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One other thing to consider, is if the "good" hive is still there and near this dead hive, it may need to have it's entrance reduced as well, just to be on the safe side. As you know, you can't tell...

I was previously able to refill their rapid feeder without having to don a veil or gloves but in the last week or so, they have started to really go after my hands (no stings thankfully) to let me...

Congratulations on saving the swarm. Are you sure it's a swarm and not an absconded hive? I just can't picture a swarm happening right now in those temps. Mind you, I am NOT an expert. Maybe rather...

Are you worried that they won't cap the syrup and it's the UNCAPPED food that will cause moisture problems?

I would think it's essentially as Mark said, until they can't get to the food or they...

Feed them until they stop taking it. The key word is "stop". Let me explain why: my orange hive I started feeding several weeks ago due to being very light on stores. They were taking it like...

I received my bees from a beekeeper who received his bees via a swarm. The swarm was caught 7 years ago and the same hive genetics have been present in that hive since that time. The beekeeper made a...

As I am still a new beekeeper and was feeding my bees last year, so I don't really know what a good fall flow is for my area. I'm guessing a good flow would mean the hives would not require feeding...

honeydog, I'm sorry you've received such comments. You should definitely try to get a mentor, having 2 sets of eyes looking at the hive with you helps tremendously. I believe Jim Fraser is a member...

honeydog, you should be feeding them their first year. You should hopefully be seeing some brood, stored pollen, some honey but they may have eaten through whatever they managed to collect. If you...

I was worried about him too, I hope he's all right.

Maryland summers can be so brutal but I wore old jeans and a white linen shirt that buttoned. Oh my, in the span of a month, I was stung on my...

Deknow is right about that, stick to what can be proven with research/science vs. anecdotal report.

Books like Biology of the Honey Bee have loads of interesting info.
You can say something like...

I have one of those green traps that catches both hornets (through the bottom) and wasps (through the top). It has caught 4 wasps and no hornets. My homemade trap has caught WAY more hornets and...

I have to concur with not doing anything. I did something about it and lost a queen. I have to remind myself that my job is to support them, not dictate. Support, not dictate (I'll just keep...

G'ville, you cracked me up with this one "Hey guys I have 3 bees missing and want to know where they are." I thoroughly enjoyed it, thank you.
And lazy shooter almost finished me off with his Adam's...

Goodness, if I could harvest 200 lb per hive, my neighbors would stop complaining that I sold out of my measly little crop in 2 hrs.

Holy crap! You are so lucky.

Can I assume you only have one hive? If there is no winter prep to speak of in your region, then this is what I can think of: order a queen, this time use a push-in introduction cage to get some...

My beekeeping friend's husband set up a hose in the hole and let-er-rip. He let the water run for quite some time, and it actually worked. Handy technique.

In my brief year as a beekeeper, I have done a few newspaper combines and never provided a top entrance. BUT I do like to put a drop or two of lemongrass oil on the paper as a "feel good" smell and...

Our bee inspector did a talk on mite testing. He noted that the mite drop count is not a reliable measure of mite load because the number of mites that drop off are related to the effectiveness of...

For general care I have a leather cleaner that I use for our shoes/bags, etc, that works very well to condition the leather and clean it. If honey is on the glove, I just rinse it quickly then clean...

Another idea: a lending library! I would love something like that. Maybe I'll suggest it and see what happens.

I became a member of my bee club in January of 2011 as part of our Beginner Short Course. I'm much younger than most of the members and female which made me stand out quite a bit so I was glad when...

I went to York Prep!! When it was still on the East side, on 85th between Park and Lex. How funny.

How interesting that you posted this thread. I had recombined a hive I believed was queenless on August 19th (the last time the hive had a queen was July 13th, so 37 days without a queen). There were...