May 8, 2010 · 3:23 PM

You’ve been nematoded!

Beneficial nematodes are an organic non-chemical way to control pests in your garden. For beekeepers, they can play an important part in IPM (Integrated Pest Management) for controlling the small hive beetle. I have found several of these pests in my hive, and while a strong hive can handle them, weaker hives can be taken down if the infestation gets out of control. To give my hive every chance of success, I decided to spread nematodes around my hive as the beetle larvae pupate in the soil outside the hive. Luckily today was the perfect day since a cold front moved through Austin last night, and the weather this morning was overcast and in the 70’s. Nematodes do not like heat so it is best to apply them when the temperature is under 80 degrees. You can usually find nematodes at your local nursery especially if they cater towards more organic gardening practices.

Since the package I bought will treat 9000 square feet, I also spread them through my veggie garden and in my plant beds. Nematodes will also attack ants, fleas, and other garden pests.

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May 6, 2010 · 9:30 PM

Pollen

Pollen is the only source of protein and other nutrients for the bee colony, and is the primary food for the larvae. Below is another great shot by the owner of the property where my hive resides. In addition to working very hard to get itself into the African Aloe Bloom, the pollen baskets on the legs of this bee are quite full. I’ve also decided that even though there is a wild hive in the neighbor’s yard, I’m assuming any photo taken is a bee from my hive.

Bee, Aloe bloom

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May 4, 2010 · 9:50 PM

Sometimes you never can tell…

Austin is probably having one of the best springs in recent memory, and it seems everything is in bloom right now. Sometimes though, plants you think bees would be all over are completely ignored for something more mundane.

Take the photo below. This is from my backyard along my fence. One half of the fence is covered in jasmine in full bloom, and the other is wax leaf ligustrum from my neighbor’s yard which is a common builder’s shrub (also an invasive plant for Austin). Which one was covered in bees? If you guessed the jasmine, you are wrong. The bees were all over the shrub, and as you can see, even the butterflies were getting in on the action.

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May 2, 2010 · 12:49 PM

Special Guest Appearance by Large Marge!

On a beautiful Sunday morning in Austin, TX, I opened up the hive to see how things were progressing. The top hive feeder still had quite a bit of syrup from my mid-week fill-up, but I added more syrup so I would not have to make another trip during the week. I’m hopeful that I can remove the feeder completely next week as the girls should now have enough numbers and nectar flow available to take care of themselves.

The 2nd super had a goodly amount of foundation drawn out with some capped brood in the middle frames. I’ve come to the conclusion that I added the 2nd super a week too early, but I don’t think that is going to matter in the long run. I’ll need to be a bit more patient and wait for the 2nd super to have at least 6 frames with capped brood and honey before adding the 3rd.

The 1st super was mostly filled with capped brood and honey with the exception of the outer most frames. However, there was evidence the bees were starting to draw out foundation on those as well so that is a good sign.

I was wondering if I was going to catch a glimpse of Large Marge and sure enough I spotted her on frame 5 on the original super. She tried to tell me a story of the worst accident she has ever seen, but I told her to get back to work laying eggs. Even though there is plenty of evidence she is laying well, it is always nice to see your queen.

I unfortunately did see 5 hive beetles, but they were all in the top hive feeder, and I got a lot of satisfaction squishing them dead. I did not see any evidence of them in the 2 brood supers, so that makes me feel better that the bees are driving them up away from the combs. The beetle trap is on its way, and this evening when it cools off a bit, I’m going to spray beneficial nematodes around the hive.

Below is a slide show of yours truly inspecting the frames. The frame that is completely vertical shows a really nice frame filled with capped brood in a tight pattern with honey on the upper corners.

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May 1, 2010 · 1:52 PM

The Beehaus

A friend told me about this British company that makes a line of chicken coops as well as beehives. They also have a  branch in the U.S. I have no idea if these hives are any good, but they look interesting. The company is called Omlet and their line of hives is called the Beehaus.

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April 29, 2010 · 6:03 PM

Upcoming Webinars from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm

Since I have purchased most of my equipment from Brushy Mountain, I get their monthly e-flier they send out to customers. They have two upcoming webinars that look interesting. I’m especially interested in the 2nd one since the book I got the most out of was written by Kim Flottum.

What to do when hives go bad?

Jennifer Berry will be joining us to discuss how to deal with queen issues. Swarming, supercedure etc. Jennifer oversees the colonies at the University of Georgia and raises queens on her own.

Title: What to do when hives go bad?
Date: May 27, 2010
Time: 6:00-7:00PM EST
Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/804066651

6 weeks as a beekeeper…Now What?

Now that you have your hive up and running, what’s next? Kim Flottum (editor Bee Culture Magazine) will join us to discuss what you should be looking for and seeing in your colonies. We will discuss assessing queens, brood inspection, supering, and varroa monitoring.

Title: 6 weeks as a beekeeper…Now What?
Date: June 1, 2010
Time: 6:00-7:00PM EST
Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/960734619

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April 29, 2010 · 7:00 AM

Week 3 Mid-Week Syrup Check

I went to check the top hive feeder early last evening, and I am glad that I did. One side was almost empty, and the other was also very low. I don’t think the girls really liked me opening the top of the hive so close to sundown, and I had a few dive bombers in my face. I didn’t bother with the smoker since I was just filling the feeder, and I wasn’t technically opening up the hive. The suit did its job and I didn’t get stung.  In reality, there only seemed to be a few angry bees, and the rest of the hive will be thankful not to run out of syrup before I get back this weekend to do a more thorough inspection of the hive.

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April 28, 2010 · 7:00 AM

The Smoker

I’ve used my smoker twice now and getting it lit and smoking properly definitely required a little trial and error. It helped that I got some compressed cotton smoker fuel when I originally ordered all my equipment, and this burns very well and the smoke is “cool”. You definitely don’t want smoke that is mixed with sparks and feels like a blast furnace. I’m told bees don’t like that.

I’ve heard all sorts of explanations on why smoke calms down bees. One theory is that it simulates a forest fire so the bees go down into the hive to start eating all their stored honey in case they have to leave the hive. Another is that it masks the alarm pheromones given off by worker bees when the hive is opened up. Whatever the real explanation, it certainly works.

smoker

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April 27, 2010 · 7:00 AM

Taking a sip!

It is important to have a reliable water source near your hive for your bees. Bees use water to feed brood, dilute honey and control the temperature in the hive. The owners of the property where I keep my hive have a shallow bird bath about 30 feet from the hive and took this great shot of a worker filling up for the road.

bee @ the birdbath

One important thing to remember is to make sure the water source is either shallow enough so the bees don’t drown or have plenty of floats available for the bees to land on. I’ve heard of some beekeepers saving wine corks and using those for floating bee perches.

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April 26, 2010 · 3:25 PM

Another Native Bee?

Here is a snapshot of what I think is another native bee that I find in my front garden quite often:

I am having trouble getting a closer look because it moves very fast and never stays in one place for very long. Even when it lands on a flower, it doesn’t spend much time on it. It also can hover in place like a hummingbird. I’m assuming it is some sort of bee, but until I can get get a decent non-blurry picture, I’m going to have a difficult time confirming.

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