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Assuming you want to end up with 2 equal splits, I recommend moving the hive, then split it as you set it up in its new location. That way the foragers from both halves will stay put and not return...

I've given my bees water in the past and they ignored it so I stopped. They also ignore the nearby horse water, the dog water, and the garden water. I've never seen them drinking anywhere at any...

That's called evolution.

I make all my own stuff (including frames). I cut some handholds once using a dado blade on my tablesaw. Position the board, raise blade to make cut, lower blade, change boards, repeat.

The...

My hives are next to a 25 acre hay field with a fair amount of white clover. When in bloom there are always plenty of bumble bees and various other wild pollenators, but I rarely see a honeybee in...

You are correct in that a long, slow death is a less effective means of eliminating bad genes. It comes down to whether the hive produced any offspring (cast a swarm, split, etc.) to perpetuate its...

Honeybees are easy to explain in the "survival of the fittest" model. It's just a matter of thinking of the entire hive as a single organism/reproductive unit, rather than the individual bees (which...

for the easiest, cheapest method of making a SBB ever!

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212047

If you need a lot (which sounds like you do), you can make probably 3 SBBs out of...

Thanks for the info, Buck. I keep wanting to try a TBH. I'll get to it someday. Very cool setup with the viewing window.

Buck,
I notice the walls of your hive are vertical. I thought that the walls of a top bar hive needed to slope diagonally to prevent the bees from attaching comb?

I don't think wax moths can get in. Just small ants.

Good points. That brings up a bonus benefit. Since everything is outside through the winter months, the stored combs all freeze, killing the wax moths/larvae. I keep them sealed up in their boxes...

4th year beek here, sharing something I learned. This may seem obvious to many of you, but when I started out I stored everything (except for the bees) in my shop. Bee stuff accumulates quickly and...

I have several boxes of empty drawn comb stored on its own stand in the beeyard. Today I noticed a few ants had gotten inside.

I don't care if they want to scavenge what trace amounts of honey...

Various reasons. Take your pick.
1. I'm lazy and crush and strain is easier.
2. With only a few hives it's not cost effective to invest in an extractor.
3. Isolated location so no access to a...

They had a sister-sister spat, just like my sisters used to have but it got out of hand. Probably something like "MY drone father is better than YOUR drone father!"

That does sound like odd behavior.

Are you sure there's not a queen/swarm cell that was already established before they swarmed? Perhaps the new queen has already hatched and they already...

I understand most beeks use 9 frames in their supers for more honey per frame and easier extracting.

What about those beeks who do crush and strain from foundationless frames? How many frames per...

"Why? It's a theory,..."

Just answering a question you'd posed. If you understand the Darwin principles, you'll understand why a larger gene pool is preferred.

"But that isn't the situation...

How long does it need to stay frozen to kill the mites?

Can I freeze a frame in the morning and return it to the hive later the same day?

"And why would you start with a wide variety of genetics?"

You should review Darwin's theory "Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection". The largest possible genetic pool to begin with...

I'm trying checkerboarding this year for the first time on a single hive. This hive is all mediums on a SBB (no slider board), bottom entrance. I'm still having cold nights (30s). I noticed that when...

I was quite shocked at the series of negative reactions following Walt's post. If someone didn't agree with what he said or did, they could have simply said so without all the hostility. Words like...

My bees don't seem to keep their SBBs clean. Is this normal?

Smoke works. Or you could invest in a good bee suit. Nothing prevents panic better than knowing you're safe.