The Honey Factory

[R2elk]

I thought she was trying to find some nectar on your arm.

That is so cool. Thanks for posting it.

She did lick me.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

View attachment 3767176

On the vein, must be one of those rare vampire bees!

 

[5Australorpasaures]

I have just started my very own honey factory.

I was going to ha e two hives but decided to just buy one batch of bees, in case I kill them instead of two.

I can use advice from anyone and everyone with experience.

I do not plan to over winter my bees. I will use them as protein for the birds when their work is done.
My bee box:


View attachment 2078027View attachment 2078028

I have it level side to side and and 1/8th bubble high on the back side.

Here are my new workers;View attachment 2078032View attachment 2078033View attachment 2078034

this was right after I moved them into their new home.

I was out and visited them a little bit ago. There were 50-100 bees crawling on the box above the door. I hope that’s normal.

I have Saskartraz bees. I think that’s because the Sasquatch developed them.

@R2elk might know more. As I said these are my first ones.

I know they were friendly and would purr when they sat on my arm, so I could pet them.


It was a tad intimidating to have a box of bees clumped together and buzzing like mad in my hands. I was not sure how getting them into the box would go.

It was not bad, I took the queen out first. She assured me we would get along fine and she had no hostility towards me. Hopefully, she pays her rent.

Her box had a wood plug and not a candy plug in it. I popped the plug out and put a marshmallow into the hole.

I hung her box between two supers, then dumped the rest into the box and replaced the supers I had removed to make space to dump them.

All of this was accomplished without a sting!

I am a tad nervous they won’t like my box and leave tonight.

I gave them a pollen patty and a jug of sugar water inside the box and I have a chick waterer set up outside the hive for them.

They have been here 4 hours. I will check on them in an hour or so.

You're as bad as I am. have to be sure it's level left to right. No Shanty Town here! Especially when it's my back yard.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Here is an interesting site I found for new beekeepers and experienced, as usual not an end all be all, but good reading and educational. We all know all beekeeping is local.

honeybeesuite.com

 

[Sally PB]

Oh, good! Another resource. Thanks for the link.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

picking up bee supplies tomorrow! spring is almost here!

 

[Sally PB]

My Mann Lake order came in the other day. I'm ready if I need to split my colony. Except for knowing how to do it, as I've never done this. We're still new bees. ha ha.

As much as this winter was off the charts weird (and warm), I think it sure helped the girls survive.

We took off the feeder we used for pollen patties (they ate all 4; about 3-4 pounds) and replaced it with one we could use for dry sugar. We gave them 10 pounds.

The weather has been abnormally warm, but more seasonal temps return in a couple days.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

My Mann Lake order came in the other day. I'm ready if I need to split my colony. Except for knowing how to do it, as I've never done this. We're still new bees. ha ha.

As much as this winter was off the charts weird (and warm), I think it sure helped the girls survive.

We took off the feeder we used for pollen patties (they ate all 4; about 3-4 pounds) and replaced it with one we could use for dry sugar. We gave them 10 pounds.

The weather has been abnormally warm, but more seasonal temps return in a couple days.

Last year was my first time splitting hives, turned 4 hives into 8 hives. going to go again this year hoping to get around 14-16 hives.

 

[Sally PB]

Newb question. Do you let them requeen, or do you buy a queen?

 

[itsasmallfarm]

Newb question. Do you let them requeen, or do you buy a queen?

we buy queens, my mentor just prefers doing that but then again we are planning to go commercial/larger scale. and wants them to produce honey that first year.