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Author Topic: Working bees at night  (Read 9037 times)

Offline patook

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Working bees at night
« on: April 26, 2009, 01:30:31 am »
Other then the fact that there are more bees in the hive, what are the downside of working bees at night?

It is currently 75 deg at night and I can get light where my hives are.

 

Offline dhood

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Re: Working bees at night
« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2009, 01:42:24 am »
At night they like to crawl up your pants legs. :roll: Dont ask how I know that.

Offline hankdog1

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Re: Working bees at night
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2009, 02:14:23 am »
Well you would be crazy to do it because bees use the sun in relation to landmarks to forage during the day.  No sun means your light will trick them to flying off into the darkness to never find thier way back because of no sun and they can't see any landmarks.  Why would you want to be to cruel to your girls?  That being said if you want them to work at nite your gonna have to move to Alaska. 
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Offline patook

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Re: Working bees at night
« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2009, 03:27:28 am »
Thanks for the advice. The hive was queenless and hurting and a friend got me a queen today but she had no attendants and I didn't want to wait any longer. I put her in and all seemed well.  I hope any bees that flew off will find their way back in the morning.

Offline JP

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Re: Working bees at night
« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2009, 04:22:58 am »
It all depends on the colonies you are trying to work at night. Some are more workable than others. We in fact went through a hive tonight, frame by frame.

Hint: white lights not ok, light clothing not ok, red light ok.


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Offline tlynn

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Re: Working bees at night
« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2009, 05:52:41 am »
In my experience opening a hive at night is asking for trouble, at least if it's a strong hive as in my case.  Bees seem to be particularly irritated when disturbed at night and march up your arms and legs and cling and sting.  For me it was sort of like sticking my hands into a fire ant nest.  Then once you're done you'll bring dozens of bees in the house or vehicle with you unless you have somebody else to brush them all off.  Unless your veil is zippered or tied down tight, you'll likely get a visitor or two in there.  Maybe a red light like JP mentioned helps, which I didn't use, but once was plenty.  In the future the only time I am going to touch a hive at night is to move it.

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Working bees at night
« Reply #6 on: April 26, 2009, 06:55:17 am »
I don't recommend it.  ALL the bees are home and they won't fly, they will cling and crawl and not be in a good mood.
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Offline asprince

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Re: Working bees at night
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2009, 11:01:06 am »
Bees are like my wife, they do not like to be disturbed at night! I helped some friends move an old hive at night once. About half way to the truck a hole opened in the rotten hive. All I was doing was holding the light. They ate us up, especially me! 

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Offline pdmattox

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Re: Working bees at night
« Reply #8 on: April 26, 2009, 01:08:12 pm »

We used no veil, only red lights , opened a double ten frame box full of bees and manipulated every frame in the box. 5 stings between all of us and the bees were not runny. This is something that can be done if needed. Just think you might need to do it one night for some reason or another. what if moving hives and one dumps and falls over and spills out. What are you gonna do? fix it now or wait till tomarrow?

Offline hankdog1

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Re: Working bees at night
« Reply #9 on: April 26, 2009, 01:31:13 pm »
boy i wasn't thinking last nite hehehe i didn't realize ya wanted to go into the hive  :-D
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Working bees at night
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2009, 02:20:43 pm »
I have gone out to get queens out of a queen bank in the dark.  But then they aren't that strong and I'm that desperate.  :)
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Working bees at night
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2009, 11:22:57 pm »
Oh the foibles of youth!

My older brother, being my older brother, decided that he knew more about beekeeping than I did after I'd been teaching him for most of the summer ( I was still busy learning from my mentor).  He decided that he wanted to harvest the honey off of one of the hives at night so the bees wouldn't bother him.  Also, being my older brother, he had a tendency not to listen to what I was telling him.

S,o against my advice, he opened the hive, propped the top super on it's side and began smoking the bees out of the super.  From my spot on my grandmothers back porch I watched as a swarm of bees began walking out of the hive entrance, made a circle around to the back of the hive and divided into 2 branches.  One branch of bees went up the left leg and the other branch of bees went up the right leg.  When he moved he got stung from his hip pockets to his shoe tops, down both legs.

It was one the funniest things I've seen in my life, and the fact it happened because my older brother wouldn't listen to his younger brother made it even funnier with a smidgen of revenge tossed in.  I had to go back in the morning and harvest the honey and the bees were still hot.  This is a hive I used to go into in my bathing suit or inspect while I was doing my paper route as my grandmother's house was about a mile from our house.

When I say a swarm of bee that's what I mean, the bees walked in a thick swath, like the do when when a swarm walks into a hive. 
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Offline sc-bee

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Re: Working bees at night
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2009, 12:23:07 am »
Yea, I was one of the five stings out of seven people. If my sleeves had been long, no sting for me. Wouldn't want to do intense work that way or pull honey but Alan proved it is feasible to do an inspection if absolutely necessary. There was a technique, I think a link may possibly be posted later?
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