My sweet honey at C81

[Jim K]

Got stung for the first time this afternoon lol. Wasnt even poking around the hive... Just watching from about 6 feet away to see if they were bringing in any pollen (they are) and one of them landed on my cheek. I instinctively went to brush her away, and she nailed me. I did get to look at the stinger under the microscope after I dug it out of my face, so that was cool.

 

[Racerx]

Got stung for the first time this afternoon lol. Wasnt even poking around the hive... Just watching from about 6 feet away to see if they were bringing in any pollen (they are) and one of them landed on my cheek. I instinctively went to brush her away, and she nailed me. I did get to look at the stinger under the microscope after I dug it out of my face, so that was cool.

You were in the way. Brushing them away is a really hard instinct to ignore.

Pro tip: when doing a hive inspections, work behind the entrance

 

[Jim K]

Update:
My hive is kicking ass. Two brood boxes chock full of bees. They're working on drawing out a super. Goldenrod is coming on now, so I'm hoping they can put up some honey for winter. I'll keep feeding them, but I'm confident they're strong enough to make it through.

Sadly, the hackberry hive seems to have collapsed. A month or two ago I noticed there was almost no activity. Not sure what happened to them; seems odd they would die out just a couple months after producing a swarm. Maybe the new queen got killed on her mating flight and they didn't have any eggs to produce another?

 

[Racerx]

Update:
My hive is kicking ass. Two brood boxes chock full of bees. They're working on drawing out a super. Goldenrod is coming on now, so I'm hoping they can put up some honey for winter. I'll keep feeding them, but I'm confident they're strong enough to make it through.

Sadly, the hackberry hive seems to have collapsed. A month or two ago I noticed there was almost no activity. Not sure what happened to them; seems odd they would die out just a couple months after producing a swarm. Maybe the new queen got killed on her mating flight and they didn't have any eggs to produce another?

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That golden rod nectar....smells like a sweaty gym bag when it's drying down.

I doubt anything happened to the new queen. It's possible, but the hive would go queenless. And then you'd have laying workers which would produce drones.

Absconding this time of year is not uncommon. For whatever reason they don't think they have what they need, mite load got too high...and they'll just leave.

The other possibility would be an after swarm. Essentially a second swarm after the primary swarm.

I'm leaving next week for my elk hunt and will be treating for mites just before I go. Formic pro. It's formic acid in strips you lay in the hive. Temperature sensitive, 55-85 degrees. Kills any mites on the bees, as well as mites in the cells. But evaporates from any capped honey. There's other treatment methods, but thats the easiest for me.

 

[flyingron]

Up until last year I had this observation hive in the back stairs of my house

The problem with this hive is that when the bees fill it up, you have to split the hive (no way to add supers). One day I'm staring at the thing thinking "I've got to split this soon or they'll swarm." Two days later they were all dead in the bottom of the hive. I've never seen a hive collapse like that (I've had many do slow deaths or not make it over the winter or such). This was very sudden from quite vibrant to dead. I figure they got into insecticide somewhere.

 

[Racerx]

Up until last year I had this observation hive in the back stairs of my house

The problem with this hive is that when the bees fill it up, you have to split the hive (no way to add supers). One day I'm staring at the thing thinking "I've got to split this soon or they'll swarm." Two days later they were all dead in the bottom of the hive. I've never seen a hive collapse like that (I've had many do slow deaths or not make it over the winter or such). This was very sudden from quite vibrant to dead. I figure they got into insecticide somewhere.

That is weird. Usually colony collapse disorder takes a bit of time. But who knows if something was being sprayed.

I've had my strongest hives abscond if I didn't treat in time but never die overnight.

 

[flyingron]

I've had slow death and absconding. This was a quick drop where 90% of the bees were dead at the bottom of the hive in two days.
It's got to be chemical. The biological problems wouldn't act so fast.

 

[Racerx]

Got all the supers pulled and all 20 hives treated for mites. Should get about 1,000 pounds of honey or 80+ gallons. And that's on top of what I already pulled in June. So... If anyone is flying by pm me and I'll leave ya a quart in the fbo....unless you home brewers want to make some hooch. Then I'll leave more...as long as I get to try the final product.

 

[mandm]

Got all the supers pulled and all 20 hives treated for mites. Should get about 1,000 pounds of honey or 80+ gallons. And that's on top of what I already pulled in June. So... If anyone is flying by pm me and I'll leave ya a quart in the fbo....unless you home brewers want to make some hooch. Then I'll leave more...as long as I get to try the final product.
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That sounds exciting, I’ll send a message when I can fly out next. Do you also eat the honeycomb?

 

[eman1200]

there should be a 30nm TFR around every bee hive in the country, fer realz. 0 to 30,000'.

 

[Racerx]

there should be a 30nm TFR around every bee hive in the country, fer realz. 0 to 30,000'.

Settle down. Only got stung 3 times.

 

[Racerx]

That sounds exciting, I’ll send a message when I can fly out next. Do you also eat the honeycomb?

Some do. I don't do cut comb. Too much work for me and the bees. But sometimes you'll get some burr comb in between boxes you scrape off. And itd be a shame to waste it. In all honesty, I really don't eat honey much. Leaving for my new Mexico archery elk hunt Thursday and I'll be gone for 2 weeks.