I made a trip to Bjorn Apiaries Yesterday

[buzzbee]

Well as you all know the past winter was a brutal one . My colonies(only a few)did not make it until the weather broke.I had ordered packages to replace my losses but we can all guess what happened there this year!
So the next thing is putting swarm lure and bait hives out.Just as winter would not let go,spring turned quickly to summer( read dry and hot) so even though there were a lot of passers by,there was not any swarm action to speak of in my neighborhood,as a flow was virtually non existent in the amounts needed for a strong build up.
 I contacted Mike at Bjorn apiaries and he was able to fix me up with a couple of of nucs.My  wife and I drove down to Mikes home to pick up the nucs.
We got some nice looking bees and spent about 2 hours chatting and putting the nucs together.
 It was great to meet Mike and his children who were out playing in the yard when we got there.His daughter entertained my wife with tid bits of information about the farm animals and insect world( butterflies most notably) during the visit.
Before leaving,Mike invited us to the picnic they put on every year.If it works out,we will make the trip back that direction.
   So it was another great day meeting another forum member.
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[BlueBee]

Nice Report BuzzBee

Where’s Mike’s smoker :-D

Are you going to have time to build up a nuc at this point in PA before Winter sets in?

[buzzbee]

The smoker was close at hand and other than a puff while opening ,things were pretty calm.
I'm sure well get built enough with a little feeding and a fall flow if it rains. There are busy queens in the nucs.

[bud1]

do i see gloves on a queen breeder ?  But i know i see a full jacket and veil opening a nuke.

[Jim134]

do i see gloves on a queen breeder ?  But i know i see a full jacket and veil opening a nuke.

 :lau: :lau: :lau: :lau: :lau:


    BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

[BjornBee]

do i see gloves on a queen breeder ?  But i know i see a full jacket and veil opening a nuke.

Yep. However, I don't measure my manhood on some macho crap of whether I use gloves, wear a jacket, or other childish stuff. I also don't wear tights, a cape, and a halloween costume like your picture suggests.  :-D

Not knowing how the bees were going to act, on a cool morning, I usually slip on a jacket. Don't need any stings on this beautiful face. I'm glad I did after banging the box to get the rest of the bees out of the box....they were not very happy at that point.

But go ahead......suggest for all the beekeepers out there, especially the new folks.....you are a wussy if you wear gloves or a jacket. Grow a pair and be a man! Just like BUD!  :roll:

For the record, I'm not even sure if anyone had to wear protective gear this year at Bjorn Apiary classes. I usually don't wear a jacket.

See Buzz, this is the stuff we talked about. I was going to hold off a bit, as I thought tommyt would chime in and take a jab. I guess he is on vacation or perhaps he had his electricity turned off for some reason.  :shock:

Hey Buzzbee...nice meeting you. Hope to see you at the picnic. I had a great time chatting with you and your wife.  :)

[BjornBee]

Are you going to have time to build up a nuc at this point in PA before Winter sets in?

Just a few points....

No bee alive today, will go into winter. So it really comes down to building to the fall flow and having them in a position to do what is needed at that point. You only need a good 5-8 frames of brood being reared for about 60 days from the middle of August to the middle of October. If I have a 10 frame deep box loaded with bees raising enough bees in September, then I can supply enough feed to have them get through winter by simply placing 25 pounds of fondant on top of the inner cover. So it's not about having some defined amount of comb or honey. It's about having healthy brood, at least 10 frames of bees and honey, and not caring if they build beyond that.

I sure buzzbee's 4 to 5 frames plus, of capped brood will explode and build very nicely. His nucs will easily double with that much capped brood in the next 12 days. And they will be more than ready to build for winter.

[bee-nuts]

"I sure buzzbee's 4 to 5 frames plus, of capped brood will explode and build very nicely. His nucs will easily double with that much capped brood in the next 12 days. And they will be more than ready to build for winter."

They could still make some honey to harvest under the right conditions too.

[Vance G]

Many folks just don't seem to understand that commercial bee keepers have a whole different perspective.  Stings are a part of the trade, but one avoids them when one can.  Try unloading a semi of bees fresh up from the south with a couple funnel clouds visible ten miles away accross a valley and in the nineties.  Well you wear a full suit, but it is soon wet and everytime you bend, you find bees can sting right thru sweat wet coveralls!  I have had people try to punk me because I stated I have been heavily stung a number of times.  Well, the clue less unfortunately don't have to pay the price of admission!  They can just carp becasue people protect themselves!   

[buzzbee]

Gee,
It wasn't really a thread about needing protection or not.I was posting about my trip to visit Mike.
 I'm sorry if some needed to make it more than that.If using a smoker or wearing gloves when in the middle of the nuc yard when most of the occupants are still home is controversial,you should start your own thread on that subject.
I just wanted to share a nice day I had with other members,not start anything by it.Lighten up everyone!!
If and when I meet other members,I would like to be able to share my experience. But if it turns out this wayI may just have to keep it to my self. Which is not what I want to do.

[schawee]

thanks for posting this visit ken.glad yall had a great time.if you ever come down south in september you better have protection with you cause them gators get real tissy :-D       ......schawee

[gunner7888]

  I just looked up my notes from last yr.  I purchased 2 nucs from Mike on 7/26/10. They took off great and I actually got a couple pounds of honey from them that yr. They have  been very docile and great producers, 150 pounds of honey from those 2 hives, and this was not a great spring here. Some may like to poke at Mike, but from the short time we spoke, it was obvious, bees, beekeeping and getting the word out about bees are a passion with him, we could use more like him. I wish I could have spent more time talking to him, but I had a 4 hour drive back home.
  THANKS  MIKE

[bud1]

halloween  i guess you are refering to  the avitar that a verry good friend put up  i like it   wow defensive  guess it bothers you !
and vance, a funnel cloud of bees visible for 10 mi. wow   but then you said bees from the south;  recon they were some of mine looking fo the way back to the balmy south?

[JP]

Ken, glad you got you some bees and had a nice trip. Bud, I'm sure was just having a little fun with some light teasing, at least that's the way I see it.


...JP

[BjornBee]

Of course it's just teasing.  ;)

If I wanted any more than that, I would just read the crap sent to me from other websites where groupies hang out with members such as Heaf, Bernhard, etc.  :roll: I get jabs and hate mail from forums I don't even belong too!  :-D

This is nothing here on this site. Just friendly discussions.

Of course, some guy will be posting this on the other websites and my email account will go nuts for a day. WOOOOHOOOOO!  :devilbanana:

[GLOCK]

MIKES a great guy i got 3 nucs off him in June {made a 3 hour trip} and he's a good bee keeper and father from what i could tell.When i was there he only had on shorts open sneakers a bee jacket . He got stung a bunch of time  and never bitched i thought man that's crazy finely I'm like you want to go put on some pants and boots and he did but he is for sure a great bee keeper.
And my nucs are doing well and are very nice bee's there now moving into the top brood box that's been on for like a week  i have brood in the top brood box's of  all three hives so i know the queen is doing her job.
Last year was my first year and i bought package bee's and the one hive the queen quit laying so it died out and the other hive looked great going into winter but buy DEC. 20 my bee's where frozen. So i ordered nucs off BJORN [MIKE].
if you go to there web site you'll see he's put some work into he's bee's and there breed in the north witch I'm sure is a plus when it comes to getting them through the winter . Like i said this is only my second year and i know I'm still new at this but BJORN nucs are much nicer bee's then my package where and are doing much better.
I know I'm going to order 2 more nucs for next year even if my bee's make it thought this winter and i make splits  i still can fine room for two more hives.   KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK MIKE.   {from the guy from snow shoe that brought his doberman  and family with him}