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Author Topic: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009  (Read 6089 times)

Offline JP

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Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« on: May 08, 2009, 01:42:36 am »
This little colony has the gentlest bees I have ever fooled with. They are pure pleasure. I'm hoping they do well and keep their disposition as they are candidates for grafting queens from.

After I was done I had to bring the key back and get paid by the realtor, who at that point tells me my competition gave her a price more than twice what I charged and they never even came out to give the price.

I was more than happy with what I charged BTW.

Pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/pyxicephalus/May72009?authkey=Gv1sRgCOjztez7mcOSWw#


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Offline annette

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2009, 01:46:36 am »
Are those rubber bands you have around those frames??  Is that enough to hold the combs nicely??

Offline 1reb

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2009, 09:32:56 pm »
nice cut out JP

Johnny

Offline JP

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2009, 09:45:25 pm »
Are those rubber bands you have around those frames??  Is that enough to hold the combs nicely??

Yes. The bees chew through the rubber bands and deposit them usually on the bottom board.  Sometimes you have to remove the bands but the bees really can care less.


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Online Kathyp

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2009, 09:47:00 pm »
or they build comb around them and they are still there 2 years later  :-).  either way, it's all good.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline JP

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2009, 09:52:59 pm »
or they build comb around them and they are still there 2 years later  :-).  either way, it's all good.

Exactly, the bees don't care or they do, either way, the main point is that hives are saved. Lately my cut outs have been removing bands and kicking them out.


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Offline G3farms

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2009, 10:37:37 pm »
That sure was a nice catch. Your pics made it look real easy.

Glad to hear you are giving your competion a run for their money.

Do you use a bee vac??   or just scoop them up??

G3
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

Offline JP

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2009, 11:17:23 pm »
I use the bee vac on most removals. Mainly to move excessive amounts of bees so I can see better what I'm doing and also to remove stragglers.

I also use it on swarms that have just moved into a cavity.


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Offline G3farms

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #8 on: May 08, 2009, 11:27:21 pm »
what kind of vac are you using?

have a pic of it?

I am building one like robo designed, i think it will work pretty good.

G3
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

Offline JP

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Offline Luckyparrot

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #10 on: May 09, 2009, 03:00:04 am »
 Hi JP,
I used the vaccum to capture the bees, but some how most of the bees are death, except a queen and about a hundred or so bees. Do you think a hundred bees are enough to start a colony?
 Thanks.
Andy

Offline JP

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #11 on: May 09, 2009, 07:42:55 am »
Andy, not all bee vacs are created equal. A couple of things worth mentioning.

One is, with any bee vac, you want the vacuum set to where the suction is just enough to pull them off and into the hose, if it is too great, install a regulator to adjust the air flow. I did this with my first bee vac that I purchased from Western bee supply. Its a powerful vac with a large capacity but I found it a little too powerful so I added a regulator that allowed me to adjust the suction strength.

Second, overcrowding the inner boxes of any bee vac will overheat and overstress bees, leading to a high mortality rate. Vacuum to capacity, then remove the inner box to a cool spot. If its very hot out, I vacuum to less than capacity, leaving a little extra room in the inner boxes, which gives them a little more breathing room.

Treat them as a package, particularly when its very warm out. If they will be in the inner box for a longer than anticipated period, spray (mist) them a little with water, a little sugar water misting is OK also. Sometimes when its very hot out, I'll also put a wet rag or towel over the box as well to cool things down a bit.

Thirdly, only vacuum bees, avoid like the plague vacuuming honey, this will cause the hose lining to become sticky, bees to become sticky and stressed and the environment inside the inner box to become messy and sticky thus stressing bees and leading to a high mortality rate.

One hundred bees and a queen could maybe squeak by for a short time with feeding but the odds of them surviving are slim to none with such few numbers. You need to bolster numbers, which is another subject we can cover next if you like.


...JP
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Offline annette

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #12 on: May 09, 2009, 12:56:48 pm »
I like that Walter Kelley bee vac.  Does this need a regulator also??

Offline JP

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #13 on: May 09, 2009, 04:23:53 pm »
I like that Walter Kelley bee vac.  Does this need a regulator also??

Annette, its a cute little thing isn't it? Its ready to go when you are without any modifications necessary.

It comes with 2 inner boxes, I purchased one extra so I'd have three.

I purchased a 750 watt inverter that you connect to your car battery which has come in very handy on jobs where there was no electricity.

Works like a charm and is much, much lighter than my other one.


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Offline annette

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #14 on: May 09, 2009, 11:45:35 pm »
Thanks JP for the info.  Perhaps someday, but something to keep in my mind.

Offline Luckyparrot

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #15 on: May 10, 2009, 02:52:48 am »
Jp, I didn't have a bees vac, so I just modified from a regular. I took some pics, but don't know how to upload it. Yes, I want to know how to bolster the pops !

Offline JP

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #16 on: May 10, 2009, 10:11:57 am »
Lucky, there are a couple of things you could do, but they do involve drawing resources from other colonies. Do you have other colonies or know someone that could help you bolster numbers from their own colonies?

Research combining colonies, and shaking bees to boost numbers. You can always switch hive locations as well with a stronger colony to pick up returning foragers.

If no other resources are available, condensing them into a very small set up could get them by with feeding of course. Something like a 3 frame medium nuc.


...JP
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Offline bailey

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #17 on: May 14, 2009, 09:02:19 pm »
i have the walter kelley bee vac as well, just love that thing!
it sure helps to have a great mentor like jp! he leads me down the right path every time and never dismisses my ideas! some he even likes :-D

bailey
most often i find my greatest source of stress to be OPS  ( other peoples stupidity )

It is better to keep ones mouth shut and be thought of as a fool than to open ones mouth and in so doing remove all doubt.

Offline JP

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #18 on: May 14, 2009, 10:01:54 pm »
I like most of your ideas Bailey, you know that. Thanks for the shrimp BTW, had them with speckled trout tonight!


...JP
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Offline G3farms

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Re: Oh So Gentle Little Colony, May 7, 2009
« Reply #19 on: May 14, 2009, 11:17:52 pm »
just keep bribing him with shrimp bailey, he will like all of your ideas.  :-D :-D

G3

those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

 

anything