Sorry About being late with this April Log. I had it uploaded a few days ago and lost the file name somehow. I had nearly 2 pages of text and a few photos - I lost them all. Ugh. I'm sticking with Netscape Composer to make this site. Word is NOT working out at all. I'm loosing photos left and right.

April 5, 2001

Starting here instead of recapping the week. Today, I ordered the Bees from Spell Bee for delivery on April 20th, 2001. I have 2 packages of 3lbs each with marked and clipped queens. The countdown has started. Check past months for our goals and hopes for these colonies,

I informed the mother of my "Ace helper" 15 year old Fred who will be here with me for the full installation process. Here is the goal of this TWO COLONY PROJECT.
 

• Take extensive photos in wallpaper size format for use with the April Newsletter.
• Add these images to the Wallpaper Gallery Section. These photos are perfect for full page printing, demo photos and handouts, lecturing and book covers.
• Show close ups of the queen in her shipping cage, the shipping box and feeder can.
• Detail the equipment and proper setup procedure for a new queen and packaged bees.
• Show the bees as they cluster in the shipping box around the queen cage.
• Detail the corked ends and candy plug in the queen cage.
• Demonstrate the activity in the shipping cage.
• Show simple queen rearing designs using package bees shipping box.
• Show the setup of Excluders, Pollen Traps and other hive equipment usage.

So Fred and I will be preparing the bees for installing them in to the supers. Fred's a big fan of my camera and he can't wait to get his hands on the Olympus. We'll both take photos, but he really wants to get his hands in to all this bee stuff. Fred is 15 and he reminds me of ME at his age. My bio will tell you that I started at 14 with the help of a friend. Fred is MY friend and I'll gladly pass on this hobby to him. Hopefully, he will be the apprentice I hope to bring into beekeeping. Here is a previous adventure with Fred and Me Times Square, New York - WWF Restaurant.

He'll be suited up in armor as him mom requests, just to be safe of course - but he will be up front and personal with 6 pounds of Italian workers, drones and queens. Fred lives about 40 miles away, which makes aligning our schedules tough sometimes. But we can either do this Friday when he has a ride OR Saturday we can work something out to get him here. Right now though, I say Friday. This is a big day for Fred. We've had a few and I know Fred will be back for inspection and extraction later this Summer. It's a shame Fred lives so far away. In a few years, He will be driving up to see me all the time - that will be awesome.
 
 

I got a few emails of VERY Anxious followers of the Newsletter. They are going nuts waiting for the weather to break so this whole project will explode. I figure on at least 50 wallpaper images from the Installation Day Project. I'm working on resectioning my Wallpaper Gallery because of the massive collection the New Beginnings Project will generate.

Then I thought today, that I need to keep a special PROPS and IMAGES COLLECTION for all of you putting lecturing material together or you students who tell me you use them for book covers - that is so dog-gone cool. Thanks.

April 6, 2001

Today I decided to created a New Beginnings Newsgroups for Schools, Libraries, 4H, Scouts, Beekeeping Club and other GROUPS who would like to communicate and interact either independently or through the Beekeeping Course.

I also decided to dedicate one of these hives to the Newsletter Groups. I'm limited to what I can do in experimenting, but I will gladly take suggestions that effect the hive and hopefully promotes good Beekeeping.

More On Installation.
I expect 2 queens and 6 pounds of bees on the 20th. 13 days and counting. I'm excited and I know many of you are too. Fred is a great kid and he can't wait to get his hands on the shipping boxes, queen cages and supers. Installing the Bees is my existing section on the basic techniques for installing package bees. Note that Fred and I should do similar installation to this pages high-lights.

Fred has never done any of this before, so it all is new and exciting. But then I thought, it's JUST as exciting to me :) that is the magic of beekeeping in a nut shell. There is no difference from the first time that you saw your first worKer egg and 25 years later still searching for everything important on the frame and in the hive.

The other colony will be MY colony. I will raise it as a control hive, supplying me with bees and queens as needed for the Groups hives and projects. This entire project with Schools, Scouts, Clubs and 4H Groups will be featured on the Beekeeping Course homepage throughout the month of April. Sign your group up with me by emailing me with BEEKEEPING GROUP in SUBJECT LINE and a description of your group or organization and your interests in Beekeeping and my New Beginnings Project.

Spell Bee is the Shippers of the Bees to me. The lady on the phone was very friendly and she hopes to have my delivery timely. You know of course that I can't keep Fred hanging either. Friday the 20th works great. Saturday would involve 90 miles of needless driving for someone, probably me. 

I will keep your organizations name and info secret or if the MEMBERS wish to we can post the many organizations. It should be fun either way.

April 7, 2001

I'm going nuts with my mailing list for the Newsletter. I keep coming up with BAD ADDRESSES and I get my Newsletter tossed back at me and UNDELIVERED to all of you. Ugh. Forgive me for I know NOT what I do - lol.

Hopefully you are all following here, so You will see the links to the Newsletter until I send out mail telling you of it. All of you should have an email by the TENTH of APRIL confirming the Newsletter is out. Please write me IF you do not receive my Email by then.

April 8, 2001

I'm writing this at work. Bill and I are moving thousands of gallon of oil from two large storage tanks to a third. Our plant is winding down quickly, never to fire again. The way we move the oil is similar to the way airplane pilots move fuel in the wings. 

Still waiting to hear from Fred too. I have a few other people who will be there on the 20th besides Fred and me. Momma Beemaster will be there, as will Alice ( a life long friend ) and maybe the neighbors. It's good to get your neighbors involved. Read my Just How Big Should Your own Bee Yard Be? and my  Is Beekeeping For You? for more neighbor stuff. If they are present when I install the packages, they'll see me "Bare Handed" and Fred, a young kid easily dealing with these highly misunderstood creatures.

My new neighbor Gil is a great guy. He keeps to his self and enjoys his privacy. We think alike, but he is a very adventurous guy. He even welcomes having a Nuc this Season. His 160 pound dog may think otherwise when the bees are stilled unpleasant from a botched inspection. Been there ( ouch ) done that. Lucky for Gil's dog Caesar that he isn't tied up as some unlucky dogs are who live with or next to beekeepers.

It's always funny how a worker will hound you to death when you are inspecting or extracting frames from the hive. She isn't out to sting you, she just wants to make your days as miserable as possible. You can shoot smoke until YOU are blue in the face and you still ain't changing her attitude. Sometimes you just can't get away from the colony without doing damage to the hive. Broken frames, natural comb and other unexpected problems can leave your super look like it had a M-80 fire cracker explode in it. 

You never expect this either. Sometime being optimistic is a fast way to feel your chin hit the floor. All heck can break loose and I've had days when I've lost a queen or two and I came away discussed and beaten.

So expect problems, especially if you haven't been inside your hives in a long while. Have all your tools ready. Have stand-by frames and boxes handy too. Don't forget you logbook. You will NOT remember everything you do and see.

April 9, 2001

Well finally a warm day. Tomorrow too we are told. I looked around my town and saw some blooming shrubs, but nothing yet downtown where I expect my first pollen collection to be from. I wait patiently for the 20th to come. I hope the TREES are as patient. I will have everything setup and in place on the 19th. It will be an early morning sunshine photo shoot if the bees come early in the day - as they tend to do. 

My last order of packaged bees was delivered by the janitor at the post office. My mail Lady would not get in the same truck as John Clayton's Africanized Killer Bees!!!! So the janitor brought them and a few stragglers hung outside of the box, clinging to the pheromone of a young queen.

I never mentioned VISITORS, such as mail delivery, UPS, meter readers and other people that frequently visit your home. They too should be considered when you layout your New Bee Yard. Having your neighbors Bee Friendly is one thing, but your poor mail carrier has to cross through your bee path every day: that person needs enlightening too. 

My poor Mail Lady would pull her coat over her head and walk as if on a fast narrow tightrope. She was frightened to death to walk to our mailbox. I finally had to place one out front of our property JUST for her.

April 12th, 2001

A few miserable days and pulling doubles ( 16 hours ) 3 times this week. Two fellows from Philadelphia Naval Yard have been working with us for several heating seasons. Both went back Monday and we are very short handed without Lee being back full duty.

I got a hold of Fred finally. and he is excited about NEXT Friday. I see long range forecast showing low 50's all week. But I'm more than happy with installing them at those temps. The bees are pretty mellow anyway, but the low temps do keep the lethargic, especially in the shade and with a breeze. You can control your bees with simple natural elements. You can always move the supers AFTER you install the bees. Don't be afraid experimenting with your bees. That is a very important part of learning bee behavior.

April 13, 2001

Friday the 13th :) Coworker Lee stopped by and we talked about his boy Fred coming 1 week from today!!! You regular readers of the Logbook are writing me almost everyday. They are as anxious as I am. Many of the Newsletter Members ( now 3200+ ) have never had bees, but are using my site as their virtual beekeeping venture. Some of these folks are very regular writers who actively participate in Colony One configuration. If you remember, the first colony this season is being raised by the newsletter members. Colony Two is mine and I will equally document both colonies, although MOST of the rearing of this colony is from member input, I do of course do all I can in the bees behalf.

I'll gladly get a bit more adventurous as we make lots of workers and queens. I have hive supers out the wahzoo - all new frames and foundation. I can make 5 colonies if needed this season. It's very much up to you! Think of this as SIM Beeyard :) I'll do all I can to keep it interesting and interactive. Most importantly, this is making learning fun.

April 16, 2001

Wow, three days gone by already. We had a 72 degree day and then 2 days in the 50's. Only 4 days until the bees come. I'm ready, Fred is ready too. My yard is going to have bees again and I am very happy.

Read the article on my  Beekeeping Course  at the bottom and I think you'll be surprised how well Beemaster has made it into the classroom THIS year. I want all of you to share my site with your schools and scout groups and of course beekeeping clubs. Get together and make recommendations to the Colony One Project.

Tell me something... Write me and tell me how many colonies you have in your OWN yard, not in larger fields where they are working - just you folks with bees in your yards. Email Me and let me know. 

April 18, 2001

MAJOR UPDATE: The Bees arrived today, 2 days early!!!

First, I was called by a post office 45 miles away saying that the bees had arrived. I asked if they would be in Lakehurst tomorrow, he said yes. An hour later, I got a call saying that the Bees were in Lakehurst. I can see Lakehurst Post Office from my house :)

I picked them up and noticed right away that the FEEDER CAN had been dislodged from it's support. After looking closer, it was the small cross beam ( which supports the feeder can ) had slipped from its notch and the feeder can fell free. Shown in this photo are my two hive boxes and the 2 packages of bees in their shipping cages.

I am always leery of bare handling packaged bees, especially ones moved around as THESE bees had been over the last few hours. So I broke out the smoker and hit them heavy, then I pried the outer shipping container lid. I tried to replace the support beam and reset the can, but The bees were  determined to bubble out of the opening - just like they will do EVERY TIME.

I'll contact Spell Bee about this - I'll use my power ( lol ) as Beemaster.com to get them to GLUE their supports NEXT time. I don't need a feeder can rolling around and bulldozing over my poor and expensive worker bees.

Just a thought. Lets say 8000 bees per pound TIMES 6 pounds EQUALS 48 THOUSAND BEES: now we take the $92 it cost for the bees MINUS $14.00 for queens EQUALS $78 DIVIDED BY 48,000 equals 1.6 CENTS per BEE. Not bad I guess, especially since they will double in size in about a month.

So tomorrow is the BIG DAY. You will see the photos and read they many updates around my site - including the Installation section, wallpaper gallery, logbook and Newsletter.
 

April 19, 2001

The Big Day, not the gang bang event I had hoped for, but such is beekeeping in the Early Spring in New Jersey. First, I worked midnight and the outside temperature we recorded at 6am was a ridiculous 31 degrees, with a high of 60 expected. I was beat, as you might have read above, I am working a great deal of Overtime as we burn what fuel my power plant has in storage. I was beat and had little choice but to call Fred and cancel his assistance for the day.

I got home and went right to bed. I got up at 2pm and the sun was out and it indeed was 60 degrees out. I moved everything out into the sunniest and most wind-free area of my yard. It's at THIS point that I feel like I let Fred Down. Now I'm well rested, but Fred is at home 40 miles away.

I will admit, Spell Bee's Italian Bee made the trip well and after being stored over night on my back porch at these cold temps. All I did for protection was place 2 cardboard boxes around the shipping cages and upon opening them at 2pm, they were fine and still clustered tight.

In this mini swarm is the queen still in the queen cage. 
My Mom was on hand to give a hand, She enjoys the bees and has no fear in handling them. Most of which I did was solo work, but she was helpful with the smoker. So I got what tools were needed ready and I set the hive boxes on milk crates to get them up at a comfortable working height.

I like to recommend to all of you installing package bees for the first time to try this method of installing the packages. I've read and even participated in shaking the bees from the shipping cage THROUGH opening where the feeder can is placed. The idea is to remove the feeder can and queen cage and then to shake the 3 pounds of bees through this 4 inch round hole.

I changed my mind though and I now recommend you do it somewhat different. Instead of shaking the bees through the top 4 inch hole, I recommend using a pair of pliers to pull thin strips of wood that holds the screen on one side of the cage and carefully fold the screen up and out of the way over the top of the cage.

Now, it's a simple matter of one good purposeful shake and ALL the bees are in the hive. In the older method, you get about 60% of the bees out with the first shake and before you know it, you are shaking the cage like an Etch-a-sketch to get EVERY BEE out of the shipping cage. This later method allows the bees an easy transition without shaking them half to death.

I try my best to give you simple means by which to interact with the bees. Do they remember you being a nice guy or a maniac??? When you come back again to see if the queens were released, will they see you and remember you banging and thrashing them around??? I don't know, but "I REMEMBER" and these bees are here because I choose them to be, and I want them to be productive and happy in their new homes. Anything that I do to the bees should be done purposeful: see my  Tai Chi of Beekeeping section if you wish to get a bit closer to nature with your hives.

So I pulled the feeders out the hive boxes. As you read above, on can was free from it's perch and had bee rolling around on the bottom the the shipping cage, but it did little harm. I was able to pull both cans through the holes and then I carefully pulled the queen cages out.

Forgive me for speaking in plurals, but there was really NO DIFFERENCE between either installation, so bear with me :)

They queens looked fine, although NEITHER was marked or clipped as I had paid for. But I was pleased to see several workers packed in the small queen cage with the young queens. I placed the queen cages in the shade while I readied the hives for them.

I removed 4 frames from the center of the super to make room for pouring the bees into the box and stapling the queen cage to the frames. I then removed the thin slats of wood that held the screen tight to the shipping cage and with purpose, I shook the workers into the large opening through the removed frames.

I then pulled the small cork out of the queen cage on the side where the sugar cube blocks her exit. Spell Bee uses a long strap that easily adjusts for placing the queen cage between the frames. Note that the screened section of the queen cage runs parallel with the frames and the candy side is down.

I then slowly replaced the remaining frames back into the colony and evenly spaced them out. I put the package shipping cage on the ground in front of the hive and in no time the remaining bees made their way into their new home. I repeated this process with the other colony too and I placed the hives on their new milk crates, facing the morning sun.

Finally I placed the prepared sugar-water mixture in quart Mason Jars and screwed them tightly onto the caps, then placed the jars into position at the entrance of the hive.

Without getting too detailed beyond what I have written above, that is the basic installation of packaged bees into a new colony. I'll detail some minor, yet important thoughts over the next few days.

By 5pm the bees were already taking orientation flights and some where already foraging. It all goes back to the age of the bees and their instinctual duties. Please see the Study of the Hive section for more info on AGE RELATED activities in the colony.

Rule of thumb is to leave the bees alone a few days, but I have an audience to please and my modest intrusion to their homes will not set them back one bit. By tomorrow, we will be in the hive and we'll find out what 24 hours of hive building can do.

April 20, 2001

It was bitter cold again last night. The temps again around 30f, but the bees were in their home and I was glad that yesterday was cooperative. I looked early in the am ( as I pulled into the yard from work ) to see bees walking around the entrances and even climbing on the hive front, enjoying the morning sun. 

First think I recognized, Colony One ( your colony if you are actively following along and interacting with me on this New Beginnings Project ) is taking in the sugar water at nearly TWICE the rate of Colony Two: my personal colony. I found this interesting because both hives are identical, 3 pounds of bees, one super with 10 new frames and foundation - note: no drawn comb anywhere prior to installing the bees.

So why the difference of sugar-water consumption? Well, lets assume a few things:

• C1 may have more OLDER Workers, who require FUEL for their foraging.
• also, wax production is higher, because the bees have cells drawn for storage.

April 21, 2001

Quick observations. The weather is quite warm today. The bees are moderately flying, even though just a block away there are trees exploding in pollen. But I tell myself, no need for pollen if there is NO PLACE to store it. Same goes with a queen laying eggs ( if they were released yet - which they are not ). 

The hives MUST secrete and draw comb out from the foundation. By tomorrow I will bet that I find comb being drawn on several frames surrounding the queen.

April 23, 2001

I needed to take some photos and I figured the queens were released by now, so I opened up each hive. 

C1 - Colony One ( Internet Raised Colony )

• Had ample comb building, stored pollen in a greenish tint and orange colored. 
• A sizable amount of sugar-water had been stored on cells that were drawn out at 1/3 rd of it's future length.
• The queen had been released and I spotted her marching around the frame, quite happy and well accepted. 
• No signs of eggs yet ( of course ) the cells are far too shallow and besides, the queen probably emerged from her cage yesterday or probably today.

C2 - Colony Two ( my personal hive )

• Similar results as C1.
• The queen was released and she was doing fine.
• Cells were being drawn, nearly as well as C1.
• Pollen, sugar water and comb all over the center frames.

Just getting home after a 9 day stretch of midnight's, plus 4 overtimes in ten days. The plant is closed, forever and that's after a 87 year continuous service to the Navy. I'm safe for work ( so far ) but working for the Federal Government is not a secure place to be these days.

Fred is coming for sure tomorrow!!! I have 14 wallpaper images that give you a real look at how simple installation can be. I will be giving Fred and you the grand tour of the hives and you will see him enjoying Beekeeping for the first time :)

Later today I will be taking some queen photos. I have a new theory on using my zoom and lens aperture I want to test and the Queen is the perfect subject. I want to move out further ( to improve clarity ) but make up for it using super hi-res capture. I still need to get the macro lens I want, but check out these close-ups and let me know if they look good okay.

Well... Through the magic of the Internet, It's now 10 hours later and I did get to play today with C1. Someone wrote me a few days ago from a middle school in Iowa, she was a 12 year old, 7th grader who basically asked: How fast can a new colony ( such as C1 & C2 ) of bees adapt to hive realignment or augmentation? She was doing a REPORT ON SWARMS and how they respond to several major changes in just a matter of days. Pretty cool project I think!

I also received an email from Dave in Mississippi who asked if it would hurt to collect pollen during the first days of a colony, considering that the pollen is usually meant for feeding larva - and that is many days away because the QUEEN is still in her Queen Cage, there is little comb drawn and still a week away from the first eggs. Very Interesting question too!

I decided to Start a NEW section today called Experiments. These will be short term projects, as well as seasonal studies that have specific purpose. This first Experiment will be a combination of the two emails listed above.

Experiment One

Mission name: Forcing a pollen trap.

• Insert a Pollen Trap on Day 7 of C1. 
• Observe bees finding new entrance - nearly 9 inches higher than minutes before.
• Observe bees adapting to pollen trap entrance. Walking over wire grating.
• Collecting pollen for 24 hours - see how much pollen and what colors are collected.
• Restrict entrance at bottom of C1.

April 27, 2001

What a GREAT DAY!!! Fred was at my house at 8am and we sat around catching up with each other. It was cool, so we decided to go canoeing on Lake Horicon before getting in to C1 and C2. The lake trip was fun, we hit every corner and went under the Rt. 70 bridge that comes into Lakehurst from the West.

Afterwards, we had a few burgers and fries courtesy of my Mom who was there to do the cooking and watch us play with the colonies. Fred and I took turns shooting smoke into the hives and he seemed skeptical of handling the bees barehanded - but Fred quickly became a beekeeper this day as he followed the queen in C1 as she searched for spots to lay eggs. And EGG LAYING She is too!!! I found hundreds of eggs, although poor Fred just couldn't find them. I know they were only a day old :)

C1 was building up comb impressively. With ample pollen, sugarwater and nectar stores. The queen was laying well and the colony was very easy too handle. I have to say, both C1 and C2 are very mellow bees still. I've had hives though that did a Jeckel and Hyde thing in only two months. As the hive has greater value to the ever growing colony, it becomes more defensive and it has the power behind it to handle most any attack. Although most bees today are a pleasure to work with with proper use of the smoker.

C2 is NOT doing as well. I need to go back in soon and see if I can find the queen, Fred and I did not and the difference in comb building compared to C1 was very prevalent.

After playing with the bees, Fred and I went bowling and finally gas powered Go-Carts on a real fast and hilly figure eight. It was a great day and I'll have to get all these photos up-loaded. I have dozens and dozens to share and I'm too busy to get them on-line for you.

April 28, 2001

Here we go already. C2 is QUEENLESS. After yesterdays lack of finding her with Fred, I decided to look and no doubt that She is missing. I looked around and of course couldn't find her lifeless body, but I doubt She flew off, more likely She was killed by the workers. Probably from me opening up the colony a little too quickly - Rule One: leave the bees alone for several days when introducing packaged bees and/or new queen.

I rushed it for this project and I think that I am very likely the cause of her death. Just goes to show you that the bees make the schedule, you don't. Work around their instinctual actions, not against them. I now have to make a queen or queens VERY FAST.

C2 is less than 50% developed as C1 - which I think is doing phenomenal. I looked in C1 to see what frame I could rob and sadly the only frame I see eggs on will be the one to transfer, unless I decide to graft, or both.

I will be thinking about this over night. I want to get down and dirty, but I also need to space myself out some. I don't want to generate a mile long log page like this one, but I don't want to break it up into submerges. I think though, that you are enjoying this adventure. Your many, many letters say so and already we are Queenless in 50% of our hives. 

Here though were the signs I noted in this log on this page: C1 took in 2X more sugar water than C2. C2 had less drawn cells, and less flight activity. Also, when looking from the top over the 10 frames, I noted that C1 had bees on 5 full frames, while C2 only had 3 frames with bees working. 

Lots of signs, simple to spot if you are watching your bees closely. The first two weeks is very important. C1 will have nearly half the box drawn out by day 14. Amazing difference - the sugar water consumed by C1 was 4 quarts ( nearly a quart a day ) C2 less than HALF of that amount. Again, simple signs.

April 29, 2001

I went into C1 and took a good frame of eggs and placed it into C2. The eggs were very small and probably 1 day old. The queen was spotted on another frame in C1 and She is one prolific creature. More tomorrow.

April 30, 2001

I entered C2 to see if the bees had began building queen cells and WOW yes they had. Two early queen cells were being drawn, one on each side of the same frame. Toward the center of each side as Superceedure is almost always placed. If you enter your hive and see queen cells at the BOTTOM of your frames, that is a clear sign of Swarming. But as expected, the cells were toward the center of the frame and as the queen grows, so will these frames.

The most interesting QUICK Observation from closely watching C1, was to see the queen laid eggs in cells that were barely 1/4 of an inch drawn OR barely 1/4 of it's final depth. Think about it, the workers have 5 days for the eggs to hatch and the larva are very small for a few days, so there is NO HURRY to draw the comb fully out BEFORE laying eggs in to them. This is a great way for the queen to lay maximum amount of eggs in the shortest amount of time. This simple task of building the wax comb around the ever developing egg and larva, makes for fast hive population increase.

Just to let you know: I expect the queens to emerge on May 15 and the first capped pupa on the 8th and first emerging workers on the 19th. These dates are based on my believing the eggs I transferred are only 1 to 2 days old. Most likely only hours old! That's my belief :)

Well... Here is the end of the month! HOW DID I DO??? Please write me and let me know :) I hope you have enjoyed the First Month of our Internet Experiment, Newsletter, Beekeeping Course and Logbook. Your input and guidance are both appreciated.