No more mean bees and other stuff.

[Michael Bush]

Well, at my house anyway I don't have any more mean bees. I have requeened all of the viscious ones and over the last two days I've opened every hive at least once with no smoke and not had any bees after me. Now my outyard needs the same treatment, but I haven't made it out there. I know there are at least two mean ones out there.

It's been 100 degrees since before noon and it was pretty much the same yesterday. I have to work in short spurts on the bees. I get soaked to the skin. So much sweat in my eyes and on my glasses that I can't see a thing. And there is always so much to do!

I built a bunch of ventilation units that I recently designed. They are a 3/16" thick piece of Laun ply cut 1 1/2" longer than a lanstroth hive with a cleat on each end to keep it on the hive. It has two holes the size of boardman feeders in the middle covered in hardware cloth. Then there is a 1 x 3 frame the size of a lanstroth box on top of that with 1" holes on the short ends covered in hardware cloth. This whole unit is nailed together and is the ventilation unit. Any cover can go on top, but I've been using migratory covers that I shortened before I put them together until they are a snug fit on the boxes. That way the vent unit goes on top of the top box and it has cleats that are snug then the migratory goes on top of that and it's a snug fit so hopefully the whole thing won't blow off and won't need a concrete block on top of it. By putting a super box on top of the vent unit I can put up to two quart jars of feed on in the spring and since the openings for the jars is screened with hardware cloth I don't have to shake any bees off to refill them. I put them on today and so far I really like them. It noticeably reduced the number of bees on the outside of the hive on hives that only had a migratory cover or an inner cover with a telescopic cover.

[Michael Bush]

I don't want any bees going into the vent unit, so it's 1/8" (#8). I'd try closing all but a couple of inches of your entrance with #8 hardware cloth and leave the last two inches open. Just butt the edge to the bottom and staple it to the hive.

[cochran500]

Michael,
I tried feeding with a jar in a vent box like you are describing thru the 1/8" hardware cloth. The bees consumption of the sugar water went down drastically, since these were packages and drawing comb I didn't think that was to good, so I pulled the hardware cloth back. The bees went back to sucking up the sugar water. Just my experience.

Marty

[Karl]

Michael: Wow! Sounds as if its getting pretty warm in your part of the country. Here in Wisconsin we are in the high 80s with very high humidty. Does make it very uncomfortable to "suit up" to work the hives. I've been using my coveralls a lot less in favor of a short sleeve shirt and a liberal amout of smoke. Bees are busy packing it in though. They seem to be enjoying the weather.