Russians, Caucasions and Italians...Am I doing EVERYTHING wrong?

[redhawknc1]

Update! Wilbanks Three Banded Italian Queen expired during the night last night. But, I visited a beekeeper about 40miles away and brought home 2 hives consisting of 1 deep and 10 frames each with bottom board, inner covers and telescoping covered tops about 2 years old wooden ware jam-packed with bees for $50 each. My estimate of weight is about 85 lbs on one and a little heavier on the other. He keeps over 100 hives and needed some space in his beeyard at home to bring 38 of his hives from the mountains for wintering. I chose a hive of Italians and a hive of caucasions. Early that day a small swarm had came from somewhere and was hanging in a low apple tree. He said I could have them if I wanted. Bigger than a grapefruit and smaller than a football. I think I'll go get them tomorrow. He is wanting to get his yard back to about a 100 hives. The hives were just robbed of surplus honey, so I can super them for the fall flow here, if there is one. He had some bees he called leatherbacks that he said he had had for over 30 years. Never heard that term before. He mentioned that the state inpector purchased some hives a few years back because they were kinda rare. Always learn a lot from long time beekeepers. Really enjoyed the visit with him and his wife. Now, just wondering whether I should buy 2 more hives at that price? He sold 16 just today to people from over 100 miles away. One guy is bringing a truck back tomorrow for 10 hives. He used some secret treatments for mites that I hadn't heard of yet. These were just treated today. He robbed them earlier this week. Well, they are out in the back yard with my Russians on a stand, can't wait to take the screens off in the morning and watch them orient themselves. Just wonder if I'll buy more tomorrow, the hives are almost worth $50 themselves. The only real problem is I was wanting to go to 8 frame mediums, and I keep getting these 10 frame deeps. How hard is it to convert the deeps over to mediums? Let you know what happens tomorrow after I get back. Now up to 3 hives and 1 nuc! Having a blast!

[iddee]

I just bought 2 hives yesterday for over a hundred each and felt like I did well. You need to get back over there before the give away is over.

[Lew Best]

Sure wish he was closer to Texas! I'd LOVE to pick up a few more hives at that price!

Lew

[Robert Hawkins]

This story gets more fantastic. $50 for a colony and a secret treatment for the greatest plague of our century. I'd say the size of his boxes is not the most important factor here.

Hawk

[iddee]

redhawknc1, I just reread your post. Get a box on those hives quick. A full hive body of honey weighs only about 90 lbs. If those hives are close to that now, they have NO brood room left. Put a hive body on each and checkerboard, or at least a super if you don't have a hive body. If you don't have either, then at least harvest a couple of frames of honey from each.

[redhawknc1]

Went back over today and collected the small swarm in a nuc. My first swarm and it was just shoulder high in a pear tree. Wasn't but maybe 1 1/2 lbs of bees he said, maybe something will come out of them. I'll put a hivetop feeder and a robber screen on it tomorrow and just see what happens.
I was thinking the same thing about the hives I bought. Told him today to pick me out 2 more. The bees are packed full in the deep hive bodies and one was about all I could carry to my stand last night and my Jeep was only about 10ft away. So, I thought I would go ahead and put medium supers on tomorrow. Think I'll use wired wax and just let them expand into that. Need to check my inventory of woodenware to see if I have everything I need.
Gave him my number and he said he would call after he took inventory of what he had left. He wants to keep 100 hives to winter.
A couple of his pest treatments was using Garlic Powder and some kind of cluster of reddish berries that were on a bush or tree, something I have never seen before, and I am an avid hunter and thought I had seen everything. It looked like small red berries that he let dry out and something about the milky substance in the wood was what killed the mites. Of course this is used in his smoker.He lit the smoker for me, it actuallly smelled pretty good to me. What ever he is doing, I got lost in the translation. I have met a lot of beekeepers, and have seen so many different methods of treating. Didn't really know what else he used, but it was very obvious that he didin't like modern chemicals treatments. I'll just have to see what comes. But just for pure weight and quantity of bees, think I got a great deal. Plus, the beekeeper and his wife were fantastic people. I left with blueberries and a quart of honey. Hope he decides to let me have 2 more hives. Been a great weekend!

[Trebor]

I think its called sumac!
the stuff with the litte red berries

[iddee]

Staghorn Sumac. A common weed in this area. I use it every 2 or 3 times I smoke the hives.

[redhawknc1]

That is the name! Don't know how effective it is. What is your experience?

[iddee]

I pulled drop tests a week or so ago and found very little sigh of VM. I have called our state inspector and expect him to be here to check my hives within a week or so. I will bring you up to date after I see his findings.

[Michael Bush]

Converting to Mediums is as hard or as easy as you want to make it. It depends on how big of a hurry you are in. It's easiest to do this in the spring, but you can put mediums on now and see if they fill them or move the brood nest into them.

In the spring you can try to force them into the mediums. Put some brood in a medium (you can cut one frame of brood out of a deep and tie it in a medium) to bring the nurse bees there and get them to take care of the queen, and put the queen in the medium with an excluder to keep her there. Eventually there will be a brood nest in the medium. Add another when they have a brood nest going in that one and eventually harvest the deep when it's just full of honey.

You may get lucky in the spring and find an empty deep on the bottom. smile.gif Then you can just pull it off.