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!

 

[Hoot Owl]

LBBJ
That is a small swarm. I have had 3 swarms this year and they were all small swarms. 3lb or less.

 

[DB1200]

Nice swarm box and congrats on the new swarm! Every swarm I have had this year has been good size. It has been getting cold here and I was nervous to split my hives so instead they split themselves. I hung five gallon bucket traps around my property. Went for a 4wheeler ride this evening and found a swarm had moved into one. Can't wait to take them out of the bucket and see how big that one is.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Came home from a week away, to my strongest colony swarming. Weather has been cold and rainy so they hung out there... Today I dropped them in a 14 frame hive to reorient a few miles away. This is my favorite colony and I'm so go glad we got this swarm!

 

[ponytug]

@CloverKnollFarms Swarms are so cool.

Your favorite colony because?

Just curious.

All the best, Peter

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

@CloverKnollFarms Swarms are so cool.

Your favorite colony because?

Just curious.

All the best, Peter

They explode and fill the hive faster than any other. Manage mites and hive beetles well. Forage even when it's cold. Store the most honey.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Did a cutout in a house today... 8 hours it took. Probably netted 40 pounds of honey, and a big colony of bees. Found the queen, so she is secure in a queen cage until I get the bees moved to our place.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Here is some footage.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Released the queen from her cage today... She had a bunch of workers inside the clip tending to her and she looked healthy! Released her into the hive and the colony is booming!

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I just rescued my first swarm not from a trap! This was from someone in the community that wanted them gone but not killed.

 

[DB1200]

Very pretty picture with the lighting and a nice size to that swarm.