Notes: Added 1 quart 2:1 sugar water.
Leaving for D.C. for a long week end tomorrow. Just enough time to add some sugar water. Inspection will have to wait until I get home next week.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Yeasty Bees
Notes: Bees have finished one quart of 2:1 sugar water, which was added on Monday. Debating whether to continue feeding.
Today I opened the hive briefly to show Tina the inside. It still smells like yeast. Tina thought it smelled like wood at first, and I wondered if my sense of smell was a off due to a recent cold. But she eventually agreed that it did smell like yeast. Everything I've read points to chalkbrood, which is a fungal infection that is generally not lethal for the colony. That's a relief! I also read that chalkbrood is usually spread by putting infected parts into a hive and that the spores can live for up to three years. It's more often present in wet springs. None of this really fits my hive. Although I suppose that the couple of used frames I got with the colony could have brought it. I'm inclined to wait and see what happens. Suggested 'cures' include re-queening and better ventilation. They should be good on ventilation with the screened bottom board, and I would prefer not to re-queen at this point.
I do have a theory, which is basically that they have a yeast infection. Too much sugar syrup is feeding yeast that is already present in the hive, and it is growing out of control. Funnily enough, one of the suggestions for controlling chalkbrood is to feed sugar water in the fall. Who knows!
On another subject, I bought flower seeds today. I have Rainbow Nasturtiums, Sun Flowers, French Lavender, Cornflowers, Alpine Strawberries, Persian Violets, Heirloom pepper box poppies, and Thyme. I tried to find things that would flower in early spring when the bees are starting to venture out of the hive again. Julie said she would help me, and she is giving me a terracotta strawberry pot. Fun!
Today I opened the hive briefly to show Tina the inside. It still smells like yeast. Tina thought it smelled like wood at first, and I wondered if my sense of smell was a off due to a recent cold. But she eventually agreed that it did smell like yeast. Everything I've read points to chalkbrood, which is a fungal infection that is generally not lethal for the colony. That's a relief! I also read that chalkbrood is usually spread by putting infected parts into a hive and that the spores can live for up to three years. It's more often present in wet springs. None of this really fits my hive. Although I suppose that the couple of used frames I got with the colony could have brought it. I'm inclined to wait and see what happens. Suggested 'cures' include re-queening and better ventilation. They should be good on ventilation with the screened bottom board, and I would prefer not to re-queen at this point.
I do have a theory, which is basically that they have a yeast infection. Too much sugar syrup is feeding yeast that is already present in the hive, and it is growing out of control. Funnily enough, one of the suggestions for controlling chalkbrood is to feed sugar water in the fall. Who knows!
On another subject, I bought flower seeds today. I have Rainbow Nasturtiums, Sun Flowers, French Lavender, Cornflowers, Alpine Strawberries, Persian Violets, Heirloom pepper box poppies, and Thyme. I tried to find things that would flower in early spring when the bees are starting to venture out of the hive again. Julie said she would help me, and she is giving me a terracotta strawberry pot. Fun!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Home Sweet Home
Notes: I put a new frame inside of the one farthest from the follower board. The sugar water that Julie added on Monday is almost gone.
It's good to be back! A big thanks to Julie for keeping the bees fed while I was away and making sure that the hive stayed in one piece during the big storm last week.
The bees were lively today, bringing in pollen with colors ranging from white to orangy-red. At 3:30 when I went out to do the hive inspection, they were busily pouring in and out of the tiny entrance and forming a small cloud in front of the hive as they waited to go in. The last time Nana was here she kept saying, 'Now you can understand what people mean when they say 'busy as a bee!'' Dad thinks I should put the larger entrance reducer on, but I think they are fine.
I finally got smart today and put a small table near the hive with a pen and paper so that I could record my observations from the inspection. Here's what I noticed:
I think deciding to feed the bees was the right thing to do. They seem so much stronger now and like they may be able to build up some decent stores. Fingers crossed.
It's good to be back! A big thanks to Julie for keeping the bees fed while I was away and making sure that the hive stayed in one piece during the big storm last week.
The bees were lively today, bringing in pollen with colors ranging from white to orangy-red. At 3:30 when I went out to do the hive inspection, they were busily pouring in and out of the tiny entrance and forming a small cloud in front of the hive as they waited to go in. The last time Nana was here she kept saying, 'Now you can understand what people mean when they say 'busy as a bee!'' Dad thinks I should put the larger entrance reducer on, but I think they are fine.
I finally got smart today and put a small table near the hive with a pen and paper so that I could record my observations from the inspection. Here's what I noticed:
- Things were stickier than normal. I think that's due to the syrup. It was also easier to move the frames around--they didn't stick to each other has much as they normally do.
- There was a yeasty smell. From what I've read, this could mean chalk-brood, but I haven't seen any little mummies about, so I'm a little mystified. My other thought was that the honey might be fermenting--I don't know why that would happen though. I'm going to wait and see if the smell is still around on my next inspection.
- Here is the status of each frame starting from the one furthest from the follower board:
- One side is completely empty. The other is about 1/3 full of capped honey
- One side has capped brood and eggs. The other has capped honey, capped and uncapped brood and eggs.
- This one has mostly capped brood on both sides with some uncapped honey at the top of each side of the frame.
- Honey and capped and uncapped brood
- Pollen, honey, capped brood
- All pollen and honey. It is quite pretty to see all the different colors of pollen. One of the bees on this frame had a shiny looking pollen load, as though it had been moistened.
I think deciding to feed the bees was the right thing to do. They seem so much stronger now and like they may be able to build up some decent stores. Fingers crossed.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Good Smoke
Notes: Added 1 qt 2:1 sugar-water syrup; Inspected Hive; Lots of uncapped and capped brood; Some capped and uncapped honey
Today Julie joined me for my hive inspection. She is going to feed the girls while I am away. Thanks, Julie! The inspection went well. I didn't see the queen or eggs, but I did see loads of larva.
The first frame (closest to the follower board) is still not entirely drawn out, and they are using it for honey storage. When they first drew it out, they were using it for brood. The rest of the frames were a mix of brood, both capped and uncapped, and honey and pollen. The frame farthest from the follower board, which used to be 1/2 full of honey, is now completely cleaned out on one side and partially filled with brood and a little bit of capped honey on the other side. The frame just inside that is steadily being drawn out and has a mixture of capped and uncapped brood and pollen. The frames don't have model brood formation, but the combs are straight and there don't seem to be any signs of wax moth or varroa.
I'm getting much better at using the smoker. It used to be that I would get it lit and then not need it for 10 minutes, by which time the fire would have gone out or the smoke would be harsh. Today I had cool, white smoke curling out of the smoker for 1/2 an hour. It's beautiful to watch. Julie said it smelled like incense.
To get good smoke, I fill the smoker 2/3 with burlap and light it, close the lid and pump the bellows until smoke comes out indicating that there is a flame inside. Once I get a little flame, I smother it with pine needles, close the lid and pump the bellows until the smoke starts swirling out. Pretty simple, really.
Today Julie joined me for my hive inspection. She is going to feed the girls while I am away. Thanks, Julie! The inspection went well. I didn't see the queen or eggs, but I did see loads of larva.
The first frame (closest to the follower board) is still not entirely drawn out, and they are using it for honey storage. When they first drew it out, they were using it for brood. The rest of the frames were a mix of brood, both capped and uncapped, and honey and pollen. The frame farthest from the follower board, which used to be 1/2 full of honey, is now completely cleaned out on one side and partially filled with brood and a little bit of capped honey on the other side. The frame just inside that is steadily being drawn out and has a mixture of capped and uncapped brood and pollen. The frames don't have model brood formation, but the combs are straight and there don't seem to be any signs of wax moth or varroa.
I'm getting much better at using the smoker. It used to be that I would get it lit and then not need it for 10 minutes, by which time the fire would have gone out or the smoke would be harsh. Today I had cool, white smoke curling out of the smoker for 1/2 an hour. It's beautiful to watch. Julie said it smelled like incense.
To get good smoke, I fill the smoker 2/3 with burlap and light it, close the lid and pump the bellows until smoke comes out indicating that there is a flame inside. Once I get a little flame, I smother it with pine needles, close the lid and pump the bellows until the smoke starts swirling out. Pretty simple, really.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Fight
The bees have now drunk 3/4 of the syrup I added on 10/6. The ants have been fewer since I taped down the bottle. I also noticed today that I haven't seen any 'wingless wonders' in a while, and far fewer bees seem to be languishing on the flight deck or being hauled off by their sisters. Hopefully that means we have triumphed over the Varroa Destructor, at least for the present.
It's about 5:00pm now and pretty warm--maybe 70--and there's a bit of a breeze. The bees are quite busy bringing in a bit of pollen and enjoying a lovely afternoon.
I saw a little skirmish about 1/2 an hour ago--perhaps a would-be-robber? One of 'the girls' attached herself to the back of the other and started attacking her. As I watched, I noticed that she was attacking her foe's wing. That makes sense--stop her flying back to the other colony to tell the others. Eventually, the attacker wrestled the other to the ground and flew off.The attacked walked around on the ground a bit, trying out her wings and eventually started gyrating her abdomen. I've noticed lots of bees doing this abdomen-wiggling thing. At first I thought it was some sort of communication method; now I think they do this when they are struggling to fly due to wing damage. It's sort of like trying to wiggle your ears by raising your eye brows--they can't seem to find the right muscles to move their wings--but it's really because their wings just don't work.
I suspected that the assailant had damaged the other bee's wing, but I couldn't see any signs of trauma when I caught her in a jar to take a closer look. She hasn't flown since, so I believe that the wing is damaged in some way and that I just can't see it. The attacked bee kept sticking out her proboscis and rubbing her wing between her hind leg and abdomen--maybe she thought her wing just needed to be cleaned.
I recently started reading a book called 'Pollen Loads of the Honey Bee' by Dorothy Hodges. It was published in the UK in the 5o's and is now out of print. I heard about it initially through someone else's blog and then was finally able to get my hands on it through an inter-library loan from Cal Poly, Pomona. (Aren't libraries great?) I am literally in love with this book. It is so old that it is falling apart--the binding is peeling off and the pages are all yellow. But it is full of illustrations and insightful observations, and there are four little pages at the back of the book with colored tiles, demonstrating the colors of pollens from various flowers. It's such a wonderful book. I don't know why it's gone out of print. So far I've learned the mechanics of the pollen packing process and found out that poppies only have pollen; no nectar.
I'm starting to turn my mind toward gardening and thinking about what spring flowers to pot around the hive. I think it would be lovely for the bees to exit the hive in the spring to find loads of food right outside their door.
My next hive inspection is tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to seeing what progress the girls have made since my last check. Hopefully I'll see the queen too.
It's about 5:00pm now and pretty warm--maybe 70--and there's a bit of a breeze. The bees are quite busy bringing in a bit of pollen and enjoying a lovely afternoon.
I saw a little skirmish about 1/2 an hour ago--perhaps a would-be-robber? One of 'the girls' attached herself to the back of the other and started attacking her. As I watched, I noticed that she was attacking her foe's wing. That makes sense--stop her flying back to the other colony to tell the others. Eventually, the attacker wrestled the other to the ground and flew off.The attacked walked around on the ground a bit, trying out her wings and eventually started gyrating her abdomen. I've noticed lots of bees doing this abdomen-wiggling thing. At first I thought it was some sort of communication method; now I think they do this when they are struggling to fly due to wing damage. It's sort of like trying to wiggle your ears by raising your eye brows--they can't seem to find the right muscles to move their wings--but it's really because their wings just don't work.
I suspected that the assailant had damaged the other bee's wing, but I couldn't see any signs of trauma when I caught her in a jar to take a closer look. She hasn't flown since, so I believe that the wing is damaged in some way and that I just can't see it. The attacked bee kept sticking out her proboscis and rubbing her wing between her hind leg and abdomen--maybe she thought her wing just needed to be cleaned.
I recently started reading a book called 'Pollen Loads of the Honey Bee' by Dorothy Hodges. It was published in the UK in the 5o's and is now out of print. I heard about it initially through someone else's blog and then was finally able to get my hands on it through an inter-library loan from Cal Poly, Pomona. (Aren't libraries great?) I am literally in love with this book. It is so old that it is falling apart--the binding is peeling off and the pages are all yellow. But it is full of illustrations and insightful observations, and there are four little pages at the back of the book with colored tiles, demonstrating the colors of pollens from various flowers. It's such a wonderful book. I don't know why it's gone out of print. So far I've learned the mechanics of the pollen packing process and found out that poppies only have pollen; no nectar.
I'm starting to turn my mind toward gardening and thinking about what spring flowers to pot around the hive. I think it would be lovely for the bees to exit the hive in the spring to find loads of food right outside their door.
My next hive inspection is tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to seeing what progress the girls have made since my last check. Hopefully I'll see the queen too.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Some Like it Hot
Notes: Fed bees 2:1 sugar mixture.
I just ate an ant! They are hot--it tasted like black pepper and stung my lip and tongue on contact. I was in the act of feeding the bees a 2:1 sugar/water syrup, and when I licked some of the spilled syrup off of my finger, I got an ant in the mix. I wonder why they are hot. I always assumed it was because they carry around all of these chemicals in their abdomen that they release when threatened. But I'm not actually sure...
I was adding a new bottle of sugar water because the girls had finished off what I gave them on 10/1. They had been eating their stores, which means that there probably isn't enough flowering stuff around for them to make enough honey to get through the winter. I also haven't seen my queen or any eggs in a couple of weeks now. Alan suggested that the queen might be slowing down laying for the winter and recommended that I give them a 1:1 sugar mixture to stimulate her laying followed by a 2:1 sugar mixture for stores.
I gave them the 2:1 mixture today. They didn't crowd into the space under the bottle when I removed it like they did the first time I fed them. I don't know what that means, but it was certainly easier to get the job done this time--not one casualty.
There were quite a few ants around, and when I removed the top box to expose the bottle, it was obvious that it was the syrup that was attracting them. When I put the new bottle in, I actually taped it to the inside cover hoping I could seal out the ants. I suspect that the ants will find a way in regardless.
I just ate an ant! They are hot--it tasted like black pepper and stung my lip and tongue on contact. I was in the act of feeding the bees a 2:1 sugar/water syrup, and when I licked some of the spilled syrup off of my finger, I got an ant in the mix. I wonder why they are hot. I always assumed it was because they carry around all of these chemicals in their abdomen that they release when threatened. But I'm not actually sure...
I was adding a new bottle of sugar water because the girls had finished off what I gave them on 10/1. They had been eating their stores, which means that there probably isn't enough flowering stuff around for them to make enough honey to get through the winter. I also haven't seen my queen or any eggs in a couple of weeks now. Alan suggested that the queen might be slowing down laying for the winter and recommended that I give them a 1:1 sugar mixture to stimulate her laying followed by a 2:1 sugar mixture for stores.
I gave them the 2:1 mixture today. They didn't crowd into the space under the bottle when I removed it like they did the first time I fed them. I don't know what that means, but it was certainly easier to get the job done this time--not one casualty.
There were quite a few ants around, and when I removed the top box to expose the bottle, it was obvious that it was the syrup that was attracting them. When I put the new bottle in, I actually taped it to the inside cover hoping I could seal out the ants. I suspect that the ants will find a way in regardless.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Snow Bees
Notes: Sugar water is 1/2 gone.
Lots of pollen going into the hive this afternoon--mostly it's yellow and white. Some seems slightly gray or brown and some is bright yellow; almost orange. Two bees entered this afternoon with white pollen on both their legs and on top of their heads. It looked like they had been playing in the snow.
The bees are moving the Thymol out. I am seeing little chunks of it on the flight deck.
Yesterday I saw the bees ward off a yellow jacket, who was trying its hardest to look like a bee. But the girls were not deceived. Go girls!!
Lots of pollen going into the hive this afternoon--mostly it's yellow and white. Some seems slightly gray or brown and some is bright yellow; almost orange. Two bees entered this afternoon with white pollen on both their legs and on top of their heads. It looked like they had been playing in the snow.
The bees are moving the Thymol out. I am seeing little chunks of it on the flight deck.
Yesterday I saw the bees ward off a yellow jacket, who was trying its hardest to look like a bee. But the girls were not deceived. Go girls!!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A Career Change?
I haven't been great about writing lately. It's not that the novelty has worn off; more that I just get so worried about the bees, and watching them sometimes makes me sad because of the dead bees that I often find on the hive or in the moats. We know that a lot of bees die each day; with a population in the thousands, tens must attrit daily. Okay, I understand. But seeing unhealthy or drowned bees really brings me down. I was at Green Gulch (GG) the other day and paid their bees a visit, and they didn't seem to be suffering and dying in the numbers that mine are.
On the whole, I am trying to be honest and accepting of my bees, and I think I'm doing okay. I just have to remind myself from time to time that this is how my bees are, and all I can do is my best to learn about them and help them.
Today they seem lively and busy, bringing in lots of pollen. There were no dead bees on the hive or languishing nearby, and I relaxed into my initial wonder and admiration of the bees.
I heard a radio show today about young people returning to the land and farming their own food. I was inspired and glad to think that people care so much about their food and the animals and plants that provide it. I was excited to think that I am in some very tiny way part of this movement. It made me want to buy a farm and raise chickens and a garden and bees and write and sew for a living. It made me want to call my dad and beg him to buy some land for us to build on. What a lovely life--all of us on a big plot of land, living close to our livelihood. It also made me grateful to have the partner I have, who might actually be open to a different lifestyle. But it also reminded me how courageous you have to be--and dedicated--to actually make it happen and what a shame it would be if we never do make it happen. How sad to maintain the 9-5 when so much richness exists outside of it...
On the whole, I am trying to be honest and accepting of my bees, and I think I'm doing okay. I just have to remind myself from time to time that this is how my bees are, and all I can do is my best to learn about them and help them.
Today they seem lively and busy, bringing in lots of pollen. There were no dead bees on the hive or languishing nearby, and I relaxed into my initial wonder and admiration of the bees.
I heard a radio show today about young people returning to the land and farming their own food. I was inspired and glad to think that people care so much about their food and the animals and plants that provide it. I was excited to think that I am in some very tiny way part of this movement. It made me want to buy a farm and raise chickens and a garden and bees and write and sew for a living. It made me want to call my dad and beg him to buy some land for us to build on. What a lovely life--all of us on a big plot of land, living close to our livelihood. It also made me grateful to have the partner I have, who might actually be open to a different lifestyle. But it also reminded me how courageous you have to be--and dedicated--to actually make it happen and what a shame it would be if we never do make it happen. How sad to maintain the 9-5 when so much richness exists outside of it...
Friday, October 2, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
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