Adventures in Beekeeping - Year Six

Starting over again in year six with the bees absconding late last fall. Changed bee yard location and have installed a nuc of bees. Beekeeping is always an adventure with lessons to be learned.

Installing my Nucleus Hive of Honeybees

1. Collected my nucleus hive of bees from Beech Mountain Beekeeping. Secured in car to make sure no bees can escape during the journey to Banner Elk.
2. Placed nuc hive in position near the hive stand.
3. Placed new hive on the stand, with the entrance block in place to reduce the entrance.
4. Sprayed three empty frames with sugar water.
5. Opened nuc hive and gently smoked the bees.
6. Lifted out first frame of bees and placed in hive.
7. Continued to transfer remaining frames of bees.
8. Added one frame of foundation at front and in-between each frame of bees.
9. Shook any bees still in the nuc hive into the new hive.
10. Fitted crown board and the hive roof.
11. Gave the bees a feeder full of syrup. Will continue feeding until the bees have drawn out all the frames of foundation.

Feeding Honeybees in January

It was a perfect January day in the mountains to inspect and feed the bees with temperatures in the high fifties. I was happy to see the number of bees in the hive and that this new location seems to suit them. Not out of the woods yet but spring is just around the corner. Colder weather returns for the weekend.

Honeybees on Christmas Day

Happiness is seeing winter honeybees darting outside this hive  for a cleansing flight on this Christmas day.  Since the day was warm, a little light housekeeping was also in order for the beekeeper and the bees.

New Honeybee Hive Thriving

Starting over after black bears attacked and destroyed my three honeybee hives this spring.  I changed my hive location and installed an electric fence to help keep the bears away. Happy to report that my new hive is thriving and increasing in size so that I have added a shallow to allow more room for the honeybees.

Back in the Bee Business!

Package of bees have finally arrived

Getting Ready to install package of bees.

Package of bees installed,

Back in the bee business...

Hope the bears can read this!

Bear Attack on Bee Hives

Sometimes in life we take the bitter with the sweet.  My three beehives were attacked by bears this spring. I am in the process of relocating my bee yard and installing an electric fence. My new packages of bees are ordered and should arrived soon. Thus I begin my fourth year of adventure as a beekeeper.

Bear attack on three bee hives

The Bears knocked over the hives

Two bee hives destroyed with one left

Another view of hives

Swarming Bees

Swarming is mainly a spring phenomenon where a new honey bee colony is formed when the queen bee leaves the colony with a large group of worker bees. 

Working in my bee yard, and noticed bees gathering in a nearby tree. Lucky I had a swarm box to catch them and they were on a branch that I could reach.

Set up brood box and dumped the bees from the swarm box into it. 

The bees began fanning to let everyone know where to go. Look  all the bees began marching into the hive following the queen.

Not sure of the origin of the first swarm I caught. The second swarm was from my newest hive so was very happy I captured those "girls". I now have two new hives in addition to my older two hives. My bee yard is growing!

Spring Beekeeping

This begins my third year as a beekeeper.  The third year is a big year for stabilization. I am a happy beekeeper that both my hives survived the winter and are thriving. It is also the year for beekeepers to start making limited honey production again. Let’s get started!

Spring inspection with removal of the winter hive wrap.

Look at all the bees!  

Looks like I will need to add the honey super to give the bees more room.

Feeding the Bees

Even during a cold winter, there will be opportunities to open the beehive for a quick addition of food. My hope is to have at least one  day each month when the temperature hits near 50 degrees or above to slip some food into the hive. Last week with the temperatures in the low fifties in Banner Elk, I was able to feed the bees a pollen patty.

I buy pre-made pollen patties and store them in the freezer until I’m ready to put them in the hive.   Pollen patties usually don't contain pollen, but simulate real pollen. They are rectangular in shape, sticky, and high in protein but bees eat them like candy.

I put a pollen patty on top of the brood box frame, where the bees can get it easily.   They’ll chew the waxed paper away as they start eating the patty then remove the wax paper from the hive.

Closed for the Winter

The beehives are closed for the winter. Honeybees head to the hive when temperatures drop into the 50s.

A hive wrap is added to help protect the bees from the winter elements. The bees have one main job in the winter — to take care of the queen bee to ensure survival of the hive.

The honeybees have gathered in a central area of the hive to form a “winter cluster.” On warmer days, the bees will leave the cluster briefly for a “cleansing” flight outside the hive.

Harvesting First Honey

It takes honeybee workers ten million foraging trips to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey. The bees have been very busy in the new hive.

This is the first run of honey harvested from new hive.  The nectar flow wasn't enough for the older hive of bees to make honey. They uncapped the honey they had made to eat not leaving any honey for  us to harvest.

Goldenrod

Fall is certainly in the air when the goldenrod flowers. This is the last major blooming event of the season and provides a late-summer feast for the bees.

Goldenrod is a fall blooming wildflower that honeybees adore. 

Goldenrod is a perennial that blooms July through September. It is a common wildflower that blooms late in the summer.  Goldenrod is source of both nectar and pollen for bees important for the timing of a colony preparing for winter. The botanical name is Solidago, a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae that grows abundantly in meadows and alongside roads and highways. 

Nectar sourced from goldenrod produces a distinct honey, which maybe light to medium amber with a spicy, strong taste, and high in minerals. Goldenrod is a medicinal plant that helps with fungus, especially in urinary tract.

Adventures in Beekeeping - Year Two

Picking up my bee package from Beech Mountain Beekeeping. 

The Winter Bee

Here's the latest “Winter” bee update:   With the outside temperature this past week around 50° and above in Banner Elk, the bees have been outside the hive taking their cleansing flights. The “winter” bee is produced at the end of the summer with its sole purpose to make sure the colony survives until spring. Naturally they will have fatter bodies to hold more food to nourish them during the winter. Also brood productions stops when the winter bees have been hatched.  A “winter” bee will live much longer (4 to 6 months) than a summer bee (45 days) and just like human-bee-ins; I know they are ready for spring.

Clustering in a Winter Wonderland

Bees were active on January 14th with temperatures in the 50's. Happy and surprised they survived  the subzero temperatures which reached below -10 degrees F. They are amazing!

The "girls" are clustering in a winter wonderland now and even though the temperatures may be freezing outside, the center of the winter cluster is a constant 92 degrees F. The bees generate heat by “shivering” their wings. Bees will consume about 50 to 60 lbs. of honey in the hive during the winter months.

Hoping they have made enough honey for the winter. I have been giving them a pollen patty when weather permits. Yes, they have kicked out the drones that would consume too much honey and are attending the Queen.

Getting Ready to Close for the Winter!

Participated in a hands on field day at Beech Mountain Beekeeping on Saturday, August 17. During the class participants learned how to apply pesticides for mites, treatments for nosema, feeding and food supplements for winterizing bees.  

Getting ready to apply Apiguard, a natural non-toxic treatment, used to control varroa mites in honeybee colonies. 

Installed a mouse guard to prevent mice from entering the hive. The girls are busy on this autumn day bring in pollen from the goldenrod.

Added a weatherproof hive wrap to help protect the bees from the fall and winter elements.