I keep 11-12 hives of bees. Â Over the winter-time, some of them usually die for one reason or another. Â This year I lost 4. Â Compared to a lot of folks, that is a pretty great survival rate, but I sort of like having a full compliment of hives. Â Most years I make splits where I take some bees from a “booming” hive and put them in a new hive box (i.e. from the hive that died). Â Depending on the year, I add a queen I get from a breeder or else I add a queen cell that I find in the original hive.
This year we ordered packages from a supplier in NC. Â My in-laws drove down and back this weekend and picked up 4 packages and 3 new queens in addition. Â On Sunday we installed the bees, made splits, requeened and generally had a good time messing around with the bees. Â Installing a package of bees is about the simplest thing a beekeeper can do, but new beekeepers often panic at the thought of dumping bees from a box into the new hive. Â I figured I would video tape my hiving a package of bees so anyone who might want to have a look can see how I do it!
Are all beekeepers as nice as you? I’m completely fascinated by beekeeping and want bees of my own, but don’t know where to start. I wonder if a local beekeeper would take me on as an apprentice?
.-= Ceecee´s last blog ..Bird Bath =-.
Very educational! Thank you for showing us the video.
This may be a stupid question, do all the bees eventually “move” to the new hive or maybe some of them are stubborn and won’t leave the box?
.-= YDavis´s last blog ..Weekly Menu =-.
Any chance you can upload to youtube? Your video isn’t loading for me and I’m curious.
Whoops, never mind.
Very, very cool.
That’s a lot of bees to have wandering around. And I’m impressed at how many levels of backup packaging/containment the new bees came in.
Wow! That’s really interesting.
Good for you! My packages arrive this week also, but not that many yet
Tough year for lots of folks. Nice video too!
.-= Beau´s last blog ..Virga at Dawn =-.
Thank you so much for sharing that video. I was just thinking how much bees give to this world (and us). Changing over the bee hives would terrify me though!
.-= Mangochild´s last blog ..It’s been a long time… and a question =-.
Warren, the link for the video won’t work.
The sound comes on, but no picture?
.-= Ceecee´s last blog ..First Snake of the Season =-.
You have had a string of really great, diverse posts recently! (I’m trying to catch up; so little time to read anymore…) I especially liked your piece on the evening you spent listening to Muslim speakers. Very informational and a refreshing change from what is published about extremist Islam.
Warren,
What fascinates me the very most, is that there are 100s/1000s of bees in one box. They are shipped with one queen and they all stay with her. One bee keeps the whole lot of them in one place.
.-= Ceecee´s last blog ..The Sun and the Earth =-.
The bees seem to be doing very well. Honey season will soon be upon us!