The Honey Factory

[duluthralphie]

yeah, I’d probably leave it off or maybe get a metal one...

I don’t always use them, sometimes when I’ve managed to stay out of their way, and everything is going just right the queen lays a nice brood patten and the frames have that perfect band of stores in the top and the bees are leaving her lots of room to lay, then it’s a pretty safe bet she’ll stay out of the supers...

other times it’s not as tidy and I use excluder

something to consider too is a top entrance... that would probably be a good idea for your world due to snow anyway

I never thought about an entrance into the supers until you mentioned it. I like that idea.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

I meant a top entrance shim might be something to try...

but an entrance hole in the super with excluder, in addition to the bottom entrance works for me

hang on and I’ll find some pictures/links... there’s one that comes to mind that is pretty impressive

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I never thought about an entrance into the supers until you mentioned it. I like that idea.

Quite a while back we drilled holes into the honey super above the queen excluders.
Interestingly enough the Squatchs never used them.

 

[duluthralphie]

I meant a top entrance shim might be something to try...

but an entrance hole in the super with excluder, in addition to the bottom entrance works for me

hang on and I’ll find some pictures/links... there’s one that comes to mind that is pretty impressive

I had a shim in until the day before the “b” (I do not mean bee) attacked when the cold hit us.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Some supers with holes... I wish my bees were this productive!!

From this link:
https://www.honeybeesuite.com/surplus-secret-access-holes-with-platforms/

I didn’t find a good example picture of the top slot entrance that works with a telescoping cover, but it’s just a shim with a slot or holes...

Here are some thoughts on top entrances that came up just now while I was looking
http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopentrance.htm

 

[shawluvsbirds]

So I'm reading through this thread and thinking about bees and bee stings.. and a dad gum horsefly buzzed in my ear. I almost fell out of my chair.

 

[jerryse]

Interesting video .

 

[nao57]

So I just checked the July hive . The 2 frames of brood seems to have done the trick . A lot more bees and more capped brood . So I now feel they have a chance to build up enough to survive the winter . Cool cloudy day . So most were in the hive . They were a little more agitated today . Nothing like Ralphies . Odd thing is they want to build comb away from the foundation between frames . Only 2 places .

Hope you can post a follow up on this later!~ I hope it works out for you!

I did see some videos on the internet with people experimenting with 2 frame nucs through the winter, and they did get them to survive!

So its possible~! And a fun experiment!

I could talk about bees all day!

 

[nao57]

I plan to put out a couple traps next year, hopefully, I can catch my own hives if they swarm.

If my hive swarms and I happen to catch it, can I behead the swarming queen and put the hive back together?

It appears swarming kicks honey production in the rear.


Do any of you use the plastic excluders?

Given that they gorge on honey to survive the swarming process, yes it wouldn't be surprising that swarming would kill your honey production :S

Hope it didn't go too badly for you.

 

[nao57]

I think your plan is a good one...with maybe a few things to consider

considering your extreme conditions, one thought/suggestion might be to take your loss on the hot hive this fall, so you can use it’s resources to help your other one survive... if that’s needed

Here March is when a lot of hives starve out ... but ours break cluster off and on all winter so they can burn through a lot of resources during those times... yours might use relatively less since they will likely stay in cluster...

So anyway I like to have some resource frames in the freezer as a late winter emergency stock if needed... so that might be something to consider as far as using the hot hive...

Also, maybe some straw bales as additional wrap and windbreak?

and then lastly, do you have a Varroa mite plan? Many hives succumb to mites over winter with mite loads peaking in October ...

but if you’re leaving that up to the hygienic tendencies of your bees, that might be as good as anything? I really don’t have any experience with those, so I don’t know.

I think you did really well this year... and especially after seeing your wildflower meadow, I think your goal of getting a big honey crop is very doable in the future!

Wow interesting.

You know you are one of the first people I've seen talking about openly which months the bees are most likely to starve out in.

Are there other months that are also bad for starvation for bees also besides March?

To the other guy, I would say that the tactic of buying bees doing honey harvest and then killing the hive is now shown to be quite harmful. People used to do that in Canada a few years ago, just replacing all the hives in the spring.

They are trying to not do it that way and discourage hive killing now because its so hard to keep bees alive, and well lots of reasons.