More Honey Bees

[so lucky]

I have noticed lots of honey bees on the dandelions and field weeds this spring, much more than in years. So glad to see it! Maybe someone in the area has put out hives. Tending bees seems to have become the thing to do now. Even the farm stores are selling apiary equipment. What ever the reason for more bees, I'm thankful.

 

[digitS']

Yesterday was the first day for me to see a dandelion.

Today, they are everywhere! Must be a honey bee out on some of them.

Wednesday, it was 64°f and the warmest day of the year! Yesterday was 65°. This afternoon it is 66°! We are on a roll!

Steve

 

[ninnymary]

I've only seen 1 bee and was worried since my fruit trees bloomed a month ago! I have itty bitty fruit!

Mary

 

[Beekissed]

I too am seeing more bees than we have seen in many, many years and that's just on the peach blossoms. And these are wild bees, so maybe last year was just a really good year for bees or this mild winter helped more bees survive through the winter.

Still working on my hive...hope to have that up and baited by next week. Got my frames in the mail and more components of the hive body to construct, then a coat of paint.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

All of my six honey bee colonies made it through the winter this year. I'm sure the mild winter helped. They have been very active for a few of weeks and just yesterday I removed the candyboards (winter feeders) and added empty medium supers to all. I think this is earliest I have ever added the supers. I'll be putting out my swarm traps pretty soon.

I tested all of my colonies for mites last year and with life-cycle-interruption techniques I was able to greatly reduce the mite count in four of the hives but I had to resort to chemicals in two hives.

As soon as the weather gets more predictable I'll do some Nosema testing. Nosema is the scary one - a deadly fungus that is, to date, incurable. The poor honey bees are under attack from something 24/7/365. Wax moths, small hive beetles, mites, several viruses, pesticides, and now two kinds of Nosema. Whew!

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i was upset when i came in from taking care of the chickens this morning. i noticed one of my carpenter bees that hover around the porch was dead on the steps. it was more than likely one of the males that will hover waiting for one of the females to emerge & wouldn't have make it through the cold weather we're expecting this week, but it still was sad to see him dead. i haven't seen any other bees around yet so i hope they are still in their hives/tunnels/ground keeping warm.

 

[so lucky]

I just heard on TV today about 3 separate swarms in Tucson in which a lot of people got stung repeatedly. Those must have been the Africanized bees (aka killer bees) Regular bees don't get that angry (do they? )

 

[Beekissed]

Not while swarming, they don't. They are usually rather preoccupied when swarming and not too much in defensive mode.

 

[Carol Dee]

All of my six honey bee colonies made it through the winter this year. I'm sure the mild winter helped. They have been very active for a few of weeks and just yesterday I removed the candyboards (winter feeders) and added empty medium supers to all. I think this is earliest I have ever added the supers. I'll be putting out my swarm traps pretty soon.

I tested all of my colonies for mites last year and with life-cycle-interruption techniques I was able to greatly reduce the mite count in four of the hives but I had to resort to chemicals in two hives.

As soon as the weather gets more predictable I'll do some Nosema testing. Nosema is the scary one - a deadly fungus that is, to date, incurable. The poor honey bees are under attack from something 24/7/365. Wax moths, small hive beetles, mites, several viruses, pesticides, and now two kinds of Nosema. Whew!

WOW @Smiles Jr. I am impressed. SIX hives and all survived! We went into the winter with 4. Only 2 made it. Better though than last year with all dying. How long have you been keeping bees? I think DH is beginning his 3rd year.

 

[Carol Dee]

Today we stopped out at Jeni's and saw that a bunch of the bees that are in her old cotton wood tree were swarming. DH, Jeni and #2 son cut the branch down and deposit swarm into a waiting top bar hive.