April 27, 2015

checking my hives after 1 week

Two hives, two queens. I opened up my hives a week after installing my packages (new bees) to check on them today. I was relieved that I was able to identify queens. I ordered two marked queens, but one had lost her marker and I was surprised to see her looking plain but different from all the rest. My bees are so sweet and calm. I have spent a lot of time watching them, close up and at a distance, and no stings (yet). I found I cannot trigger my…

April 27, 2015

bee notes

Hive 1 (white hive): Four and a half frames are 50% built out. I found the queen. Some cells have yellow stuff (pollen) and others have clear liquid (nectar) in them. I can’t see any signs of eggs and don’t know what they would look like at this point. Lots of bees! The sugar water is 2 inches down. Hive 2 (green hive): Looks about the same as the white hive. Four frames build out about 30% and then a couple more frames are build out a little bit. I…

April 20, 2015

me in my beesuit

April 20, 2015

bees tomorrow

We spent a lot of time today getting ready for bees. I’ll bring home two “packages” midday tomorrow. Today we raked then positioned the boxes. We adjusted the sprinklers. I practiced “smoking” with pine cones, made a couple quarts of sugar water. I think I’m ready. Tomorrow, I’ll pick up the packages, uncork the queen and dump in the bees. The boxes are in a good location I think. Nice morning sun. Good mid afternoon shade. Our magnolia trees have begun to bloom so the bees will like that I…

April 15, 2015

my bee hives are in place

Well, the boxes were in place. They had a great place by my garden, then noticed they don’t get any morning sun there. So I moved them to the opposite side of the yard. Still checking if that spot get’s good sun and no sprinklers. Its the driest edge of the yard and grass struggles there, so that’s probably a good sign that its the warm and sunny. Oh, I’ll probably move them again. That white one looks like its sticking out in the yard. I could move it closer…

April 13, 2015

getting ready for bees

I have collected all my bee equipment. Jacket, hat, smoker, boxes, inserts etc. Yesterday I painted the boxes. White and two shades of green. Next I’ll position the boxes down by my garden and make sure the sprinklers don’t hit them. I have two packages of bees arriving next Monday.

January 31, 2015

I’m hoping to keep bees this year

I’m hoping to keep bees! Tomorrow my bee keeping class begins. It will be six 2 hour classes. I have a bee keeping text book that I have been reading and am half way through. I am looking forward to the class. Last fall, a friend gave me two stacks of beehives. They’re out in my backyard. I’ve been working on putting them in a good position. Where they are now is out of the way of the sprinklers. I was pleased to see yesterday that it’s a warm spot…

April 30, 2010

CSA bee hives are in place

I believe our beekeeper set up this hive last Friday. Lots of bees! They have a nice sunny spot with a southwesterly slope and a good view of all the flowers that will come soon in our community garden plots.

March 19, 2010

honey CSA

Joan’s hive location has been approved for the meadow next to the community gardens! Yeah!! And she has a nice new website advertising her CSA: Little Red Truck Farm – Honey CSA. I signed up for my share today. Her hives will be set up in April.

March 18, 2010

honey bee on crocus

Here’s a sight I’ve never seen before. A honeybee on St Patrick’s Day! I think this is a sign of a good season coming 🙂 Honeybees usually don’t show up in my yard ’til late June (post). But here it is only March! – not even Spring yet – and a beautiful honeybee as fat as can bee is loaded down with crocus pollen. Maybe he’s from Joan’s hives, which are up on her second story deck a couple blocks from me. I’m so glad they’ve made it through the…

weeks and counting until my last spring frost

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