Video

Hey, thanks for reaching out. No, I've been busy with lots of other projects. I'm still keeping the bees, but everything takes three times longer when filming and I just haven't been bringing the camera out. All is going well for the most part in the apiary. Pulled some frames the other day in 95F weather. No fun at all.

@@FreeRangeArtFarm life is busy please take your camera out even if they are short videos. Had a couple of issues with ours, had to requeen a few, awful weather has had a huge impact, no spring harvest which seems to be common in the UK due to adverse weather. Beekeepers have had to feed for fear of starvation which is rare this time of year. Hoping for a summer harvest but really the survival of the colonies is the most important

I checked on them a couple of days ago. They are busy doing their thing.

They certainly do build comb quickly.

I don't believe it works like that. If a random queen made her way to a strange colony, they would be more likely to kill her than accept her.

Thanks!

Ya, I was shocked by the amount of ants. This location is fairly new to me. I moved bees in last June and lost both colonies in the fall. Then moved these girls in the other day. It's funny how different it is being in a forest vs. just under trees in my field. This location is barely 1/2 mile from my main apiary and I have to manage them quite differently.

My other apiary is under trees, but not in a forest. I've talked to the land owner and we might move the hives after this season ends.

@@FreeRangeArtFarm I also put Talstar ant poison under the hive stands and that helps the hive beetles and ants in the apiary.

Great feedback. That makes complete sense to keep the comb in the same orientation.

Thanks for the feedback. I will keep that in mind for next time.

Good info. I was more focused on getting as much comb to fit than keeping the orientation correct. I'm going to keep that in mind for next time.

@@FreeRangeArtFarm They will probably raise the brood but the angle of the cells is not correct so they won’t store anything in it. That’s what I’ve noticed if I put it in wrong. Thanks Thomas!

What are your thoughts about that comb in the future? Do you think the girls will tear it down and adjust the angle or will it be useless comb? I'm thinking they will fix it. It will be interesting to see how they handle it moving forward.

@@FreeRangeArtFarm Put it in upright the first time. Problem with newly drawn comb is that it tends to bee too soft for framing. It even looked like you had some queen cups started on one piece. Keep us posted as to what happens.

LOL... Congrats! You've won nothing.

Thanks! We caught them.

So far it seems to have been successful. They were all moved in to the larger hive and I moved it to my apiary the next day.

That disk doesn't seal well. Rotating it would work if it were in better condition. I taped it to make sure to block all the openings that the bees could escape through.

There are plastic standoffs that isolated the wire from the t-posts

Lol... ya, the disk was drilled out so, none of the positions allowed for ventilation while containing the bees. I need to replace that one. Get those traps up. We are having a very active swarm season.

Good morning!

That it is.

The best thing to do is take a beginner beekeeping class.

Thanks. I was really thrown off with those girls. Just didn't know what they were up to. I think I did the right thing to make sure they stayed.

That's for sure.

@@FreeRangeArtFarm I picked up 3 Swarm traps full of bees this evening from 3 locations where bees were trying to move into people’s homes.

Congrats!

That's my guess. They were right next to the horizontal hive that was bursting with bees when I checked them two weeks ago.

Turns out, they were too big for the trap. I moved them into a full hive box. Look for the full video in a couple of days.

That is a big swarm!!!!

Thanks. I love catching bees.

I think part of it is the color of the camera and maybe the heat... I'm given to understand that bees don't like black.

Can I assume that you live in or near Fairfax? We are near Warrenton, so basically your area. You should get something soon. Swarms are happening for sure. This is the second time we've been able to watch them move in. It's always an amazing experience.

@@FreeRangeArtFarm Fairfax is my last name, I'm in the Northern Neck on VA in Westmoreland county. So not too far away.

No, still not too far away. Good luck catching bees. I don't need more bees, but I love catching them too much to not try.

Never does. This is the second time we've been there when a swarm moved in. It's such a cool feeling.