As any beekeeper will tell you, beekeeping is a 12 month endeavor whether you live in the north or south, or whether you are a commercial, sideline, or hobby beekeeper. There's equipment to fix, buy and put together, beekeeping literature to read, expansion plans to flesh out. Winter is a busy time.
I am fortunate enough to have this week off at the university, and, besides paper and test grading, am using this time to do various beekeeping projects that I just can't seem to fit into my normal schedule. Yesterday, I spent some time putting together some mating nucs for my spring and summer increase plans. I also started a few seedlings: bee balm, chamomile, and ornamental tobacco plants. Today, I will be cleaning and refurbishing some frames. Sometime later this week, I will be putting together some hive boxes so that in early spring, I can transfer Nuc To Be Named Later out of the queen castle it's in now and into regular hive boxes.
And if there is time, I am going to read all my queen rearing books for a second and third time.
Showing posts with label chamomile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chamomile. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Week 10: Between the Raindrops
The 10 week inspection of Bee Glad... and Metpropolis took place yesterday. When I started the inspection at around 11 a.m. the weather was partially cloudy; by the end, the clouds were a bit more threatening as afternoon and evening storms moved in. The bees are foraging a variety of plants, though they don't touch those I have blossoming in The Forests of Beelandia at this moment. Cucumbers, borage, chamomile, narrow-leaf milk weed are all flowering, along with the continuation of vetch, and white clover in and about the neighborhood.
This inspection included a new associate: Robert, a son-in-law, who I think has caught "bee fever", despite the fact that he took a sting near the eye today.
The bees are now working in all three boxes of Bee Glad... The middle box was heavy with honey and brood. The top box had partially filled frames of comb and brood. The bottom box was much like the middle. I removed one frame each from the bottom and middle box and exchanged them for "empties" in the top box, in line with suggestions given in the book Beekeeping in Northern Climates. Now the top two boxes have only 9 frames each. Before inspecting this hive this morning, I examined a sticky board I had placed under the screen bottom 24 hours before. I found no mites. Bee Glad... continues to thrive.
Metpropolis is also thriving. The queen is still producing brood and the bees are storing pollen and nectar. I added two bars to this hive, one on each end. This hive also seems healthy as I found no sign of disease in it as well.
This inspection included a new associate: Robert, a son-in-law, who I think has caught "bee fever", despite the fact that he took a sting near the eye today.
The bees are now working in all three boxes of Bee Glad... The middle box was heavy with honey and brood. The top box had partially filled frames of comb and brood. The bottom box was much like the middle. I removed one frame each from the bottom and middle box and exchanged them for "empties" in the top box, in line with suggestions given in the book Beekeeping in Northern Climates. Now the top two boxes have only 9 frames each. Before inspecting this hive this morning, I examined a sticky board I had placed under the screen bottom 24 hours before. I found no mites. Bee Glad... continues to thrive.
Metpropolis is also thriving. The queen is still producing brood and the bees are storing pollen and nectar. I added two bars to this hive, one on each end. This hive also seems healthy as I found no sign of disease in it as well.
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