The Honey Factory

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Checked my hive, well, only the super, yesterday. My smoker’s lid is stuck shut so I couldn’t use it. Plus it was looking like it was going to start raining at any moment.
The super has been on for 2 or 3 weeks (I was afraid it was going to be full up, so was checking to see if I needed to add a 2nd). Much to my surprise there was nothing much going on in it! There were 20 or so bees on each frame but no real comb being drawn much less any honey or pollen.
Not sure what is going on. Can’t really get into the brood boxes until I can get my smoker open or go buy a new one.
I doubt this is enough information for anyone to be able to help me but.

Clean with a butane torch and a wire brush.

 

[R2elk]

I haven't used a smoker in years. Somewhere I have 2 of them.

 

[duluthralphie]

I use a smoker, but I am not sure why. They seem to be a bigger pain than they should be.

I went into my bees today. One hive is going crazy, super patterns and all. I saw my yellow dotted beauty today.

But she worried me. Here is why.

Most of the frames were like the one below

There were 6 supercedure cells…. I think.

But the queen was there??? Weird.

The other hive had uncovered brood. I could see no young brood or eggs though.

The patterns were terrible. There was lots of honey, way more honey than brood in the second hive. I made a slight change, I put the supercedure frames into the second box.


I also set up a trap just incase I can’t stop a swarm. I also added my first honey supers of the year. Last year I was harvesting on July 4th, not looking that way this year.

Oh and one more photo

 

[duluthralphie]

I had to fix my fence, I was worried it would no longer keep a bear away. With as much damage as the bear have been doing around here, I have been lucky to get this late into the summer with a visit.

So I converted my old turkey fence into a bee and bear fence. I turned the fence up and high. Hopefully it will drop him in his tracks.

 

[R2elk]

Oops!

 

[Apis mellifera]

Oops!

Close to the ground anyway. Easy catch.

 

[R2elk]

Close to the ground anyway. Easy catch.

Very easy catch. It's been a long time since I have caught a swarm. My guess would be at least 8 years ago. That swarm was 15' up a juniper tree.

 

[SheaLoner]

Ive never actually seen a swarm in my area. Maybe I havent looked hard enough.

 

[R2elk]

Ive never actually seen a swarm in my area. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough.

The only swarms that I have seen here were my bees swarming.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

The only swarms that I have seen here were my bees swarming.

Same.