The girls are back!

[MajGenl.Meade]

Liz took one out 10' away from that spot a couple weeks ago

[rubato]

We're extracting honey next weekend. There is a bit over 1 1/2 supers of capped honey so the estimate is something between 1.5 to 2 gals.

I'm going to have to only put 1 super on top after this. My injury can't handle lifting the boxes when they're full and that high off the ground; meaning that it can but I pay for it for 2 weeks afterwards.

yrs,
rubato

[Jarlaxle]

I got rid of a good-sized hive of hornets yesterday.

Liz took one out 10' away from that spot a couple weeks ago.

And I got another one in mid-May.

That's why God invented flame throwers...

Not for nests in a tree!

[Jarlaxle]

And another one (yellow jackets under the stairs) this morning! Enough damn wasps!

[wesw]

very few bees left in my neck of the woods. sad and scary.

good job rubato. i figured i d start out saying something nice about you, from your posts i have a feeling that we may butt heads....

is it practical to start a hive and let them get to the point where they swarm in the hopes of replenishing the wild population?

[rubato]

very few bees left in my neck of the woods. sad and scary.

good job rubato. i figured i d start out saying something nice about you, from your posts i have a feeling that we may butt heads....

is it practical to start a hive and let them get to the point where they swarm in the hopes of replenishing the wild population?

Some beekeepers say that swarming is just a natural process and you should not try to inhibit it too much. European honeybees are imports to N. America and thus not needed for the native species. But they are needed to pollinate imported food crops ( most of them ) so that wild swarms are beneficial.

On the whole, good hive management will discourage swarming because it reduces the size and vigor of the home hive but in my opinion it is not a major issue after year 2. There are techniques for managing hives which discourage swarming which you can learn online.

yrs,
rubato

[wesw]

I realize that European honey bees are not native. they have become integral to our food production tho, as you said, and I would like to see the wild populations rebound. thus I would keep the bees in the hope that they would swarm and maybe some would survive what ever depleted the wild population around here. I m sure you have read all the theories too, so I won t go into them. maybe I would get a little honey out of it.

I am not well off financially so I don t want a lot of expense. i could probably build my own hive boxes. my garden would probably benefit as well, which would be great.

the native bumble bees have seemed to increase as the honey bees disappeared, so I have hope even if the honeybees don t rebound.

[rubato]

The parts for a hive don't cost much if you're willing to do the assembly yourself. Getting a colony of bees is another thing. They are avail. for sale in the spring for roughly $150 including shipping. I would recommend joining a local beekeeping club. You may find someone who can help you collect a swarm from someone's yard.

yrs,
rubato

[wesw]

I wonder if bumble bees can be kept?

[Gob]

Deep freeze 'em, last for years...

[Jarlaxle]

I wonder if bumble bees can be kept?

Don't see why not...

[rubato]

Conservation groups try to provide attractive nesting sites for bumblebees and carpenter bees, both are good pollinators:

http://bumblebeeconservation.org/about- ... ebee-nests

From what I've heard they are more successful attracting carpenter bees. I've not tried either but I moved some planters to help protect a bumblebee colony from a scrub jay who was snatching them out of the air as they came and went.

yrs,
rubato

[wesw]

if carpenter bees are the ones that are drilling holes in the bottom of the boards in the ceiling of my garage, they have worn out their welcome. they look something like bumble bees but not as hairy. they hover and guard the garage. I don t think they sting, they just try to scare you.

I would not mind, but the garage will fall if they are allowed to continue. I think next spring I ll knock the dust off the old tennis racquet...

[rubato]

We finally broke inertia and got the honey extracted. We left quite a bit in the combs, which were put back on the hive for the bees to clean them up, but it looks like we wound up with 9L or about 30 lbs. More than the jars we have now so I ordered 3 more cases. Nearly all of it will be given away to family, friends and colleagues.

I got a new escape which is a small device which allows bees to exit the top boxes but not return and it worked really well. There were only 2 bees left and they could be brushed off before we lugged the boxes into the kitchen.

Since I had the honey supers off I pulled a few frames from the brood boxes and got lucky, the queen was on one of them. Quite the cutie she is too. Overall the brood boxes are very crowded right now with honey, pollen, and brood so they will appreciate the extra room.

yrs,
rubato

[MajGenl.Meade]

Excellent. Admire your stick-to-it-iveness (or however the spelling bee would have it)

[Guinevere]

Congrats rubato, that's a great harvest! I'd think about bees if I had the right space - but I don't.

[rubato]

Congrats rubato, that's a great harvest! I'd think about bees if I had the right space - but I don't.

Space isn't a problem, a hive only takes a couple of square feet, but your winters are fierce, and that is. I don't think I'd try it there.

yrs,
rubato

[Lord Jim]

I'd think about bees if I had the right space

You might also have local regulations requiring you to notify your neighbors and have a hearing to get approval, as well as having a fee to pay to your local government.

They have these policies in Santa Cruz county, but I'm sure that rube, being the responsible citizen that he is, has fully complied with these requirements...

As a fellow who has repeatedly endorsed the right of local governments to micro-manage the behavior of their residents, I can't imagine that he would do otherwise...

[Guinevere]

You're repeating yourself LJ. Why don't you just leave it alone.....

[Lord Jim]

I pointed this out one time, four months ago, and he didn't respond then. Since he's decided again to brag about being a scofflaw, it's perfectly legitimate to bring it up again. (When he first started talking about this, he mentioned how he had to hide the hive from "the whiners" so it's safe to assume he's ignoring the law.)

I don't see how it could be objectionable, in principle, for a democratically elected government, the expressed will of the population, to try to mitigate the negative impacts we have on each other by channeling our collective behavior.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10919&p=138068&hili ... ed#p138068

Apparently this doesn't apply if the behavior is his...