Hive Photos

[Meadow Stone Farm]

thought I'd post the link here too. They photos of my two hives, 1 swarmed last week, the other is congested and has started two queen cells.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/61798190@N00/

Kris

[Dave W]

Do you know WHY they swarmed?

[Meadow Stone Farm]

the swarmed hive was started from a nuc and had almost all foundaiton frames. while there is a huge honey flow on, and the hive was backlogged a bit, the queen was just an egg laying machine. she must have filled 10-12 frames of brood in two deeps. there was way too much brood, not enough drawn comb for her to lay in and too many workers bringing in loads of nectar/pollen.

of course in hindsight i should have split that baby up, but that's what they call learning.

[Dave W]

In your photos, I see lots of honey IN brood nest AND I do NOT see any honey supers.

My guess is they needed more room. Maybe its not too late?

Splitting works too, but I like a BIG hive FULL of lots of bees, makin' lot of honey :)

>learning . . .
It never stops!

[Meadow Stone Farm]

the hive that swarmed has only begun drawing their first super.

the second hive (labeled "no swarm hive" in the photos) is the one with mixed honey/brood frames. this hive has barely touched their first super. i put it between the two deeps for a day to get them interested in it. this hive only has 4 full frames of brood, and started two queen cells on saturday. i am going to extract two honey frames out of the brood chamber and put them next to the queen. if she lays in them i will split the hive. i am nervous about splitting it with only 4 brood frames.

sound like a plan?

the swarmed hive has a virgin queen in it and, now, tons of room for brood. if our flow keeps up through fall, and the queen gets mated and laying, this hive should be hopping come september.

[dcross]

Tell us you aren't using that pry bar as a hive tool:)

[Meadow Stone Farm]

yup....sure am. works great, of course i don't know any better. i only occasionally pierce some comb with it.....on second thought maybe i should get a hive tool....

[honeyman46408]

Tell us you aren't using that pry bar as a hive tool:)


I was thinkin he should get a BIG one :D

[Budster]

"Tell us you aren't using that pry bar as a hive tool"

My hive tool(s) consist of a putty knife and a #2 streight edge screwdriver....

I gotta get me a real one one day!

[deantn]

Why in the last photo do you say and here is my "useless TBH"?
Not having any luck with TBH's or never had bees in it?

[Meadow Stone Farm]

oh i had bees in it. all they did was build perpendicular to the bars. it was my first hive....very frustrating, pissed me off and they died over the winter. if i had any experience it probably would have gone better, it was a bad choice for me to have as a first hive. maybe in a few years i'll try again.

[Meadow Stone Farm]

i went into the hive shown near the top bar in the photo, to extract two frames and give the queen some room. that hive is behind our goat fence and the herd normally follows me around, even near the bees. i didn't notice at first, with the veil on, but a tree fell on the fence about 10 feet from the hive. the goats swarmed the thing and started eating. i went about my business, opened the hive and found a whole load of new brood. anyway, the smoker went out about halfway through me going through the hive and the bees were pissed, got stung twice and there was a huge cloud of bees around me, very angry. i look over and not a single one is bothering the goats, they are happily eating away. if i get within 25 feet of the hive with the veil on the bees go nuts.

i finished milking (after dark) and went out to pull the tree off the fence by flashlight. i hear a rustling near the hive and go over, our barn cat is eating burr comb i left on the ground near the hive. she's about 6 inches from a pile of bees hanging out on the front entrance. they didn't seem to care. i think my bees are prejudice....

[Ann]

"Tell us you aren't using that pry bar as a hive tool"

My hive tool(s) consist of a putty knife and a #2 streight edge screwdriver....

I gotta get me a real one one day!Go to Walmart and buy a glazier's tool. We've got two of them, they work great.