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weak hive, medium hive, strong hive (long)

6K views 23 replies 8 participants last post by  Michael Bush 
#1 ·
http://www.myoldtools.com/pictures/july2.jpg

The picture above shows the 3 hives I started this year. All three started with 5 frames of brood and honey and 5 frames of wax coated plastic foundation. I didn't feed early (April in Texas) because of a decent flow. I've been feeding 1:1 since mid May. The yellow hive had a virgin queen to start, the purple hive had an established (1 year+) clipped queen, and the blue hive had a few queen cells. It took the blue hive several weeks to get a laying queen. The three hives are oriented south (yellow) to north (blue). Prevailing winds are from the south at this time of year. The yellow hive seemed to get a good start early and still looks ok inside with larva and capped brood. My local mentor thinks I maybe experiencing wind drift from south to north. Any comments? My current plan is to move the yellow hive 20 feet away using the brush in front of the hive method and gradually separate the remaining two hives on that stand.

[This message has been edited by Ross (edited July 08, 2003).]
 
#5 ·
The yellow hive is producing brood, but not holding as many bees. The laying pattern looks ok. They are not drawing comb as rapidly as the other two. Earlier in the year, they were actually ahead of the blue hive. That was before the winds moved south and the temps came up. The yellow hive is on the south end, but all of them get full sun exposure because the sun is almost straight up this time of year. They get shade after about 5:30 pm. The temps here are in the mid to high 90's now and humid. I installed the upper entrance to help that. The top box is just a feeder cover. In the last week, the blue hive emptied a gallon of 1:1, the purple hive took 2/3 gallon, and the yellow hive took less than 1/2 gallon. The blue hive is 1/2 drawn in the upper and laying in the upper, the purple is maybe 25% drawn in the upper, and the yellow hive has drawn maybe 5% in the upper and 80% in the lower.
 
#9 ·
The tops are standard migratory. Yes, I have started building my own boxes. My other hobby is woodworking and antique tools. Box joint jigs are easy to make and use. I can build supers a little cheaper than I can have them shipped in, even buying wood retail, and I can control the quality. The feeder box is an extra deep (11.5") with a plywood bottom to hold large cans. I'm experimenting with various shims and such for upper entrances and ventilation. Everything is sized for standard parts compatibility. SBB's are in the workshop this week.
 
#11 ·
mmundy: wanted to see your page,did'nt go through.
I've got a hive in the front yard that look's like a church , 12-12 pitch roof- a cross on top a porch & all sure do have fun with it.
told one man that live's up the road,that I'm hoping it will make the bee's a little nicer,(ha-ha).Having fun.>>>>Mark
 
#14 ·
Bees drift for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they get caught out in the rain and take to the nearest hive. Sometimes they like the smell of another queen (probably she has more Queen Madibular Pheromone QMP). Sometimes they are hovering to go into their hive and the wind blows them down the row and they smell a stronger queen or something else they like and go into a different hive. I haven't seen a lot of wind drift, but moving the strong one to the other end will even things out a little right off because at least a few bees will just go in the hive in the end even if it's the wrong one. Then if it is wind drift it will continue to move the bees from the strong one down the row.
 
#16 ·
I don't do anything to minimize wind drift. It's just that moving them around could pinpoint that it was or was not and it could even out the population a bit. I just don't worry about it unless the first hive in the row is really depopulated. Then I'd do what I said and move the strong one to the weak end.
 
#17 ·
GAbees,

Stagger your hives and have them facing different directions. It won't help the "stronger scent drift, etc." but it will help the bees and limit drifting for other reasons. It will also make them more efficient by having them not fly up to the entrance several times in a confused manner. Will also help with limiting needless fighting and more gaurd bees being posted.

On a really nice apiary site with little drifting and no recent robbing, you will notice very little full-time gaurd bees. The exiting bees may check an incoming bees out for ID, but then they are on there way.
 
#18 ·
It's true, when they are really close I've seen more robbing than when you space them out more. I don't much like them facing opposite directions because I can't approach them from the back, where there are not gaurd bees. If they all face the same direction then I can approach from the back without much chance of being challanged. But if your space is limited you arrange them however you can.
 
#19 ·
I have found myself never really standing at the back of a hive. I put 4 hives on a pallet facing two directions. Then the pallets can be put about 3 feet apart. I can stand between two pallet and be at the side of four hives from one place.

I prefer to pull the frames from the hives when I'm facing the side of the hive. I do not have to twist or reach across the hive. Standing at the back of the hive seems ackward to me but to each thier own.

I have never really thought about positioniong of gaurd bees as this was also discussed recently on another post. The one about "holes". I just use my smoker properly and gaurd bees whether up/down, front/back, etc, seem not to be a problem. I just never try to stand in front of the hive as this backs up the bees coming back to the hive.

[This message has been edited by BjornBee (edited July 09, 2003).]
 
#24 ·
>How far apart should they be kept to cut down on the robbing?

I've seen hives right up against each other that didn't have a problem I've seen then a couple of feet apart and they did have a problem. I moved them another couple of feed apart and the problem went away. It depends on the bees, the flow, etc.
 
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