Author Topic: Beekeeping. wow!! (Read 10356 times)

JP · « **Reply #20 on:** June 12, 2010, 07:26:20 am »

Quote from: givemeone on June 12, 2010, 03:42:11 am

Thanks for all the replies. We are working through our problems. 1 at a time. The advice/knowledge we get from the forum is very helpful and keeps us from worrying a whole bunch. The bees seem to be doing well..

I've never done this before, so if the majority thinks it is "normal" for a "nuc" colony to come with broken frames and hive beetles...then...so be it. If you think it shouldn't be a problem/issue for a complete beginner who has never dealt with bees before...then i respectfully disagree.

Also, although I know little about SHB...(learning more every day) I think it is very unlikely that we would have had this problem any time soon if they had not arrived with our bees. There is probably not another hive within 1 or 2 miles of our hive. I've never seen a creature similar to it in our garden.

No one is saying it is normal or even acceptable to buy equipment such as you did with a broken frame. If this made you uncomfortable, take it up with the supplier, whose interest should be in satisfying you. Ask them to send you another frame that is in perfectly good shape and swap this one out with the broken one. It is unfortunate this occurred but whenever you are dealing with humans, mistakes are part of the equation. Responsible humans do their very best to correct their mistakes.

With all due respect, in the future, if you have a problem with a supplier, please take it up with them, and work it out amongst yourselves.

"Also, although I know little about SHB...(learning more every day) I think it is very unlikely that we would have had this problem any time soon if they had not arrived with our bees. There is probably not another hive within 1 or 2 miles of our hive. I've never seen a creature similar to it in our garden. "

OK, so you have seen a few shbs, a fact of life if you're a beekeeper. Try not to panic. Just to let you know, Every hive I have ever run across has at least a few, some more than a few, some much more than that. I see them even in swarms I've shook. This little beetle is opportunistic. A healthy, strong and vibrant honey bee colony can handle some living amongst them.

You mentioned the bees seem to be doing fine, well, there you go.

Welcome to bee keeping.

...JP

MustbeeNuts · « **Reply #21 on:** June 12, 2010, 09:10:26 am »

Hi, my take is everyone has a few beetles in the box, its a fact of nature, yes even a nice new nuke has them, and you will find that packages can also arrive with that friendly little beetle. As a hive grows in strength they chase the beetles aways. Yes I can see dissapointment in a broken frame. And yes you should expect good equipement. But I can say frames can and do come apart easily. glue lets go,,nails pull out. Those nasty bees will propalis them so hard glue just cant stand a chance. I have a few frames that come apart every inspection, my fix is to replace it when the brood hatches. a small loss of eggs but its gone/ Around here there are Nucs going for up to 150.00 so to me 113. is a great price.
I would think by now you would have transfered it to a standard hive, that would be your chance to make the change, just shake the bees off and replace with a new frame. Your going to need to buy frames and supers anyway?
This is my third year, and there is always some gliche in keeping bees, some of which you are experiencing now. There will be more. Once you take it all in stride its a lot more fun. Its only as rewarding as you make it. As far as the other hives being a couple miles away. Remember the monarch butterfly, it migrates to central america every year. I think a beetle should be able to make it a couple miles. :)

scdw43 · « **Reply #22 on:** June 12, 2010, 11:38:59 pm »

Get some tightbond III glue, the next time the frame pulls up squirt some on the end bar and push the two together the frame is fixed in 2 hours. As far as SHB's go, keep the hive strong with plenty of bees to cover the drawn frames. SHB's are not interested in foundation, no place to hide.

givemeone · « **Reply #23 on:** June 13, 2010, 12:30:15 am »

I appreciate everybody's help. Sorry if I came off as some sort of "whiner..." which I guess I did although that was not my intention. Most of the replies to this thread have been extremely helpful and makes me worry less about the problems we've encountered. A couple were less than helpful, so I felt the need to respond. In retrospect.....

So, a lot of the things I'm dealing with are normal. I didn't realize that when I created this post. Sorry if it bothered some folks. But, none of this is covered in "beekeeping for dummies." Small Hive beetles are talked about and it suggests contacting your State Apiary Inspector....therefore, I figured that beetles were a "big" problem. Now I know better. The broken frame is on it's way out...just really busy with bees right now.

And...we talked to our supplier about the condition of our "nuc..." I guess we disagree.

givemeone · « **Reply #24 on:** June 13, 2010, 12:40:05 am »

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givemeone · « **Reply #25 on:** June 13, 2010, 12:59:42 am »

Broken frame.

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givemeone · « **Reply #26 on:** June 13, 2010, 01:13:42 am »

Weirdness. This broke off on inspection #2. this was the biggest "Disaster." This was some "extra" comb that was attached to a frame that was already drawn out. I messed up and left only 9 frames in the hive body when I initially installed the nuc...I guess this is what bees do with extra space. As I pulled the frame out, the entire piece broke off and fell into the hive. I had no idea what to do, so I pulled it out. And then we spent the next 15 minutes scooping/coaxing bees off of this and into the hive. We didn't want to lose our queen so we spent a lot of time combing through the grass and returning bees....

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givemeone · « **Reply #27 on:** June 13, 2010, 01:38:27 am »

Success????

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elusive · « **Reply #28 on:** June 13, 2010, 01:44:30 am »

Disaster, disaster, disaster. Frames cost about a dollar. That one can be fixed very easily, and if it's such a problem, you are in the wrong business. This is not a perfect world. Things break. Things are not perfect. Disaster, disaster, disaster. You have NOTHING to fret about. Nobody died. Nobody repossessed your home. If this is the most serious "disaster" you have in your life you are a very sheltered person. If such a tiny thing is a "disaster" I would certainly not want to sell anything to you.

Note from Beemaster

Although I see this "person" being permanently banned,he has been banned 10 days by Buzzbee. Let's see what pearls of wisdom comes out his mouth when he gets back - personally, I can't wait to ban his attitude. If life is bringing him hardships, don't take it out here on the members. If you can't keep attitudes at bay, stay away from here.

This to other new members is NOT the way to post here, just letting this post hang up like a poster child for WHAT NOT TO DO for a while, but don't expect this poster to be around long.

givemeone · « **Reply #29 on:** June 13, 2010, 01:46:26 am »

Comb that broke off from previous pics..while it was still attached.

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Our unhappy "hot" bees this evening.......at around midnight. I wonder how they choose who gets stuck outside?

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givemeone · « **Reply #30 on:** June 13, 2010, 01:53:40 am »

Quote from: elusive on June 13, 2010, 01:44:30 am

Disaster, disaster, disaster. Frames cost about a dollar. That one can be fixed very easily, and if it's such a problem, you are in the wrong business. This is not a perfect world. Things break. Things are not perfect. Disaster, disaster, disaster. You have NOTHING to fret about. Nobody died. Nobody repossessed your home. If this is the most serious "disaster" you have in your life you are a very sheltered person. If such a tiny thing is a "disaster" I would certainly not want to sell anything to you.

Yet another internet jerk. Wow! Ok. I never expected this many on a beekeeping forum. So...maybe not a disaster. I've never kept bees before. I certainly didn't expect the frame to break the first time I pulled it out of a box. I guess somebody as "worldly" as yourself would have just shrugged it off. Me, I was worried about killing bees...or a swarm of pee'd off bees. Maybe not likely, but not an unreasonable thing to worry about the first time you look into your hive. So much for family friendly...lot of jerks on here. Yeah, frames are cheap. So, I'll take this frame, toss it to the side, and insert "new..." nice..genius.
I'm starting to think that a lot of the folks who post on here are people who work for companies that sell sub-standard products. and then rag on those who might complain on a public forum.

Bee Happy · « **Reply #31 on:** June 13, 2010, 02:06:20 am »

with all the brood you have on that broken frame, I'd put up with it till they hatch - it looks like in spite of the problems - by that pic - your queen is a goer! It might explain why they didnt throw it out too - I bet the other side is just as full of brood. Your biggest problem is soon to be having enough room for all the bees.
You found a very good place to seek advice in spite of the occasional cranky member; I'll second the local mentor advice too - can't possibly hurt. I have a potential mentor down the street from me, but I don't like asking him down much because he's got a few physical problems. It's good to know I have someone to call on if I need someone to put eyes right on the situation though.

givemeone · « **Reply #32 on:** June 13, 2010, 02:15:06 am »

Quote from: Bee Happy on June 13, 2010, 02:06:20 am

with all the brood you have on that broken frame, I'd put up with it till they hatch - it looks like in spite of the problems - by that pic - your queen is a goer! It might explain why they didnt throw it out too - I bet the other side is just as full of brood. Your biggest problem is soon to be having enough room for all the bees.
You found a very good place to seek advice in spite of the occasional cranky member; I'll second the local mentor advice too - can't possibly hurt. I have a potential mentor down the street from me, but I don't like asking him down much because he's got a few physical problems. It's good to know I have someone to call on if I need someone to put eyes right on the situation though.

Thanks, I'll post pics and just ask for advice from now on. I guess my attempt at humour/melodrama...while not intending to be a b****ch session certainly seems to have touched a nerve with folks. I belong to/post on several forums. The hostility here really surprised me. But, after some research, I'm beginning to see the actual cause. Lots of hobbyists on here that aren't.

givemeone · « **Reply #33 on:** June 13, 2010, 02:20:48 am »

Quote from: Bee Happy on June 13, 2010, 02:06:20 am

with all the brood you have on that broken frame, I'd put up with it till they hatch - it looks like in spite of the problems - by that pic - your queen is a goer! It might explain why they didnt throw it out too - I bet the other side is just as full of brood. Your biggest problem is soon to be having enough room for all the bees.
You found a very good place to seek advice in spite of the occasional cranky member; I'll second the local mentor advice too - can't possibly hurt. I have a potential mentor down the street from me, but I don't like asking him down much because he's got a few physical problems. It's good to know I have someone to call on if I need someone to put eyes right on the situation though.

Can anyone explain why the comb on some of the frames is black?

wd · « **Reply #34 on:** June 13, 2010, 02:58:42 am »

Quote from: givemeone on June 13, 2010, 02:20:48 am

Quote from: Bee Happy on June 13, 2010, 02:06:20 am
with all the brood you have on that broken frame, I'd put up with it till they hatch - it looks like in spite of the problems - by that pic - your queen is a goer! It might explain why they didnt throw it out too - I bet the other side is just as full of brood. Your biggest problem is soon to be having enough room for all the bees.
You found a very good place to seek advice in spite of the occasional cranky member; I'll second the local mentor advice too - can't possibly hurt. I have a potential mentor down the street from me, but I don't like asking him down much because he's got a few physical problems. It's good to know I have someone to call on if I need someone to put eyes right on the situation though.

Can anyone explain why the comb on some of the frames is black?

It turns darker with age

givemeone · « **Reply #35 on:** June 13, 2010, 03:11:04 am »

thanks..I did not know that. :)

iddee · « **Reply #36 on:** June 13, 2010, 09:03:44 am »

I notice that Elusive's post was his first. With an attitude like that, I have to wonder if he came here after being ran off from other sites. I see no reason to ever introduce yourself in such a manner.

Givemeone, hang around awhile and you will find most members are friendly and helpful. We all started at one time or other, and likely asked a few questionable questions at the time.

Irwin · « **Reply #37 on:** June 13, 2010, 09:49:47 am »

Quote from: elusive on June 13, 2010, 01:44:30 am

Disaster, disaster, disaster. Frames cost about a dollar. That one can be fixed very easily, and if it's such a problem, you are in the wrong business. This is not a perfect world. Things break. Things are not perfect. Disaster, disaster, disaster. You have NOTHING to fret about. Nobody died. Nobody repossessed your home. If this is the most serious "disaster" you have in your life you are a very sheltered person. If such a tiny thing is a "disaster" I would certainly not want to sell anything to you.

What is your problem givemeone is a new member with a problem and asked for help and info that was all. And for your first post your off to a bad start.

JP · « **Reply #38 on:** June 13, 2010, 10:02:09 am »

Givemeone, you did right by removing that piece of comb, it just would have made for a big mess inside the hive. Bees are so resourceful they would have used that fallen piece by repairing it the best they could but creating an unworkable mess for you.

I can tell you care about your bees immensely as you were diligent in placing them back into the hive.

In looking at the 2ND to last pic, it appears the bees weren't too fond of that frame/foundation. Perhaps it was an older frame that had a thin or even no wax coating. Sometimes bees can be a little particular when it comes to plastic foundation. Instead of drawing from the imprinted cells of that frame, they created their own comb section (the one that fell down).

I would replace this frame (if they continue to build outwards on that frame) with one of your bees wax foundation/wood frames that I see pictured, they should take to those just fine.

I mentioned taking things up with the supplier as opposed to publicly bashing them without giving them the opportunity to rectify the situation. Its the right thing to do.

Now, if a supplier is uncooperative and gives pitiful customer service, we would like to be warned about that kind of dealing.

The response from this "Elusive" person is not typical of the member's posts on this forum. Please ignore that person's post.

Sounds like you have the makings of becoming an excellent bee keeper.

Stick with us, we really are here to help and we do have your best interest at heart.

...JP

BjornBee · « **Reply #39 on:** June 13, 2010, 10:25:30 am »

givemeone,

Not all think that nucs (or at least all hives) have SHB. And I don't think that it should be acceptable to think that you should be getting them in nucs..

The comb in your picture is crap! It certainly is old enough (Looks way too black to me) that chemical buildup and hive health would certainly be an issue.

The broken frame is way out of line.

The pieced together nuc, (One frame of black, one frame of plastic, one frame broken, etc.) is about the worst nuc I ever seen. Don't let a bunch of others tell you that this is the best you can expect. You bought crap. Shame on the supplier.

And this is the type nuc, that once bought by an unsuspecting new beekeeper, that does not maintain the same regiment of treatment as the beekeeper from which the nuc came from, means the likelyhood of AFB exists.

Sorry guys, givemeone got taken. And the bee industry should expect better than this. No excuse for a nuc like that. Period.