tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post9152531267203830588..comments2024-03-26T12:17:40.771-04:00Comments on Linda's Bees: Blue Heron Inspection June 28Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-86090089511028510382009-07-02T15:23:26.308-04:002009-07-02T15:23:26.308-04:00Bravo! Well done you! Totally agree with the appro...Bravo! Well done you! Totally agree with the approach, and not using smoke to bamboozle and provoke the Bees!Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08037195192078694528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-20301329902883925292009-07-01T15:53:59.708-04:002009-07-01T15:53:59.708-04:00Hi Linda.
Your comments about the use of a smoker ...Hi Linda.<br />Your comments about the use of a smoker are very interesting. I continue to enjoy your blog ~ it's always informative, and often leaves me smiling (for instance, when you teach the bee dance to children!).<br />Thanks for sharing.<br />Susan L.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-12552229434687846062009-07-01T08:09:13.898-04:002009-07-01T08:09:13.898-04:00Hi Sandy, You can do an RSS feed to link to my po...Hi Sandy, You can do an RSS feed to link to my posts by clicking on the orange square thingy in the address bar at the top of the page.<br /><br />a. Unless you are in the middle of a strong nectar flow, the bees need sugar syrup to provide them with something to make wax on your foundation. When there is a strong flow there's no reason to feed the bees (nobody does it when they make their hive in a hollow tree!).<br /><br />b. You can use starter strips regardless of climate. One of my favorite beekeepers uses them in Nebraska where the winters are hard. The reason I do it is to give the bees the opportunity to build natural comb and to keep poison out of my hives (even the wax foundation you buy probably came from hives where chemical treatments are used).<br /><br />c. In this part of the country we usually only use one brood box and one super for the winter. In colder climates, when people use deeps, often two deeps are needed for winter. At home I am moving to all 8 frame medium boxes, so I put my old deeps on the Blue Heron hives since they started with nucs that were on deep sized frames. The advantage of all medium boxes is the interchanging ability between hive boxes. Here in the South, a hive on medium boxes needs three boxes total to go through the winter.<br /><br />d. The queen lays wherever she likes and I'm fine with that. Most people laughingly refer to the queen excluder as a honey excluder because the bees are reluctant to work separated from the queen. The best use I've found for an excluder is to drain cut comb honey! <br /><br />Since I am harvesting via crush and strain, if I pull a frame and the queen has laid in it, then I put it back on the hive and don't use it for harvest.<br /><br />e. The bees don't get crowded with one brood box because they grow as they need to - into the box above and the box above that. They don't know that you the beekeeper have decided that the bottom box is the brood box. The queen is going to use as much room as she needs to raise the numbers in her hive.Linda Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08089537760868691562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-28717927503419851072009-07-01T07:45:32.934-04:002009-07-01T07:45:32.934-04:00Hi Linda,
I tried to link to your email, but my ya...Hi Linda,<br />I tried to link to your email, but my yahoo account isn't set up to link automatically. Anyway, I am a new bee keeper up here in MA. I have two hives and belong to our local Bristol Bee Association. I have a few questions:<br />First: I love the concept of the starter strip frames. However, what I've heard up here is that for my "newbees" to build out comb on the wax foundation I have, I need to feed them sugar syrup -- otherwise comb making comes to a screeching halt. Is this because of our cold weather and short season? Or is it a myth? I love how you are able to harvest the wax and honey etc and would love to go that route, but I don't know if our weather suits it. Do you know?<br />Second: I have two brood chambers on my hives. After those are drawn out and 'working', I get to add on my honey super. It was my understanding that the queen will lay (usually) in the lower two. So why do the hives in your slide show only have one brood box? And why doesn't the queen lay in the two upper honey supers? Are you using a queen excluder? And, don't the bees get crowded with only one brood box? <br />You can see my two hives on my blogspot. <br />www.sandstone-sandstone.blogspot.com <br />Thanks!<br />SandySandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05161936988434765481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-36602202041262445082009-06-30T18:32:53.279-04:002009-06-30T18:32:53.279-04:00Gosh Linda
You have so much confidence in showing...Gosh Linda<br /><br />You have so much confidence in showing the bees to others. I admire you for that. <br /><br />Sincerely<br />Annette from Placerville CaliforniaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com