New Hobby: Bee Keeping

[Steve]

Originally Posted by IBQTEE1

Love the pants in the socks. I remember wearing mine like that in middle school. Vin looks like you are bringing it back.

Definitely beats having bees up your pants!!!

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Steve

Definitely beats having bees up your pants!!!

Unless it's Samantha Bees!

[Dux]

Friends of mine just started beekeeping in CT. I don't need another hobby but I might just cave. Hives look great Vin!

[shade]

Unexpected (nice swarm) guests arrived in a two box hive last week, and today was the first chance I had to inspect them. What I didn't realize was the the top box was missing 3 frames, and the bees did what bees do which is fill empty space with comb. The picture below shows three combs attaches to the inner cover which makes a big mess if not attended to. I had to cut out the comb and try to attach it to an empty frame. Bees don't appreciate their homes being renovated.

P1000306 by MarkE77, on Flickr

Hey Vin, real beekeepers wear shorts and flip-flops.


P1000310 by MarkE77, on Flickr


Ruberbanding comb to an empty frame


P1000358 by MarkE77, on Flickr

[markem]

Originally Posted by shade

Hey Vin, real beekeepers wear shorts and flip-flops.

You be the man, Mark!

We have a local friend who occasionally gives us honey from his hives. No clover so his seems "heavier" than yours.

[massphatness]

Did a hive inspection last night to see how the second box of frames are progressing.

Results:

• Disappointed the bees haven't built out more comb in the second box. It's about 50% full -- which isn't yet full enough to add a honey super (and finally have a shot at collecting some honey for myself).

• Applied a mite treatment. Basically a cotton pad soaked in a formic acid solution. Formic acid is a naturally occurring acid that vaporizes when heated and is an effective control against Varroa mites which are a particular nemesis to the bees. The acid is mostly safe for the bees, and is naturally found in honey anyway, so the application of it doesn't affect the honey's safety or flavor.
  
  As the hive box warms each day, the formic acid in the pad will vaporize and work its way through the hive. Will leave this on for about a week then remove.

• Grace took a stinger to an ungloved hand while snapping the pic below.

Will be going back in next week to remove the formic acid pad and further check on the progress of the build.

[BigAsh]

Originally Posted by massphatness

Did a hive inspection last night to see how the second box of frames are progressing.

Results:

• Disappointed the bees haven't built out more comb in the second box. It's about 50% full -- which isn't yet full enough to add a honey super (and finally have a shot at collecting some honey for myself).

• Applied a mite treatment. Basically a cotton pad soaked in a formic acid solution. Formic acid is a naturally occurring acid that vaporizes when heated and is an effective control against Varroa mites which are a particular nemesis to the bees. The acid is mostly safe for the bees, and is naturally found in honey anyway, so the application of it doesn't affect the honey's safety or flavor.
  
  As the hive box warms each day, the formic acid in the pad will vaporize and work its way through the hive. Will leave this on for about a week then remove.

• Grace took a stinger to an ungloved hand while snapping the pic below.

Will be going back in next week to remove the formic acid pad and further check on the progress of the build.

Seems like Grace is the "decoy target" keeping you safe...

[AdamJoshua]

Originally Posted by BigAsh

Seems like Grace is the "decoy target" keeping you safe...

I think he's put some bee pheromones in her hand lotion or something.

[jonumberone]

Originally Posted by massphatness

Grace took a stinger to an ungloved hand while snapping the pic below.

I'm willing to bet that stinger is the first thing Grace has had stuck inside her that she could actually feel since she started dating you.

[BigAsh]

Originally Posted by jonumberone

I'm willing to bet that stinger is the first thing Grace has had stuck inside her that she could actually feel since she started dating you.

[Tio Gato]

Originally Posted by jonumberone

I'm willing to bet that stinger is the first thing Grace has had stuck inside her that she could actually feel since she started dating you.

Dom, I sooo wanted to go there but didn't. Thank you for that!

[massphatness]

Words hurt, you know.


Besides, all of my previous girlfriends have said it's not the size of the wand, it's the magic it creates. Then they'd usually break up with me.

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by massphatness

Words hurt, you know.


Besides, all of my previous girlfriends have said it's not the size of the wand, it's the magic it creates. Then they'd usually break up with me.

[icehog3]

Grace got the stinger, but Vin got the shocker.

[markem]

Originally Posted by massphatness

Besides, all of my previous girlfriends have said it's not the size of the wand, it's the magic it creates. Then they'd usually break up with me.

Jeff Foxworthy:
"It's not the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean. But it takes a long, long time to get to England in a rowboat!"

[IBQTEE1]

Wow Just Wow!!

Sorry Grace took it in the hand.

[OLS]

Originally Posted by massphatness

Plus I already have the smoking part of bee keeping down.

hehehehehe

[massphatness]

The bees keep teaching me lessons. Today's was "Take Your Damn Time, Boy!"

You'll recall I placed a couple of formic acid pads in the hive about a week ago. The pads are supposed to be left in for about a week, and with loads of thunderstorms forecast for the next few days, Grace and I decided we'd remove the pads this morning before we went to work.

This should have been a quick in and out:

> Smoke the hive
> Remove the cover and top board
> Remove the top deep box
> Grab the formic pads
> Reassemble the hive

All was going well until I went to remove the top deep box. Instead of checking to make sure the bees hadn't attached comb between the boxes, I just lifted straight up. I ended up pulling a frame from the bottom box out due to some comb the bees had built between the boxes. The frame fell on to it's side (though fortunately still in the hive), and when it did a veritable cloud of bees exploded from the hive.

I still had the top box in my hands when they started stinging me ... nothing to do but take it while I gently set the box down and slowly back away from the ruckus I had stirred up.


This pic was taken about ten minutes afterwards. I wanted to give the bees some time to settle down before trying to reassemble the hive. The stuff that looks like mud pouring over the top and from beneath the hive box are actually masses of bees. When the situation first happened, you could barely see the front of the hive because of all the bees on it.


Not all that clear, but this is a closer view of the bee mass ...


So here's what two in the gut, three in the arm and one in the hand taught me: SLOW DOWN. TAKE YOUR TIME. CHECK & DOUBLE CHECK.

Life lesson courtesy of the bees.

[BigAsh]

how hard was grace laughing?....ear-to-ear smile here!

[stearns]

Love learning bee lessons vicariously through somebody else, thanks for taking one for the team Vin!