Author Topic: OMG...Can't wait until spring (Read 7716 times)

dennis2021 · « **on:** February 09, 2011, 09:53:19 pm »

It has been a long winter :'(. I know, I know...we have no winter here, sorry for crying. It has just been so quiet this winter. I can't wait to start getting to work again, this will be my first full year and I am more excited than ever about doing some cut-outs this coming year. Maybe I can even get Scott(Hardwood) to make me a bee-vac.

AllenF · « **Reply #1 on:** February 09, 2011, 10:02:12 pm »

I can't wait either. We got stinking snow coming tonight. At least the bees got to fly today when the sun came out for a few minutes.

JP · « **Reply #2 on:** February 09, 2011, 10:15:00 pm »

I will hopefully be doing cut outs after this next front comes through. I'm really hoping its the last one of the year. I have about a dozen cut outs scheduled, a few with multiple colonies.

I can hardly wait!

...JP

lmtfi · « **Reply #3 on:** February 09, 2011, 11:21:02 pm »

Wow - sounds like you have them lined up like planes waiting to land!

JP · « **Reply #4 on:** February 10, 2011, 10:44:11 am »

Quote from: lmtfi on February 09, 2011, 11:21:02 pm

Wow - sounds like you have them lined up like planes waiting to land!

After a certain point we even get too cold down here to do removals, so I have people wait until spring, so yes, I have people waiting.

Please update your profile if you don't mind to include your location.

Thanks!

...JP

greenbtree · « **Reply #5 on:** February 11, 2011, 12:00:14 am »

Stinking snow? How about stinking -20? That's what we had last night. My bees have had no break to fly since November. I lost two of my last 5 hives. Pant, pant, pant... o.k., I'm done venting now...
COME ON SPRING! COME ON SWARMS! 8-)

J.C.

jmblakeney · « **Reply #6 on:** February 11, 2011, 12:43:19 am »

I am the same way. This will be my first year beekeeping for myself. I have been planning and preparing since fall. Yes, this has been a long winter. But, I did see the daffodils coming up in my yard this week so spring is near. Woohoo....

gardeningfireman · « **Reply #7 on:** February 11, 2011, 10:12:08 am »

Normally I would see the dafs coming up about now, too. But this year there is too much ice and snow on the ground. Not to mention the 0 degree temperatures! :'(

Highlandsfreedom · « **Reply #8 on:** February 11, 2011, 10:24:13 am »

Me eather!! :-D I had to get rid of my girls up in Colorado and move down here in June I have been bee less since then. I have 2 packages coming in March so I hope this is the last cold front as well I have a few cutouts to do myself. Hope everyone has a productive spring and summer and may the swarms bee plentiful.

AllenF · « **Reply #9 on:** February 11, 2011, 08:37:11 pm »

The daffodils have broken the ground here, but only just an inch high. May hit 60 tomorrow. 23 when we wake up and hit the mud in the morning riding. Still bad cold. We are going to be pushing spring tomorrow afternoon.

schawee · « **Reply #10 on:** February 12, 2011, 12:14:44 am »

the red maples are in full bloom now, but the weather down here with this last front is in the mid 20s.today the bees were flying this evening but it will get back to the 20s tonite.have some cutouts lined up .next week will be in the uper 60's to low 70's.come on spring :piano: ...schawee

bud1 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 12, 2011, 06:50:26 am »

bruce, the maples budding out here, figure on this little warm up this week, they will pop

dean0 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 14, 2011, 08:04:54 am »

Dennis, Hey neighbor. I can't wait for spring also. I got stung by the beekeeping bug this year, actually late December. I started doing some research and someone told me to contact Hardwood since him and I live in the same town (Deltona). I contact Hardwood on a Friday and was at his place on the next morning. I was a little cold that morning but Scott still opened up 3 hives. We found the queen in all 3 hives and saw some emerging brood. Scott also showed me some bees that had taken over a trailer owned by a woman who wanted them gone. Since the trailer was not in that great of shape, she gave Hardwood the whole trailer. Hardwood has since converted the hive into an observation hive. Really cool. Anyway after spending the morning in Hardwood's bee yard, I was even more addicted. I found that I could purchase MannLake supplies from a local dealer, D and J Apiaries in Umatilla. I went there the following week and purchased enough equipment to build 2 hives. I assembled all the hive components and painted the hive bodies that same weekend. The next week was spent waiting for bees and doing more research. Since I am getting 2 nucs from Hardwood in March, I thought if these girls take off, I don't have any extra supers to use to expand the hive. Another trip to Umatilla and now I have an additional 8 medium supers with frames waiting to be used. Everything is assembled and painting, just waiting for Mother Nature to do her thing so that Hardwood can supply me with my first bees.

Dean0

AllenF · « **Reply #13 on:** February 14, 2011, 09:54:33 am »

It's going to hit 64 today. WOOHOO!

VolunteerK9 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 14, 2011, 11:57:31 am »

Quote from: AllenF on February 14, 2011, 09:54:33 am

It's going to hit 64 today. WOOHOO!

Yup and I saw yesterday that the pollen they were bringing in had changed colors from a deep orange to red.

Irwin · « **Reply #15 on:** February 15, 2011, 05:00:39 pm »

Scott / Hardwood I give you a two thumb's up for showing deanO the bee's and taking the time with a new bee keeper.

hardwood · « **Reply #16 on:** February 15, 2011, 05:46:20 pm »

Thanks Irwin :) I always get a lot of enjoyment out of helping folks get into beekeeping and Dean's a great guy!

Dean, I just grafted your queen(s) :-D

Scott

hardwood · « **Reply #17 on:** February 15, 2011, 05:48:38 pm »

Dennis, As soon as I get a little break from the bees I'll try to make a couple of those "new style" bee vacs I told you about.

Scott

AllenF · « **Reply #18 on:** February 15, 2011, 08:42:45 pm »

Yesterday found 2 drone cells out of 11 hives here in north Georgia. My first 2 boys of the year if they make it. Have pics to show everybody, but got the Anti Vira virus from image shack when trying to upload them. Ain't never going to upload any more pics there. But, did find the 2 boys. Gotta love this weather this week.

dean0 · « **Reply #19 on:** February 15, 2011, 09:00:54 pm »

Quote from: hardwood on February 15, 2011, 05:46:20 pm

Dean, I just grafted your queen(s) :-D

Scott...Like I haven't been filled with anticipation the past few weeks now knowing that my queens have been grafted, I will be counting the days until I can come pick them up. What do you think the anticipated pick-up date will be so I have some sort of idea and what to be planning for?

I hope my first 2 queens are pretty...straight wings and straight teeth :-D and have a great personality. Hopefully, at my age, I can finally have both looks and personality, which wasn't always the case when I was growing up; I usually ended up with one or the other. More importantly, I hope neither of them are drag :rainbowflower: queens

hardwood · « **Reply #20 on:** February 15, 2011, 09:06:39 pm »

Allen, you're a few weeks behind us. I had the same thing two weeks ago or so and held off my grafting at that time. I've been noticing more and more drones so started my grafting today. I opened up both the donor hive for making up a cell builder and the hive I grafted out of and WOW! You wouldn't believe all the capped drone brood! Both were really strong hives and had at least 4 full frames of drone brood...good thing I'll be splitting them in 9 days, they are gearing up for swarming.

Scott

hardwood · « **Reply #21 on:** February 15, 2011, 09:14:09 pm »

Dean, I grafted from the best hive that I've seen in a while (of course it would be one of the ones I gave my son for helping with swarms/cutouts :roll:). It's one of the hives we went through when you were here.

This colony went from a swarm in May to producing over 100lbs of honey by Oct and are as gentle as can bee.

I'll be making splits with the queen cells from today on the 24th and will be able to start evaluating queen performance as early as 3 weeks after (but plan on 4 to make sure).

Scott

JP · « **Reply #22 on:** February 16, 2011, 01:20:57 am »

Emil and I performed my first cut out of 2011 today folks! The video is uploaded but youtube is conducting some kind of site maintenance, so it can't be viewed at this very moment (11:00 pm CST).

Report: Lots of capped worker brood and a ton of capped drone brood (at bottom of several comb sections), some hatched drones, queen cups but no cells.

We both took about a dozen stings each but I still give them a 3 out of 10, 1 being most gentle.

Video to come, once youtube is done messing around.

...JP

dennis2021 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 17, 2011, 09:12:02 am »

Quote from: Irwin on February 15, 2011, 05:00:39 pm

Scott / Hardwood I give you a two thumb's up for showing deanO the bee's and taking the time with a new bee keeper.

Yes indeed, 2 giant thumbs up for Scott! I can't wait to learn some more this year.

Quote from: hardwood on February 15, 2011, 05:48:38 pm

Dennis, As soon as I get a little break from the bees I'll try to make a couple of those "new style" bee vacs I told you about.

Scott

O Boy O boy, I can't wait....Let me know if you need anything or any help.

Dennis

Intheswamp · « **Reply #24 on:** October 15, 2011, 10:44:11 am »

It's just the middle of October....why, oh why did I ever read this thread? Am I insane??!!! My patience is already wearing thin....and there's a whole 4-5 months to go.<sigh> Quick! I need a sedative...gimme that honey jar!

yockey5 · « **Reply #25 on:** October 15, 2011, 10:59:15 am »

..............and is not even winter yet???? waiting on spring 2012!

Intheswamp · « **Reply #26 on:** October 18, 2011, 09:35:12 am »

Quote from: yockey5 on October 15, 2011, 10:59:15 am

..............and is not even winter yet???? waiting on spring 2012!

<groan>

Gotta make use of my time....it's plot and plan time!!! ;)