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BTW, for you new BKs, I have another recommendation.

Get a notebook, just for this. Each day, note what plants start blooming. Note pollen reports on the news. Note 'new' behavior of the colony. Put a date on each one.

An example, I've had a pollen feeder out for a number of weeks. I noted a few days back that bee activity at it had dropped to nearly nothing. At the same time the TV weather reporter noted that oak & elm pollen were on the way up.

Activity is not a 'regional' thing. It can vary significantly every 10 or 20 miles. Elevation. Humidity. Soil. Different plants different timing. It also varies year to year with 'climate change' (oh my!).

But logbook of your own will help you understand what they are doing.
 
TexasFreedom, I was told to buy two hives, one with screen bottom (left) and wood bottom (rt). My question is why the difference in the entrances. On is sloped and the other just flat?

My photos alwaysbpost sideways. Remember my sideways chicken avatar. Sorry about that part.

Here is a picture for you.
20180310_093230.jpg
 
Squirtgunsquirter said:
Nice! Is that a pool, or a deck? My pool at the farmette was a bee/wasp deathtrap. 9 or 10 everyday.
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It is a pool with a deck. We sit on solid limestone and couldn't even dig down the 9 inches required. We had to build up. No dynamite is allowed because we live on the lake. That's the Chicken coop next to the pool, then one of my 3 veggie gardens
 
Arcticdude said:
Is there any recommended distance from the bee hives to a house? The wife wants to put her hives in the garden/orchard area because it's already fenced. (I may string a hot wire around the hives for added bear protection.) It'll be roughly 300 feet from the house.
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Some say they have theirs up against the house. Some say their sitting area is only 3 feet away from hives. Mine are about 50 yards away from house but only 15 ft from vegetable gardens. I did put them about 10 yards away from grass that is to be mowed.
 
Good questions.

OK, the sloped vs the flat entrances. Not much difference, the slope is more expensive to make. It does give incoming bees more 'landing' space. An interesting observation: italian bees like to 'land' then crawl into the hive from there. Down here my africanized bees come in 'hot', they fly right into the entrance and actually land inside the hive. Both work. Personal preference, budget, etc.

How far from the house? My aggressive bees are a healthy 500 ft away (cough cough). That's about right for me. My BIL has 2 hives 5 ft from his house & 20 ft from his back door in his 1/5th acre city lot. His bees are gentle.

The bigger issue for you will the pool. Your bees will zero in on it. Do you use chlorine or salt? Chlorine is worse because it is a 'scent' the bees can easily find. I would put the hives further from the pool if you can, and put a big chicken waterer right next to the hives. And use ProHealth in the hive waterer. And NEVER, NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER let it go dry. Did I mention NEVER? And put some rocks in the waterer to give the bees something to land on.

Did I miss any of the questions? Funny we mention water, I need to go out & fill my bee waterer right now!
 
Gritch moment. You're familiar with the expression "there is always one". Well when there are 100k+, yes there is always one. Went out twice to just add water, at dusk & a few minutes ago (almost dark enough to not see the water). Yup, both times there was one girl chasing me off since I was just in a Tshirt. OK. Walked back, got my suit & drove my truck out there. 2 or 3 girls were trying to get me, but the water was topped off.

I need to just get a second waterer. So if one goes dry, the other is still full. Nope, hold that. I need to get a mini solar water pump. I've got a 20 gallon bucket out there, but the bees just won't drink out of it. I need to put the pump in it & have it fill my top waterer which will overflow back down into the big bucket. That will last much of the season (I like lazy!).
 
TexasFreedom said:
Good questions.

OK, the sloped vs the flat entrances. Not much difference, the slope is more expensive to make. It does give incoming bees more 'landing' space. An interesting observation: italian bees like to 'land' then crawl into the hive from there. Down here my africanized bees come in 'hot', they fly right into the entrance and actually land inside the hive. Both work. Personal preference, budget, etc.

How far from the house? My aggressive bees are a healthy 500 ft away (cough cough). That's about right for me. My BIL has 2 hives 5 ft from his house & 20 ft from his back door in his 1/5th acre city lot. His bees are gentle.

The bigger issue for you will the pool. Your bees will zero in on it. Do you use chlorine or salt? Chlorine is worse because it is a 'scent' the bees can easily find. I would put the hives further from the pool if you can, and put a big chicken waterer right next to the hives. And use ProHealth in the hive waterer. And NEVER, NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER let it go dry. Did I mention NEVER? And put some rocks in the waterer to give the bees something to land on.

Did I miss any of the questions? Funny we mention water, I need to go out & fill my bee waterer right now!
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I do not use chlorine or salt. I use an ion generator. When we had a stray hive a few woyld come for a drink, but very few died.

I plan on putting water sources next to the hives. Do the hives need to slant slightly forward for drainage? The other questions, I believe were from Arctic.
 
Yes, slightly angled forward. And be sure to not have any left/right tilt.

For AD, 300 ft is fine. Your bees will not be aggressive (not like we have here in TX), so distance won't matter. Keep in mind that 'distance' isn't important from the orchard either. Bees go out a couple of miles so they will find the garden and orchard and everything else.
 
Robin,

It's only money, and you can't take it with you. And it'll be twice the fun.

The other day when I did inspections, one hive was a bit weak. So I just stole a frame of brood from another hive & put it in the weak hive. Having a 'backup' makes it so very, very , very much easier. But when a hive needs help, you can't go 'buy' a frame of brood. They need workers to boost their numbers, and now you'll have a free source when (not if) you'll need them.
 
Robin,

Making queens is a very advanced topic. Not the right place to start. I would recommend talking with some of the members. Ask how they separate beginners from advanced. Ask if they know what upcoming topics are going to be covered in the next meeting.

For reference, our club basically does a whole-year plan up front. Normally it's monthly meetings, but March-May we do twice/month because so much is going on in the apiary. We stick to about 80% beginner topics. If we get into advanced topics, we make sure that meeting has both the advanced and other beginner topics to avoid exactly what you saw.

If this club is more advanced-focused, look for another club that is more beginner-focused.

Beekeeping is really growing.
 
Arcticdude said:
We picked up the bee hive and supplies yesterday. We need to paint the hive and dig out an area in the snow to set it up. The bees should arrive later this month.
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AD, you have left my area of expertise! Using the words "bees should arrive" and "snow" are a combination I've never dealt with!

Are you getting a package or an established hive? And if 'established', is it 3,5,7... frames of bees? Established hives are more expensive but you have much better chances of them surviving.

When painting, make sure to paint the outside and NOT the inside of the hive body. Bees like to walk on wood, not paint. And make sure the hive sits high enough that their entrance will never get buried in snow (they will suffocate & die). And of course bears (I think we've discussed this).

Down here we're having the perfect Spring. Bees are going insane, even my tiny colonies are preparing to swarm. I joked with BK buddy yesterday to check his dead-outs, they may be swarming! (a dead-out is a colony that have died over winter). The key to a good Spring is to have nice long dry spells, then short heavy rains. Too dry and plants don't bloom. Too wet too often and the blooms do not dry and the bees can't get the nectar.
 
TexasFreedom said:
Robin,

Making queens is a very advanced topic. Not the right place to start. I would recommend talking with some of the members. Ask how they separate beginners from advanced. Ask if they know what upcoming topics are going to be covered in the next meeting.

For reference, our club basically does a whole-year plan up front. Normally it's monthly meetings, but March-May we do twice/month because so much is going on in the apiary. We stick to about 80% beginner topics. If we get into advanced topics, we make sure that meeting has both the advanced and other beginner topics to avoid exactly what you saw.

If this club is more advanced-focused, look for another club that is more beginner-focused.

Beekeeping is really growing.
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The speaker was my mentor so I felt an obligation.

I was really surprised by the number of participants.

My mentor is having a workshop at his house next month.

Also, I went to a Saturday seminar and it was mostly about transferrng nucs into hive, how to load smoker, etc. It was the basics.
 
They said we had a huge loss in our area last winter. The Spring so far is horrible for bees because we are having too much rain and it's messing with the blooms.

The bees aren't getting a good start. We are expecting bad weather here today. Strong winds, so I'm going to watch my hives since I have placed them on their "spot".
 
TexasFreedom said:
AD, you have left my area of expertise! Using the words "bees should arrive" and "snow" are a combination I've never dealt with!

Are you getting a package or an established hive? And if 'established', is it 3,5,7... frames of bees? Established hives are more expensive but you have much better chances of them surviving.

When painting, make sure to paint the outside and NOT the inside of the hive body. Bees like to walk on wood, not paint. And make sure the hive sits high enough that their entrance will never get buried in snow (they will suffocate & die). And of course bears (I think we've discussed this).

Down here we're having the perfect Spring. Bees are going insane, even my tiny colonies are preparing to swarm. I joked with BK buddy yesterday to check his dead-outs, they may be swarming! (a dead-out is a colony that have died over winter). The key to a good Spring is to have nice long dry spells, then short heavy rains. Too dry and plants don't bloom. Too wet too often and the blooms do not dry and the bees can't get the nectar.
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Yes, we're just going to paint the outside of the hive. We'll wait for a warm day above 45 first. The company the wife ordered the package bees from just gave a date range when they will ship the bees. It depends on their weather before they ship the bees.
Last year our finial snow storm was May 20th and first snow was last week of September.
The hive we got is a 10 frame. I plan to set it up about 18" off the ground. And will keep it dug out over winter. The bee hives will be in a fenced area to keep the bears out. Fortunately we don't have skunks to deal with around here.
This whole country around here is covered in wild flowers all spring and summer. I'm going to plant a few acres of alfalfa and clover in some meadows.
The wife would like to join a bee club but there aren't any in this area. Plus she's gone so much of the time.
 
Arcticdude said:
Yes, we're just going to paint the outside of the hive. We'll wait for a warm day above 45 first. The company the wife ordered the package bees from just gave a date range when they will ship the bees. It depends on their weather before they ship the bees.
Last year our finial snow storm was May 20th and first snow was last week of September.
The hive we got is a 10 frame. I plan to set it up about 18" off the ground. And will keep it dug out over winter. The bee hives will be in a fenced area to keep the bears out. Fortunately we don't have skunks to deal with around here.
This whole country around here is covered in wild flowers all spring and summer. I'm going to plant a few acres of alfalfa and clover in some meadows.
The wife would like to join a bee club but there aren't any in this area. Plus she's gone so much of the time.
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Make sure that there is a path to the rear. You always approach from the rear. They stressed that last night.
 
"bee food"???

You really only need a couple of things. Sugar. I mix 1:1 (weight or volume), some areas vary that ratio throughout the year. And pollen substitute, get the better stuff. And you can do something like "bee health" from Mann Lake as an all-around enhancement. But that's about it.

Robin, congrats on getting your girls. Do you have an in-hive frame feeder? Did you get a package or an intact hive? How many frames in the hive? And how many hives? BK is all about the details...

I would be concerned about the source of the bees. If that BK had high losses, they aren't doing something right and it may be the genetics of the bees. I would get bees from a local source, bees that do well in your climate/conditions. Not everyone can be perfect, I'll brag that I've had zero winter losses the past 2 years. But if they're having 40+% losses, that's horrible (and unfortunately the national average).
 
Huge losses in Tennessee last Winter. The Spring is not off to a good start either. Cold, rain and maybe more snow is really messing with the blooms and pollen. I hope my first try isn't a bust so my husband doesn't complain about the money.
 
TexasFreedom said:
"bee food"???

You really only need a couple of things. Sugar. I mix 1:1 (weight or volume), some areas vary that ratio throughout the year. And pollen substitute, get the better stuff. And you can do something like "bee health" from Mann Lake as an all-around enhancement. But that's about it.

Robin, congrats on getting your girls. Do you have an in-hive frame feeder? Did you get a package or an intact hive? How many frames in the hive? And how many hives? BK is all about the details...

I would be concerned about the source of the bees. If that BK had high losses, they aren't doing something right and it may be the genetics of the bees. I would get bees from a local source, bees that do well in your climate/conditions. Not everyone can be perfect, I'll brag that I've had zero winter losses the past 2 years. But if they're having 40+% losses, that's horrible (and unfortunately the national average).
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TF, yes I get mine on the 15th. I am getting 2 nucs of local Italians. My mentor doesn't even wear gloves with them so hopefully they are pretty tame. I will be wearing a veil and gloves for sure. I don' have the suit, but will have on a couple of layers of loose clothing.

I have two hives with an extra deep and a super for each. One has screened bottom, the other wood. Not sure if I will like the screened one.

I have one feeder and need to go get another. I know all you have to do is drill your own holes, but I'm not sure what size holes to make.

Do you spray your bees to make them complacent before transferring them? I've read both ways. I think in ill the first time just to make it as easy a possible.

On the 15th the weather isn' supposed to be great so I may have to wait to transfer them. I am pretty nervous.

Oh, mine are 10 frame. My mentor did not have heavy losses, it is the entire area that they are basing the reports. He said he thought many of the losses were owner error.
 
Robin,
OK, good details.
So a 'nuc' is typically 3-4 frames. A 'nuc' box is 1/2 size, or 5 frames.

For doing the transfer, here's a suggestion. I'm assuming your source has them in 5-frame nucs, you take those & put them into your 10 frame deep and return the nuc to him? Why not take your hive boxes to him and ask him to transfer them? You can watch & learn & not get nervous? Then when you take them home, they're already in their new hive bodies. Most guys are fine with that, in fact some like it because they 'keep' the 3-4 frames they remove from your boxes. He may want the boxes a few days earlier, call & ask. And if you have frame feeders, have those already inside, just top them off when he puts the bees in there.

I'm not sure which type of feeder you're talking about... 'drilling holes'? Is it basically a mason jar? I'm talking about something like:
https://www.mannlakeltd.com/9-1-8-pro-feeder-2-wide-1-gallon-with-cap-ladder

They have them for deeps or mediums or 1 frame vs 2 frame. 1 gallon is a good size. I don't like entrance feeders because they often lead to robbing.

Oh, and look into pollen paddies. If weather is poor, pollen is critical for them raising brood (babies).
 
I'm talking just taking a canning lid and making my own feeder by making the holes myself instead of buying. One of my kits came with an outside feeder, but I'm going to put it inside.

My mentor lives about 15 miles away so he's close if I have questions.

I was going to ask him to bring them here, but inthink I will try it myself. I'm afraid to take my box to him because with my luck, I'll wreck and have bees everywhere.

Tractor Supply has a nice selection of suppliesnif I need something last minute.
 
Robin,
Good idea, if he'll bring them over & transfer the frames, all the easier.

You mean not 'outside feeder' but an entrance feeder? Basically you stick it into the opening and a mason jar sits upside down on it? BTW, careful poking holes. You want really small holes. Really small otherwise it leaks everywhere. You can also look into a quail feeder. Uses same mason jar but has a trough around it... put a piece of rope in the trough so the bees don't drown. Works great, and only a couple bucks at TSC. BTW, putting either of these inside the hive, don't leave them too many days. Otherwise the bees might start building comb from your inner cover (talk to your mentor, he'll give you other options or timing thoughts).

BTW, Tractor Supply (TSC) has a horrible beekeeping supply area. You just don't know enough yet to realize it! I'd recommend avoiding them for now, not sure their quality is more than a one-time-use product. I like Mann Lake, but there are other good sources.

What's wrong with bees loose inside the vehicle? I do it all the time, I just wear my bee suit when driving... (sounds funny but it is actually true).
 
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