Our new bee hive

[RTII]

If you're interested, I'd look for a book called "the hive and the honeybee" by Roy Grout.
I think you will find it invaluable with your beekeeping.

You probably meant this for the OP but I also appreciate the recommendation. I'll check it out.

 

[Tororider]

If you're interested, I'd look for a book called "the hive and the honeybee" by Roy Grout.
I think you will find it invaluable with your beekeeping.

I will have to check that book out. I have read "First Lessons in Beekeeping" by Delaplane and started reading "The Classroom: Beekeeping Questions and Answers" by Hayes.

 

[Tororider]

I am just running one deep brood box and added a medium honey super to each hive a couple of weeks ago after all the brood frames were mostly filled. Been away for a while so I'm anxious to see if they've drawn any more comb in the upper supers. It'll be 2 weeks until I'm able to though. Pictures of my hives. 1st picture shows some new honey comb being drawn. if you can zoom in on the 2nd picture you'll see our queen which is marked with a red paint mark. 3rd picture is just of the hives. The feeders are empty because we stopped feeding after we added the supers.

Very cool. I am guessing it is the difference in climate, but if I were using deeps I would need two for brood boxes, and then supers on top of that. With mediums, three for brood boxes and then supers on top of that. A little longer and colder winter here than there.

What is in the picture just above and to the left of the queen, it looks like it may be plastic and cylindrical?

 

[Tororider]

Beekeeping Class.MOV - YouTube

Here is the video.

 

[troutsqueezer]

I am glad that you are discovering beekeeping, it is a worthwhile hobby. I've had seven hives now for about 8 years.

That said, a word of warning: Although the bees were docile when they were being transferred from what looks like one hive to the next, it is still advisable to wear at the minimum a veil to protect your eyes. Should the girl who was carrying the frame with bees on it drop it accidentally, I assure you the bees would no longer be docile and many of those kids standing around so close and with no protection would have been stung. These things are not foreseeable. The bees might be docile today, but not tomorrow and there are many reason for that, including the weather.

Bees, when angry, will go for your face first. Your breath is one thing that attracts them there. One sting in the eye and you may lose sight in that eye permanently. Even the pros always wear a veil for this reason.

Of course you will learn more as you go forward. Meantime, play it safe and wear protection. There is nothing to prove by not doing so.

To learn more, you might consider perusing the Beesource forum.
Beesource Beekeeping Forums

 

[RTII]

Very cool.
What is in the picture just above and to the left of the queen, it looks like it may be plastic and cylindrical?

It is a queen cell cup. The frame is from the original nuke and (I believe) queen cells are raised in the cup and the cup is transferred into the nuke to queen it.

 

[Tororider]

I am glad that you are discovering beekeeping, it is a worthwhile hobby. I've had seven hives now for about 8 years.

That said, a word of warning: Although the bees were docile when they were being transferred from what looks like one hive to the next, it is still advisable to wear at the minimum a veil to protect your eyes. Should the girl who was carrying the frame with bees on it drop it accidentally, I assure you the bees would no longer be docile and many of those kids standing around so close and with no protection would have been stung. These things are not foreseeable. The bees might be docile today, but not tomorrow and there are many reason for that, including the weather.

Bees, when angry, will go for your face first. Your breath is one thing that attracts them there. One sting in the eye and you may lose sight in that eye permanently. Even the pros always wear a veil for this reason.

Of course you will learn more as you go forward. Meantime, play it safe and wear protection. There is nothing to prove by not doing so.

To learn more, you might consider perusing the Beesource forum.
Beesource Beekeeping Forums

I will have to check out that forum, thanks. We were moving a nuc into a hive body so there weren't a ton of bees to begin with. I agree that safety needs to be practiced. Like you said, something as simple as weather can make a big difference. Bad weather means a lot of antsy bees with nothing to do but protect the hive.

 

[Tororider]

I added the third brood box today. I was a little disappointed because they hadn't done much in the second box yet. I looked around a little, but didn't find the queen. I will probably check for her again next time I am out, but once I make sure she is good just leave them for a bit except to add sugar water to the feeder. I obviously need to get a larger jar but that was all I had on short notice.

 

[Tororider]

Trout you will be glad to know I "suited up" even though it was 90+ degrees out. I am sure I would have been fine without, but better safe than sorry I guess.

 

[forgeblast]

I was going to second beesource good site. I dont know if you have a fence around it but our three hives were just wipped out by a bear. It destoyed and then came back and smashed them just to make sure they were down. My fence was shorted and he got right in.