Expanding the apiary

[Circle W]

I recently added two more hives to my backyard apiary, now totaling 5. The more I'm around the bees the more I find myself wanting to get more of them. They are intriguing little creatures and you dang sure won't find a harder worker! I'm sure they will enjoy the huge garden I planted this year.

 

[sseelhoff]

I recently added two more hives to my backyard apiary, now totaling 5. The more I'm around the bees the more I find myself wanting to get more of them. They are intriguing little creatures and you dang sure won't find a harder worker! I'm sure they will enjoy the huge garden I planted this year.


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Guess you can scratch that off your honey do list.

 

[Jstpssng]

How long have you been raising them? Do you have any problem keeping them through the winter?

 

[Circle W]

How long have you been raising them? Do you have any problem keeping them through the winter?

We've had them 3 years now. So far we have not had any problem keeping them through the winter. We had a handful of days below zero last year and had no problems. As long as you reduce their entrance in the winter and leave them plenty of reserve honey to eat on through the winter I think they are pretty resilient.

 

[mark02tj]

They are intriguing little creatures and you dang sure won't find a harder worker!

They are fun to watch!! I put in two hives last year - lost one of them pretty quickly... I think I might have done something to the queen when installing the package. The other hive was raided by bees up the road and wasn't strong enough to defend itself.

I just got two new nucs installed last week and am trying again! The guy I bought the nucs from is going to put in one of his hives so I'll get to "shadow" him while he tends to the hives so hopefully I'll learn something.

Not sure what your hive survival rate was this past winter, but around Ohio the statewide average was about 60% loss.

Good luck!!

 

[Circle W]

They are fun to watch!! I put in two hives last year - lost one of them pretty quickly... I think I might have done something to the queen when installing the package. The other hive was raided by bees up the road and wasn't strong enough to defend itself.

I just got two new nucs installed last week and am trying again! The guy I bought the nucs from is going to put in one of his hives so I'll get to "shadow" him while he tends to the hives so hopefully I'll learn something.

Not sure what your hive survival rate was this past winter, but around Ohio the statewide average was about 60% loss.

Good luck!!

Luckily we did not lose any. I heard that the hives that had only one "deep" super were the ones that struggled to make it through the winter. All of our hives have 2 deep supers that we leave all to them so they will have enough reserves for the winter. We are still relatively new to the experience so we are learning as well!

 

[cqaigy2]

Luckily we did not lose any. I heard that the hives that had only one "deep" super were the ones that struggled to make it through the winter. All of our hives have 2 deep supers that we leave all to them so they will have enough reserves for the winter. We are still relatively new to the experience so we are learning as well!

I used to be hobby apiarists some years ago and in a part of the country that got fairly cold. I always left at least 2 full sized brood supers for over wintering as well. Bees did real well into the spring and were ready to go when pollen and nectar were ready to be gathered.

 

[troutsqueezer]

I recently added two more hives to my backyard apiary, now totaling 5. The more I'm around the bees the more I find myself wanting to get more of them. They are intriguing little creatures and you dang sure won't find a harder worker! I'm sure they will enjoy the huge garden I planted this year.


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Bees tend to one type of flowering plant at a time when the flow is on. So a garden with a few plants of varying types is not likely to be noticed by anything other than scout bees. The collective is busy concentrating on whatever plants that are flowering in mass. This is why you get frames of honey that vary in color from one frame to the next.

 

[Circle W]

Bees tend to one type of flowering plant at a time when the flow is on. So a garden with a few plants of varying types is not likely to be noticed by anything other than scout bees. The collective is busy concentrating on whatever plants that are flowering in mass. This is why you get frames of honey that vary in color from one frame to the next.

Good to know :thumbsup: