Beekeeping

[EddieWalker]

My wife is saying that we've never had more bees in the gardens then this year. She is even finding bees that we've never seen before.

Mexican pitted-stingless honeybee is at the bottom of the picture.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I did see an article yesterday about the honey bee losses this last year for commercial beekeepers. They have attributed it to a virus being carried by varroa mites that are resistant to chemical treatments.

 

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We got two nucs this spring; one is very busy in its rapidly-expanding hive, while the second has swarmed twice they had plenty of room? Not sure what their issue was.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

We got two nucs this spring; one is very busy in its rapidly-expanding hive, while the second has swarmed twice they had plenty of room? Not sure what their issue was.

Bees will swarm regardless of space available. It has a lot to do with genetics. Bees are programmed to propogate, and swarming is that mechanism. Colonies can change their swarm behavior over time too, since each time they swarm, the queen mates and takes on new genetic traits. I've had some very swarmy hives, settle into a much less swarmy attitude over the years due to breeding.
Next year with 20 hives, I'm moving more toward splits and queen rearing, so I have some idea of what the bees disposition will be.

 

[drumminj]

We got two nucs this spring; one is very busy in its rapidly-expanding hive, while the second has swarmed twice they had plenty of room? Not sure what their issue was.

Had they perhaps already decided to swarm while in the nuc box? (was it really full?)

 

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Had they perhaps already decided to swarm while in the nuc box? (was it really full?)

It was very full but pretty recently packaged; also the swarming happened easily a month later.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Space is not the only factor. Mine will swarm with half the hive empty. Bees will do what they want

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I saw a post the other day on a beekeeping forum. The guy had a queen cell in the middle of a frame and asked "why are my bees doing this? I keep crushing these and they keep making more."

I thought, you know, they probably wonder why are YOU doing this? Why are you crushing queen cells, when clearly the they are intent on making a queen?

Mankind is the most egotistical of all beings. Only we take a natural creature, question it's decision making, and intervene. Then ask, "what is wrong with this creature?" when it won't comply with our will.

A simple honey bee manages its home, family and resources better than any of us... And we question it's decisions.

I have hives with 20 queen cells. Fine. I have hives with none. Great. I have colonies that will cast three swarms. I have hives that cast none. In every case, they know better than me, or a book written by man.

Beekeeping has taught me just how controlling and egotistical mankind is. Instead of changing them, I just learn from them.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Busy day building. Aluminum roofs. Paint.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Our approach

Honey Bees Learn to Fight Deadly Varroa Mites

In the face of colony collapse, some beekeepers are foregoing insecticides and opting instead to breed bees with mite-resistant behaviors.

civileats.com

 

[drumminj]

Our approach

Honey Bees Learn to Fight Deadly Varroa Mites

In the face of colony collapse, some beekeepers are foregoing insecticides and opting instead to breed bees with mite-resistant behaviors.

civileats.com

Thanks for sharing the article.

Other than letting bees swarm vs trying to prevent I don't get the sense there's much a hobbyist with a few hives can do. It's not like I'm going to actively breed & mate queens or anything.

The book I just finished suggested drone brood trapping as a way to naturally manage, but that doesn't help the bees become resistant - just a mechanism for removing a lot of mites without chemical treatments.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Thanks for sharing the article.

Other than letting bees swarm vs trying to prevent I don't get the sense there's much a hobbyist with a few hives can do. It's not like I'm going to actively breed & mate queens or anything.

The book I just finished suggested drone brood trapping as a way to naturally manage, but that doesn't help the bees become resistant - just a mechanism for removing a lot of mites without chemical treatments.

As a hobbyist, if you don't treat bees, and you let the non resistant bees die, you are helping. Because the bees you do propogate, year after year, and allow to swarm, will be genetically superior

 

[drumminj]

Yes, but then I'm potentially buying new bees every year . And presumably from different suppliers if I'm buying from someone local.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Yes, but then I'm potentially buying new bees every year . And presumably from different suppliers if I'm buying from someone local.

Don't buy, trap swarms. I've not bought bees in years, and amassed 20 colonies just playing around.

When you buy bees. You are definitely buying bees treated for mites and fed with refined sugar... Hate to say it, but you are getting compromised bees.

I bought two colonies (5) years ago. One died in their second year. They were always weak, and I had no inclination to save them. The other was also very weak, but two years ago they requeened, and have been a very strong and prolific colony since.

As time passes, I have more and more colonies that have proven to be survivors. So, now, I can split those colonies and continue to increase the number of good genetics. Some bee keeps also kill off drones. I swear to God humans are inept. Drones carry good genetics to areas where new queens are mated. I want that to happen, I want my strong colonies to produce enough that queens are being mated with strong genetics, not inferior.

Beekeepers in general I have found to be a selfish bunch. Make the bees do what I want, not what they deem necessary for survival. Squash queen cells, kill drones, take all of their honey and feed them Costco sugar. Treat them because if I don’t, they may die, and that will cost me money. Don’t let them swarm, if they do, they may not requeen, and I may lose them… or at the very least they produce less honey for me.

Each step of the way we compromise them, for ourselves. Beekeepers are a selfish bunch.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Checked on two small swarms that I brought home a month ago, according to my notes.

These are sisters of a VSH queen that I bought last year for a split. So far that split has yielded me three colonies. The queens lay eggs like a mason lays bricks. Solid and uniform. Of seven frames, all had solid brood patterns on them today. Woooo!

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I will also say this. Years ago when we decided to be sugar and treatment free beekeepers, we were told we would fail. I know a plethora of Langstroth bee keeps, and they all said the same thing, our losses would be astronomical.

Over the years, the inverse has been true. We have lost fewer colonies than they have. By a wide margin in fact. While they would accept 50% losses some years, we would see 10%. It has never been comparable.

I don’t say this to say that we keep bees the “right way”. But I do say this to counter the argument that treating your bees will make you more successful. I’ve never witnessed it. You would likely be just as successful, if not moreso, if you caught swarms, never fed sugar, and never treated.

 

[EddieWalker]

Do you feed them anything in the winter?

 

[drumminj]

Generally I'm aligned with your mindset, largely because I'm lazy and don't have a need for a lot of honey (we use maybe 2 store-bought jars a year). Not looking to start a business.

I'm continuing to read and learn, but my current thinking is no swarm prevention and no feeding. Ideally no mite treatment, but I may treat this year with oxalic acid depending on mite loads, largely because as you mention they're likely weak at the moment and are still building up size/strength as a hive.

I do think horizontal hives are a more natural way to keep them and likely leads to healthier bees. Chances are I'll build one over the winter and see if I can trap a swarm in the spring. Need to find a spot to put it still....

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Do you feed them anything in the winter?

I feed them what they get fed in nature, their own honey. Winter feeding is a result of over-harvesting honey, or greed

I leave them 30 pounds of honey per hive. They will use 15-20 pounds to survive the winter typically.

Traditional beekeepers claim their bees make more honey, because they collect more. Partially true... They collect more, but the bees make the same... They just feed sugar, when I let the bees survive on nutritious honey.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Generally I'm aligned with your mindset, largely because I'm lazy and don't have a need for a lot of honey (we use maybe 2 store-bought jars a year). Not looking to start a business.

I'm continuing to read and learn, but my current thinking is no swarm prevention and no feeding. Ideally no mite treatment, but I may treat this year with oxalic acid depending on mite loads, largely because as you mention they're likely weak at the moment and are still building up size/strength as a hive.

I do think horizontal hives are a more natural way to keep them and likely leads to healthier bees. Chances are I'll build one over the winter and see if I can trap a swarm in the spring. Need to find a spot to put it still....

I will admit, horizontal hives are more like a natural home for bees. Well insulted and extra deep frames that allow the winter cluster to feed without breaking cluster. That is not possible in a Langstroth hive.