tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post3796387441995841136..comments2024-03-26T12:17:40.771-04:00Comments on Linda's Bees: Great Progress at Stonehurst PlaceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-3886305936044626822011-05-15T08:36:49.366-04:002011-05-15T08:36:49.366-04:00http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2006/05/housel-...http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2006/05/housel-positioning-for-honey-super.htmlLinda Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08089537760868691562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-8571425405509335372011-05-15T08:34:39.857-04:002011-05-15T08:34:39.857-04:00The arrows on the tops of the frames are for House...The arrows on the tops of the frames are for Housel positioning. There's a post on this blog about what that is - too complicated to explain here. Although the research is mixed, Michael Housel determined that the bees in the wild build their comb this way, so I try to orient my starter strip frames or drawn comb in that way - supposed to make the bees build the comb bigger and more comfortably.<br /><br />The yellow stickers are to help control drift. The bees orient to their hives and with something distinctive on the front of their hive, the thinking is that they are more likely to come "home" than to drift to the other hive.Linda Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08089537760868691562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-14187374025851821872011-05-14T22:04:07.913-04:002011-05-14T22:04:07.913-04:00Could you discuss what the arrows on the tops of f...Could you discuss what the arrows on the tops of frames mean? And I'm also curious about the yellow sticker-looking things on the fronts of hives. Are they for bee-orientation?<br /><br />Thanks again for keeping this fascinating blog. We're entering our second year of beekeeping in the San Francisco Bay Area. We've learned a lot, and there's so much yet to learn!Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03932975112078606231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-34862420094139687902011-05-12T10:32:12.872-04:002011-05-12T10:32:12.872-04:00Hi, Linda!
You're right-- that capped honey lo...Hi, Linda!<br />You're right-- that capped honey looks wonderful. Maybe this will be your record honey year as it's off to a great start.<br /><br />As you noted, sometimes there's no way to know why some hives take off & others don't, though beekeepers too often blame the queen. Just a thought: I wondered if the stronger hive is getting the benefit of drift because they are so close, even though you've put orientation marks on the fronts. If you angled the entrances slightly away from each other (about 20 degrees or so) that might eliminate drift if there is any. I don't know that the difference would be noticeable, though, after the burst of spring growth and the frenzy of the nectar flow. <br /><br />You should really enjoy the satisfaction of starting off these new colonies on a happy path! Congratulations.<br /> PennyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com