Comments for Honey Bee Suite

Comment on How to prevent moldy syrup in bee feeders by Rusty

Rusty — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:25:31 +0000

Sarah,

Bees often ignore syrup when the weather is warm and there is plenty of other forage available. After all, they are programmed to collect nectar and that is what they prefer to do. If I do feed syrup in the fall, I use three or four drops of oil per gallon–just so it smells nice but doesn’t knock you over.

Comment on How to use a slatted rack by Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 17 May 2012 03:04:20 +0000

I have been wondering what those funny-looking slatted things were for.

Comment on Great expectations by Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:51:13 +0000

Yup. I tried explain feeding to my father, and his response was “bees were doing just fine without us a hundred years ago”. Of course, this sent me on a rampage, but my point is I am so happy there are beekeepers that understand where I’m coming from!

Comment on Reversing brood boxes: is it necessary? by Rusty

Rusty — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:42:36 +0000

I think I killed more queens by reversing than any other way, so I stopped doing it completely about five years ago. Bees move up in the winter, down in the summer and I don’t think the position of the bees in the hive has much to do with swarming. Still I understand that feeling of needing to do anything possible to forestall swarming in urban areas. But still, I think it’s more fiction that fact that reversing helps. My two cents.

Comment on Reversing brood boxes: is it necessary? by Phillip

Phillip — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:21:02 +0000

I think I killed the queen in one of my hives a few weeks ago when I reversed the brood boxes.

http://mudsongs.org/signs-of-a-queenless-hive/

No worker brood of any kind, plenty of empty frames, a smidgen of drone brood, no sign of the queen, no queen cells of any kind, and oddly calm bees.

I’ve added open brood from a healthy hive to see if the bees start building replacement queen cells. I’m considering a few options if the hive is queenless.

I don’t think I’d bother reversing the boxes if I lived in the country, but in my urban environment, I’m paranoid about neighbours freaking out over swarms, so I do whatever I can to keeps the bees down. I hate that.

Comment on Great expectations by Rusty

Rusty — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:08:56 +0000

Sarah,

That would be so funny if it weren’t so sad. I think it’s that disconnect between people and nature that makes them shrug over issues like pesticides in the environment. If you don’t understand it, why worry about it?

As Kitty points out (above) try explaining to that woman that you give honey to bees. She’ll think you lost your marbles.

Comment on Great expectations by Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:02:41 +0000

Last year when my hive was starting out people were asking me when I’d have honey to sell/give away. I’d answer maybe next year. JANUARY of this year people were asking me if I had any honey! I tried to explain that as there are no flowers there is no honey.This one woman had a hard time understanding what the one had to do with the other. Poor, poor misunderstood bees.

Comment on Great expectations by Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:55:58 +0000

That is hilarious! I have two hives (one from last year, the second is a split from that hive) and my friend has five and counting. I’ve been thinking how much money between the two of us that we have SPENT on the bees and it will take a lot of honey to cover that. Fortunately, we aren’t in it for the money.

Comment on Great expectations by Tom

Tom — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:48:43 +0000

Rusty

This looks like your thing: http://www.causes.com/causes/62120-stop-monsanto/actions/1650396

Comment on Great expectations by Chelsea

Chelsea — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:25:20 +0000

A local “famous” beekeeper with a really gregarious personality is often saying outrageous things like this…

Recently, we heard him say (during a presentation) that beekeeping is a great way to make a bit of extra money UP TO $10,000 WITH TWO HIVES. Maybe he meant over the course of 25 years.

Same beekeeper also likes to say that it’s possible to keep up to 300 hives and still work a full time job.

Actually, combine the two statements and you could make $1.5 million a year in addition to your full time job!

Rusty, I think we must be doing something wrong…