Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => RAPID BEEYARD GROWTH => Topic started by: wayne on December 15, 2007, 09:48:22 pm

Title: Log hive
Post by: wayne on December 15, 2007, 09:48:22 pm
  Removed these a month ago. It's too late in the year and too cold to open the log. If They make it till spring I'll move them then.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/sgtwal/bees/bees.jpg)
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: Moonshae on December 15, 2007, 09:52:35 pm
Looks warm in the middle to me!
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: wayne on December 16, 2007, 06:56:59 pm
  The last few warm days there was alot of flight activity.  Some were working the open feeder in the yard along with the other hives.
  These have been wild long enough for the comb to turn black. And they seemed to have some stores in there.
  Hope they make it.
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: Cindi on December 17, 2007, 10:24:13 am
Wayne, that is cool.  Good idea to leave them until springtime, then surely give them that great new and big home.  Beautiful day, great life. Cindi
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: Michael Bush on December 17, 2007, 09:05:33 pm
Which way was the log situated before you moved it?  Was it horizontal (as it is now) or vertical?  Just curious.  It would be a major upheaval to change the orientation.
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: Brian D. Bray on December 17, 2007, 09:42:15 pm
If that was cut from a recently felled tree I'm wondering if you have bees left at all.  The bounce of the tree when it fell would've really shook things up.  Still Have a Queen?  Guess we'll wait and see.
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: Michael Bush on December 17, 2007, 10:17:25 pm
There's definitely a warm spot.  :)
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: BMBeeFarm on December 18, 2007, 06:26:52 pm
Let us know how it turns out. My very good friend owns a logging company, I've got 5 sections of trees right now myself. Just waiting for spring. Mr Bush, yes I did stand them up as they were in the woods.
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: wayne on December 24, 2007, 09:34:26 pm
  The limb cracked over a month before the removal and was angled almost level.  I tried to maintain the same angle as it was before we cut it down.
  I cut away the extra at both ends till I hit comb. The cluster was just visible inside the end with the landing piece.
  Spring will tell.
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: JP on December 24, 2007, 09:58:56 pm
I was thinking the same as MB and Brian, if a tree is vertical and you lay it down horizontally, the bees will usually abscond. When doing a cut out its also important to orient the comb in the frames the same way directionally as well, the same way the bees positioned them in the cavity.

Sincerely, JP
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: wayne on December 24, 2007, 10:18:02 pm
   A friend and I had a half dozen logs in a yard a few years ago. Looked like an old time Gum Hive yard.
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: Kirk-o on December 25, 2007, 11:58:54 am
I think that log hive looks great.I love things like that Good luck
kirko
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: xC0000005 on January 21, 2008, 05:59:47 pm
How large a hollow is inside that trunk?  A friend took down a tree section like that, looks like it was nearly empty inside. (And I started out saying "There can't be that many bees inside that small a piece").
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: wayne on January 21, 2008, 09:38:42 pm
The log is about 18 inches through and 4 feet long. The hollow is maybe 8 inches and fairly even the length of the log.
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: xC0000005 on January 22, 2008, 03:20:47 am
I see. 

Thanks for the info.
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: peggjam on January 26, 2008, 01:24:19 pm
This is one I brought in a few weeks ago:

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/peggjam/IMG_0011_1.jpg)


They have a good size cavity and comb the full lenght of it. :)
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: Cindi on January 27, 2008, 02:07:25 pm
Peggjam, that is a very nice picture, lovely.  Have an awesome day, Cindi
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: JP on January 27, 2008, 03:27:16 pm
Peggjam, nice hive you got there.

Sincerely, JP
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: xC0000005 on January 27, 2008, 05:06:34 pm
Very nice. Now you just have to convince them to move out of it and into a normal hive (something that I'm sure a chainsaw and some catch frames will help with.)
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: buzzbee on January 28, 2008, 08:10:03 am
Wayne,Peggjam,

When spring gets here you should post a video on Youtube and link it to here when you  open it and transfer the hive.Or if you trap them out you could do a photo link.People would be interested to see!!
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: peggjam on January 29, 2008, 11:23:31 pm
I'm not sure how to get them to come out.  Thought about letting them swarm and then catch the virgin queen when she comes out to mate, but not sure that idea will work.  I'll try to get a video if I do a cut out, thanks for the idea. :)
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: JP on January 30, 2008, 01:05:24 am
http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=12678.msg87249#msg87249

This is an idea.

......JP
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: kensfarm on February 18, 2008, 10:00:16 pm
Since everyone is showing there's..  they are upside down now.. the tree split apart at the
bottom of the hive.  Had them since Dec... they were flying today!

(http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/2930/winterwonderland022mf7.th.jpg) (http://img216.imageshack.us/my.php?image=winterwonderland022mf7.jpg)
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: JP on February 18, 2008, 11:24:07 pm
Had to put a jacket on after I saw that thang.

....JP
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: Cindi on February 19, 2008, 09:19:28 am
Ken, wow!!  Nice picture.  Yep, doesn't it make ya wonder how the bees can survive with icicles hangin' off their roof?  Good job.  Have a wonderful and awesome day, love our earth.  Cindi
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: peggjam on February 19, 2008, 10:16:52 pm
Ken, looks abit cold there, nice winter pic.....burrrrrrrrrrrrr :-D.  Mine were flying the last warm day we had, so their still kicking :).  Can't wait for spring.....so much to get done, so little time ;).
Title: Re: Log hive
Post by: kensfarm on February 27, 2008, 08:02:39 pm
Thank you..  it was snow at first.. then freezing rain.  I had to walk down and check on the other ladies too.  :)

(http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/5213/winterwonderland014xv5.th.jpg) (http://img149.imageshack.us/my.php?image=winterwonderland014xv5.jpg)