I used smoke on this hive just at tne entry because it was about to storm and I didn't want angry bees (as often happens when it rains).
I last opened this hive two weeks ago and they had barely begun building wax and filling it in the second box. Today every frame was drawn out in the second box and bees were festooning in the third. Last weekend was about the last weekend of the sourwood bloom so maybe they were trying to take advantage of the last of it.
Below is a frame of honey that the bees are beginning to cap from the second box.
I was pleased and put the hive back together, clipped the grass and weeds from in front of the entrance and left it until I return on August 7. This hive won't have honey I can harvest, but I plan to rob out one frame just to see what Rabun County honey tastes like! Maybe I can get some of those small hexagon bottles and give the gardeners each a taste of the honey.
Nice!
ReplyDeleteHi Linda,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your blog.
The honey looks so light, especially compared to the picture you posted on June 26th. I guess they are finding different nectar.
I look forward to reading about how this honey tastes!
Hello Linda,
ReplyDeleteGreat site!
Todd here - friends of Becca and Matt from Lawrence (we're going to be visiting them in a couple of weeks).
I'm a newbee (this spring) and had a question for you - my Italians have built up very nicely: Built 70% of a 10 frame deep with brood, etc. over ~1 month, so I added a second medium hive body. The bees drew out this second body in ~1 month, however, it didn't have any brood - just stored honey. When I added the 3rd medium body, I put it between the other 2 bodies (i.e. above the deep, but below the stored honey body) in an effort to encourage brood building.
So my overall question: How do I encourage brood building? Up here in Michigan, I need more than just one deep hive body for overwintering. Any thoughts? Thanks alot.
Hi Todd, Nice to hear from you. Sounds like your bees are doing well. The queen is in charge of building up the hive and in the summer she will lay brood or not depending on the supplies available to her. Your goal is not to have two brood boxes, but to have bees and enough stores to get through the winter. In Michigan if you winter in two deeps, that means the top deep will be mostly full of honey going into winter, not brood. Have fun with Becky and Matt!
ReplyDeleteWandering the web looking for information on beekeeping, I stumbled on your site. Take it from someone who had the good fortune to grow up in Rabun. The honey is good!! Sourwood is definitely the liquid gold from the gods. I know each region of our country has its favorites, sourwood is mine ... hands down! I have sourwoods on my property here in eastern Gwinnett and have been concerned with the lack of honey bees in and around my area. I have a few extra acres of property that will be ideal for a few hives. My intent is to get myself up to speed this fall/winter and hopefully by Spring2016 I"ll be ready for some Nucs to arrive.....wish me luck.
ReplyDelete