The Honey Factory

[5Australorpasaures]

Too hot to get dressed. Lifted a frame of eggs, larva and capped brood into a new added deep on the NUC. Meant to do this last week but got pressed with other things. 100% drawn bottom deep, almost got caught, no capped or drawn queen cells.

 

[Sally PB]

On my gentle hives, I do not smoke at all.

We haven't used much smoke, but usually take it with us, just in case.

Tomorrow, we are going to remove the Apivar we put in 8 weeks ago. Hubby wants to put on QEs and honey supers. I'll order some Formic Pro for mite treatment later in the season.

Here's the thing... the supers are brand new boxes with brand new frames... which means ZERO comb. Should we give them lots of syrup to help?

 

[R2elk]

We haven't used much smoke, but usually take it with us, just in case.

Tomorrow, we are going to remove the Apivar we put in 8 weeks ago. Hubby wants to put on QEs and honey supers. I'll order some Formic Pro for mite treatment later in the season.

Here's the thing... the supers are brand new boxes with brand new frames... which means ZERO comb. Should we give them lots of syrup to help?

Under similar conditions, I do not feed when blooms are available.

 

[Sally PB]

Thanks.

We have brambles in bloom right now. Wild rose, black raspberries, blackberries. I'm not sure what's blooming next.

Hubby really wants honey this year. Me too. I hope I've bought my last gallon of honey from my "bee guy."

 

[Sally PB]

Do honeybees like daylilies? They'll be blooming soon.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

We haven't used much smoke, but usually take it with us, just in case.

Tomorrow, we are going to remove the Apivar we put in 8 weeks ago. Hubby wants to put on QEs and honey supers. I'll order some Formic Pro for mite treatment later in the season.

Here's the thing... the supers are brand new boxes with brand new frames... which means ZERO comb. Should we give them lots of syrup to help?

It helps, still have syrup and half pollen patties on NUC picked up May 4 and the 5 foundations are drawn and filled with all stages of brood and stores added another deep today and still feeding syrup. Not going to bother them for any honey this Fall. Might be sugar syrup mixed in with it any way. Blah

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Thats a good practice, smoke helps to mask alarm pheromones produced by guard bees.

A lot of beekeepers do it that way and it works just fine.

I dont use so much smoke that Im driving them in any direction. Only in rare cases when Im doing something like changing out hive bodies. You'll see two kinds of beekeepers in videos, the experienced ones that use one hand to give them a puff to keep the bees calm and the not so experienced that are puffing away two handed driving the bees out of the entrance.

Smoking your hands or rubbing in wintergreen alcohol are things taught to new bees to boost confidence. Personally, I think they are Dumbos feather.

I dont use much smoke this time of year, it depends on the hive and time of year and what Im doing. A quick check to see if a nuc or colony is queenright doesnt require smoke. My bees can be defensive in the fall or if they have been queenless for some time, so I'll keep a smoker lit when Im working them more at the end of the season. If you're checking two or three colonies quick, you can get with very little or no smoke at all. But once you get into working 20 or 30 hives things can get a bit out of control and its best to always have a smoker lit for the safety of the keeper and the bees.

I know what you're saying, one cool puff across the top is enough during the flow, and really haven't needed much more during the derth.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Do honeybees like daylilies? They'll be blooming soon.

I never saw honey bees working my daylilies but I've read they will. Maybe it has to do with the type, I'm not sure. Keep an eye on them maybe you will see honey bees working your lilies.