Beekeeping Reboot.

For the last three beekeeping seasons, I have been using five medium hive bodies for my hive's brood chambers.  It doesn't sound like much, but having to deal with a five-box hive is more time-consuming than I thought it would be.  So, this year, I bought new hive materials that would allow me to move to a hive that is comprised of three deep hive bodies.

My bees arrived yesterday, so I was busy last week getting the hives assembled and painted.

I purchased unassembled hive bodies and nails from Mann Lake, Ltd.  Below is a picture of some of them assembled.

Here is one primed and with the hole in place.

Here is a shot of one of my "employees" painting a hive body light blue.

I also ordered new outer covers, inner covers, and screened bottom boards.  I decided to try black foundation for the frames this time.  It is supposed to make it easier to see the eggs and small larvae.  Below is a picture of an empty, assembled frame.  Below that is a picture of the foundation that will go into those frames.  Below that further are the assembled and painted pieces on our lawn, airing out.

Lastly, pictures of the assembled, painted, labelled hives.  They are on their stand and ready for bees.

Hiving Two Packages of Bees on April 10, 2016

I have photos and videos yet to be posted.  Hiving the Carniolan Honeybees and the Italian Honeybees went well.  They each seem to be taking to their new home.

Preparing for the 2016 beekeeping season.

It's been a while since I posted here.  Last year, I put out the top-bar hive (Hive Beta) and installed bees into it.  I also cleaned and put new bees into my two Langstroth hives (Hive A and Hive B).  They all seemed to do well, but I ended up combining medium hive bodies from Hive B to Hive A so that Hive A would survive the winter.  Hive Beta seemed to be behind, and I think it was due to me not much feeding syrup to them and the bees truly starting from scratch--an empty hive with no foundation or wax at all.

We put a thermometer into Hive A, and we could see that the bees were alive as recently as late-January of 2016.  In fact, on one day, the hive was in the high-90's when the ambient temperature in the area was well below freezing.

I have yet to check Hive A or Hive Beta.  I don't think that either survived, but I haven't had a chance to crack either of them open.  I did put straw bales around them this year, and that is a first for me.

Going forward, I'm going to move to deep hive bodies.  I only need to use three of them instead of the five mediums that I have been using.  They will be heavier, but easier to and track.

I just got word that the bees are coming Sunday, April 10, 2016.  I tried a guy who is closer than the place I was using in Stillwater, so we'll see how pick-up goes.

I need to get the hive bodies ready.  They are assembled, but I have to drill the holes, get the corks, prime them, and paint them.  I also have to assemble at least 20 frames for the deeps.