The bees are coming!

This week I was informed that the bees I had ordered were coming a week early.  That happens to be next weekend.  I was expecting March 29.  The problem is that it has been and still is pretty cool up here in Maryland.  Not so in Georgia where my bees are being packaged for their trip here.

I still have to finish preparing my hives for the packages when they arrive.  I finally got around to cleaning out my Kenyan top-bar hive this weekend.  It's either been too cold or I've been too busy to deal with it.  This is what I saw when I opened it:

All the bees were huddled around each other trying to stay warm.  Unfortunately, they couldn't reach the food that I gave them and didn't have enough energy to keep themselves moving and died.

The cluster was mainly on some old Langstroth frames that I had cut down and the comb was getting pretty dark so I just through it out.  I also took out a bar with brood comb on it (the darker color) and gave it to my brother so that he could put it in his Warre hives when his packages come--the same time as mine.

I consolidated the bars with comb, left around four empty bars at the end before the follower board, and then closed it up.  The four empty bars are so I can put a jar feeder inside the hive with the bees.  I could leave the hive the way it is, but I wanted to replace the bottom screen.  Looks like I may not have time.

My Warre hive still needs its screened bottom and the cloth to go over the top set of bars.  Then I need to notch the ends of the top bars so that I can remove them easily (since I will use a nail at each end to keep the bars from sliding side-to-side).  With snow tomorrow and freezing rain on Wednesday, it looks like Thursday and Friday will be my only chances to get it done.

I'm glad I'm getting my bees earlier than last year, but I wasn't prepared for this early.  I guess I've learned my lesson.

Sad news

Looks like the bees didn't make it.  We've been having a few really cold days over the past few weeks, and I doubt that the bees had enough food stored away in the comb to hold them over.  I did have some fondant in there to try to keep them going, but it didn't help.

When I found out that they didn't make it, it was kind of like a friend passing away.  I enjoyed checking on them and seeing them flying on warm days.  The only thing I can do now is try to figure out what went wrong, and try to keep it from happening this year.

Good luck with your bees, and I hope you have better fortune than I with overwintering.

Beehive in January

My hive in January.  The boards leaning against it are from when I moved it. They are supposed to make the bees reorient themselves so they can find their way home.

I'm planning for the new year, and I'd like to host two more colonies this year.  They will probably be two Warre People's Hives.  I'm not giving up my Kenyan top-bar hive.  I haven't had any big issues with it, and the observation window has really been helpful with beginning beekeeping.  The People's Hive is another type of top-bar hive designed by Abbe Emile Warre, so it is in keeping with my current beekeeping method.

Now, my current issue is where to get the colonies.  I could try making a split in the spring--that's if my current colony survives.  I'd really like to let my current colony be and get a couple packages.  Those couple packages would ideally come with locally raised/mated queens, so if anyone knows of a good source in the Maryland area, please leave me a note.  And if those packages come with Russian queens, even better.  I'll let you know what happens.

For anyone out there thinking of starting beekeeping this year, a lot of bee suppliers just started taking orders, and they have limited supplies.  So, now is the time to be planning:  finding a local beekeeping club, signing up for a class, researching getting equipment and bees, etc.

Not much new here.  The temperature reached the 50s (F) again this past week and the bees took to the air.  I feel a little relief every time I see them flying.  They had a hard summer this year just getting started (and their host just getting started, too).  I will be keeping an eye on the temperature and whenever it gets up in the 60s again, I'll be adding another cake of fondant.  So far, so good.

The bees have been flying

We had a freakishly warm weekend and the girls took the opportunity to stretch their wings.  On Friday, it barely made it into the 50s (F) and they were already active.  Saturday it made it to 60 and Sunday it made it to 70.

I also took the opportunity to check on their stores.  I had put a few pounds of fondant in the hive this fall and they had been making their way through it.  I went ahead and put a couple more pounds in there for insurance.

The cluster seems to still be pretty healthy.  Through my observation window, I can see that the cluster is between four rows of comb, but I can't see how far into the row the cluster goes. Hopefully, I don't get an awful surprise down the road, and they are just on the edge of the comb.