Spring 2019 Bee Report

Spring is definitely here even though last night our temps dropped into the 30’s once again.  I began checking on my bees on a warm day in February – a rare warm day.  It was warm enough to open the hives and investigate.  I didn’t want to keep the hive open for long, so made a quick check.  I discovered one hive gone and the other going gangbusters!

This year unlike the two previous years one hive survived, thankfully.  The last two years both hives were lost due to 2 different diseases.  In 2017 it was varroa mites and last year the loss was due to  nosema. You can read about it here and here.  Yes, for two years in a row I saw the demise of both hives at the Greensboro Science Center upon my first spring inspection. It was devastating! That is actually putting it mildly – my heart breaks every time this happens.  I feel irresponsible, question my beekeeping ability, you know, experience self doubt!

In 2018 when they were lost due to nosema, a parasite that affects the digestive system, the resident vet at GSC determined the form of nosema my bees had contracted was one with no “signs” until the bees are just gone.  An Asian strain. Needless to say we have treated for both mites and nosema and this year I’m happy to report one hive survived and is going strong.  I am afraid the other didn’t survive as it seems there may have been too much moisture in that hive.  As this is my belief we have just obtained brand new supers to replace my older ones, which should guarantee a moisture free hive.

You can see in the photo above the lavender hive has no activity but the green one has plenty of girls hanging around the front of the hive – a normal behavior.

As I write, the new supers are being given a couple of coats of paint to prolong their life on the hive.  Once they are dry and my man Dan installs the frame brackets I will place the new supers on my existing hive.  I will also start another hive with a new queen and colony later this month or next month.

The strong hive that remains is full of honey and brood.  I haven’t seen my queen on the last two inspections but have seen signs of brood and new larve, an indicator that she is indeed inside. Looking forward to seeing her when I replace the old supers with new.  I’ll accomplish this by removing the existing supers then one by one replacing each with a new one and then filling it with the existing frames inside.  This will give me a look all the way down to the white hive body.  It will be a bit of a disturbance for the bees but should insure a warm, dry, safe hive for them.  Once I put it all back together they will settle in quickly as all of the insides will be the same.

I am looking forward to giving my girls and their queen a new home.  Beekeeping always offers a challenge of some type.  Problem solving is a major part of keeping bees.  If you are interested in becoming a beekeeper – DO IT!  It is a satisfying and fun hobby!  However, get advice and education from someone who has been keeping bees for a while – learn the basics.  There are definitely beekeeping basics but after each bee keeper learns those, I think it’s up to the individual as to how they go about the task.  There are beekeeping groups everywhere.  Google it for your area or call your local extension service and ask for the names of the beekeeper organizations in your area.  If you’re luck you’ll find someone like my Mr. F who was the best mentor a girl could ask for.

Here are some photos from the first time Mr. F came to remove a small colony and their queen from inside a camper we were selling.  This took place when we lived in Texas.  It was a super hot July day and he came down round 7 p.m. when the heat had calmed a bit to capture the queen and move the bees to his apiary.  This is where it all started.  After he’d captured the bees he told me I’d make a good beekeeper.  That comment got me to thinking and a year later I began my adventure as a beekeeper.  I’m so glad I did!

Texas Bees

Bees were using a scrub pad to attach their comb – silly girls!

Queen bee inside a jar – before Mr. F used a queen catcher.

Setting the jarred queen inside a hive body.

Once the queen is placed in a box the others follow!  All Hail the Queen!

Waiting for all the bees to enter the hive.

Listen and learn! Little did I know that this little adventure would turn me into a beekeeper!

Follow-Up posts will be up as Beekeeping 2019 continues!