Honey Bees
- Thread starter Peeps
- Start date
fishin coyote
5 year old buck +
Looks like 4 of 7 made it for me. There was activity at 5 of them I'll know for sure in a couple of weeks when I open them. I don't like to break open the boxes until April, the weather is highly erratic in my area until then.
As a hobbyist who catches swarms and doesn't buy bees I don't treat for mites. Not a fan of using chemicals to kill bugs on bugs.
My survival rate has been running around 60% for the last few years
As a hobbyist who catches swarms and doesn't buy bees I don't treat for mites. Not a fan of using chemicals to kill bugs on bugs.
My survival rate has been running around 60% for the last few years
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
The average loss is 40% per surveys published in The American Bee Journal
Weather in East Texas has been extremely volatile(like the Dow?!)
Last week we had mid 70 highs and 25 lows
bill
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
i do the same.....catch swarms and make splits from healthy hives
The killing a bug on a bug thing bothers me as well
bill
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Pretty much everything, he only lives a couple hours from me and I have emailed him a few times.
If you dont read anything else by him, read his Bee Math
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
Troubles Trees
5 year old buck +
I only have 1 hive so far but it was 65 and sunny on Saturday and the Honeybees were very active. I bought a 2nd hive box last year hoping the one I have splits and fills the 2nd box this year. I don't sell it, my honey is only for personal use and to help with pollination on my property so 1 hive produces enough honey for a year.
I am just happy to see them flying this spring as I lost the hive over the 2020 winter for unknown reasons.
I am just happy to see them flying this spring as I lost the hive over the 2020 winter for unknown reasons.
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
Update:
Currently in the process of reading everything by Michael Bush
My favorite quote thus far : "Bees need beekeepers like fish need bicycles"
bill
Troubles Trees
5 year old buck +
I love that! I practice this mentality and do minimal intrusions to just let them do their thing, the only time I open my hive is to harvest that liquid gold. I have been criticized for not checking for mites and not giving them the sugar water during stress periods. To each is their own and everyone that does bees has a different approach, bees have lived for millions of years before mankind and they did just fine.
I used to really worry about my bees and fight to the death to save a weak hive. I might give them a fram or two with eggs from another hive now - but I kind of look at it now like survival of the fittest - if I have to baby them - they dont need to be here.
So far 14 of my 15 have made it. The one I lost was the only one I did not treat for varroa. It was just a test hive, which I do every year, to see if I can get one through the winter without treatment. 3 of my other hives are bursting at the seams and will have to be split this weekend. I normally don't treat this time of the year but as soon as supers come off in July I start hammering them. I rotate with Formic and Apivar. In the fall and winter as the brood shrinks I'll do several rounds of OA.
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
My neighbor has a couple of hives, with about 3 acres of vegetables and flowers. His bees are all over my 5 acres, enjoying all the red and white clover, and various wildflowers.
This may be a stupid question, but if I let someone else put hives on my land, would there be problems amongst the bees?
This may be a stupid question, but if I let someone else put hives on my land, would there be problems amongst the bees?
Not amongst the bees - but it could be with the folks in your state who control the bees. In our state, if you register your bees with the state plant board, you give permission (if you want), to any non landowner who wants to put bees within three miles of your apiary locations. They must fill out a form and send a copy to the plant board and to the owner of the registered hives for approval. If you own the land, you dont need approval - if you dont own the land - you need approval.
