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Author Topic: My bees are all dead... again  (Read 9968 times)

Offline greenbtree

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #20 on: March 09, 2011, 01:23:56 pm »
Sean, all my bees died this year too.  I had eight during the summer, now zero.  Also having some health issues and health issues with my one son.  Life can suck.  When my bees were here nothing made me happier.  They were a great stress reliever for me.  I am dropping business cards everywhere to try to get swarms this spring.  I could afford to order one package which I did, won't get it until May though.  Hopefully someone can get some bees your way.  Maybe someone who wants to get into bees can hook up with you to collect swarms - use your equipment to start or something, and share the bees.  Are there free advertising papers in your area that you could stick an ad in?  Check out my signature - the song is "The Mary Ellen Carter" by Stan Rogers, find it on the net and listen to it.

JC
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"Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken, or life about to end.  No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend, like the Mary Ellen Carter rise again!"

Offline Acebird

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #21 on: March 09, 2011, 02:25:31 pm »
Quote
I've been very strict with my diet and have been able to control it with diet and exercise alone, which most people can not.

Kudos to you Sean.

As a truck driver you deserve an award.  That occupation is got to be the hardest occupation I can think of for controlling diet and exercise.  Do not give up the bees even if they keep dying.  If the bees died because you made a mistake learn what that mistake was and try not to repeat it.  The bees occupy your time, give you exercise and are the best sweetener that you could possibly eat.  You need them, and they need you.  Don’t give up.

The only other advice I can give you is to grow your own food, process as much as you can of it and make your own bread.  Avoid all restaurant food that you can.  That is going to be very difficult being a truck driver.  But any time you eat the food that you prepare it will be healthier than whatever food is prepared for you.  Prepackaged foods and fast foods are deadly for a diabetic.  You probably already know that.
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #22 on: March 13, 2011, 12:37:19 am »
Sean, sorry to hear about your bees and being diagnosed with type ll.  Both my parents were type ll as were a host of cousins, aunts, and uncles.  I was doomed before I was born.  Honey is actually the best type of sweetener a diabetic can consume.  It breaks down in the system much easier than other sugars, meaning it requires less insulin to process.

About your bees, if you can make it up here in May I can set you up with a couple nucs of Russians.  Just beware that I use all medium equipment.  PM me if you're interested.
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Offline Apis_M_Rescue

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #23 on: March 13, 2011, 01:40:59 am »
I'm a newer bee keep & rescuer but if this wet snowy winter dropped all this H20, flora & fauna will be in high gear this spring. You can bait old hives as was mentioned w/ lemon grass on q-tips (make your own solution w/ chopped up lemon grass & vodka/olive oil, I do) & old wax & even make your own scrap wood/plywood swarm lure traps. I've even made styrofoam Jenny Craig coolers into Top Bar swarm lure traps & caught a few "free" colonies.

Being spring here already 3weeks in southern California, 3 of my dead out hives had swarms move in last week. You may think your w/o bees but the bees have other plans despite your valid concerns. Look forward to hearing of your honey harvests in 2011. If you build/bait swarm lure traps & hives the bees will come.

Jenny Craig Styro Swarm Lure Trap.

Cheers, David
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Offline Acebird

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #24 on: March 13, 2011, 12:30:05 pm »
Quote
Honey is actually the best type of sweetener a diabetic can consume.


I am trying to get my siblings to understand that too.  They have type II, I don't along with all the other problems that go along with it.  My brother just got a pair of knees for Christmass.  The doctor wouldn't do both until he lost 60 pounds.  I am proud of him loosing the weight.  But now I can ask him what is easier getting healthy or staying healthy.
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Offline Sean Kelly

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #25 on: May 12, 2011, 08:58:35 pm »
Well I've taken all your advise and got lemon grass oil in all the old dead hives.  Wasn't able to afford new packaged bees in time, so I missed out this year.  I usually get tons of swarm calls every spring and summer, so I've got my fingers crossed.
Thanks for all your support, you guys are awesome.

Sean Kelly
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Offline Apis_M_Rescue

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #26 on: May 14, 2011, 03:04:13 am »
Hope swarms issuing soon up there & your swarm lures have enough volume to catch good sized colonies. This year seems cooler so far than last & w/ more moisture than last even in southern California. Our drought was finally declared non existant! Mosquito's are a buzzing toward the eves already.

Was reading "Honeybee Democracy" by Thomas Seeley & he has info on his swarm catch boxes & swarm observations. He has this series of video shorts about swarm intricacies on this Science Friday site:

Thomas Seeley Science Friday Swarm Video Series
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Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.  Proverbs 16:24

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #27 on: May 16, 2011, 04:46:57 pm »
Quote from: Sean Kelly on May 12, 2011, 08:58:35 pm
Well I've taken all your advise and got lemon grass oil in all the old dead hives.  Wasn't able to afford new packaged bees in time, so I missed out this year.  I usually get tons of swarm calls every spring and summer, so I've got my fingers crossed.
Thanks for all your support, you guys are awesome.

Sean Kelly

My fingers have developed to much arthritis to do much pick'n and grin'n any more but I can still do bees.  I'm cranking up my queen castle this week, if the sun break comes like Steve Pool says it will, and so will be developing nucs.  If you want so bees let me know (PM) I'll be able to trade out a limited number.
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Offline L Daxon

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #28 on: May 16, 2011, 11:27:34 pm »
Sean,
Wish I lived close to you.  I would go catch swarms for you while you were out on the road.  If you are going to be trucking through Oklahoma City any time soon on your way back home I would set you up with a nuc (medium equipment) to take back to Washington.  No beekeep should have to go beeless for a season.  Just ain't right.
Good luck, buddy.
Linda D.
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Offline Sean Kelly

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #29 on: May 17, 2011, 09:47:20 am »
Brian, gunna have to pass on the Nucs.  Would love a couple, but I don't have any medium equipment.  Plus with the cost of fuel right now, my old Wagoneer or 71 GMC would cost me an arm and 2 legs just to get up to your place.  I've never had russians before and if you're doin nuc's next year I might have to arrange something with ya.

Linda, thankfully I don't drive long haul any more.  I drive locally for a gas tanker outfit.  So I wont be in OK City anytime soon.  But thank you for the offer.

Usually by now I would have had a couple swarm calls, but the weather has been so darn wet up here.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Sean Kelly
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Offline snmyork

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #30 on: May 17, 2011, 09:47:49 am »
Sean,

Do not give up. I have been keeping bees for four years also and this year is the first I have had a hive make it through the winter. This will also be the first year to harvest honey. My wife is what they consider pre-diabetic and has to watch what she eats. I was going to give myself last year but a beekeeper friend encouraged me not to. It does take patience and learning with mistakes. I have learned a lot from everyone here.

Stephen
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Offline AliciaH

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #31 on: May 17, 2011, 12:06:58 pm »
Hopefully, this will be the week, Sean!  Sunny until the weekend.  Can't you just hear all those little voices whispering, "Soon....we get to fly soon....!" 
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Offline Sean Kelly

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #32 on: May 17, 2011, 01:27:26 pm »
Quote from: AliciaH on May 17, 2011, 12:06:58 pm
Hopefully, this will be the week, Sean!  Sunny until the weekend.  Can't you just hear all those little voices whispering, "Soon....we get to fly soon....!" 

Yeah, Kelly Rippa was just complaining on TV about how the weather is supposed to rain all week in NYC. I also just heard on the local news that Wester Washington hasn't had 4 dry days in a row for over 6 months now. She has no room to complain!  I love living in the wet Washington, but I've never seen this much water.  Unless I get swarm calls today, I'm still in a pickle cause I gota go back to work tomorrow.  My swarm catching days are mon-tues.  Most of my calls I get are on the weekend, when of course I'm at work.
The last swarm I successfully caught, I actually left the hospital right after my wife gave birth to our 3 year old!  Ran out, caught the bees, threw them in a empty hive at home, and ran back to the hopsital before my wife even woke up!

Sean Kelly
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Offline Sean Kelly

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #33 on: June 14, 2011, 01:26:09 pm »
HOLY COW!!!!  Good news folks!!!
Went out to the bee yard to go clean out the dead hives and weed eat the pen to get it ready to house my new turkeys, when I noticed a lot of insect activity coming from one of the hives.  Figured it was flies and other bugs eating the dead bees and left over honey.  But when I got closer, I could see they were actually honeybees!  At some point a very large swarm moved into the dead hive and were in process of cleaning house!  Did an inspection and sure enough, there are eggs!  The ball of dead moldy bees are still there, so I pulled those frames and scrapped them clean.  Also cleaned off the pile of dead from the bottom board.
This was a week ago.
Then yesterday my wife pointed out that there was activity from one of my other dead hives.  That one also has left over honey from the previous season, so I assumed that the activity was just from the first hive robbing.  Nope!!!  Another swarm moved in!!!
So now I'm back!!!!!  WHOO HOOO!!!  And I didn't have to do anything!!!

Sean Kelly
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"My son,  eat  thou honey,  because it is good;  and the honeycomb,  which is sweet  to thy taste"          - Proverbs 24:13

Offline Acebird

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #34 on: June 14, 2011, 01:44:15 pm »
Are you going to patent that technique? :-D
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Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #35 on: June 14, 2011, 05:40:18 pm »
Quote from: Sean Kelly on June 14, 2011, 01:26:09 pm
And I didn't have to do anything!!!
Sean Kelly

Except provide the swarm with a cozy home complete with honey and the smell of lemongrass oil.  And that's all they needed.   :-D
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Offline AliciaH

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #36 on: June 14, 2011, 08:08:05 pm »
Congrats, Sean!  What a wonderful way to catch swarms -- have them come to you!

Cheers!
Alicia H.
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Offline Jim134

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #37 on: June 14, 2011, 09:19:20 pm »
Quote from: Sean Kelly on June 14, 2011, 01:26:09 pm
HOLY COW!!!!  Good news folks!!!
Went out to the bee yard to go clean out the dead hives and weed eat the pen to get it ready to house my new turkeys, when I noticed a lot of insect activity coming from one of the hives.  Figured it was flies and other bugs eating the dead bees and left over honey.  But when I got closer, I could see they were actually honeybees!  At some point a very large swarm moved into the dead hive and were in process of cleaning house!  Did an inspection and sure enough, there are eggs!  The ball of dead moldy bees are still there, so I pulled those frames and scrapped them clean.  Also cleaned off the pile of dead from the bottom board.
This was a week ago.
Then yesterday my wife pointed out that there was activity from one of my other dead hives.  That one also has left over honey from the previous season, so I assumed that the activity was just from the first hive robbing.  Nope!!!  Another swarm moved in!!!
So now I'm back!!!!!  WHOO HOOO!!!  And I didn't have to do anything!!!

Sean Kelly

 8-) good to see you got bees


       BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
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Offline T Beek

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #38 on: June 15, 2011, 04:51:31 pm »
Cool...and....told ya so ;)

thomas
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Offline Apis_M_Rescue

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Re: My bees are all dead... again
« Reply #39 on: June 18, 2011, 04:55:19 pm »
Congrats & a jumping HIGH FIVE Sean!

These west coast honey bees sending out the word, open hives to bee had for cheap rent,lol. If you build it the bees will comb :).
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Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.  Proverbs 16:24
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