Time out...Queen Rearing Class 101 !

How to make your apiary grow can be a tedious and time consuming task. You can do spring splits, find frames of 1-3 days old eggs and start another hive or you can remove queen cells or by grafting. There are several ways to grow your apiary; they call this learning the art of Queen Rearing. You have to be able to recognize the season, the type of cell, larvae or egg in which to graft and then relocate to a suitable home for raising a queen. The best way to learn is by attending a specialized class on this subject. The class I recently attended is taught by Master Beekeepers: Robert Shoemaker and George Baldwin in Shelby County, Alabama but you must have been a beekeeper for at least 1 year.

Class suiting up for going into the hive.

Locating the correct size larvae.

Cell punch method.

Master Beekeeper Instructors: Robert Shoemaker and George Baldwin

Grafting: German grafting tool.

You must have good eyes or a magnifying glass.

Swarm relocate to Mtn Forest Honey Farm

The Alabaster Swarm was just hanging around and was relocated to a wonderful cozy home.

Bucket of bees.

New forever home.

Site relocation.

Homemade Swarm Traps

Yes, I broke down and purchased these paper machete flower pots. I watched all the videos and read many articles explaining how this works but the curious cat in me got the best of me so I had to try and see if it would work.

Swarm Trap 8ft in a tree, secured

I ordered the smaller sized ones and coated the outside with Thompson's water seal. I left them to cure for a long time, probably months before I actually ventured to make one. I placed 4 or 5 in various locations and caught a swarm with one of them. The success in catching one I believe is mostly due to timing, then location and lastly what is used to bait it. This trap was hung up in the prime of swarm season, the location is one that is known for an area where beekeeping has formerly existed and the lure inside included old comb, honey and lemon grass oil.

Under the lid, see the Queen?

Old comb and New comb

Once the trap was hung approximately 8 feet above the ground. It only took about 24 hours before a swarm of bees relocate to this temporary home. I believe they were already looking for a home and I happened to provide them one, just at the right time.

Rehomed swarm to a hive 

Highway 25 Calera to Montevallo Swarm capture

This swarm was approximately located 40 feet up in the air. Would you like to guess where I was?

 

Bucket of bees

New green home

New location site

Thanks for not killing the bees and calling a beekeeper first!!!!

Spring time is Swarm time

When you think of a swarm do you normally think of YIKES IT'S A SWARM! ?? Most people do but did you know that when a colony of honey bees swarm they are at their calmest? Yes the bees do fly eradically out and away from the hive but then they

Do you see the swarm? 

How about now?

Does this help?

"ball-up" into a cluster of bees to protect the queen they are focused and quite calm. This new colony can move around several times in search of a new home until they find the right one. They cluster to protect the queen, feed her and keep her warm. It is their job until their sister scout bees have secured the new permanent location. If you happened to discover a cluster of swarmed honey bees, CALL A BEEKEEPER FIRST and quickly. A company that controls pests more than likely will destroy the bees. We need the bees, because without the bees we do not have pollination and without pollination we do not have fruits and vegetables and without those things, well, you get the picture. SAVE THE BEES! 

Beekeeper

The journey home.

Time-out....let's go to class.

Recently, I helped to organize an event where guest speaker Michael Bush, author and world re-nown beekeeper talked about the Natural Cell Method of beekeeping. The Shelby County Beekeepers together with The University of Montevallo invited him to speak and sign his books for this one day event.  Before this event, I had never heard of the natural cell method of beekeeping but learned that the bees have been using it since the beginning of time! The natural cell method of beekeeping means that the bees creature a smaller regular 'natural' size cell for their brood in the wild. When we keep bees and use a foundation in the frame, it is larger than what the bees naturally create in the wild, therefore we get a bigger bee, a bigger cell and supposedly more opportunity for varroa mites to make the bees their home. With the natural cell method, in theory, this goes away, making the smaller bee, smaller cell more effecient, more productive and less app to house the destructive varroa. Time will only tell if this method of beekeeping actually is beneficial for the beekeeper. The bees know, if only we could ask them!

  

SCBA organizers with Michael Bush

Dr. Susan Kaplow, UOM and Michael Bush, Author/speaker

 

Late Winter to Early Spring- How to recognize the strength of your hive.

It's important to know what a strong hive is too look like in Central Alabama if you have managed to keep your bees alive for one year going into the 2nd year. If you open your hive and you have 3-4 frames of bees and/or a good amount of bees covering the bottom frames then you know you have managed your hive well over the winter. Of course, it is really up to the bees but you have the satisfaction of knowing you helped them in some way. ( :