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Thefishguy77 said:
Well. I am around 10 days out from getting our 2 NUC’s. So time to fence a smaller addition to the end of the garden. They will have full sun and clean fresh water right near them. Fingers crossed.
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don't worry about giving them clean fresh water...they like the nasty stuff with mosquito larva in it, or drinking out of mud puddle, or the edge of a pond with all kinds of moss in it. I think they are going after minerals and salts. I have also heard that they like to drink out of salt-water swimming pools.

If you want or need to give them water, i would add some poultry electrolytes like these to see if they like it: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-vitamins-electrolytes-single-pak-5-gram-65166

I set out a couple of swarm traps yesterday and have 3-4 more to get out next weekend.

I'm planning to split my 4 hives next Sunday and raise queens in my best hive.
 
jeepnmatt said:
don't worry about giving them clean fresh water...they like the nasty stuff with mosquito larva in it, or drinking out of mud puddle, or the edge of a pond with all kinds of moss in it. I think they are going after minerals and salts. I have also heard that they like to drink out of salt-water swimming pools.

If you want or need to give them water, i would add some poultry electrolytes like these to see if they like it: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-vitamins-electrolytes-single-pak-5-gram-65166

I set out a couple of swarm traps yesterday and have 3-4 more to get out next weekend.

I'm planning to split my 4 hives next Sunday and raise queens in my best hive.
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I actually have great water on my place. Year round creek fed by 3 springs. Was the water source for my house for the first 30 years. It has lots of slow clean pools.
 
jeepnmatt said:
don't worry about giving them clean fresh water...they like the nasty stuff with mosquito larva in it, or drinking out of mud puddle, or the edge of a pond with all kinds of moss in it. I think they are going after minerals and salts. I have also heard that they like to drink out of salt-water swimming pools.

If you want or need to give them water, i would add some poultry electrolytes like these to see if they like it: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-vitamins-electrolytes-single-pak-5-gram-65166

I set out a couple of swarm traps yesterday and have 3-4 more to get out next weekend.

I'm planning to split my 4 hives next Sunday and raise queens in my best hive.
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I am going to set my stuff up and then also set a few swarm traps this year. Because being overwhelmed is when I thrive. Also plan on keeping a trap a few hundred feet away from my hives incase they swarm. I think I read here you may actually catch your swarm thats trying leave.
 
Well NUCs arrived right before snow and cold heavy rain. All the local guys that do bees said set them up under cover. Have your area ready. The first forecast that isnt snow move them late the night before to their permanent spot. So they sit on their cinder blocks. Should be 2 nights with no flying activity. Have a pollen patty sitting on each box. 5 frame NUCs that seemed very active and full. We just hit the beginning of a 2 month pollen explosion. By then all the flowers, clover and shit will be in bloom. Fingers crossed.

ETA. Our light snow can turn into 18-24” at random. Hope tgat shit doesn’t happen.
 
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In the last 2 weeks, I have heard 2 swarms fly overhead. Thought they were drones. Started looking around and saw them. Pretty cool.
 
Santa said:
In the last 2 weeks, I have heard 2 swarms fly overhead. Thought they were drones. Started looking around and saw them. Pretty cool.
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Are you north or south of the mason dixie line? Seems early for swarms.
 
I just installed one package of bees in a hive and one nuc in another. They're in a new location so hopefully beetles aren't an issue like they were last year.
 
Roktoy829

If you drew it straight across, North. Just north of San Francisco. We are a Mediterranean climate.

We've had plants in the ground for about 3 weeks now.
 
At least it didnt turn into 18”
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Santa said:
Roktoy829

If you drew it straight across, North. Just north of San Francisco. We are a Mediterranean climate.

We've had plants in the ground for about 3 weeks now.
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You're just a little south of me. We haven't hit swarm season. But we are getting very close.
 
Mike's Beehives LLC
860-605-0023
1065 South Main St
Torrington, CT

This company is taking orders for Italian Honey Bees for 2022; pickup dates on April 23 & May 7th. $175.00 per package.

Beekeeping 101 is being offered; $49 per person or $80 per couple.

Walk-ins welcome but pre notification is preferred to avoid cancellation...

Best I can do with information. They also have a book of faces too-
 
I split my 4 hives on Sunday and grafted larva into queen rearing cups in my best hive. I'll check them tomorrow to see if the bees are making any of them into queen cells.

I sell 5 frame nucs for $175 and have more people trying to buy than i have to sell.

I put a swarm trap about 100' from my hives and catch a few swarms a year there...but never my own bees. I mark all of my queens so these are coming from somewhere else. The same thing happens at my parents property where we have anywhere from 3-10 hives...i have 3 swarm traps set up and catch swarms from other colonies there. I use old and used 10-frame boxes with 2 frames of old brood comb and Swarm Commander lure in the spray bottle. the frames are positioned all the way to one side of the box and i put one spritz on the top of the frame the furthest from the entrance, and one spritz at the entrance. go light with the spray and re-do it every 3-4 weeks. I've caught around 20 swarms with this method and lure over the past 7-8 years.
 
I didn’t read all of this, so might be mentioned. I saw a tv show where a guy in Australia invented a honeycomb thing that he could shift and the honey would just pour out easily. Then he just shifts it back for them to reload. Hard to explain, but maybe you can goggle it. It looked to be well worth whatever he charges.

What ever you do, please update us on your experiences.
 
WaterH said:
I didn’t read all of this, so might be mentioned. I saw a tv show where a guy in Australia invented a honeycomb thing that he could shift and the honey would just pour out easily. Then he just shifts it back for them to reload. Hard to explain, but maybe you can goggle it. It looked to be well worth whatever he charges.

What ever you do, please update us on your experiences.
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Try Flow Hive for a search term. Not sure but it’s the other common one.
 
det107 said:
:laughing:
Local guy has an electric fence to keep the bears away-
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So far our dogs have kept the bear run off. He was everyday when we bought and haven’t seen him since we let the dogs free range. Seriously tye fucking elk knock shit over if its in their way. I actually watched house camera footage of elk intentionally destroying a new swing set in a front yard. Yup. Mom and dad set it up the night before as a birthday surprise. Surprise its flat and spread all over the yard. If they didnt taste so go there would probably be a bounty on them around here.
 
Well weather has been kind shitty until this weekend then 60’s and sunny. So first time I pulled the tops off. Tell me the good bad or indifferent.

Hive 1
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Inner cover tipped up
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Whats left of the pollen patty. Didnt pull any frames, trying not to disturb them too much.

Hive 2
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Cover tipped up. A ton more bees.
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Clean that burr comb off the tops of the frames and the bottom of the inner cover. Push all those frames so that the ears are touching and space evenly on the outer edges. I'd pull those pollen patties if you have flowers blooming cause at this point all it those patties will do is give the small hive beetles a source of food and if it is the soft peanutbutter texture, they will lay eggs in them. Hive #1 looks very weak. Are you seeing eggs and/or brood in that hive? How does the brood pattern look?

Are you seeing pollen coming in to the front?
 
I had a swarm of wild bees move in some boxes i had set out. My other four are looking good. Two of my queens went nuts laying in the honey supers. This what happens when you forget you left a empty super on. Just been letting them run with it.
 

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baldwin said:
Clean that burr comb off the tops of the frames and the bottom of the inner cover. Push all those frames so that the ears are touching and space evenly on the outer edges. I'd pull those pollen patties if you have flowers blooming cause at this point all it those patties will do is give the small hive beetles a source of food and if it is the soft peanutbutter texture, they will lay eggs in them. Hive #1 looks very weak. Are you seeing eggs and/or brood in that hive? How does the brood pattern look?

Are you seeing pollen coming in to the front?
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Have been leaving the patties just because of the weather. This weekend was the first 3 days we have had more the 4hours of warm flyable weather since I got them. Now it will rain for the next several days. I did not pull any frames as I had so much other shit going on. Will pull some and take pics next good day.
 
baldwin said:
Clean that burr comb off the tops of the frames and the bottom of the inner cover. Push all those frames so that the ears are touching and space evenly on the outer edges. I'd pull those pollen patties if you have flowers blooming cause at this point all it those patties will do is give the small hive beetles a source of food and if it is the soft peanutbutter texture, they will lay eggs in them. Hive #1 looks very weak. Are you seeing eggs and/or brood in that hive? How does the brood pattern look?

Are you seeing pollen coming in to the front?
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This. You need to remove that burr comb and you need to get in there and inspect the frames. Just be careful pulling them out. I wear nitrile gloves so I can handle the frames and not fumble. Use your hive tool to separate each frame from the next before pulling it up. Look for the queens. Look for brood. Look for beetles and mites.
 
2 out of 2 swarm catch boxes have bees in them. Love me some free bees.
 

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Just watched ne of my hives swarm😔

Honestly one of the coolest things I have seen. So many bees walking out of the hive and flying all at the same time. They are on a branch about 25-30’ up.
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Set out a box with used frames in it and see if they'll come and land, putting a pheromone lure in it may help as well.
It's a whole lot cheaper than buying a package of bees.

Aaron Z
 
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