Beekeepers Friend

As you know, I have lost down to only 8 hives. I have one swarm that was a very late swarm. I have not fed or medicated it, and it is still hanging on. It is in a nuc box in my front yard and I watch it as it struggles to survive. I will probably relent and start feeding it pollen patties and sugar water.

I am going to have to go back to basics. I started out with 2 colonies in the fall 13 years ago and bought 2 more the next spring. That was the last ones I bought. Through splitting and catching swarms, I grew to 86 hives and 100 nucs (nucleus). This is what I meant by going back to the basics. I will just have to split and catch swarms to increase my hive count. It will not take me as long this time because I am no longer a beginner and I know what to do now.

I have plenty of boxes and frames with foundation so that all I have to do this Winter is; scrape and clean wooden-ware, paint and mark them, clean and put in foundation, build and paint top boards, screen bottom boards, and feeders. Then I need to read, read, and read some more.

I just got a commit from a man in Uganda that wants me to help him get started. This will be the first time for me to help someone by long distance. This will be a good project for me to see if I can help through emails and my beekeepersfriend.com website. You know that I am enrolled in the Florida Master Beekeeper Program and I wonder if this would count for extra credit. Even if it doesn’t, I will have gained a friend and maybe help guide a new beekeeper.

Until the next post; keep you veil handy, your smoker lit, and your hive tool sharp .

I want to apologize to you who have been following my experiences. I have been detained, derailed, and just plain procrastinating. Since my last posting, I have been to two workshops and have been bottling honey for sale. One of my outlets called me and said he had only two pints left and wanted to know when I could bring him some more.

Here is the rundown on my time and what I did to come to this post. My son, a missionary to Latin countries, came back to the States from the Yucatan peninsula , Mexico with a utility trailer sporting a bent axial, broken tongue (welded twice in Mexico) and new tires and wheels that were trashed on a bad stretch of road. I took it on my own to repair it. I didn’t know what I was getting into. I am not a welder, but—-, I was the one on the welding rod. In the meantime, I went to the Tupelo workshop in Chipley hosted by Laurence Cutts, formerly of the Florida State honey bee inspection dept. He was the big cheese there. He also is a past President of the Florida State Beekeepers Association.

We had as instructors:

Dr. Jamie Ellis of the University of Florida’s Entomology Dept. He is one of the heads of the research dept. His subject was history of the African bees and how they are surviving in the southern US.

David Westervelt is a bee inspector and a researcher for the State of Florida. He talked about pests in the bee hive.

Doug Corbin is a bee inspector of NW Florida. His subject was about diseases of the bees.

Larry Cutts, son of Laurence, explained about queen rearing and why we as beekeepers need to know how to raise our own queens.

Back on the trailer. After setting the axle, welding the tongue and latch on, I had to get a schedule ready for a Fish Fry/Mini-Workshop for Beginners. This had to be finished by the following Saturday. In the meantime, I have been getting my study information from the computer so I can attend a Master Beekeeper course sponsored by the University of Florida. My level at this moment is Apprentice beekeeper. I am studying for the Advanced beekeeper patch. This will be in Monticello, Florida on the 5th of November. I am running out of study time!

The 6th and 7th will be the State Beekeepers convention. On Sunday the 8th, there will be a honey judging at the State Fair in Tallahassee which I will probably not enter as my wife will be with me and she will be ready to come home by then.

Back to the Fish Fry/Mini-Workshop for Beginners. We had 50 people in attendance with maybe 20 newbee’s. Laurence Cutts talked about what we needed to be doing right now to get ready for Winter. David Westervelt talked about getting ready for the Spring honey flow. Doug Corbin talked about controlling the mites now to help the bees overwinter and come out stronger than going in.

We had fish deep fried on location by our unofficial cook who by the way, did a real good job. The food was excellent and the trimmings were supplied by the association members.

The afternoon was taken up by three stations showing how to melt wax and apply it to plastic foundation, nailing different ways (power and hand) of pre-cut hive boxes and frames, and the last station was talking about the bees using 2 hives that were supplied by one of our members.

As always, we had a vendor there. This time it was Millie Bee out of Marianna, FL.

Now I am printing my computer modules so I can study and my wife can use the computer at the same time.

Maybe now, I can settle down and continue my posts on a more regular basics. Thank you all for bearing with me and I hope your interest has not deserted me. Until later, keep your veil close, you hive tool sharp, and your smoker lit.

PS. By the way, I did get the honey poured and delivered and in the meantime I think I picked another outlet. I will know by Monday.

The USDA Lab and the Louisiana Beekeepers Association will hold their thirteenth annual field day on Saturday, October 3, 2009. This event will be held at the lab building and grounds near the intersection of Nicholson Dr (Hwy 30) and Ben Hur Road (1157 Ben Hur Rd.). This is about 2 miles south of the LSU football stadium. Gates will open at 0930. Activities are scheduled from 1030 to 1530.

Registration is $12 for Adults and $5 for children and includes a catered lunch consisting of Shrimp Fettuccini or Roast Pork with Rice and Gravy, Snap Beans, Salad, Roll, and Strawberry-Peach Crunch.

The field day will have activities for both beginners and advanced beekeepers. Some of the classes will be together and some will be separated. It is very informative and interesting. I personally have been to several of their workshops and I have come away with answers and/or ideas on how to improve my own beekeeping.

For more information, you can call Lanie Bourgeois (255-767-9288), Sandra Hineman (255-767-9280, Alva Stuard (255-767-2032), or you can go to the website for the Louisiana Beekeepers Association www.labeekeepers.org.

Yesterday, I collected an open air hive from the Pensacola Navy Hospital parking lot. It was in a Crape Myrtle tree about 12′ in the air. I backed the pickup under the colony  and placed a 7′ ladder in the bed.

The contact person helped me spread some of the lower limbs and tie them off so I could climb close to the main limb that the comb was attached to.  I put on my bee suit and taped up the sleeves and legs. I did not, however, put on my veil. I was intending only to cut some of the little twigs to clear the path so I could cut the main branch, which was only about a pencil size, and bring the main comb and bees down. What I didn’t realize, was that one of the twigs had some comb on it and I flipped some bees on my chest just below my chin and one of them nailed me on the jaw. There were about 20-30 bees in that bunch and I decided to vacate the pickup bed in a hurry. I jumped off the tailgate onto the ground and went all the way to my knees.

After walking about half a block before the bees stopped chasing me and  went back to their home in the tree, we decided that now would be a good time to put the veil on. Remember this is the first time I tried to collect an established hive out of a tree. I learned that it would be a good thing to put ALL of my bee equipment on before I even started to cut anything. See, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Anyway, after securing my veil, I finished the task of cutting the branch and placing it with the comb and bees in my brood box. The bees seemed happy. Yesterday, the bees were very active and flying in and out of the hive. Today, there is not a bee left. Two things come to mind. 1) I inadvertently killed the queen and the bees left, and 2) This is a hive box that had some bees in it before and they left also.  It could be that there is something wrong with this box that the bees don’t like and I will probably have trouble keeping bees in it. The next time I place bees in a box, I will use a different one and see if they stay. If so, then I will either scorch the inside of this box and try again or I will just go ahead and bite the bullet, burn it and build another one to take its place.

Now for the rest of the story. Remember, I am 68 years old and 100 lbs overweight. Yesterday morning, I got up and was weed-eating some of the weeds in my back yard so I could move the new hive of bees I acquired to the stand in the far back. While I was weed-eating, I got int0 a mound of fire ants. After about 20 or so stings, I stopped my work and went inside. I sat for about a hour and went to get up. My left leg was very sore on the front of my left thigh. At first, we decided that it was all the work I was doing, since I don’t do that much in the first place. Later, my wife asked me just what did I do when I collected the bees. That is when I told her about jumping off the back of the pickup.

My wife is a nurse and has a very intelligent way of thinking. She said that since my right leg doesn’t hurt as bad as the left, she is of the opinion that since the left leg was smashed by the 18 wheeler years ago, that will be the leg that is the weakest and easiest to be hurt. I guess that that is the reason that I hurt on just the one side. I will start taking a kitchen step ladder with me when I go somewhere.

Always learning. I am still reading and rereading my magazines. Remember, keep your veil close, your smoker lit, and your hive tool sharp.

Mark your calender. The Florida State Beekeepers Association (FSBA) will be having their annual conference in conjunction with the Bee College November 5, 6, and 7, 2009 in Monticello, Florida.

For more Information contact: Bert Kelly - (863)644-6944 or KellysApiaries@aol.com

Here is another workshop you might wish to attend:

TUPELO BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION

BEGINNING BEEKEEPERS SEMINAR

Cutts Honey House,

1533 Clayton Road

Chipley, Fl. 32348

When? Oct. 9 & 10. The cost for this is $ 10.00 each and $ 5.00 for 12 Yrs. and under. Please register by Oct.1 so we have a head count for each day. You will attend only one day as both days will be the same. You chose the day that is most convenient for you. You will need to furnish your own lunch.

8:00- 9:00 Registration. Also at this time a Yard Sale. Bring your equipment you want to sale

9:00-9:40 Queen Rearing Larry Cutts

9:45-10:25 Harvesting and Extracting Reno Plenge, Laurence Cutts, Bert Gwaltney

Extracting Small Scale Bobby Cutts

10:25-10:40 Break

10:40-11:20 Making splits and requeening Elmore Herman

11:25-12:10 Diseases and Pest control. Doug Corbin

12:10-1:40 Adjourn for lunch. Lunch on your own. Be back at the Agriculture Center by 1:30. Agriculture center is on Hwy 90 W of Hwy 77.

1:40 Smoker and lightening Contest

2:10 Lecture on CCD & African bees in Fl. Jamie Ellis

3:15 Break

3:30 Q & A

4:00 Evaluation, Door prizes

4:30 Adjourn

Send your registration to Vernon Gwaltney 925 E. 25^th St. Panama City, Fl. 32405

E mail verngwaltney@bellsouth.net. Phone 850-763-4278.

Let us know which day you will be attending. We hope this will make smaller classes so you can learn more.

October 17, 2009, the North Escambia Bee Association (NEBA) will be hosting a one day Fish Fry and Mini Workshop for beginners with Laurence Cutts and David Westervilt as the speakers. There will be a short course on building boxes and frames. We will have a demonstration on the equipment needed to get started keeping bees for the beginner.

We will have a question and answer period with lots of time to talk to the experienced beekeepers one on one. Beekeepers are known for being sociable and we like to talk about bees, honey, wax, and anything else that effects the industry.

If you wish to fish, then bring your tackle and bait. We will be within 50 yards of the river.

We can get the park opened Friday evening for those of you who wants to bring a tent, camper, or travel trailer and stay 1, 2, or 3 nights. We have to vacate by Monday morning at 10:00. The only rules are: 1) All generators are to be turned off by 10:00 at night and cannot be turned on before 7:00 in the morning. [This is for the other camping areas in the neighborhood], 2) No loud music at any time, and 3) must leave the camp ground as clean or cleaner than you found it.

If you wish to just come on Saturday, we will be starting around 8-9 o’clock in the morning.

The cost will be $0 for NEBA members and $7. per person for non members. If you wish to be a member, then the cost will be $10.00 for the whole family. Could be cheaper to belong.

Directions: Coming from Pensacola, go North on US 29 to Mystic Springs RD (this is just South of McDavid), turn right (East) on Mystic Springs Road. Follow Bee signs.

Coming from Century, go South on US 29 to just south of McDavid and turn left (East) on Mystic Springs Rd.

Please, Members and non-Members, Pre-Register by October 14th, by calling any of the numbers above or by sending your check to NEBA 8735 Doris Ave. Pensacola, FL 32534 to be here by the October 14th. This will help us to know how much fish to buy. Waste not, want not. Thanks.

If you have questions, you can call Wayne and Pauline Miller at 850-467-3220 or Walter and Diane Miller at 850-968-2676.

Please come and socialize, have fun, and learn about this amazing little bug called the Honey Bee.

See you there.

My state bee inspector called to see if we could look at my bees last week. I wasn’t prepared for him, but this is the best way to go. We inspected my active yards and found no diseases and didn’t visually see any Varroa mites. That isn’t to say I don’t have any, just that we didn’t find any on the preliminary search. We did find, however, plenty of Small Hive Beetles (SHB). He suggested that I get busy and make those screened bottom boards and get some beetle traps into the hives.

My bees looked good, but if I could lower the concentration of SHB, then the bees might be strong enough to overwinter easier. I ‘will not have to worry about going miles and miles to feed this Winter, if I need to. I ended up with only with 8 colonies. So sometime this fall, I will bring all the hives to one apiary to oversee the wintering process. This will be a good time to clean boxes and build the screened bottom boards and make some new top covers.

Look for my next post. I will be making some announcements of upcoming workshops and state meetings. Until then, keep your veil close, the smoker lit, and your hive tool sharp.

A relatively new beekeeper called and asked me to help him split about 6 colonies and show him how to install the queens. I told him that I would be glad to help when the queens arrived from the queen supplier.

He called me last Tuesday and we made arrangements to meet at his Gulf Shores apiary the next day. He wanted to make 4 splits there and 2 more up north at his mother’s farm.

One of the hives he wanted to split had been used to boost up a nuc and he didn’t have enough brood or bees to split. One of the nucs didn’t have enough bees to warrent a queen so we didn’t queen that one at this time. We did make a split using a frame of brood from 2 different hives. So only one split from Gulf Shores.

We went up to the north end of the county to his mother’s farm and actually split both of those hives, and used another frame to place with the nuc from the first apiary. All in all, he used only 4 of the queens out of the 10 he bought. I bought the other 6 as I knew several beekeepers that would buy the queens.

The queens were marked and clipped from the supplier. We found two of his original queens. The first one was on a frame and he spied her before I did. We put the frame containing the queen on top of the open hive and I went to get my marking pin. When I got back, he said that he had looked away just a second and she got away from him. I hope she is in the hive box doing the colony some good. We didn’t find her after looking for about 10 minutes.

The next oneI found, and he said that he would not take his eyes off her this time. I got the marker and was planning to clip her wings, but she was so feisty that I just marked her and put her back on the frame.

The young beekeeper said that with my help, he now thinks he can install queens by himself. The one thing I did show him was how to water the caged queens. Dip your finger in a container of water getting just a drop on the tip, slid your wet finger longways on the screen. That will put water in a line and the workers can suck it up and feed to the queen in their care. If you haven’t done this before, you should get your mentor to show you how. It is easier to understand when you see it.

Always keep your veil close, your smoker lit, and your hive tool sharp. Until the next time, have fun and read, read, read.

I had a call from a new beekeeper who said he had a swarm of bees in a bird house in his back yard. Being August, I thought that it would be a little swarm not worth fooling with. I told him that I would be over the next day to check them.

He called back and said they had moved to the Oak tree in his neighbor’s yard, about 20 feet up on a branch. I again told him that if they were still there the next day, we would get them. He didn’t call me the next day so I assumed it had either been a mating swarm or just a little after swarm that would not make it anyway.

Two days later, his sister called and wanted me to come and get another swarm out of the bird house. This time I went and found about 3 lbs. of bees hanging on the bird house. They told me the other swarm was nearly 2 times larger. Wow!! He has four hives set up in his back yard and evidently 2 hives swarmed at this late date. There were two supers on all his hives with one filled and the other partially filled on each one. I don’t know why they swarmed. There was plenty of room and at least one frame in each brood box that was not filled with brood or eggs.

We set up another brood box and pulled 2 frames of brood from one of the hives to put in the new box. After putting the swarm in the box and rehanging the bird house, I told him to put a feeder on the new hive so the bees could get started building comb. He will probably have to keep feeding through Winter until next Spring. I will go back over in another week or so to check the bees and see what progress they have made.

Just when you think you have the bees figured out, they do something off the wall. Well, until the next time, keep you veil close, your smoker lit, and you hive tool sharp.