Looking for Hive Beetles

I opened Nuc #1 today to check on the hive beetle situation. Didn't see many so I left everything alone. I also looked in Nuc #2 and Hive #5 just to make sure they had plenty of food and also the hive beetle situation in each of those hives. They were okay.

Did not check #4 and Swarm '09 - cannot pick up or even think about lifting either of these hives so I'm sure they have plenty of food for the winter. Actually, I couldn't pick up the other hives either.

In checking my hives before winter sets in, I try to lift the back of the hive - if you can lift the hive - check the hive and start feeding immediately, they will not last the winter. If you can't lift the hive body, you should be okay. But again, it's always a good idea to open the hive and then you can tell what's happening.

This is food for the winter. I have plenty of honey so I want the bees to have plenty too.

Colony Collapse Disorder - A Fungus

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/science/07bees.html

An article was in The New York Times this week about the colony collapse disorder. Scientists teamed up with the military and now believe the collapse is caused by a fungus tag-teaming with a virus that interacted to cause the problem.

They don't have a solution but they think they know what's causing the problem.

A Cheeseburger

A Cheeseburger went into a bar and ordered a drink.

The bartender said "we don't serve food".


We all need a little humor now and then!

Storing Equipment

In the process of beekeeping, you really end up with a lot of stuff - things you will need next year but not right now.

With the wax moths being such a problem, this is how I store my extra supers that have been used - new ones are not a problem.

I stack the supers on a flat board on a pallet - then an empty baggie feeder box which is just a couple of inches in height - and then all the supers, mediums and deeps, whatever I have - another empty baggie feeder box - next a glass/plastic storm window - then another flat board and some type of brick or piece of granite on top.

The crystals go on a paper plate inside the empty feeder box.

I have to check and add moth crystals from time to time. So far this has worked okay. I buy my moth ice crystals 99.90% paradichlorobenzene at a big box store - bee supply places have the same thing.

The top board over the storm window is simply to keep the sun from melting the wax inside the supers - this is again speaking from experience. I had some wax to melt - it just got so hot with the sun hitting that glass.

There's all kinds of ways to store your equipment but so far this is working.

Nuc #3 - Gone

I messed around and didn't check on Nuc #3 even though I wasn't sure there was a queen and I had added some frames around the first of Sept. so I knew they would need more food soon.

And we have had some extremely hot weather all thru Sept - hotter than normal. I had noticed lots of activity right after I gave them the full supers but lately not much going on.

Today I opened the hive and the wax moths have just destroyed the hive. There were maybe 50 or so bees left in the hive and they were trying their best to get ahead of the wax moths but it just couldn't happen. I didn't see a queen and maybe that was part of the problem - maybe they didn't have a queen (pretty sure they didn't).

So I cleaned up the hive and put the frames that could be saved in the freezer. I know better and should have checked on this hive a week after putting the frames in - just didn't do it!

The other hives look fine but I'll be checking them this week - weather permitting. We are getting some rain now and it's much needed.

You can see a wax moth on the front of the hive. They're nasty little devils.

Wrightsville Beach Gardens

I was at Wrightsville Beach before Labor Day (this is the view from where I was staying) and there's some wonderful gardens there - little gems that you might not see riding in your car.

The weather was wonderful - Thurs was a little overcast due to EARL but that went away quickly.

Beeyard on Labor Day

Way past time to check on the bees.

I had only planned on opening Nuc #3 (very little activity in and out of the hive) and Hive #5 (with the new queen). But after I got started I opened all the hives.

My main concern was Nuc #3 - they were really low on food so after checking, I took 3 full frames from Hive #5 and put in the super. What I need to do is take the frames from the brood box in Hive #4 and put in the brood box on Nuc #3. Hive #4 is working on filling out the brood box frames but have a ways to go before filling them out and they have room in the super below so I'll move this around in a couple of days. That should give Nuc #3 enough food for the winter.

Hive #5 with the new queen - well, they're just doing great. Lots of bees and plenty of food.

Nuc #2 - took the top super off - it was empty - moved 2 frames which had a little honey to #5.

Nuc #1 - had some hive beetles but lots of bees and food.

Swarm '09 - a few hive beetles (less than 6) and lots of bees and food.

Hive #4 - all the frames in the top brood box will be moved to Nuc #3 - other than that they looked great. The inner cover on this hive was stuck tight to the top so when I took the top off, everything came off at one time. It was very difficult to get this pulled apart. I guess I forgot to put a stick between the inner cover and the top - I put 2 big ones in there today.

I usually open the hives in the same order every time but today I was so sure I wouldn't be doing all of them, I did 3, 5, 2, 1, Swarm '09 and 4. So I could have moved a lot more frames around and had a better idea of what needed to be changed if I done 3, 4, 5, 2, 1 and Swarm '09 (the regular order - left to right). I really like to do my beeyard the same every time I check them - probably makes no difference but it works for me.

Perfect weather today - a slight breeze but only in the 80's.

Looking inside Hive #4 top brood box.