Honey bees

[Hoot Owl]

CKF
You won't know how many hives an area can handle until you try. I have some locations with 25 hives that fill everything I put on them and 5 miles away another location very similar that will only handle about 10 hives.

What do you use to plant your buckwheat on an acer?
I have an area cleared of about an acer and a half and was thinking about just broadcasting it.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

CKF
You won't know how many hives an area can handle until you try. I have some locations with 25 hives that fill everything I put on them and 5 miles away another location very similar that will only handle about 10 hives.

What do you use to plant your buckwheat on an acer?
I have an area cleared of about an acer and a half and was thinking about just broadcasting it.

Broadcast with a large spreader, and cultipack with a Packer Maxx

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

CKF
You won't know how many hives an area can handle until you try. I have some locations with 25 hives that fill everything I put on them and 5 miles away another location very similar that will only handle about 10 hives.

What do you use to plant your buckwheat on an acer?
I have an area cleared of about an acer and a half and was thinking about just broadcasting it.

I figure, if I cannot get 7 colonies to fill a 20 frame horizontal hive... There is little point in expanding the apiary. If they do, or come close this year, I'll think about adding a couple more.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I'd like to get some alsike clover in as well next year, as that has an abundance of nectar potential as well

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Added a couple more frames to my strongest colonies this week. We are still not even in our main flow... And I have hives nearly 3/4 full of frames

 

[DB1200]

Mine swarmed today. It's the biggest swarm I have ever had.

 

[Hoot Owl]

I will update about my hives tomorrow evening. I have been in Tennessee the 10 days helping my brother with some remodeling. I picked up 13 virgin queens from Cory Stevens on my way home this morning.
I will be making up at least 13 nucs tomorrow. I hived a swarm hanging on the back side of a hive on my way home. It has been there 3 days at least. I beleave it may be from a split I did last week with a virgin queen and she landed at the wrong spot. No wax drawn, just bees.

 

[Borane4]

Just curious. At what point do you have to get the FDA, FTC and such involved in your business. Not an invite to devolve into politics, just a legit question. We would like to sell (on a small scale) small jars of products from our land (probably 3-5 years from now). We considered a web sales model with shipping (I'm not looking to make a bunch of money OR talk to people). It will likely be 3-5 months before we can move onto our land permanently.

Torvy - Look here: Home - Texas Cottage Food Law

 

[Hoot Owl]

It has been a busy 3 days. I brought home 13 Cory Stevens virgin Queens Sunday. I had a text from a club member that I might have a swarm on one of my hives last Thursday. They were still there Sunday so I hived them. Monday morning I loaded up the truck with 15 empty nucs and headed for the first yard. Pulled 3 frames from 1 hive for a nuc and removed 2, 10 frame nuc/hives over double screen boards. Went to the next yard and did the same thing... In the last 3 days I have moved 5 of the nuc/hives to there permanent location, started 17 nucs with virgins or Queen cells and caught 3 swarms and headed up our bee club meeting Monday night. All this after going to Va. to build some walls and hang drywall after removing a fire place for my brother with cancer. I am hopping for a long nap tomorrow after noon.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Freebees!