Inspected 2 hives and a nuc today and found no eggs. This was after a neighbor (Linda) stated brood was spotty in her main hive and her nuc had no eggs, though a queen should have hatched and mated by now (same timeline as the main hive). I spotted the queen in her nuc and confirmed no eggs on 7/23/13. Saw a queen in my nuc and no eggs. What do these ladies know? Preparing for a dearth?
8/3/13 UPDATE: Found eggs in all hives except H2 (unknown if H2 has a queen who will resume laying shortly or if they need to raise a new queen). The weather has been unseasonably cool for Late July/Early August with highs in the low to mid 70s and lows in the low 60s. We have had moderate rain and everything is growing like crazy.
8/10/13 UPDATE: All queens laying. The H2 queen was just a bit later than the others to restart. H3 new queen is laying well.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
2013 spring honey extraction
Extracted honey on 7/14/13 (fresh spring honey) and 7/15/13 (fall honey stored in comb, some slightly crystallized). We had 3 spring supers, 6 deep frames, and 2 fall supers.
We yielded probably 120 pounds of spring honey and another 75 pounds of honey from deep frames, cappings, and fall supers.
We yielded probably 120 pounds of spring honey and another 75 pounds of honey from deep frames, cappings, and fall supers.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Dumb mistake 7/2/13
Like a dummy I decided to try to pull a cultivator attachment through the future orchard area where I keep my bees. They apparently did not like how close I got with the tractor. I took about a dozen stings before I ran to the porch. I regrouped, put on my bee suit, and tried to drive the tractor out of the orchard. The tractor was slipping and sticking so I shut it down and gave up for now. And there the tractor sits...
I began to have a moderate reaction to the stings and I monitored it closely to determine if it would lead anaphylaxis. Thankfully not. I did feel feverish, got lightheaded, and had some strange sensations like the tops of my feet itching and my tongue tingling (not swelling). All my stings were on the forearms, finger, ear, and behind the ear. I took off my wedding ring before the sting on the finger became too swollen.
OK, girls, I get it. That's your area and I play there at my own risk.
I began to have a moderate reaction to the stings and I monitored it closely to determine if it would lead anaphylaxis. Thankfully not. I did feel feverish, got lightheaded, and had some strange sensations like the tops of my feet itching and my tongue tingling (not swelling). All my stings were on the forearms, finger, ear, and behind the ear. I took off my wedding ring before the sting on the finger became too swollen.
OK, girls, I get it. That's your area and I play there at my own risk.
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