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I've been keeping this blog for all of my beekeeping years and I am beginning my 19th year of beekeeping in April 2024. Now there are more than 1300 posts on this blog. Please use the search bar below to search the blog for other posts on a subject in which you are interested. You can also click on the "label" at the end of a post and all posts with that label will show up. At the very bottom of this page is a list of all the labels I've used.

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I began this blog to chronicle my beekeeping experiences. I have read lots of beekeeping books, but nothing takes the place of either hands-on experience with an experienced beekeeper or good pictures of the process. I want people to have a clearer picture of what to expect in their beekeeping so I post pictures and write about my beekeeping saga here.Master Beekeeper Enjoy with me as I learn and grow as a beekeeper.

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Saturday, September 29, 2007

Bees and Sugar

After I reassured myself that Mellona had a functioning queen, I did a powdered sugar shake over the hive. I know I've posted lots of these types of pictures, but seeing the ghostly bees seems appropriate as Halloween approaches.

I also planned to add sugar syrup to both Mellona and Bermuda. It is so hard to get those screw tops off of the jars. When I finally got one of the tops off, the tiny holes were propolized. I took a toothpick and opened up the holes before refilling with sugar syrup.

I put a full quart of syrup in Mellona and about 3/4 quart in Bermuda (I ran out). I'll add more next weekend if need be.

In inspecting I pulled out a frame and it came apart on me. This is the third time this has happened during an inspection. I think the lesson for me is that I hammered my frames together but did NOT glue them. Probably had I glued the frames together as well as hammered them, then they would not be pulling apart.

Oh, well, live and learn.

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3 comments:

  1. Hi LÄ°nda, I am a beekeper from Turkey. I wonder did you take good results after powdered sugar fall down on bees. After shaking bees themselves, did you see increasing fell down varroas on the buttom board?
    Have a nice keeping
    Hayreddin Sakar Kirklareli Turkey

    www.florabal.blogspot.com

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  2. Anonymous3:50 AM

    Hi, a fellow beek hailing from NZ. I've enjoyed reading your blog for a while so thought I'd leave a comment :)

    Varroa hasn't made it this far south here yet, but it's on it's way so it's always good to see what people are doing to control it without chemicals.

    A tip on nailing your frames together - put the nails in at an angle like so - \ / ,instead of | | like you have them now - makes them a lot harder to pull apart. A quick dab of glue doesn't hurt either.

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  3. I wish I had taken shop in High School, but no, in my generation girls took Home Ec. It makes so much sense to nail at an angle. When I am lifting the frame with the nails pounded in straight, obviously (at least now it is) the pull is always in the direction of pulling the nails out. OK - frame repairs coming up! Thanks, Paul.

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