30 hrs after package install.

The glare is always hard to deal with. You can try turning off the flash, but you then sometimes it is too dark. I actually found that taking them at night worked ok sometimes.

They sell anti-reflective coatings online but they all seem stupid expensive.

If anyone knows of a good source of AR film let me know.

Turn the flash off and use a flash light off to the side. That will give you perfect results. A bright cloudy day would also work well with no flash.

I installed my bees on 04/08/14. this morning I saw ants on the hive. So I wrapped the hive legs with 3" of blue masking tape and then coated the tape with tanglefoot. seems to have done the trick. It might be worth a try.

I've heard the ants in Florida are pretty bad. I doubt Cinnamon would help much, but it may be worth a try.

I've been trying for two years to get some decent pictures through the glass and haven't been successful yet. If it's sunny glare is a problem. If it's cloudy the flash messes it up. The best picture I've gotten so far was when the sun was going down and shining from behind me into the window, the light wasn't bright enough to glare. Another thing that I did was to paint the back side of the window cover. Mine is on hinges and just flips down and it tended to reflect the sunlight back up onto the glass. If your cover comes completely off you won't have that problem. The great thing about digital pictures is that you can take hundreds of them and discard them, which I've done.

New package is looking good. Glad to see you put a window in your hive. You won't regret it. I open mine at least twice a day, morning and night. And then a lot more on the weekends when I am gardening. Helps me stay out of the hive itself. I was in there way too much last year, but boy did I learn a lot.

As far as the glare from the camera, try getting the lens directly up against the glass. My best photos thru the glass have come from a fixed lens camera and not my expensive SLR digital Rebel camera (that one gets the close ups of the bees when I do an inspection).

I've been obsessing over the ants, which given its the end of the semester, is not something I have a lot of time to do. Still, I appreciate the responses, and I'll be adding some kind of ant-deterrent (grease, petroleum jelly) on the legs this afternoon, as well as planting mint at the base of the legs which I read on a blog post (unfortunately bookmarked on a different computer). I'll also try the flashlight for getting better pictures.

Thank you for the replies!

msscha said:

I've been obsessing over the ants, which given its the end of the semester, is not something I have a lot of time to do. Still, I appreciate the responses, and I'll be adding some kind of ant-deterrent (grease, petroleum jelly) on the legs this afternoon, as well as planting mint at the base of the legs which I read on a blog post (unfortunately bookmarked on a different computer). I'll also try the flashlight for getting better pictures.

Thank you for the replies!

Click to expand...

I've tried planting mint and tansy by the hives. I haven't found that it deters ants. I know lots of people swear by putting their hives on a stand that has legs, and putting the leg stands in dishes or cans of oil. Water would work, too, but oil doesn't evaporate as quickly, and it provides a barrier the ants can't cross.

Looking good.

I'm jealous of your window. I built my hives in a hurry, so didn't have time for a window. Maybe I can build a new hive with the same dimensions over the year and have a window for a split next year.

Cnt, your window is nicer than mine! When I checked the queen cage on day three, I had the same experience--no queen but workers still inside. Maybe b/c it still smells like her? I read not to queen cages in a jacket pocket for the same reason. Anyway, I shook them out a bit then set the cage on the ground. They all left quickly. Do you find that the bees cluster around the window when it's open? I couldn't get pictures today b/c everyone came over to investigate the sudden brightness!

I'm feeling lucky that today the ants seemed to have left. Could have been the baking soda, coffee, cinnamon mix, but I'm guessing it was the Amdro. Still, I planted some mint and tucked some boric acid tablets in empty toilet paper tubes at the base of the planting mound. I needed a break today: someone stole my purse and it will take all day tomorrow to deal with it. Wish I could sic a guard bee on him/her!

msscha said:

Cnt, your window is nicer than mine! When I checked the queen cage on day three, I had the same experience--no queen but workers still inside. Maybe b/c it still smells like her? I read not to queen cages in a jacket pocket for the same reason. Anyway, I shook them out a bit then set the cage on the ground. They all left quickly. Do you find that the bees cluster around the window when it's open? I couldn't get pictures today b/c everyone came over to investigate the sudden brightness!

Click to expand...

Thanks! it's an 8"x47" piece of tempered glass from ikea. It was supposed to be a shelf but I carefully ground the aluminum bracket off to get the glass.

I ended up pulling the screen off the cage and shaking them out just in case she was still in there (i'm paranoid.)

I did notice that they started flying at the window after about 30 seconds of peeking. I took that as a sign they wanted me to close it up, so I complied since they're probably trying to settle in still I did notice a bit of fresh comb just peaking of of the crazy cluster of bees, which is pretty cool to see spring up so fast!

I looked at glass shelving, too, but ended up having Lowe's custom cut a piece. It wasn't expensive, which I appreciated.

We had rain today (and cooler weather tonight), and I was surprised by how big a difference it made in the sound of the hive. They were very quiet...in fact, I thought that they'd absconded. I went back to the house to get a good flashlight, and found that the bees were very much there, and have constructed what looks like a piece or two of honeycomb that almost reach to the bottom of the hive! Tomorrow is one week, and this weekend I will do my first real inspection. I'll try to get pictures, and I'm really hoping that there is no cross-combing.

Just out of curiosity, have you been able to smell the hive yet? The last two days, I would swear I can smell the hive -- like warm, sweet beeswax -- when I am still a good 15 ft away. I've read that you can smell the hive, and even tell the condition sometimes this way, but I didn't think it would start so soon!

msscha said:

Just out of curiosity, have you been able to smell the hive yet? The last two days, I would swear I can smell the hive -- like warm, sweet beeswax -- when I am still a good 15 ft away. I've read that you can smell the hive, and even tell the condition sometimes this way, but I didn't think it would start so soon!

Click to expand...

I have a very sensitive nose also, and the hives definitely have a smell. Just wait until the fall, and they start bringing goldenrod nectar in! In the fall, I can smell my hive from over 100' away. In fact, the odor has taught me to locate areas where wild bees live because I can smell their hives now, too! At least, I know what I'm smelling now.

some ideas on ants:

http://douglasfarm.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/1126862-10-ways-to-fight-ants-without-chemicals

msscha said:

I've been obsessing over the ants, which given its the end of the semester, is not something I have a lot of time to do. Still, I appreciate the responses, and I'll be adding some kind of ant-deterrent (grease, petroleum jelly) on the legs this afternoon, as well as planting mint at the base of the legs which I read on a blog post (unfortunately bookmarked on a different computer). I'll also try the flashlight for getting better pictures.

Thank you for the replies!

Click to expand...

I don't know if you are resting the hive on blocks, or legs. If on legs I reccomend putting the 'feet' into cans or old margerine tubs with an inch or two of oil in them. I've had luck with that in the past and it is quick.