis orchard in Urbana. She keeps bees in the apple orchard there and that is the best honey I've ever had by an order of magnitude.
I think that is called a "bee ball". There is probably a female in the middle of that swarm of males. If you don't believe me, look up "bee ball".Ok the second pass around my yard on the mower, I saw this:
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About a foot from where my head was on the first pass. I'm not a beekeeper, but I am bee-curious. This is obviously a swarm, yes? Probably split off from the aforementioned "hackberry hive" that's about 50' away? How long will they hang out there? Will they inhabit another hollow tree in my yard, my house, or go further away? I'm amazed the tree hive would split this fast... Or do hives regularly create swarms healthy or not? At this point I'm tempted to go buy some boxes and a suit. Just what I need is another hobby.
No, that's a cluster or swarm and almost all are females with one single mated queen in the middle the workers (females) attend to. Less than 10% of the hive are male or drones. Drones do not collect nectar. They do not raise brood. They eat honey and fly in areas called drone congregation areas. Hoping a virgin queen goes to that area to mate.I think that is called a "bee ball". There is probably a female in the middle of that swarm of males. If you don't believe me, look up "bee ball".
Even male bees are a bunch of horny dogs.