This is my first year as a beekeeper and I decided maybe I can help others avoid some of my basic mistakes. First a brief history:
Decided I needed to keep bees when I had a sample of honey from my water meter which tasted like hot peppers. Ordered a nuc from BeeWeaver for delivery this spring, picking it up in late March. Decided I want to try to be treatment free (thus the Varroa resistant queen) and foundationless from the start. We will see if it works.
Went to local big box store that sells small trees. As I entered I saw a small swarm (smaller than a football) hanging from a pecan tree in a pot. Asked if I could have it, they said sure. Went to get what I thought I needed but by the time I returned District said I had to be 'certified'. Sure. Would not let me take the bees. Told them I wanted to buy a pecan tree. They said wonderful, just pick one out. You know which one I wanted. Paid for the tree, carried it and the bees to my truck and knocked them into a box with frames. Thought I had the entrance screened. By the time I got home the box had shifted (tie down? I don't need to for such a short trip. Sure). No bees. Two good things though, I learned a lot, and was able to return the tree for a refund the next day, since I do not need another pecan tree.
My daughter 70 miles away has had a hive in a tree for several years, so, of course, I decided I needed to trap it. Built a Hogan trap (with a lot of help from Cleo on the forum) which now needs brood to lure the queen. If my new hive has any I can get. A real question since I have never found the queen or seen eggs or larvae. But there is a lot of capped brood and a lot of bees making their orientation flights, so she must be there. Have been pushing 1:1 syrup to stimulate comb building so will go have a look.
The center frames in the second box have masses of bees on them. Finally getting one out...nothing but capped brood. And a lot of bees. Second one has sugar water and, wonder of wonders, a lot of open larvae. It is also covered with a mass of bees. Cleo says it is important to have no bees on the frame. Try to brush them off gently. They won't let go. Some stick their heads into cells. Can't find my feather so decide to use pine needles from my smoker stash. They still won't let go, but I am able to stick pine needles into the sugar water in the cells. Bees all around me by now, for the first time, but they are still pretty mellow. Let's see, time to rethink foundationless with new white comb. Do I dare shake it? It is fastened all around the frame so I give it a good shake and lo and behold, a lot of bees fall off the frame and enter the orbit around my head. No damage to the frame of brood. A couple more gentle shakes and most are off the frame. Put it into the nuc for transport 70 miles, with a frame partially full of new comb. Still bees on the frame, but most of them depart to go back to the hive. Close up the nuc and am ready to go.
Now to see what happens when I open the Hogan trap for the first time to put the frames in place.
Decided I needed to keep bees when I had a sample of honey from my water meter which tasted like hot peppers. Ordered a nuc from BeeWeaver for delivery this spring, picking it up in late March. Decided I want to try to be treatment free (thus the Varroa resistant queen) and foundationless from the start. We will see if it works.
Went to local big box store that sells small trees. As I entered I saw a small swarm (smaller than a football) hanging from a pecan tree in a pot. Asked if I could have it, they said sure. Went to get what I thought I needed but by the time I returned District said I had to be 'certified'. Sure. Would not let me take the bees. Told them I wanted to buy a pecan tree. They said wonderful, just pick one out. You know which one I wanted. Paid for the tree, carried it and the bees to my truck and knocked them into a box with frames. Thought I had the entrance screened. By the time I got home the box had shifted (tie down? I don't need to for such a short trip. Sure). No bees. Two good things though, I learned a lot, and was able to return the tree for a refund the next day, since I do not need another pecan tree.
My daughter 70 miles away has had a hive in a tree for several years, so, of course, I decided I needed to trap it. Built a Hogan trap (with a lot of help from Cleo on the forum) which now needs brood to lure the queen. If my new hive has any I can get. A real question since I have never found the queen or seen eggs or larvae. But there is a lot of capped brood and a lot of bees making their orientation flights, so she must be there. Have been pushing 1:1 syrup to stimulate comb building so will go have a look.
The center frames in the second box have masses of bees on them. Finally getting one out...nothing but capped brood. And a lot of bees. Second one has sugar water and, wonder of wonders, a lot of open larvae. It is also covered with a mass of bees. Cleo says it is important to have no bees on the frame. Try to brush them off gently. They won't let go. Some stick their heads into cells. Can't find my feather so decide to use pine needles from my smoker stash. They still won't let go, but I am able to stick pine needles into the sugar water in the cells. Bees all around me by now, for the first time, but they are still pretty mellow. Let's see, time to rethink foundationless with new white comb. Do I dare shake it? It is fastened all around the frame so I give it a good shake and lo and behold, a lot of bees fall off the frame and enter the orbit around my head. No damage to the frame of brood. A couple more gentle shakes and most are off the frame. Put it into the nuc for transport 70 miles, with a frame partially full of new comb. Still bees on the frame, but most of them depart to go back to the hive. Close up the nuc and am ready to go.
Now to see what happens when I open the Hogan trap for the first time to put the frames in place.
