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Since understanding that the workers alone couldn't create a new queen, I did briefly think about putting a frame of eggs from one of my other hives - but they are new hives too, only 2 weeks old and...

Thanks everyone especially telling me those workers can't lay a queen egg! Needed that spelled out as I hadn't put 2 and 2 together yet... I'm ordering the queen and will be very very careful with...

Yes, I killed her, and I'm not proud, and I know I'm an idiot. It was an accident which happened while I was installing the 2nd of 2 new packages today, after I'd dumped the bees into the brood box...

I had it in both of my recent packages - one had a very large piece indeed, very interesting to look at. I suppose they have nothing else to do in there!

Central Wisconsin - (Portage County / Waushara County border)
5/11 - Dandelions
5/13 - Wild cherries

I had a reverse mentoring situation. The friend who has turned into my mentor innocently asked if he could move one hive from his city back yard to the edge of my farm field because he had too many...

I'm thrilled too. Actually, my dad was the one in the family who always wanted to be a beekeeper, so he went with me to a beekeeping class early this spring. But my mom is just a natural - she was...

I am a new beekeeping, so take this with a grain of salt. I put my inner cover beneath the top feeder since there shouldn't be any bees above the feeder to stick the top cover to the box, and so I...

I am a new beekeeper working with my first two packages of bees. I've just done my 10 day inspection of two new packages. Everything seems to be progressing well - they are drawing comb and have...

And Amazon too: http://www.amazon.com/Keep-Bees-without-finding-Queen/dp/1904846300

I'm well north of you (just south of Stevens Point) and mine have pretty much ceased drinking the syrup. At present they are pulling in a fair amount of bright orange dandelion pollen, but I'm not...

In my reading (I had my first 2 packages this year) I did not see anything saying to plug up the hole - of course I may have missed that, but all I read was to put an entrance reducer on with the...

Hi Bullin82! I'm in Wisconsin also; this is my 2nd year beekeeping, and my 1st year with my own hives (last year a friend kindly introduced me to beekeeping when he asked if he could unload a hive...

54921 (central wisconsin, just north of waushara/portage county border) first blooms:
4/29 - maple
4/29 - box elder
5/3 - daffodils
5/5 - star magnolia

Ah, so that is burr comb - I never really knew what that was, and now (having looked it up again) I know this is indeed an 'irregular structure' aka burr comb. Thanks, I'll pull it out tomorrow.

When I installed a package in a Langstroth hive last Friday, there was a wad of comb about 2 inches long that had been built onto the side of the queen cage during transit from Texas to Wisconsin. ...

Great info, thanks guys!

Hi all,

I installed 2 packages on Friday afternoon into new hives with new undrawn foundation, and by Sunday morning I could see pollen being carried into the hive - for the half hour or so I...

Okay, its starting come into focus for me. I can see why an emergency queen may be inferior because of lack of feeding. Ray - your technique above sounds very viable.

Okay, I'm now armed with...

Daniel - thanks - and as a newbie to the beekeeping world, its confusing trying to understand what's real and what's not. So I'm glad you made the above quote.

Before I read your post about...

Thanks Peter - I've been reading about the notching technique, and would like to give it a try. I like your idea about taking the queen from a thriving hive... except the one such hive I know and...

I am new, and I have 2 hives on my property that a friend is housing here. I am doing some of the beekeeping tasks, and its been a great way to learn and get addicted!

Of course, now I want my...

Does anyone smoke themselves a bit also? I admit I've aimed the smoke at me thinking it might keep the scouts off me. Nutty?

I have one big yellow lab who follows me to the hives every time, I don't think she's been stung yet but she snuffles around without bugging the bees. I have a black cat who follows too and slinks...

Hi Bonnie,
I am a new beekeeper, so someone with much more experience will pipe in - but, I have read here and elsewhere that the queen will reduce the egg laying until the workers (or magic)...