Orientation Flights MOVIE

[jojoroxx]

taleof2hives

This first movie "tale of two hives" compares my two hives. The sound of one, alerted me from across the yard!

lookatallthosebees
The second one, " Look at all those bees!" is just more of the crazed hive. Crazy!

[Cindi]

Jojoroxx.  Again, nice videography.  Just a thought here, take it for what it is worth.  Sometimes when there are two colonies and one is extremely much stronger than the other colony, some thoughts may be to take some brood and adhering bees from the stronger hive to give to the weaker hive.  When the nectar flow begins to slow down, a strong hive may sometimes rob a weaker hive of their honey stores and that could lead to disaster.  Not meaning to sound negative, but keeping colonies as equal as possible is a good thing to do.  Have a wonderful and most beautiful day, Cindi

[jojoroxx]

You're so sweet; must be all the honey! :-*

Bees are funny little buggers. The appearance and activity of my hives seems to change hourly. Often my "weak - or smaller" hive will be up early, and busy as anything while the other hive appears to be sleeping in. Then, come afternoon, they seem about equal in traffic - until one of them takes up with the unnerving orientation dance. The baby hive has pulled this same act, flying around like anything and acting for all the world like they will fly away!

Maybe they have. I don't know...hope not.

Both hives seem really strong right now, and everyday they are carrying in loads of pollen and seem to still be heavy with nectar. By the way, how much pollen is too much? My strong hive has over 5 frames, front and back, FULL of pollen and pollen cake. Seems like a lot...

Thanks for your great energy on the forum.

re: some thoughts may be to take some brood and adhering bees from the stronger hive to give to the weaker hive.  No way, i am afraid to rob brood!!.....What if i take the queen as well, by accident? And how will THAT hive feel about losing some of their young?  What if taking the brood weakens that hive? Now that i know i can include the bees that are on the frame it almost seems doable but for now, sorry, just not there - yet.

Full report after next inspection.

[Cindi]

Jojoroxx.  Thank you for those kinds words  :) :).  When I was referring to a weak and strong colony, I meant a colony that was about 1/2 the strength of the stronger colony, that would be when I would equalize those two colonies.  Have you been in your colonies enough that you can easily find the queen?  I haven't heard yet if you have (or maybe I just didn't listen).  When you feel comfortable that you can find the queen, then you could take a frame of brood and adhering bees to give to another colony for strengthening.  That is what I say.  Sometimes when I want to remove a frame of brood I just look the frame over and over and over, feeling comfortable that the queen is not on that frame.  There may be more simple ways to move a frame of brood and adhering bees.

Sometimes people shake the bees GENTLY (so as not to dislodge the brood in their cells or harm them) off, place a queen excluder on the colony and add another box (temporarily).  The frame of brood would have not many bees on it, the bees will immediately climb through the excluder to cover the brood.  That is a way that may seem a little work, but that ensures that there is no queen on the brood, then this frame of adhering bees and brood could be placed within a weaker colony for strengthening.

No.....the colony that the brood was taken from does not "miss" their young.  That is putting human emotion into a bug, hee, hee.  Have that most wonderful and beautiful day, Cindi