Search:

I have a western scrub jay in my backyard who snacks on my bees -- s/he comes by first thing in the morning, when they are sleepy and slow, and gobbles a few, and then again with dusk... Not much I...

I have a blue jay that sits outside my hive every morning, eats a few sleepy bees, and takes off... and then comes back at dusk for a evening snack as well. Hurled sticks didn't do much, so I decided...

Welcome! Enjoy the fun... this site is a great resource for newbies like us.

Thanks! As usual, my question joins the ranks of the "anxious parent" questions that are the signature of newbies, but I appreciate the quick response.

Hi all, so I captured my first swarm on 4/30 -- good sized cluster. I hived them first in a nuc, and then, when they looked cramped, in an 8 frame deep. They've pulled about 3-4 deep frames of comb,...

Just FYI, I moved them smoothly to an 8 frame deep today -- the queen was running around, no eggs that I could see yet, but they are drawing tons of comb, and bringing in supplies. Hopefully brood in...

Glad you got that swarm! Pretty exciting moment -- I picked one up in Albany last week. Been a busy year around here.

Thanks! It sounds like they need more space, and I think I'll go ahead and either add another nuc box, or move em to an 8 frame deep. They are already covering 4 frames pretty thickly. I like the...

Hi all,

So I caught a nice big swarm last week (first time!) and stuck them in a 5 frame deep nuc box. They seem to have taken to their new box nicely, and I peeked in there today -- TONS of...

get in touch with the alameda beekeepers association -- the website has a swarm link, and there's a whole gang of us who pick up swarms in the east bay. it sounds, by the way, like you need an...

In addition to all that wise advice, have you washed your bee suit/veil after the 'incident'? It's a bit suspicious that they are after you and not the gardener, and perhaps you've got a bunch of...

Hm, yes, patience is not really my strong suit, I'm afraid. Maybe this is good practice. So as I understand it, I'd add one more frame this weekend, and then see whether they succeed in starting a...

I checked again this weekend and I definitely have laying workers. The only capped worker brood is on the frame of eggs that I dropped in last Saturday. In a last ditch effort to save the hive,...

welcome to the club... three things I learned in my first year:

1. wear latex gloves rather than the leather ones. i've been stung only once on the hand in the months i've been using them, small...

I just looked at Michael Bush's recommendations (http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslayingworkers.htm) and thought I might try stealing frames with eggs/larvae from my other hive and giving them to the...

Rats, I spoke too soon... turns out that it wasn't a queen laying eggs, but a worker. Obvious today, with multiple eggs in the cells, and all drones being raised. Never dealt with this before, so am...

i'm a year old beekeeper, so take this with the requisite cup of salt, but I don't think there's virtually ANY area where you'll more conflicting advice than on the issue of treatment. as far as I...

No, I was trying to get in and out quick -- it was cold and windy, and the bees were cranky... but I'll give it a longer look when we get some warmer weather here.

Tada! Today there are eggs... whew. I think I made it. Thanks for all the advice.

Yes, well, this was my theory as well -- being a newbie, I'm often hard pressed to find the queen, and there are a fair number of bees in this split. So I decided just to look for brood... If I do...

well, judging by my other hive, there are drones aplenty. But sounds like I should keep calm for a little while longer and keep my eye out for eggs/larvae. Thanks all of you!

Hi, first time bee hive-splitter, so maybe overly neurotic about this. But I did a walk away split on March 9th (25 days ago). By 3/16, there were already capped queen cells in the hive (fast!), by...

Doh! wait, there's other kinds of bees.? :pinch:

What is a bee house, as you are using the term? A swarm trap? An observation hive? Just a bee hive?

You live too far for me to come, but if you are not already, you should consider joining the Alameda County Beekeepers -- lots of Oakland members who would be much closer to you