Sad, Sad Day

What I have feared happened. I have lost my first colony. It is weird because it isn't like loosing a pet. They are just insects after all. But they are my insects that I have put a ton of time and effort into. Worse yet, I might have been able to prevent it. I did a quick look and most of the frames are totally empty. There are a few spots of honey but nothing substantial. The weird thing is that there aren't a bunch of bees with their heads in the comb, as I have heard it would be with starvation, and there was a bunch of bee candy they didn't touch. I didn't take the hive totally apart because I want to see if a more advanced beekeeper will go through it with me. I want to do this because if it was starvation I can reuse this comb. If not, what was it? And is it safe to use the comb? It would certainly help the next colony if they didn't have to start building comb from scratch but I don't want to put another colony on this comb just to have them die out from some disease.

I'm not real happy about Hive 2 either. They are still alive and there is enough heat coming off of them so I know the queen is laying but the cluster is pretty small. There might not be enough bees to keep the brood warm. It would help if it warmed up around here but that isn't supposed to happen at least this week. All I can do know is feed and hope the warm weather comes quickly.

So there are some things to learn from this for me and for you. Location is important. Very important. My property is off the beaten path, which is good for a lot of things (nobody messing with my hives, reduced threat of pesticides, lots of wildflowers) but when we get record snows it is not so good. I couldn't get back to them for the last couple of weeks. If I had maybe Hive 1 would still be alive.

The bigger thing is to watch the honey stores closer. Going back to last fall I was suspect that the honey store was low. If this had been a mild winter maybe that would have been ok. As one of the coldest and the snowiest winters we have ever had they needed even more than usual to get through. So now I am going to go every weekend until our nectar flow starts and hope to get Hive 2 through March.

Winter Check

44 degrees, sunny, 5 inches of snow on the ground. No pictures this time since I was alone and working as quickly as possible. This entry is posted late. The visit was on Feb. 4th. The next day we left to Florida for a week vacation. Thank goodness! The snow came and came and came. We had to dig out of if today when we got back but the vacation was fun and watching the last nighttime space shuttle launch was amazing!

Normally I wouldn't have gone out and disturbed my girls but at the last beekeeper meeting I had talked with my mentor about my bees and she was concerned that they were already at the top of the hive. The theory being that they have eaten their way through the honey in the middle hive body and have now eaten their way through the center of the top hive body. You aren't supposed to disturb the cluster in the winter so it is impossible to see what is going on in the frames they are clustered around. My mentor recommended making some 1:1 sugar syrup to feed to them in case the honey was all gone. So I worried about them for a week and a half until I could get back out to them.

One word of advice - in the class they recommended picking a location for the hives that you could get to in all kinds of weather. Because of the topography of my land the options were limited but I thought, "Ah, this spot is pretty good. I can get here except when there is a ton of snow or it has been raining a lot." And guess what happened this winter in the Washington D.C. area? Uh huh, record snows.

So here I am trudging through 5 inches of snow with my bee bucket, my bee suit (bees apparently don't like the cold, more on that later), two hive bodies, two bottles of sugar syrup, and some bee candy. Maybe I need a second bucket to carry this other stuff. I get to the hives and there is very little activity. In fact, I first thought I might have a dead colony, but when I got closer I could see a handful of bees flying around. Still alive! I started with hive 2 this time. I typically move all my stuff in position and then put the bee suite on. As I am moving all my gear from under a pine tree, where there was no snow, to inside the electric fence I noticed more and more bees flying around. It seemed odd because there were only a few bees flying around when I got there and now they all seem to be attracted to me, and more of them. Once everything is staged I crack open the outer cover. I could see the cluster through the hole in the inner cover and could see there were quite a lot of bees. Another good sign. Then I took off the inner cover. Oh boy they didn't care for that one bit! Now bees are everywhere, landing on me and flying everywhere. I had been working without gloves the last couple of times and so I didn't have any on this time either. Naturally I get stung the first 20 seconds I have the inner cover off. The way they were behaving this particular trip I quickly decided to put gloves on. I might have to think about some other feeders for the winter so I can skip disturbing them so much.

I needed to see how much honey was left. Before I started I did the "heft test" and it seemed like the hives were still fairly heavy so I figured there was some honey. The cluster was on one side of the hive so I could pull a couple frames on the other side to check. Yep, honey. That's good. They hadn't touched the bee candy I put in last time and, in fact, they weren't even crawling on it. I put a full frame back against the cluster. The one I had taken out was empty on the side that was facing the cluster so I put the empty side against the hive body. My worries have been alleviated at least for the time being. Once the queen picks up her laying it may take some effort to keep them well fed.

Snow Bees

Here are the hives a few weeks after our record breaking December snow. The hives are on on the back side of a slight rise so the sun doesn't hit the ground there full strength. This day was beautiful, 54 degrees when I went into the hives, clear, sunny, and no wind. When I got to the hives there was just a little activity. Still I only had the top open for about 3.5 minutes each hive. It was just a quick trip to see if both colonies were alive (they are!), feel the weight of the hives doing the hive tipping method (they were both still fairly heavy but definitely lighter than November), and put in some bee candy and pollen substitute. Hopefully the queen is laying but I don't know if there is a way to tell. There were a couple handfuls of dead bees in the snow but it didn't seem like that many so I guess that is just normal die off.

I can see why the call the bees a "cluster" in the winter. They were packed into the smaller area across these 5 frames instead of being spread out across all of them as they were during the summer. Hive 1 they were even tighter spread across 4 frames. Maybe Hive 1 has a smaller population at this point. It is hard to tell without being able to pull frames or view them for a longer period of time.

The ventilation problem I had before appears to be resolved. The inner cover was nice and dry. Another month or so until the earliest trees start blooming!

Frame Building

During January we can't do much in the apiary so instead we do inside work; make plans for next year, build and repair hive bodies, make frames, that kind of thing. Since I haven't finalized my plan for next year I haven't placed my order for hive bodies yet. But I do have a bunch of frames that need to be made for this coming year so here are 11 easy steps to build a frame. Once you get the hang of it you can do 2 or 3 at a time. Or find or make a frame jig and with a air compressor and brad nailer you can make 5 to 10 at a time.

Step 1 - The Parts
There are 4 pieces to a frame: the top bar, bottom bar, and 2 end bars. I use wedge top bars and grooved bottom bars. There are other types but these were recommended in the class I took and are the only kind I have made. Before doing anything else get a top bar and run a pocket knife or X-Acto knife down the wedge and break it off of the top bar. In the picture you can see it is already removed. There will be little pieces left where the wedge splits off. I like to shave those down with the knife as much as possible so the foundation fits better. I do a bunch of these at a time so this step goes faster.

Step 2 - The Tools
The list of tools you will need: knife (mentioned above), wood glue, small square, a junk piece of wood block, pliers, stapler, rubber mallet, tack hammer, small (5/8" I think) and large (1 1/4" x 17) brads. I also use a glue bottle holder that I made. When the bottle gets half empty or more it keeps the glue at the tip so you don't have to keep shaking it down. It is a 6 inch piece of 1x4 with a 30 degree cut one inch from the end that goes half inch deep through and a piece of thin scrap wood (mine was from a clementine box). If you want one and don't have access to a table saw or don't know how to use one let me know and I might be able to whip one up for you. They are handy whenever you use glue.

You will need a top bar, bottom bar, and 2 end bars to make each frame. You don't need to put the foundation in until you want to put the frame into the hive body but when you do you will need a piece of foundation, 4 bobby pins (for medium frames like I use, 8 for deep frames), and 3 or 4 staples.

Step 3 - Side Bar Holes
The very first time I made frames I made probably 24 or so and then put in the foundation. What I didn't realize is that the holes in the end bars that you put the pins through are almost never drilled out very well. So this is my secret step you won't find in other instructions. Take a nail that you would use to put together a hive body, grip it in your pliers and push it through each hole in the end bar. Twist it around a couple of times and then pull it back out. Remove any slivers that are left around the hole. As in removing the wedge from the top bar, I do a bunch of these before actually putting the rest of the frames together.

Step 4 - Glue Together
Take your wood glue and put a generous amount in the notches in the top and bottom of the end bars where the top bar and bottom bar will fit into it. Use a generous amount of glue. It will leak out when you put the pieces together but the bees won't care and the frame will last longer. Put the top bar upside down on your work place. Push the end bars onto it at the end notches. Put the bottom bar into the notches in the end bars. The wedge in the bottom bar should be facing the top bar. I like to tap it with the rubber mallet to make sure the top and bottom bars and well seated.

Step 5 - Square It Up
Place the frame top bar down. Now take your small square and make sure the frame is 90 degrees on both sides of the bottom bar. Every now and again the notches in either the top or bottom bars are not cut correctly and the frame will not come out 90 degrees. Unfortunately there isn't much you can do about that. Being square will make it easier (especially in deep bodies) to lift the frames out of the hive bodies without killing bees that happen to be on the sides by scraping them against the hive body as you pull it out. It is bad enough to kill a few bees, but if the queen is scurrying away and you squish her you may loose the colony.

Step 6 - Nailing the Bottom Bar
While the frame is still sitting with the top bar down take 2 of the longer brads and nail them through the bottom bar into the end bar. Make sure to place them in the center of each side of the divider split of the bottom bar. The wood used to make the frames are generally pretty light pine. Occasionally you will get a more dense piece or really unfortunately have to nail through a knot in the wood. The brads can be pretty easy to bend in these cases when you hit them off center. If you do this you have 3 options depending on how far the brad is bent and how deep it is before it bent. These are: straighten it out with the pliers and try to continue nailing, pull the brad out with the pliers, or if the brad is most of the way in just pound the bent portion down as far as possible. The last option should be your last resort as it will result in a less sturdy frame.

Step 7 - Nailing the Top Bar
Now turn the frame over an rest it on the bottom bar. Nail two of the long brads through the top bar into the end bars. In this case if the brads bend you have one more choice - since there is more area in the top bar you can nail a third brad.

Step 8 - Providing Extra Strength
To make your frames last longer you can give them a bit of extra strength by nailing a short brad through the end bar and into the top bar at approximately 45 degree angle. Make sure to get it in from the edge far enough so you don't split the end bar or top bar but not so far that you drive it into the empty spot where the wedge is taken out of the top bar. These little brads are harder to hold to get started. I know when I am done making frames for the day when I hit my finger and thumb as much as the brad! Concentration is key not only in the apiary but also in the workshop.

Step 9 - Adding Foundation
Now peel the paper off a piece of foundation and position it into the frame. Notice which way the wires are bent at the top of the foundation and be sure to place it such that these wires will be positioned where the wedge has been removed. I find it is easiest to get the bottom of the foundation into the slot in the bottom bar first so that it will go down far enough to sit comfortably in the frame. Make sure it is nice and flat with no waves.

Step 10 - Staple Foundation Now get the wedge piece and place it back where it was removed from the top bar. Push it back as far as possible so it will be flush with the rest of the top bar. Again position the frame on its top bar and with the stapler put 3 staples into the wedge to hold the foundation.


Step 11 - Pin Foundation
Since you have made the holes in the end bars nice and clean back in step 3 you can more easily slide in the bobby pins without tearing the foundation. Don't worry that they stick out a bit. The bees will build cells over them anyway and usually on the sides they will be filled with either honey or pollen so they won't mess up the brood area. Even if they do, it will only be a few cells per frame.


You're done! The frames are ready to be put into the hive bodies. Make sure and space them correctly. If they are too close the bees will build comb between two frames and you will screw up the honey comb or kill brood when you have to separate or pull them out of the hive body. If they are too far apart the bees will try to fill the space by building another piece of comb between the two frames, again causing loss of honey or killing brood. Plus when the bees are building comb where it is not supposed to be they are wasting energy when they could be doing something more productive. Take your time and do things right. My first year I have done things bad enough that hopefully I have learned at least a few lessons for next year.

Snow and Friends

The northern Virginia area received between a foot and two feet of snow last Saturday the 19th. It was a record snowfall for Washington DC in December. Since my bees are 77 miles from my house I haven't had a chance to check on them yet. It took us 3 days just to dig out! Hopefully they are warm and dry and the snow hasn't blocked the entrance. We rarely have that much snow on the ground and since my hives are on cinder blocks I sure didn't expect to be dealing with this problem this year. It has been sunny since the snow ended and my hive bodies are stained dark brown so hopefully the sun has melted the snow from the front of the hives.

I mentioned earlier that my wife Michele gave me the book Natural Beekeeping by Ross Conrad for my birthday. I have finally had a chance to start reading it. The first couple of chapters are his philosophical approach and how he became a beekeeper, which are intertwined. I have been a gardener since I was a kid and prefer to garden as naturally as possible. I don't use any non-organic pesticides or herbicides and use very little non-organic fertilizer. I am hoping this book will provide additional methods and ideas so I can perform my beekeeping in as natural a manner as possible while still maintaining healthy colonies. There are a couple of ideas that I might try like drilling a hole in the hive body to provide another exit and means of ventilation, especially if snow gets deep enough to cover the entrance. That's one that last year I would have read and not thought twice about. This year with 20 inches of snow on the ground it might stick in my mind!

We put on our Christmas cards this year that I had taken up beekeeping. We got back an email from Mike, my best friend from high school, that he is keeping 3 colonies! It is so funny how many people are either beekeepers or know someone who is. I can't wait to talk with him more and see his hives.

Unfortunately the snow prevented our trip to TN to see my family but we had a great Christmas anyway. I hope my readers had a wonderful holiday season.

Oh no!

Bright and sunny, low to mid 60s. A nice day after week of cloudy and rainy days.

The hive shims and baggie feeders have been in the hives for the last few weeks and I needed to get them out. Last weekend I had the flu so I didn't feel up to it. I had just made some bee candy and figured it would be good to see if they liked it. So I get to the hives and the bees are just pouring out. There are a bunch of them flying around the entrance. I expected them to be going a little crazy since the weather has been so bad but it didn't feel right. This still being my first year I'm still not sure when to trust my feelings.

It was a good thing I went out. I popped the top off Hive 1 and there was a pretty heavy layer of condensation on the inside of the telescoping cover. That's bad. Ventilation at this time of year is very important. Bees can be cold but they have to be dry. Hopefully it was just because it has been so wet that there has been a lot of extra moisture in the air and this hasn't been an on-going problem for the last few weeks. So I got out some newspaper and tried to blot away as much of the condensation as I could and removed the Ziploc. There were a lot of bees coming out of the mouse guard and there were a bunch in the top hive body that I could see so they didn't seem too adversely affected. There seems to be a pretty good population. I put in a little piece of the bee candy, put on the inner cover (reversed for winter), and then the telescoping cover. Between the inner and telescoping covers I put a little piece of wood I had in my bee bucket to get more ventilation going.

On to Hive 2. Same situation, except worse. There was even more condensation on the inside of the telescoping cover and a little puddle on the Ziploc. I did basically the same thing as Hive 1 except tried to make sure and get more of the condensation soaked up with the newspaper. Too bad I didn't have something better in my bee bucket but I would have had to run back to the camper for paper towels and didn't want to have the hives open that long.

I really wanted to make sure I was doing the right things so I climbed the mountain to get a cell signal and called my buddy Tom. He verified what I had done so I went back down the mountain and, couldn't help myself, I had to check if the bees liked the bee candy. I lifted the cover and there were bees all over it. I guess they liked it!

Old Smokey

It was my birthday back on the 22nd. There was a party at my parents-in-law house because there a lot of birthdays in the family during October. Normally this wouldn't be Hive Talking material except that my parents-in-law gave me an old smoker that my father-in-law found while traveling. It is pretty cool. It is heavy metal and if I got a new bellows and cleaned it up a little it looks like it would be perfectly usable. I think I am going to hang it in the house, though, next to a decorative bee tile my sister-in-law made.

I'm also pretty excited that Michele gave me the book Natural Beekeeping by Ross Conrad. I haven't had a chance to start reading it yet but I'm sure it will be interesting.