inspecting my 9 weakest hives

 today............ 29/08/2022

this morning, I checked out my weakest hives - all currently on a pallet on a small box trailer at my in-laws farm. the trailer cause no lifting just hooking up trailer to vehicle and shifting to take advantage of nectar flows at a moments notice (see trailer image attached)

9 hives in total

Two hives have been here for about five-seven weeks and are doing much better now having access to the many flowering trees around and on my in-laws farm near the Adelaide river

The other seven hives have only been here a week and due to the sparsity of anything looking like a flower at my rural block and thus being only fed on banana pulp and sugar syrup I have supplied, all hives were drastically needing a nectar flow to strengthen the hive towards my goal of double brood boxing each of them with the intent to split before the top end wet season takes over

I looked at the weakest of the weak to start with – as if they needed a frame of brood from the other hives these would be the ones that would. And thus, when checking the stronger hives if plenty of brood frames, grab one and place in the weaker hive.

For a while thought no queen in the first hive box – but found a young queen and a small patch of brood. Hopefully, she gets on with it now amongst a few varieties of flowering natives and introduced species of plants about and around the farm

I found the queen in every box - Woohoo!

Two queens seemed to not be laying much, despite the drawn out comb available – will check on them is a few weeks as they might be non-laying queens and will need to be replaced.

A few of the queens were not marked and I marked them when found with last year's colour as not sure when they were born (must keep better records and mark queens from splits - ASAP) - maybe you can spot the fresh white dot queen in the attached image.

I did take a couple of “ideal” sized frames of capped honey – as wife hasn’t tasted our bees honey in a while now as I have feeding sugar syrup. The stronger of the hives at the farm have filled several ideals sized frames in just a few weeks that they have been at the farm with fresh golden honey (as compared to the almost clear honey made from the sugar syrup – which I leave in the hive for food stores). these "ideal" frames being drawn out from scratch and mostly filled and capped in such a short time really indicates the flow happening around the farm.

I am fairly confident that all these hives will be quite strong after 4-5 weeks at the farm (and if trees keep flowering!)

here's one of the nearly marked queens - can you spot her?

Here is the trailer I mentioned - put some cardboard in bottom of box trialer so it doesnt reflect as much heat into the hives.

Helping another couple of Rural bee keepers

 Had a few fun hours (4) today helping out some other Darwin rural beekeepers inspect 8 old hives today

Some we thought were weak but had plenty of brood, larva and bees, once the hives were open – awesome!

Most hives were very gentle - despite a full inspection of nearly every frame. All required lots of scrapping of burr comb between, on top and bottom of each frame that needed to be removed to make future inspections easier.

We didn't spot the queens but so much evidence of their good work and effort to expand their hives

Many had plenty of drone brood clearly see as the raised cells - so looking to swarm maybe? Lots of those lazy males and their big eyes.

Most had no more space left to them (so maybe the drones did indicate swarm prep)

Due to time between inspections (unavoidable for many reasons), every hive had heaps of burr comb with a couple of buckets for wax processing and another full 20 litre bucket for honey extraction via the pressing method of the burr comb

We double brood boxed the hives taking away the queen excluders as the goal with this apiary overall is expansion – taking some honey good but hive numbers the goal

We managed 10 full depth frames of capped honey (the rest we left with the hives as uncapped or only portion of the frame drawn out with comb and 3 “ideal” sized boxes of capped honey as well – for extraction with a 3 frame hand spinner I have lent them.

Two hives needed major action given the wooden boxes were totally succumbed to wood rot. The frames broken, soooo much burr comb. We placed a new box on bottom, shook bees off each frame into new box, added a queen excluder and placed the old broken frames as best we could in a full sized super box – so nursery bees will come through excluder and help the remaining brood hatch before we remove the broken frames. Best we could do with what we had – hope it works! We shall see in a few weeks.

Darwin weather is so very hard on painted wooden boxes – the heat the extreme sun, the wet season – certainly don’t get the 20 years out of wooden box like some say. – still constant maintenance does extend the life of such

The three of us: learned lots, shared some wild stories, ate some very fresh and sweet watermelon.

Hives are now tidied up and ready for expansion in 4-6 weeks. Then we will find the queen, place her in bottom box, give a lid and base to top box and turn the other way. The queen in bottom box will keep doing her thing. As well, hopeful the bees in the top box will make a new queen from a fresh egg or larva – but 2-3 weeks later we will inspect to see if successful – if not order some mated queens for postal delivery that now that our “turned” box is hopelessly queenless.

Well, that’s the theory!

With the current flow indicated by the melaleucas covered in flowers, the lemon trees and the rockmelon/watermelon on the property – all enjoying the warm days – perfect timing for the small apiary’s expansion plans.

One of the hives that needed its hive boxes replaced - the last few bees still clinging tohte old rotten box - get rid of it later.

the guys were very happy with their work today!

Mother-in-law and Wife get invovled

 August 1st 2022

Inspected a couple of hives at my inlaws property today that are there to pollinate her vegy patch and take advantage of any nectar in area (my place has nothing!!!)

Think the two hives are about to burst forth in growth and activity

Lots of brood, lots of larva about to b capped

Found both queens - awesome! - so much easier when they are marked

Found pollen, some honey stores - not bad for NUCs moved into full sized boxes only a few weeks ago

My wife and mother-in-law got involved and thoroughly enjoyed themselves - despite mother-in-law getting stung twice (black gloves??)

can we spot the white dot queen?

Lots of Pollen coming in and plenty of capped brood

lots of capped brood means lots more bees in the hive

These two now invovled and loving it - Wife and her mother!

some capped honey too!

Spreading the Hives - (and the love!)

 

August 04 2022

this particualr weekend, I was about shifting bees about the rural area - 2 hives at a time to friends rural blocks

this to take advantage of the trees about to flower if not already flowering near and on their rural blocks - seen Grevillia, some paperback starting to go white, and though without much value towards bulk honey production - have you seen a mango tree lately – almost ever single one is absolutely fully loaded with flower

seems to be a sort of southern spring about to happen in the Darwin rural area after the period of colder weather

still no signs of anything flower wise at my block south of humptydoo, at lloyd creek. Two years ago at this time I could fill a honey super at my block in a few weeks with great tasting honey from the woolly butts and other bigger trees which hard carpets of fallen flowers around the ground near them - but not this year.

but Girraween area, or Whitewood rd, or one block of a friend who backs onto a waterway at Humptydoo – enough flowers for a couple of hives amongst the rural 5 acre blocks

I am so keen to split all my hives with a double brood box approach prior to the wet season - taking advantage of this apparent "flow" that I feel is about to happen - here's hoping!

the People whose rural blocks I am placing hives on - hope so too, as one hive split from the hives on their blocks - will be for them with their hive boxes.

Just wish I had more hives, as I could do this on at least ten more locations. I have no hives left at home after the hive movements over the last few weeks.

Maybe next year! But maybe the eucalypts will flower thickly next year, and I can keep all my hives at my block for hive bee number growth and subsequent splitting!

Just a note:

Drop of a pair of hives at one location last saturday morning round 8am. Set up stand, placed hives and opened the hive door – bees orientate, and all is looking good.

But a phone call from block owner at 2pm to say – green ants all over the hive tearing apart the bees

Bugger! Rookie mistake!!!!

Seems I forgot to grease up the legs of the hive stand when setting up - so things such as green ants cannot climb up and into the hives. (This stand didn’t have anti–ant cups etc I usually set up.)

Chaos and stress ensues !!! panic even!

With the bee gear still in the ute - I race over (speed limits kept for sure!)

I arrive and suit up, as the bees are very much in defence mode even though I there to help them!

I hose off the hive stands the marching countless green ants, I brush off the hive entrance of the carpet of green ants all over the entrance attacking the guard bees. So easy to see 6 plus green ants pulling the guard bees apart. – not a nice way to go – drawn and quartered - arrgggghhh!

I clean up a few ant stragglers - wiping them off by a gloved hand, I profusely grease the hive stand legs - I also once ants dispersed - open up the hives and wonderfully, no green ants inside the hives!

So lucky the green ants hadn’t got fully into the invasion mode of the hives. The bees should be ok now.

Lesson re-enforced – prepare properly, expect the unexpected.

No photos sorry – it was all a bit of a rush and I totally forgot to take photos!

But still thought I would share.