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Got this bright idea last fall to raise bees this summer (that was maybe my first mistake). Got my moms old beekeeping books from storage (been on a shelf for a good 20+years) and read them all over and over again. Spent months online watching youtube videos and reading up on all the things that could go wrong and yet I am finding that I am now 3 months in and all that reading and research seems to be doing me no good.
Mom found a place that sold bees with brood chamber, bottom board, feeder, inner cover and top cover for only $120 and she ordered 2 sets (since my bright ideas always turn into 'family adventures' she decided she needed a hive to)
Spent from fall to spring on craigslist buying used hive bodies, frames, drawn comb and anything else we could for cheap.
The month of April was spent washing the boxes and painting them so that we could be ready for when our bees arrived in May.
Mothers day weekend our 2 hives were ready for pick up. Not even 5 minutes after arriving at our bee site I was stung (k, I knew that was going to happen at some point but 5 minutes in, COME ON, I wasnt even messing with them yet, just walked over to see my new hives and that little girl decided to get stuck in my hair, I now wear a stocking cap on my head whenever I go over there)
Last week was nice and hot and humid here in MN and I ended up with a swarm. Bees were falling out of my hive like they were water. Got all geared up closer to dark and added a third brood chamber.
2 days later I noticed that our spare hives had a TON of bee activity (the spares are on the other side of the yard from where we have our original hives set up). Wait for my dad to get home and we open up the hives to see what is going on to find that I have managed to luck out and capture my own swarm (beginners luck I figure). Go through frame by frame and by some miracle locate the queen. Add an excluder to keep her out of the top honey chamber (found her in the second honey super down) and thank God I had a spare. I want to say this is last week Wednesday. Then precede to move the rest of the extra empty hives away from the new hive.
Check on the original hive and it is still full of bees. Only pulled one frame as they were very agitated even after being smoked. Had seen a queen cell on the only frame I pulled the day I saw them swarming so I would guess they either have a new queen already or are less then a week from having a new one.
Today my mom calls me to tell me that once again the spare hives have a ton of bee activity. Will be going to the farm tomorrow to see if God smiled down on us again and let us 'capture' a second swarm (which I would guess is from my moms hive).
I understand that bees swarm. But what the heck am I doing wrong? My mom used drawn out comb honey supers in her hive but I used brand new foundations. My bees dont seem to be doing any drawing out of comb in either the brood chambers OR the honey supers.
The hives they are taking over have some drawn out comb and some empty foundation. The drawn comb is from hives that froze out over last winter and we just hadnt gotten to cleaning them out (all the cleaned and freshly painted equipment is being stored in a small shed, that was just my staging area for when I was working).
If my bees are swarming are they going to have time to make enough honey to survive the winter?
What are the odds of me being able to steal some honey this year since my kids (especially the 5 yr old) are asking at least once a week if we have honey yet.
Why are my bees not drawing out any comb? (which if they are not drawing out comb that would account for the swarming, they probably got over crowded I would guess).
Will my now 4 hives (I was really not ready for 4 hives) stand a chance of making it through the winter?
Is anyone that knows what they are doing in Central MN feeling adventurous and willing to come take a peek for me and maybe give me a hand since I am clearly in WAY over my head.
Thank you in advance for any advice you can give
Malinda and her rouge bees
Mom found a place that sold bees with brood chamber, bottom board, feeder, inner cover and top cover for only $120 and she ordered 2 sets (since my bright ideas always turn into 'family adventures' she decided she needed a hive to)
Spent from fall to spring on craigslist buying used hive bodies, frames, drawn comb and anything else we could for cheap.
The month of April was spent washing the boxes and painting them so that we could be ready for when our bees arrived in May.
Mothers day weekend our 2 hives were ready for pick up. Not even 5 minutes after arriving at our bee site I was stung (k, I knew that was going to happen at some point but 5 minutes in, COME ON, I wasnt even messing with them yet, just walked over to see my new hives and that little girl decided to get stuck in my hair, I now wear a stocking cap on my head whenever I go over there)
Last week was nice and hot and humid here in MN and I ended up with a swarm. Bees were falling out of my hive like they were water. Got all geared up closer to dark and added a third brood chamber.
2 days later I noticed that our spare hives had a TON of bee activity (the spares are on the other side of the yard from where we have our original hives set up). Wait for my dad to get home and we open up the hives to see what is going on to find that I have managed to luck out and capture my own swarm (beginners luck I figure). Go through frame by frame and by some miracle locate the queen. Add an excluder to keep her out of the top honey chamber (found her in the second honey super down) and thank God I had a spare. I want to say this is last week Wednesday. Then precede to move the rest of the extra empty hives away from the new hive.
Check on the original hive and it is still full of bees. Only pulled one frame as they were very agitated even after being smoked. Had seen a queen cell on the only frame I pulled the day I saw them swarming so I would guess they either have a new queen already or are less then a week from having a new one.
Today my mom calls me to tell me that once again the spare hives have a ton of bee activity. Will be going to the farm tomorrow to see if God smiled down on us again and let us 'capture' a second swarm (which I would guess is from my moms hive).
I understand that bees swarm. But what the heck am I doing wrong? My mom used drawn out comb honey supers in her hive but I used brand new foundations. My bees dont seem to be doing any drawing out of comb in either the brood chambers OR the honey supers.
The hives they are taking over have some drawn out comb and some empty foundation. The drawn comb is from hives that froze out over last winter and we just hadnt gotten to cleaning them out (all the cleaned and freshly painted equipment is being stored in a small shed, that was just my staging area for when I was working).
If my bees are swarming are they going to have time to make enough honey to survive the winter?
What are the odds of me being able to steal some honey this year since my kids (especially the 5 yr old) are asking at least once a week if we have honey yet.
Why are my bees not drawing out any comb? (which if they are not drawing out comb that would account for the swarming, they probably got over crowded I would guess).
Will my now 4 hives (I was really not ready for 4 hives) stand a chance of making it through the winter?
Is anyone that knows what they are doing in Central MN feeling adventurous and willing to come take a peek for me and maybe give me a hand since I am clearly in WAY over my head.
Thank you in advance for any advice you can give
Malinda and her rouge bees