Category Archives: Beekeeping

Queen Ester

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My parents were in town to spend some time with us and watch as the smoke and bees fly during our routine inspection.  Everything looks good, and we had a special discovery.  We finally got to see Queen Ester!  Special thanks to mom for being on the spot with her phone camera.  The queen is the longish looking one at the very tip of my finger.  Hard to see even with a photo.

FullSizeRender (1)There was some rain and a touch of cold this week, so the girls only gathered an additional 13 ounces of weight.  Still a good haul for a week with some wild weather.

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Hive Inspection

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Our hive has been with us a week and Ester appears to be going strong.  We have been nervously peeking in the front entrance and trying to count the number of pollen carriers every day after work.  We were so excited to crack it open and look inside we could hardly contain ourselves.  Once again the trusty gopro was in action taking video of our first inspection experience.

If the video didn’t give it away, we think things are going well.  There is a lot of brood being laid, honey is obviously being stocked where there was none last week, and they are expanding out to the new frames.  I couldn’t find the queen, but new brood means she must be in there somewhere.

It is a big weight off our shoulders that they are setting up shop.  Speaking of weight, I employed my new hive scale.  The brood chamber is 27 pounds right now.  I will take weight measurements every few weeks and keep a graph of the results under my bee log.  Until something major happens I will probably not post again about inspections.  No one wants to see a million videos of us gushing over insects.

How Much Does a Bee Weigh?

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Being an engineer I can’t help but over analyze and try to gather data on everything I do.  Part of starting my blog was to keep a record, for myself, of my projects.  I think the bees should be no different.  Thus I built a bee scale to help measure the weight of each body and super as they are filled.  Beyond the pure joy that is data collection, keeping track of their weight can help predict when supers will fill, and alert me to reductions in population.

I bought a package scale and took it apart.  The scale can hold up to 100 pounds which ought to support even the fullest deep.  I made a top board that the bodies will rest on while being weighed.  The back edges are wider than they need to be and have tall guides.  This should keep me from falling off any edges when moving the supers onto the scale.  Using only 4 small areas of contact at the corners helps reduce the chance for bee casualties.  The top of the scale is a plastic part that is easily removed.  I screwed it to the bottom of the top board to take advantage of its alignment pins.

Top board
Under side, top of scale screwed down

Next I made a base board that would hold the guts of the scale and its controller.  I screwed the scale down at the far end of this bottom board so that when the top board is on you can still read the screen.  The controller simply zip tied to the base board.

Both top and bottom board got a quick hand hold roughed into them.  The top of the scale had alignment pins so it would sit snugly on the base.  They are tricky to align, but once in, the top board is very stable.  I can disassemble and carry both halves easily.  The true test comes tomorrow when I perform my first hive inspection.

Assembled scale setup
Empty super on scale

I could use the scale to answer a question I get a lot “How many bees do you have?”  I find that as kind of an odd question.  I would think most people know that bees are small and go in large groups.  My typical response to the question is: “Thousands???” with a big shrug of the shoulders.  If I weigh the deep with bees, then shake them off and weigh again, I could get a good estimate of total bee weight.  Not worth the effort and disturbance to the hive.  I will choose a new answer of “Enough to KILL!!!!” from now on instead.

My co-worker had an excellent suggestion of building an IR trip sensor at the hive entrance.  That way I could track the number of crossings.  I like it, but it would require power and electronics far away from an outlet.  Solar cells on top of my hive?  Maybe someday.

We got BEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!

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After lots of anticipation and anxiety we finally got bees.  There aren’t many things I would gladly wake up for extra early for on a Saturday, but this is one.  We drove up to Mims FL, and picked up our nuc.  It is very strange to be handed a box that is buzzing.  When we got home two little ones had escaped.  Luckily I was able to coax them onto the box so we could go outback together and begin the unboxing.  GoPro chest cam caught some great bee action shots.  Also some singing may have occurred.

Family pictures are going to be a lot harder.  Everyone say honeeeeeeeeeeey!  Doh, one of them blinked.

wpid-20150307_090452.jpgOur hive compound has everything a bee could want.  A raised base, colorful hive, chicken feeder full of water and marbles so the girls can take a drink but not drown, and a nice table to work off of.

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 We bee happy!

Painted Hives

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Our bee source has been busy enough that they didn’t have any bees for us when we wanted.  As a result I had everything ready to go with no bees to populate my equipment.  Might as well take advantage of the situation and do some painting.  Rot is a huge problem in warm humid Florida, so this should really help the lifespan of the hive bodies.  I picked up and assembled two medium supers for when the bees start getting busy with the honey.

DSC_0493Always start with primer.  It soaks in a provides a good adhesion surface.

DSC_0494I could have followed up with a coat or two of basic white paint and they would have been perfectly acceptable there.  But, I feel very inspired by Steve’s use of color over at Woodworking for Mere Mortals, so I am going a little wild.

DSC_0508It is the brightest yellow I could find in the paint section.  I have no idea of the bees will see the color or not, but I sure as heck will be able to!  I numbered the bodies so I can keep track of any observations I make for the bee journal.  “F” is for the hive top feeder.

Ester

A lot of people seem to name their hives, but I figured I wouldn’t really bother.  That was until I was reading about beeswax and how it is made, in large part, of long ester chains.  Monica suggested we name just the queen and ester was stuck in my head.  After a week of ester bouncing around with me I couldn’t resist; the name of our first hive has been decided.  Ester comes home Saturday 3/7/15 morning!

Bee Hive Base and Table

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One step closer to getting the hive started.  In addition to the purchased parts I already have, I wanted to build a few things.  First is a base that will get the hive up off the ground to stay high and dry in our driving rains.  Step one, start with some assorted lumber.

DSC_0423Screw together vigorously with epoxy coated exterior screws.  Impact drivers help make stuff like this go quickly.  I love my dewalt!

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The legs are probably overkill, but I wanted weight and stability.  A 20 inch paver forms the top.  That will not rot and should help keep the whole thing still.  The sides don’t look pressure treated next to the legs, but they are.  The total cost for this base with paver top is 15-20 dollars.  I threw some of the hive hardware on there to make sure it all sat right.  This is gonna be great!

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To go with the base I made a working table.  I want a place to put tools and hold frames as I shuffle them around the hive.  The table’s construction is similar to the base but 36″ tall, and with support arms.

DSC_0428One set of arms is the right width to hold a few frames, and another set is notched for a tool tote.  I haven’t made the tool tote yet, but there appears to be enough equipment involved to justify building one in the future.  Next comes prepping the ground area and then BEEEEEEESSS!!!  Probably still a few weeks though.

No bee puns were harmed in the making of this blog post.  I can’t make any promises next time.

We Bee Crazy

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My wife has been nudging me to try beekeeping for a while now.  She is worried about colony collapse and really enjoys honey in her tea.  At first I was very hesitant.  I didn’t want some buzzing swarm of doom in my backyard turning my lawn mowing routine into a battle to the death.  It turns out all my fears were way over blown.  A co-worker of mine had them for many years and filled me in on the facts and the day to day life of a beekeeper.  Let me share a few common issues and questions that are asked.

  • Are bees low maintenance?  Yes, they don’t really need you.  You can ignore them for a month or more.  Visiting every week or two is good for monitoring their health.
  • Don’t they sting?  Yes, when threatened or under attack.  If you open up their hive they are going to be unhappy.  Smoke calms them down, and a veil keeps them out of your face.  Away from the hive they will only sting if you start to swat at them.  They are very docile!  Stings are rare.
  • Are they killer bees?  No, they are typically european bees.  The africanized bees are out in the wild, and will not mix with a normal healthy hive.
  • Is taking honey bad for them?  They typically produce a lot more than they need.  They will continue to stockpile honey till their container is full.  You have to leave them a certain amount for their own wellbeing, beyond that it can easily and safely be kept for human use.
  • Seriously, keeping bugs?  They are of the Hymenoptera not Hemiptera order, so no not bugs.  Also they are adorable!  True fact.
  • Do you fedex bees?  No, USPS and it is totally legal!  You can order a package of bees.  It is 3lb of bees with a queen in a screen cage with some food.  I will be picking up a small starter hive from a place an hour north of here
  • Honey is bee vomit!  Ummm yes.  They ingest, into their honey stomach, and regurgitate it multiple times to partially digest it and add enzymes to prevent the sugar from fermenting.  So it is bee vomit to the tenth power.  Sweet golden delicious bee vomit!

In an effort to create a welcoming home to our soon to bee guests; I got a ton of flowering annuals!  It was kind of a coincidence.  I was at lowes, and they had tons of marigolds for about 15 cents a piece.

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They are beeautiful.  I should start a count for every bee pun I use in this blog.  I am up to three already.  Instead of posting every time I inspect the hive I will only bee (4) posting major milestones and notable events.  Everything else will go quietly into a new page of my website.  A permanent bee journal page will bee (5) up shortly.