Beekeeping Journal –
- Beeyard-2 bodies tall
05/05/14- Bees ship out from Kentucky, Ron and Carrie Spille, Spille Honey, 3 # bees and a queen @ $126.00 for Italians, $129.00 for Russians, including shipping. Shipped a week later than originally planned (April 28th) due to cold weather.
05/07/14- Bees arrive 6:30 am at Post Office, Suit up (jeans, ball cap, raspberry colored raincoat with hood, Velcro sleeves, drawstring waist; net gnat hood, leather work gloves) Install bees in 2 Hive bodies, from Mann Lake, Minnesota, cost =$627.40 (includes 2 hive bodies and 2 supers for each hive). Feed 1:1 sugar water mixture-boil 1 ½ gallons water (appx 12#), add 12 pounds sugar, stir till dissolved , cooled over night . Remove 2 frames from outer edge, insert 1 gallon frame feeder w/ bee ladders, fill. Remove cork end and hang Queen cage in between 2 center frames. Install queen excluder, top board, roof, use small section of entrance reducer.
05/11/14- Check for Queen release. OK. Do not need feed yet.
05/15/14-Open hives, spray sugar water to calm, use stick to get a few drowned bees out, feed sugar water using funnel, Remove a few frames and search for queen. Cannot see her but see eggs laid.
05/20/14-Feed bees 1 gallon to Russians, ½ gallon to Italians ( throw out moldy batch in clear jug, check for mold in feeder -OK), shuffle full center frames towards outside, to even out drawing of comb. Open entrance reducer to larger size and opposite side from feeder. Russians have filled more frames than Italians and eaten more as well. Also, Russians seem calmer to work with. One Italian stung me- add duct tape to pants legs next time.
05/29/14- Feed bees ¾ gallon each, adjust frames again, add Hive body to Russians, move feeder up to second story. Move queen excluder to top of second body.
06/06/14- Russians- Feed 1 gallon, remained calm after one spray of sugar water. Built some comb into second story but it was sideways on frame and bottom of frame. Trimmed it off with hive tool. Keep building wax on queen excluder too. Italians –agitated, and seem to have enlarged population- sprayed three times to calm, one got under my face net but I got him out. Pulled feeder out from bottom hive and inserted into second hive body above, filled ½ to ¾ full. Have not tried smoke and would prefer not to, but maybe it would work better on the Italians? Also might have to get a bee veil that closes better and does not shine with glare in the sun. Used half chaps (leather gaiters) instead of duct tape at ankles, easier to take off.
06/06/14- Buckwheat patch I planted for the bees is starting to bloom
Wendy lee at Edgewisewoods.com