Honeybees. 6.26.2020

It's been a few days since transferring the feral honeybee swarm to the top bar hive. They seem OK. One mistake I made with previous attempts, was I was too nervous about opening the hive. By not doing so, the honeybees built comb across the bars instead ofjust on the bars, and it became impossible to open the hive without making a big mess and ruining a lot of the comb.  This time, I want to do it right.  I opened the hive and examined most of the bars, with comb being built on about 6 bars now.  A couple have a fairly large comb although not yet filling the entire space..

Me at top bar hive, with newly made comb.  6.26.2020

Close up of comb with honeybees.  6.26.2020

Years ago when I was trying to support honeybees as well as native pollinators, I grew some milkweed from seeds.  It hasn't spread much, which is good, but grows nicely each year.  The honeybees like these fragrant flowers.  I also moved some milkweed to woodlot, which is too weedy for much growth of desired plants and is on my list to clean up.  Meanwhile there are these nice ones, which get no watering at all throughout the summer, and are under the fig trees.

Honeybee on Milkweed Flower.  6.26.2020

Honeybees also like alliums.  I have a lot of chives and garlic chive, which they like a lot.

Honeybee on garlic chive blossom.  6.26.2020

Honeybees also like linden flowers.  Again, when I was first thinking about bee keeping, I planted four European linden trees.  They are a nice size now, about 15 feet tall, maybe 20 (who knows) and just beginning to bloom.  This is nice timing.

Flowers on Greenspire European Linden.  6.226.2020

 Then there is the wildflower meadow.  This has devolved to mostly daisies and dandelions, with a handful of dianthus and California poppy.  Still, there is nectar and pollen to be had.  In other areas, coincidentally, we had decided only to mow the periphery.  In those areas there is a lot of white clover, as well as dandelions and daisies.  We also have some areas with lots of herbs, including a big patch of lavender, sage, and rosemary, and I grow a fair number of herbs.

Some of the neighbors are also using a minimal mowing philosophy, which may mean more forage for any bees in the area.

Wildflower meadow area.  6.26.2020

Honeybees. 6.23.2020

There was a swarm of honeybees on a bush in the yard. I cleaned up my old top bar beehive, put on the old beesuit, and transferred them to the hive.

I didn't know what to do.  First I made up a solution of sugar water to calm them down.

They were weighing down this bush, which was 6 feet tall but now touching the ground.

I trimmed off the top of the bush so it would be easier to handle.

Carried the swarm to the beehive.

Put them into the hive and close it.  Now I need to quickly read up on what I need to do. next.  I did give them a shallow pie-plate of water with rocks in it for them to drink, and the same with some sugar water.

Set up Warré beehive. 5.9.15

Warré beehive set up 5.9.15

Earlier I set up this Warré beehive see if it would attract a swarm.  It did not.  Today I picked up a shipment of honeybees and installed them into the Warré hive.

The Warre hive was developed by Gustave Emile Warre (1857-1951) which he referred to  as "Ruche Populaire " or  "The People's Hive".  

These hives look very easy to build from scratch.  The only part I can't easily do at the moment is the rabbet.  Maybe I can give myself a router as a retirement present next year, with a rabbet bit.

I lost the info, but I think these new bees are Russian:Carniolan hybrids.  That was on the Beethinking website last year.

For Denny. 1.22.14

I remember, a long time ago, you told me about beekeeping.

Image source:  Pinterest.  Vintage photo, French, 1920s.

Apiary. Painted Top Bar Hive #2

Kenyan Top Bar Hive #2

Second top bar hive almost ready to set up.  This one had some QA issues - the hive body was slightly too large for the lid.  After putting it together, I had to take it back apart.  Cut the sides about 1/8 inch shorter, chisel the edges to fit, put back together.  Now it works.

Aspects of this design that I like:  The copper roof.  The cross bar legs, more stable appearing, compared to the legs on most top bar kits.  The window.  I look into the hive a lot.  

Tuesday painted a coat of primer. Today painted a coat of outdoor Latex.  When dry I'll un-tape the copper roof and window, install the window cover and roof.  And it will be ready to use.

Not the right time of year to get bees.  That's OK.  It will be fully dry, and then some, and ready for spring.  No rush.  No stress. 

The site needs to be set up.  That will take some more effort.

Apiary Garden

honeybee on daisy

Buddleia Miss Ruby 1st flower

This weekend I planted two more Ceonathus thyrsiflorus "Victoria" starts.  No pic.  They were in 2-qt containers, in the picked-over and about-to-be-discarded section at Fred Meyer.  $7 each.  With pruning of dead branches, they look a little better.  Planted in the "nursery" bed near the beehive.  Expect they will need to be moved in a year or two when they are bigger.

Daisies and dandelions are blooming.   Blackberries look like they are about finished.  I don't know where the bees are foraging now.  Not a lot of bees on the Ceonathus or blackberries, this weekend.

This is the first flower on Buddleia X "Miss Ruby".  Missed photographing a hummingbird visiting this flower.  No bees on the Buddleia, either.

About one month ago I received the second beehive I bought via Beethinking.com.   Put it together, and the top didn't quite fit.  Today I took it apart, trimmed the endpieces, and put it back together.  The top fits now.  Next week, I might paint it.  No hurry.  I probably won't add the honeybees until next April.

Daisies and Dandelions

Honeybees

 Later...

I take back what I said about honeybees not foraging the blackberries.  This afternoon I looked and there are many bees on the blackberry flowers.

The hive is less than 10 feet from the brambles.  Good location, I think.

Beehive

Honeybees

On a chilly am, the honeybees cluster at the hive entrance.

Beekeeping. Progress Report.

Minor maintenance on beehive. Check top bars, make sure there is room for expansion of hive. Remove the empty sugar feeders. Near the hives, a row of wild white-flowered trees. I don't know what they are. Mild musky fragrance. There were bumblebees as well as a few honeybees on these flowers.

Beekeeping. Progress Report.

Opening the hive to check on progress, especially to ensure combs hang from one top bar each.Including 2 under construction, there are 11 bars with comb. I'm amazed.Some contain brood, some have nectar, and some have pollen. Some are capped. I didn't realize there was sufficient pollen and nectar. There is a very large, old maple tree nearby, in bloom. I imagine that could produce significant nutrition.

Beekeeping. Progress Report.

Today was 2 days after installation of the bee colony. Time to check. The main issue is removal of the queen cage. If she's in it, it's time to release her into the colony. As it turned out, the candy plug was gone. I did not poke through the colony to find her. Too much disruption in that. The way they are clustered together, I'm thinking the queen is at the center of the cluster. Hard to see due to lighting. Significant comb already made. Where do they get the energy and food to do that? I do have sugar syrup in the hive. In the morning, it was chilly and they were almost all in the hive. In the afternoon, it was warmer. I thought I saw a few foraging some dandelions. Not many. It's still chilly for foraging.

Beekeeping. Progress notes.

Here we are.  Bees are installed in their hive.  It wasn't difficult.  Afterwards, I sat in a chair an watched them buzzing around for 30 minutes.  I still tire easily.

Hard to see them.  By far the majority are inside the hive.  I sat the box under the hive so remaining bees could find their way to it.  After some exploring, they quickly learned where is the entrance.

The bee box contains about 3 pounds of bees.  That's thousands of them.  Plus the queen.  I was diligent about installing the queen per instructions.

Beehive. Feeders in place.

Thebee feeders are in place. Ruhl-Bee states they will arrive first or 2nd week of April. I hope 2nd week. It may be difficult, earlier. Counting the days....

Beekeeping. Progress Notes. Top Bar Hive

I decided to paint the hive. Will last longer. Less likely to mold mildew rot. Used white primer and a white outdoor latex. Decided on a different location. This location is in full sun but also secluded, for safety. Near Ning's planned wildflower meadow. There is a sizable bramble patch behind, for near by nectar. I want to plant lemon balm around the hive.

Open, with some bars removed. Now it depends on when the bees arrive. Someone has offered to help in case I am indisposed, which I might be. Bad timing but it is what it is. Been so looking forward to this....

Ukranian Beekeeping Stamps

From wikimedia commons. 2001  Ukranian stamps

Ukranian beekeeping stamp, 1994 and subsequent issues.

Also this one, 1999.

Honey Bees

"Alfred Dürer, 1514: Eros, Venus and the bees. "Eros stung by a bee, when he inhaled the pleasant fragrance of a rose, went crying to take refuge in the arms of Venus," Dear mother, I die, have mercy on me, a flying snake bit me painfully cheek " Anacreontic singing, 6th c. av. AD " from Launceston Beekeepers blog.


"Anacreontics are verses in a meter used by the Greek poet Anacreon in his poems dealing with love and wine" (wikipedia)


While on the topic of Greek mythology and bees, or honey, "MELISSEUS was the rustic Daimon (Spirit) of honey and the art of beekeeping... closely identified with the Euboian Aristaios, who was also the reputed discoverer of honey...Melisseus may also be related to the Titan-god Astraios (the starry one), for the amber-coloured (êlektron or soukinos) honey-sap (melissa) which bees were believed to collect from flowers and trees was often described as star-fallen (astron). from theoi.com

The herb Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) has a lemon scent which is thought to attract bees. Lemongrass oil is used to attract swarming bees to new hives, and a bee phermone is reminiscent of lemon.  Lemon balm grows like a weed for me.  I've been trying to control it in my yard for a decade.  Now I'll replant some near the beehive, when I get that far. Pic from Wikipedia entry for lemon balm.

Setting up Bee Keeping

I've been reading up on beekeeping.  For years I've had bee boxes for Orchard Mason Bees.  Now I'm feeling like they are the gateway drug for Honey Bees.

Today we went to Portland, BeeThinking store.  Bought a Top Bar Hive.  Went to their beekeeping class a few weeks ago, and this seems like the best approach for me.  Easier to manage, less weight for the back to manage.  That coming from someone who lifts 200# fig trees.  This is from their website, beethinking.com

The hive kit fit nicely into the back of a Prius. Over the winter I'll be assembling it. Got the copper roof for rain protection and keep a bit cooler.
The bee that got Ferdinand the Bull into trouble. I have this image tattooed on my right calf. I share a few traits with Ferdinand.

I also placed an order for Italian Honey Bees for next Spring.


Woodcut of honeybee and red clover. I will order some red clover seed and inoculum so I will have more nectar sources nearby. Also those linden trees although they may not do much next Spring. Blackberries are endemic, including our property, and honeybees love blackberry flowers. The fruit trees are small, so may not be meaningful this year for the bees, but there are lots in the area.  I read that honey bees forage as far away as 3 miles.

And one in Portugal, made from cork. It will be fun to learn about another aspect of gardening and nature.

Victorian Beehive via Commons.wikimedia.org. There are many variations on beehives. Bees have been at it much longer than humans. Even though we have a certain image in mind when we think of beehives, they don't have to look like the usual boxes.

Skeps in UK.  Skeps are hand woven, basket-like beehives.

Ukranian beehive, also via wikimedia commons.

Skep, 1800s, Switzerland.

Cork beehive in Portugal, also via wikimedia commons.