What medications? Is it typical to medicate the hives during the year when you only have a couple? I have never used anything on mine and it has been over three years.It's that time of year, soon! MEDICATION TIME!!!:clap: Well, ordering comes after finding out exactly what I need...
Beekeeping
- Thread starter ScienceGirl
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ScienceGirl
Well-known member
Well, what beekeeping mentor says, goes. lol
Some people medicate a TON, others don't do very much. Depends on personal views and preferences.
jamurfjr
Well-known member
Unless absolutely necessary, i.e. treatment of an existing condition, I plan on avoiding medications as well, but like SG stated, the beekeepers in my association are also all over the board on the issue.
Yeah nothing goes in mine unless absolutely needed and so far there has been zero need. I tend to listen to mentors and then follow up with my own research. I would look deeper into it before just blindly following someone else's lead.
ScienceGirl
Well-known member
He recommended Apivar for varroa treatment, and to put dry sugar in the feeders since there is no nectar flow on.
Do you have varroa? Maybe it is the difference between West and East coasts but I've always heard dry sugar was a big no no. If he is successful I guess he can't be totally wrong!
ScienceGirl
Well-known member
Apparently the bees add moisture to the sugar, then cure it and turn it into "honey" for their stores. He does this with his hundreds of commercial hives for pollination, and I have sugar, so it's worth a shot! If it makes my bees happy, then yay! Haha! (The sugar isn't for use against varroa mites, just as a food source for the bees.)
jamurfjr
Well-known member
Wow, you're all set(with honey) for awhile. Since my hives are new, I don't plan on harvesting this year. However, I do believe my bees have/will have accumulated enough stores to last the winter without the need to feed them.
sally
Well-known member
That is wonderful, Rick!
It is a bit late to harvest but I haven't all year. I actually meant to leave one big comb of this in there but it fell off the bar when working in the hive (disadvantage of top bar hives) and I had to remove it. I'll have to start feeding them now.
devetaki9
Well-known member
Wow.... I really want to start keeping bees in the spring, reading this thread only makes me want to do it more, WOW. I am very jealous of you all Nice job to everyone for their endeavors!
Nice job to everyone for their endeavors!Start doing your research now if you really want to get into this.Wow.... I really want to start keeping bees in the spring, reading this thread only makes me want to do it more, WOW. I am very jealous of you all
devetaki9
Well-known member
I am lol, it keeps me awake on my overnights at the hospital (mainly lol).
jamurfjr
Well-known member
You won't regret it. Honey aside, for me, it's very rewarding. Everyday, I walk over to the hives, stop, and watch the bees go about their business. They are an entertaining addition to the yard.Wow.... I really want to start keeping bees in the spring, reading this thread only makes me want to do it more, WOW. I am very jealous of you all
Peter Clausen
Well-known member
If anybody has a pile of (dead) bees in decent condition from seasonal die-off, I'd be interested in chatting with you.
I've got a local friend with a few hives so I'll have to hit him up too. He gave me my first jar of honey with actual honeycomb in it a few years back. I'd never actually seen honeycomb up until that point so it was an experience to see...and eat! I mixed some into my oatmeal with blueberries and bananas for ~breakfast yesterday.
I've got a local friend with a few hives so I'll have to hit him up too. He gave me my first jar of honey with actual honeycomb in it a few years back. I'd never actually seen honeycomb up until that point so it was an experience to see...and eat! I mixed some into my oatmeal with blueberries and bananas for ~breakfast yesterday.
sally
Well-known member
You all prob saw this today but I posted anyway to show the benefits of having your own honey supply. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-honey-launderers--uncovering-the-largest-food-fraud-in-u-s--history-171454285.html
Peter Clausen
Well-known member
Yeah, I asked my friend at work tonight and he gave me a look that pretty much reflected what you said in words. He did say he sees dead drones, but his other question was effectively, "even if there were a bunch of dead ones in there, how are you going to get them out?". I suspect he has a protective suit but doesn't want to unnecessarily disturb his bees. He also runs a pretty big organic farm and runs a booth at a farmer's market.
I used to have a contact who was a biology teacher. He had a neat set up in his classroom. Clear plastic tubes let the bees go through the wall to the outdoors. He always had a pile of dead bees for me, but I guess they must have just been accumulation over months, rather than the die-off I had suspected. So, where do all the bees go in the winter (naturally...i.e. wild bees)? I see queen ants and yellowjackets and bumble bee queens in the spring, each year. I figured queens overwintered and honey bee queens would too. So, does that mean that honey bees in human-built hives have a more stable (non-seasonal) life cycle, or is this one of those situations where all the workers are females under the control of the queen and mostly stick around as long as she's around?
I used to have a contact who was a biology teacher. He had a neat set up in his classroom. Clear plastic tubes let the bees go through the wall to the outdoors. He always had a pile of dead bees for me, but I guess they must have just been accumulation over months, rather than the die-off I had suspected. So, where do all the bees go in the winter (naturally...i.e. wild bees)? I see queen ants and yellowjackets and bumble bee queens in the spring, each year. I figured queens overwintered and honey bee queens would too. So, does that mean that honey bees in human-built hives have a more stable (non-seasonal) life cycle, or is this one of those situations where all the workers are females under the control of the queen and mostly stick around as long as she's around?
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