Beekeeping

   / Beekeeping #101  
JasperFrank said:
I was very surprised reading that you should put a screen over a Mason Bee "hotel", while they are hibernating, so woodpeckers don't eat them. WE HAVE SERIOUS ISSUES WITH WOOD PECKERS 'ROUND HERE. :( I think my BIL has ill will towards me. He gave us his used little Bambeco house, but left out the Bamboo straws. Spent two hours making holes in untreated wood blocks to made my own. Then I looked up what a new one would cost with the straws..... $12.... He must be laughing at me right about now.

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Straw diameters matter to certain bee species, and influence things like sex ratios, and success rates of emergence.
link.springer.com

The impact of nest tube dimensions on reproduction parameters in a cavity nesting solitary bee, Osmia bicornis (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) - Apidologie

Recent declines of bee populations have led to great interest in preserving bee species and fuel efforts to develop solitary species for pollination purposes. Xylophilous solitary bees can be easily reared in artificial nests tubes for commercial agricultural as well as wild plant pollination...
link.springer.com link.springer.com

All the best,

Peter
 
   / Beekeeping #102  
This beekeeping thread is fascinating – it's like a hive mind of knowledge! Starting a beehive sounds like a rewarding experience, but it also seems like a big responsibility. Especially for beginners – there's a lot to learn about keeping these fuzzy little pollinators happy and healthy. Finding a mentor or joining a local beekeeping association seems like a smart way to hit the ground running.

Speaking of resources, have any of you checked out www.mklibrary.com? They have a massive collection of beekeeping info, from beginner guides to troubleshooting hive problems.
 
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   / Beekeeping #103  
My wife put out her hummingbird feeders last weekend, and before they showed up, the bees hit the feeders. We've never seen this before, so it was a big surprise for us.

She is calling them Western Bees. I have no idea.

She said that they must be really hungry, so she put out a bowl of sugar water out for them with a small sponge in the middle of the water. Since then, the bees have calmed down and disappeared.

Bees.jpg
 
   / Beekeeping #104  
We had some swarming near the corner of the house this weekend. Noticed a crack under the deck they were interested in. I finally dropped the ceiling in the basement yesterday and found this. Local bee keeper is coming Monday to relocate.
 

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   / Beekeeping
  • Thread Starter
#105  
EddieWalker said:
My wife put out her hummingbird feeders last weekend, and before they showed up, the bees hit the feeders. We've never seen this before, so it was a big surprise for us.

She is calling them Western Bees. I have no idea.

She said that they must be really hungry, so she put out a bowl of sugar water out for them with a small sponge in the middle of the water. Since then, the bees have calmed down and disappeared.

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I can't tell how zoomed in that picture is. They look like big honey bees to me. I would put up your feeders for a week or two when that happens. Once the bees know that where the feeder is they will not stop coming. Hopefully if you take them down for a while they will find a better spot to feed and forget about yours...

Foragers whole job in life is to carry as much nectar or pollen back to the hive as they can carry. During a dearth (a time where there is no nectar or pollen to be found) they will really pile up on any source of sugar or protein. I would advise against feeding them.
 
   / Beekeeping
  • Thread Starter
#106  
Hughman said:
We had some swarming near the corner of the house this weekend. Noticed a crack under the deck they were interested in. I finally dropped the ceiling in the basement yesterday and found this. Local bee keeper is coming Monday to relocate.
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That's really cool! Although probably not to you since they are in your house...
 
   / Beekeeping #108  
Another good FREE resource is The Practical Beekeeper, Beekeeping Naturally, Bush Bees, by Michael Bush .

My wife wanted to get into bees so I built a couple topbar hives for her early last summer. Danged if she didn't catch a wild swarm the first week. She got another colony from a friend to put in the other hive. Looks like they both survived the winter. It is amazing how much stronger wild bees are than bought bees.
 
   / Beekeeping #109  
Offroadtek said:
Another good FREE resource is The Practical Beekeeper, Beekeeping Naturally, Bush Bees, by Michael Bush .

My wife wanted to get into bees so I built a couple topbar hives for her early last summer. Danged if she didn't catch a wild swarm the first week. She got another colony from a friend to put in the other hive. Looks like they both survived the winter. It is amazing how much stronger wild bees are than bought bees.
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That is a fact. Farmed, fed and chemically treated bees don't seem to carry the genetics it takes to be prolific, without a lot of human intervention. That describes 99% of the colonies being "kept". I've found the less hard I work at keeping them alive, the more colonies survive.
 
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   / Beekeeping #110  
Checking on my largest colony today. They are over-flowing the box. They swarm every year, so they may be a good candidate to split. Not uncommon to see 10 queen cells in there this time of year. I wish I had 20 colonies like them
 
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