Honey Harvest 2020

[jdmidwest]

July is here and time to pull the honey.  6 production hives this year, 3 at farm and 3 here.  Harvested the farm today, 90+ degrees to keep me warm in the full bee suit.  Learning well in my old age, wore all nylon wicking stuff underneath.  Seems to cool better.  Hit them at high noon on a clear sunny day and did not take a sting.  Only a few bumps to the hood.

Small Hive Beetles were thick in the hives as I pulled the honey frames.  I was able to knock bees off of the frames and most of the beetles and boxed them up in tubs.  Rushed to the house and set up extraction.  Ended up with about 4 gallons which was pretty good considering how the season started in the spring.

Going to fish in the morning then pull frames off the house hives.  To be continued.

[BilletHead]

15 minutes ago, jdmidwest said:

July is here and time to pull the honey.  6 production hives this year, 3 at farm and 3 here.  Harvested the farm today, 90+ degrees to keep me warm in the full bee suit.  Learning well in my old age, wore all nylon wicking stuff underneath.  Seems to cool better.  Hit them at high noon on a clear sunny day and did not take a sting.  Only a few bumps to the hood.

Small Hive Beetles were thick in the hives as I pulled the honey frames.  I was able to knock bees off of the frames and most of the beetles and boxed them up in tubs.  Rushed to the house and set up extraction.  Ended up with about 4 gallons which was pretty good considering how the season started in the spring.

Going to fish in the morning then pull frames off the house hives.  To be continued.

              Nice buddy!

    Mine are doing well in the long hives. Well two out of the three. Lost a queen in one. it was pretty far behind the other two. Instead of trying to requeen I decided take the loss and shake them.   We were able to load the hive in my trailer behind the ATV. Drove it off 40 yards and smoked them. Shook bees  off all the frames. They were pretty gorged with honey. Then took off and parked ATV trailer and all. The frames I divided in two remaining  hives. Hoping they would accept the lost bees. I think they did as I did not see any bee fights at entrances. I will catch another swarm or two next season. Happy now with what I have. Maybe a honey harvest next year or two. 

     I know what you say about the hot suit. i ordered me a straw hat with veil. Just working them with a white technical long sleeved fishing shirt. I do glove up and then BDU surplus pants. I did get one sting inside of right elbow through the shirt. I may of even flexed and squished him? 

      Hive beetles? Well The last long hive I made has screened bottom and then a place I put oil filled trays (Cake pans). Beetles try to escape bees chasing them and drop through the screen. Caught some that way. Then I am trying a coupe Beetle blaster traps with oil in them on top . Caught some that way too. When i remove frames one by one checking hive no beetles scurrying around that I can see. If I build a fourth hive this winter it will be with the extra screened bottom. 

[jdmidwest]

2 minutes ago, BilletHead said:

              Nice buddy!

    Mine are doing well in the long hives. Well two out of the three. Lost a queen in one. it was pretty far behind the other two. Instead of trying to requeen I decided take the loss and shake them.   We were able to load the hive in my trailer behind the ATV. Drove it off 40 yards and smoked them. Shook bees  off all the frames. They were pretty gorged with honey. Then took off and parked ATV trailer and all. The frames I divided in two remaining  hives. Hoping they would accept the lost bees. I think they did as I did not see any bee fights at entrances. I will catch another swarm or two next season. Happy now with what I have. Maybe a honey harvest next year or two. 

     I know what you say about the hot suit. i ordered me a straw hat with veil. Just working them with a white technical long sleeved fishing shirt. I do glove up and then BDU surplus pants. I did get one sting inside of right elbow through the shirt. I may of even flexed and squished him? 

      Hive beetles? Well The last long hive I made has screened bottom and then a place I put oil filled trays (Cake pans). Beetles try to escape bees chasing them and drop through the screen. Caught some that way. Then I am trying a coupe Beetle blaster traps with oil in them on top . Caught some that way too. When i remove frames one by one checking hive no beetles scurrying around that I can see. If I build a fourth hive this winter it will be with the extra screened bottom. 

I have been mineral salting the ground under the hives at house and spraying Pymethrin on the ground once a year.  Will see how they do with the Hive beetles.

Farm Hives are pretty much self sufficient, a different experiment.  I leave them alone and let them do their thing.  Dad quit watching them 2 years ago, so no swarm watch.  Until I move there full time, they just run themselves.  Check them in spring, add supers.  Pull whatever honey in July, and button them down in fall.  They seem to be pretty tough that way.

[BilletHead]

Just now, jdmidwest said:

I have been mineral salting the ground under the hives at house and spraying Pymethrin on the ground once a year.  Will see how they do with the Hive beetles.

Farm Hives are pretty much self sufficient, a different experiment.  I leave them alone and let them do their thing.  Dad quit watching them 2 years ago, so no swarm watch.  Until I move there full time, they just run themselves.  Check them in spring, add supers.  Pull whatever honey in July, and button them down in fall.  They seem to be pretty tough that way.

                Self sufficient I like the sound of that. One of the reasons I am trying the long hives. They are supposed to be that way. I am no pro bee keeper but enjoy having them around. Fun to watch but I do like to get into them and see what is going on. I did find the wild colony I knew I had here somewhere and I am sure the swarm I trapped in yard was a throw off of them. Way up high in a walnut tree. They actually act different  when I introduced them into the long hive. They try to bridge the tops of the frames. Not a bunch and I clean the bridge when I check it.  

[awhuber]

The hive beetles have not been bad here this year. We use oil traps in the top box and have only had a couple in 5 hives. We pulled 40 med. frames on fathers day and got 10 gallons. The frames are all full again so we are going to pull them again and should get 50 frames this time. Put the wets back and probably leave the honey they make for over winter. It is possible we get one more harvest. if it keep raining.

[jdmidwest]

June dried up at farm and has been borderline drought, this will be the only harvest there.

Hive beetles at house have been managed by mineral salting ground around hives and spraying pymethrin on ground.  I have removed inner cover on all hives to get rid of hiding places for them.  Going to have to do something different at farm.

[oneshot 1]

Was talking about having Hives the other day.

I told this Guy problem with Bees is you can be wiped out over night but I believe this is true with raising anything.

oneshot

[jdmidwest]

10 hours ago, oneshot 1 said:

Was talking about having Hives the other day.

I told this Guy problem with Bees is you can be wiped out over night but I believe this is true with raising anything.

oneshot

Yep, it can happen pretty quick.  A nuc I made this spring was pretty weak.  Checked it today and it was slimed by hive beetles and failed.  Took it down to the end of the yard and broke it up to let the bees scatter that were left.    Lost 8 hives this spring to the cold snap we had.

[jdmidwest]

Pulled honey off today at the other place.  Made about 5 gallons off the 3 producing hives.  Left a bunch of honey on them to keep them strong.  Hive beetles were scarce in the ones I checked here.  But that one nuc had got nailed by them.