Re: [madbees] new package installed today - a bit more difficult than this first timer thought it would be.

[Paul Zelenski]

Good luck!
I'm sure everything will be fine. Bees are much more forgiving of our errors than I originally would have thought.

On May 18, 2013 8:26 PM, "Claudia Looze" <claudi...@gmail.com> wrote:

Somehow pushed the cork inside the queen cage. Had trouble retrieving so left it inside and pushed mini marshmallow in spot where it once was. Placedthe queen cage a bit precariously between two frames. Hope it stays.

Also, put an empty super box (no frames) above brooder box where I poured the bees into and where the queen is because there was a huge mound of bees that would've been crushed by the inner cover. . THEN I put the inner cover atop that empty box and then the feeder and then the telescoping cover. Will check in the morning and try to get it corrected then.

The whole process was a bit more difficult than anticipated and I had taken Jeanne class in January and have been reading everything I can get my hands on.

Wish me luck!

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[Paul Zelenski]

[Ruth Harms]

Hang in there Claudia! Bees are never predictable and what works one time, may the next, or may not! Sounds like you handled things well! We often have to go back and make things right, or at least I do because I want them to stay calm. Closing them up, walking away and coming back a little later often works too. Good luck! It's fun and never a dull moment!

[beedummy]

Unfortunately, the bees do not read the books so they don't know what to do! I tried a split this weekend, following all that I had read and it turned into a mess - a miracle if the split really splits... But as Ruth says, never a dull moment.

[Paul Zelenski]

I'm intrigued. Would you care to tell us more about what happened?

On May 19, 2013 6:25 PM, "beedummy" <par...@uwplatt.edu> wrote:

Unfortunately, the bees do not read the books so they don't know what to do!  I tried a split this weekend, following all that I had read and it turned into a mess - a miracle if the split really splits...  But as Ruth says, never a dull moment.

[beedummy]

So I go through the frames, one by one. Top brood box has lots of bees and a decent amount of brood, and I THINK there were some young eggs around the periphery of the brood nest. Then I continue through frame by frame - patiently to start with, then the bees start buzzing my veil but no problem, I stay calm. Around frame 10 I am questioning my eagle eyes - did I miss the queen? Should I go back through them? More bees are flying. I am feeling guilty about taking so long to tear through their house. So I put the first 10 frames in the waiting empty box, assuming I don't have the queen in there but do have young eggs. Then I continue, and the second brood box is FULL of brood, no queen cells I think, and kind of spotty; finally, on frame #18, there is the lovely queen with an oh-so-helpful yellow paint dot on her back. And then I get stung twice on my ankles, through my socks. Last time I got stung on the ankle, I needed an epipen. So I hurriedly stashed everything back together and got up to the house to be monitored. Next day I put on another brood box on the box with the queen full of empties that hopefully they tear into and build out.

[beedummy]

[Walt]

beedummy: Unless you are planning on introducing a new queen, making a split or setting up a nuc, you don't need to find the queen every time when inspecting and looking at every frame. This may be your first hive or beekeeping experience and it's all right to be curious and look at a lot of frames in the beginning. You only need to see eggs and brood in different stages to know the queen is there and the hive is doing well. I'm just saying this so you don't get "discouraged" if you are getting stung too much, especially around the ankles, (or anywhere else).  Some hives may need an extra 2-3 gentle puffs of smoke as you go along. The other thing is that too much (or unnecessary) manipulation or checking every frame increases the chances of killing or injuring the queen.

[Paul Reith]

Claudia-

Here's my method, in case you want to glean anything from it for next year.

I generally remove the middle 4 frames, and use my trusty bee-dedicated garden sprayer to hose down the comb exposed on the remaining frames with 1:1 syrup.

Then i spray the bottom good too.

After that, I shake em in about a pound at a time and douse the pile with more syrup. The warmer it is, the more syrup needed. Enough to keep them put and not flying about.

When all three lbs are in, i spend about 30 seconds on the stragglers, release the queen into one of the sides, and put the shipping crate in front of the hive for the rest to maybe find their way out.

If it's above 70 degrees, I can usually put two frames in gently right away, and the other two in 5-10 minutes when all are dispersed. 

If it's below 50, use warm syrup (90 degrees) close it up quick, and come back to put the 4 frames in after 15 minutes. 

It's worked pretty good over the years.

Cheers,

Paul

[Claudia Looze]

All I can say is Jeanne Hansen is the best! She contacted me via email and got me through the shaky first days. Things are going extremely well now.

[WILLIAM PALMER]

Hi Group;  Have a suggestion for the DCBA.   Why not start a mentoring program.

 

   We started one in Walworth County.  We tried to match the mentor with a mentorite that were in the same area of the county.  Being close there was more interaction and availability.  We all need help once in a while.  This may give you an extra hand at harvest time.  Its better to give than to receive. You will make new friends.

 

                              Good luck       William Palmer       East Troy Honey.

On Wed, May 22, 2013 at 9:35 PM, Claudia Looze <claudi...@gmail.com> wrote:

All I can say is Jeanne Hansen is the best! She contacted me via email and got me through the shaky first days. Things are going extremely well now.

[Dan Curran]

William,

I think that this is a great idea, I think that most of what I have learned about beekeeping was through real, practical experiences. There are a lot of excellent books (don't get me wrong, I read as many journal articles and books as I possibly can), but hands-on experience is crucial when it comes to beekeeping. It seems that some our beginning beekeeping courses are tapping into these sorts of experiences, but a mentoring program would be very worthwhile...

Dan

[Paul Zelenski]

I think it would also be great for more experienced beeks to take a look at others hives. I'd love to watch some other people doing inspections and would love to have some others look at my hives. I think this type of exchange and sharing of experience could be greatly beneficial.

Btw, I'm happy to have anyone come and take a look at my hives or help with inspections. I don't claim to know enough to be a mentor, but I'm happy to share whatever I do know.