October update

Not sure how the bees are doing, but there was some more robbing going on. I reduced the entrances to 1 inch.  It seems like things are going ok.  I really want to peek in there, but not right now.  The bees are all over the one plant that is the sweetest in the yard, the stevia.  I have pics.

3 hives

Keith came over and we looked at the hives today.  The oldest hive is chalk full of bees.  The honey inside is red, maybe like a birdfeeder red.  I wonder if they are sucking up a birdfeeder's nectar, or if the red sun flowers did it.  It's red.  Ruby red.  That hive is great.  The guard bees seem to hate me but didn't bother Keith at all.

The newest hive was light.  It seemed that there weren't a lot of bees going in and out, and not a lot of eggs.   There is no shortage of capped honey in there, but sheesh, not enough brood.  I fed them a patty and am considering pinching the queen and combining hives.

The green hive has really full comb, lots of eggs, lots of bees on the comb, but not really a lot of new comb.   I think it will behoove me to combine these two hives.

I'll carry one over to the other, place newspaper between them and combine them for a week, then move the comb down into the frame.  I would feel great about it if I actually saw the queen in the green hive.  Not seeing her bothers me.  I don't want to pinch the queen if I can avoid it.  maybe she is just not laying.

I want Jose to come and see the hives.

New Hive

Got a new hive today, and stung once.

These bees are suspect.  I haven't actually interacted with them because they were too darn mad.  Anyway, I will likely check them out tomorrow.

I hope to give these bees to my brother, but I am not sure how to get them to his house.   The numbers are low and they just don't seem vibrant.  I am worried about this new hive. I guess winter will tell.


Bees want to survive, I get that.  I guess we'll have to see.

Drones

An unknown force rode into the hives on the wind. Maybe it was barometric pressure, maybe a measurable drop in heat, but after many hot nights of bees out much of the night sipping on mint juleps and standing on the porch, the party is over.

Bodies are strewn on the ground.

I coaxed two bees onto a piece of comb I found on the ground.  Each tried to sip the honey, but couldn't. They were drones.  Hungry.  Men. Exiled. Helpless.

Romeo knew what the bees know. Exile is worse.  They starve after being kicked out.  Some girls team up to fly high and drop the wounded drone in a place he can't return.


The bodies pile up. It is carnage.

And yet, the massacre of the drones signales a queenright hive preparing for winter.  She has spoken.

Only the contributors can stay.

The bodies have been piled
the fire, stocked.
Let the ashes be ashes.
Let the dust--
Tomorrow we will suck nectar from the lips
Tomorrow we will gather pollen to our hips
In winter we will come together as sisters
In sisters we will come together for winter
Let the ashes be ashes
Let the dust be.

Combining hives

Either this is going to be brilliant, or an epic fail!

I bought syrup and protein patties, feeder tubs and frames in order to separate a hive.  I took two frames of really stunning, honey filled, brood filled hives, and moved them to the new apiary.

Also, I fed the new bee division and screened the opening.  Boy the bees seem mad and I am not sure if I accidentally got the queen. I don't think so, but we'll see.  In the morning I am going to look at them really closely and see what I have.

I am not sure if I should  lay some paper between the borrowed bars and the top bars, but I plan on blending them as early as tomorrow, and as late as day after tomorrow.

What if I accidentally got the queen?  Could I hang a queen cage of the queen I have in the other hive? I have no idea.  I figure if I see the queen in the morning, I'll cross that bridge. In the meantime, my idea is to get these girls all together for one happy, happy, hive.

New Hive in a box

After being gone a week, I was afraid to check the hive.  I went in and found honey all over the the tops of the comb.  It was beginning to look like a thriving hive. Just on a really small scale.

I called Jose and told him I was interested in getting a hive.  He said he would call me back.  He called at 6:00 a.m. and was here by 6:30.  He had one of those standard white bee boxes in the back of his truck.   He carried it, without any protection except for his hat, across my front yard, through the gate, past the pool and to the far corner of the yard.   I put on my hat, veil, gloves, and brought out the smoker.  He lit the smoker, smoked them good, then opened up the hive.

There was propolis and burr comb on the top.  8 frames were full of bees and two had drawn out comb but nothing stored yet.  It was a really busy hive.
"Where's the queen?" I asked.
"Bee keepers don't spend their time going through all the frames to find the queen.  She's there.  There's eggs and larvae, she is doing her job.  I have hundreds of hives to check.  I can't be looking at each frame trying to find the queen.  If there is brood, there's a queen."

It was odd to me to hear the business point of view as opposed to the organic beekeeper point of view.   The TBH people are always looking for the queen.  The professional keeper wants honey stores and pollination jobs.  He wants to control the mites and make sure things are increasing.  That's about it.

We put the lid back on and left those bees along. Jose got stung in the arm and the nasty bee that stung him landed on my veil.  It gave me an earful.  The high pitched whine sounds like being told off with a helium hum. I was definitely getting the message that those bees were pissed off and disoriented.

We returned to the TBH where Jose found a nice brood pattern.  Maybe they will make it.

Bee Saga

Bee Natural July and August brought a flurry of bee activity. I was worried about the TBH and air circulation, through a series of unfortunate events, I ended up contributing to a moth infestation. I sought answers from everywhere, anywhere and the result: "The best method to avoid moth infestation is to have a strong hive. A strong hive will keep the best out" I found it totally annoying. DUH, I already knew I had a hive that wasn't thriving... But I didn't know why. It had moths everywhere, but no more. I got advice from UC Davis. This nice man named Eric Mussen said to pick out the larvae, determine if there is a queen in there, freeze combs to rid them of moth larvae, and only return what the bees could cover." I removed combs the bees couldn't cover. I froze combs, keeping some, returning some. One comb broke in the freezer because someone at my house forgot to be careful with the comb and manhandled the freezer. I suspect my husband, but I can't prove it. I got up early every day and perused the hive for wiggling things and flying things. I became adept at smashing the fat moth larvae. They popped like coconut filled packets. The queen was gone. The queen I ordered came within 24 hours. I hung her, requeened the hive, continued on my morning moth patrol, and the hive didn't get any more moths, but still the hive was down to two handfuls of bees. No mites, no AFB, just no bees. I joined every bee site between San Diego and Sacramento. Eric told me to feed the bees and I made a weak syrup which they refused. I made a stronger syrup and they loved it. Within 24 hours of feeding the bees the queen laid eggs everywhere. In about 15 days I will have double the population. Finally, Finally, progress. I also bought pollen, mixed it with Karo and put it in the hive. If they can't find pollen, they can eat that. They actually didn't like it. I called a bee keeper, Jose Heredia. Jose is the only stranger who returned my calls and came over to help me troubleshoot the problems in person. He even got stung. First, he had never seen a top bar hive and suggested I burn it. My serious face conveyed that I didn't think he was funny. Like politics and parenting, people tend to endorse only what they know. I understood. He lit my smoker and unceremoniously stuck the smoke end in the door and began pump the bellows. I HEARD A SCREAM I knew his smoker was too hot and too close to the comb, but how would he know, he had never seen a Top Bar hive. I whacked his hand with the smoker and out flew the queen. She must have been on the other side of the door. "That's the queen" I said and tried to pick her up, but she darted around on the ground. "Let me pick her up," he said, and as he tried to pick her up with his non gloved hands, she avoided him. He got her, then she jumped back to the ground. Her wings were clipped. She couldn't go far. I picked her up and dropped her inside a fat comb. She was sure mad. There were several combs, but none had eggs. Jose said, "This hive is dying. That's a really nice queen, but the hive is too small to forage or take care of her, they will die." "What if I bought a full hive and split it. I could put five combs in each Langstroth box, search for the queen, and requeen with my good queen." "You can do that, but they will probably reject her and kill her. It's late in the season and you might go into winter with two weak hives instead of one strong hive." It's about a 140.00 dollar learning experience. "Look, I'll bring a full hive, a healthy hive, and I'll work with you to keep it healthy. I'll even treat for mites when you get them. Your not gonna get any honey from this hive. They put all their resources into building comb and then starved. You should have been feeding them." "I did feed them" "Let me see the syrup," and he swirled the container. "It should be thick like honey, this is too watery. Too much work for them to thin it down. I'll teach you how to make syrup." With that we closed the hive. I learned to make syrup. I made a bag feeder of honey and placed in in the top bar. Within a day, I had to go out of town and would not be there to see if the bees survived or thrived.

June quick check.

I checked the bees, just for a peek and saw their progress. It's slow going. It looks pretty darn tidy in there. Lots of bees, but not nearly as many as I think there should be.

First look into the hive

The bees had a rough start, instead of 2 day shipping, it took 6 days. It was during a heat wave, many were dead, including the queen. They got a new queen, but had to wait 4 days before she was released. The queen cage had fallen from the raffia and I had to release her, that was May 29, I had no idea what to expect, except that I really wanted to look, but was told to wait a week or two after releasing the queen. It has been 13 days. Tonight was the night. It was also time to change the bottom. I had paper and a piece of styrofoam on top of the bottom screen; it seemed like a temporary fix to the large holes in the screen. Later, I realized it wasn't very efficient. They needed something more solid to work the air flow for hive cooling. It was 107 today, that is very hot for bees. Chuck, the bee top bar maker, made me two bottom boards to slide into place. After taking the lid off, it was easy to take the bars from the far side where the bees had not progressed. The styrofoam was easy to remove. Now it was time to place the boards. It looked empty inside, but then I saw comb, perfect comb. Also, the bees were on the shady side of their top bar hive, obviously staying cool. It was amazing to look into the hive and see what they were doing. They seemed a little mad that I took off the paper at the bottom. It wasn't until I pulled it out that I realized their hive went all the way to the bottom. The paper had a little pollen on it. I left it on top for them when I was done. When I lifted the bar, I was looking down on it, not sideways, so I didn't see the honey that showed up in Katja's picture. Looking down into the hive, the comb was beautiful. It was just as I imagined. Hexagonal comb, perfectly shaped, hanging from the top bar, waiting for the queen to fill. I hope she is in there. I didn't really inspect for her because the 107 degree temp made me think twice about handing bars with comb. We looked at the bars, but they seemed annoyed by us and the heat. We just looked into the hive without pulling too many bars out. They have comb on 5 bars with 15 bars still empty and awaiting the rest of their ambitious season. I put the bars back and had two straggles. I helped them get back in. After putting the lid on, there was one coming home. HOME. I am so proud of these girls and their home! A special thanks to Chuck Schilling for making the top bar, and Katja Edgar for all the photos. And to Brian for supporting my transition from near empty nest as a mother, to full hive woman!

water

Bees need a lot of water. I was surprised today when I checked the waterer and the water was full when I left, and empty when I returned. It just seemed odd. How could they bee that thirsty? it was 89 degrees, and perhaps hotter in the hive. I don't know, but my bees are thirsty. They aren't the only ones. There is a hive three blocks away near the park. Those bees drink them fly off to the park. I watch them. They are fatter than my bees and stockier. They also do not disturb my hive. I replaced the water and also left the hose on to a drip in case the water ran out again. I am going to need a better water system. Since it was a day full of journalism and AVID, I didn't get to spend much time out there, however, it sure was a nice warm day perfect for bees to gather pollen, nectar, water and grow fat.

Zen with the Queen

Today is the day the queen should be released. I am so excited, yet a bit fearful. If she is dead, it could mean hive collapse for these ambitious bees. Most people check on their hive with a smoker, but I don't have one yet. My friend Keith couldn't come over with his smoker so the choice was to go buy one or suit up and help the bees. At some point one has to suit up and do the right thing because it is the right thing to do, even without the crutch of the smoker. At least I have gloves and a veil. Besides, if I am going to be a bee keeper, I have to start trusting the bees to know how to interact with me. I suited up, went out, opened up the hive so smoothly that the bee on the lid remained. I removed the bars in the middle, the divider board, and could see the queen cage I had hung with green raffia had fallen.

NO!

There were bees on each side of the screen. I picked it up careful and felt a bee squirm under my finger. I moved my finger and she was fine. Before walking out I put my hive tool and some snub nose pliers in my pocket. When I looked closer at the cage I could see they had almost eaten through the candy, but it would be another day at least. Instead of leaving it be (pun intended). I carefully lifted the queen cage with all the bees on it and could see 6 live bees inside with one dead. The dead one was not the queen, this queen was elegant, dark, unmarked, but obviously by her size, the queen. I believe she is Italian while my bees are All American. I gently pried open the screen with my snub nose pliers being careful not to lose my grip, not to disturb the bees, and not to squish any of the ladies. I said hello to the queen then gently shook them all out. The bees immediately started guiding the queen toward the new comb. I had divided the 20 bars of the top bar into ten by placing a divider after number ten. When I removed the divider I could see they were festooning and making comb all the way to bar 7 where the queen had been hung. They incorporated the raffia into their comb.

Martha Stuart has nothing on these girls.

The bottom of the cage was clean, unlike that first time Keith and I checked and it looked like Hiroshima. My scooping out the major part of the dead bees that had fallen out of the package bees cage was the right thing to do. It left the house bees less to do so they could focus on comb. The bees are collecting pollen and nectar, also I have seen them drink water. They are doing everything they should do. My next job is to check the comb to make sure they are making correct comb. I picked up the lid and the same bee was still resting on top. I placed the lid on and snoozed right through it. Today was monumental for me. I realize that it is the last regular day of school for my daughter who is a junior in high school. I will have to trust that she knows how to carry herself, even as she goes from home to college. In the meantime, while some people have empty nest syndrome, I will have a whole different kind of nest.

Leaf Cutter Bees

I watched these weird looking bees and I wasn't actually sure they were bees. They moved so fast, like wasps, but yet went deep into the digitalis plants. One fatter bee, guarded the towers of pink blooms in the pot near my pathway. It darts at other bees, then humps certain bees that go into the flower. Other bees are chased away. He also darts over to the other digitalis and guards those too. He burns a lot of energy going back and forth. He even chases off bumble bees. After a bit of research I found out these are leaf cutter bees. These are Megachile Brevis, and they are probably living nearby. It can't be far. These bees are not social. They don't have a hive or honey. They come out in spring and frolic. The female lays eggs in a little tunnel shaped like a straw. She deposits something like a ball of nutrients, an egg, then puts a little leaf disk to separate the layers of eggs. As evidenced from the roses, they cut small circles. I don't know if they deposit eggs every now and then or all at once, but once those egg babies are laid, nothing more is needed of the ladies and they die. The larvae eat all the sustenance and incubate into bees. It isn't very romantic. The male in my yard latches right onto the girl and does a few seconds of pushing then flies off. He uses the plants as his chick magnet, chasing off all others that might threaten his copulation zone. The honey bees are all over the butterfly bush. I will look into their little habitat tomorrow. I will try to add pictures of the carpenter bees, but for now, all I get is a blur.

Bee Whisperer

I watched a movie about a horse whisperer. It was called, "Buck". I don't know if Buck knew he was a horse whisperer. I wish I was more of a bee whisperer, but I am clumsy and in being clumsy, the bees can get squished. Also, I am not that smooth and slow in my movements, and I need to improve. The bees had a few days on the sugar water. Last night I brought it in so that they venture out and get used to their digs. In the front today, I observed some honey bees and what might be leaf cutter bees. They are hairy and move differently than honey bees. Only a few bumble bees were out today, and many flowers are in bloom. I want more flowers. More tastes. My bees are all over the basil flowers. They might love the taste of basil, but they might also use something in the pollen or nectar in a medicinal way. They are smart girls. They know where their waterer is and they use it. In and out they fly without really causing any disharmony. The dogs bark and chase the cats. The cats chase lizards and occasionally get birds. The chickens cluck and go after my plants, but overall, nothing the bee does makes any negative impact on the peace of the day. They are busy and peaceful. I feel better that they are alive and part of my family.

Good comb leads to good comb

My friend Katja and I decided to get into bees. We went to a Suburban Self Sufficiency workshop and thought getting into beekeeping would be great. We saw our friend Spring at the workshop and she mentioned the Top Bar Hive. Many folks call it the Kenyon Top Bar Hive (KTBH), but it's actually not from Kenya, it's as old as the Greeks. Anyway, Katja's husband is a wood worker and he decided to make two TBHs. I wanted to order bees, wasn't sure when the hive would be done, so missed all the local dates. Note to self, when in doubt, poop or get off the pot. I could have ordered the local bees in January. I could have picked up a Langstroth hive if I was committed. I could have whined to my friend's husband to make sure sure sure I had the hive. I could have danced in the moonlight praying to Melissa. Whatever I would have done, I didn't. Then I felt awful when Chuck brought over a beautiful top bar hive with a viewing window and a perfect little entrance on one side, but it was too late for a swarm and too late for locally purchased bees. Maybe I should have found a way to let go of guilt, but I didn't. Katja and I attended a Pollinator Workshop at UC Davis and learned about hive collapse and what to do locally to support bees. I bought plants, hundreds of dollars worth of pollinator supporting plants, and planted them on my property. My mornings were spent observing bees, honey bees, sweat bees, carpenter bees, giant black bumble bees, and a few butterflies. I ordered books, borrowed books, and read online articles about bees. I looked in a 10 mile radius, then moved to larger circles scouring for bees. Everyone was out. I ended up feeling like an idiot for not ordering in January, especially after Chuck came through with a beautiful hive. I ordered from Draper's out in Pennsylvania. They still had bees. Draper's changed the dates on me to go further and further out into May. Eventually, I cancelled my order, but the same day I cancelled it, they sent me an email that the bees were already sent priority mail. It was a Friday. The following Thursday, after staying home for four days to greet the bees, thy arrived late Thursday. I called my friend Katja over to help me.

I set up the syrup, but forgot to put the ant trap stuff around the legs of the hive. I had ants everywhere. I opened the bees, shook them into the hive that I divided with the divider board, and was sad to see so many dead bees. I couldn't figure how to separate them, so I dumped them all in. The bottom was filled an inch or two thick with dead bees. It was carnage; a virtual killing field. About half way into dumping the bees, I realized that I had not taken out the queen cage. DOH. I didn't worry about it because I was going to direct release her. I plucked out the queen cage, shook off the bees and didn't see a thing inside. Empty? Upon closer inspection, the clipped, marked queen was curled like the question mark. The Queen is Dead. After all the reading, all the books, all the videos, I had no idea what to do. I dumped the bees in, saw the inches of dead in there and did nothing about it, then dumped the dead queen and put the cage in and tried to put on the lid. The bees seemed mad. I realized they were hungry. The can of sugar water was full, and after 6 days they were dehydrated and stressed. I made water available. I made sugar water and a patty of pollen substitute available. I put the lid on and came in the house to call Draper's. The best they could do was send me a new queen, not the queen type I ordered, and I would have to pay the darn overnight shipping. I did. Can I tell you I felt like the 6 days of high heat for those bees must have been hell. All I felt was discouragement and lot of regrets. At 5:30 the next day the new bees came. It was a small package with an unmarked queen and her attendants. I called my friend Keith and he came over with his gear, hive tool, and smoker. We got right to business. I removed the cork from the candy side. I inserted an earring through the top of the cage, made a loop, and threaded the loop through the hive bar and got her in the middle of the bar. When we opened the hive, it was full of a big, big, almost soccer size ball festooned on the bars by the door. There were more bees festooned in smaller arrangements on the bars moving away from the large clump. I hung her there. I probably should have hung her between the clumps. I didn't think of that then. It wasn't obvious if they were making comb, there were just too many clumped together to see what they were clumped on. However, I do know that good comb leads to more good comb in the same way that bad comb leads to more bad comb. For me, in this situation, I can see that my hasty decision to order bees late in the season through a far away distributer who extended the dates was my initial bad comb decision. The postal delays, the dead queen, the ant infestation, these were all iterations of bad comb decision. The bees are doing their best out there with what I have given them. I just hope I can learn a lot more before making more bad comb type decisions.