August 1st Hive Inspection, Getting Ready for Winter!
It is still pushing 100 degrees during the day here in Twin Falls, Kirk walks through a hive inspection and what we should be seeing and doing this time of year! 2 Part video.
Fall Varroa Mite Discussion
Varroa is enemy number one! Kirk discusses the what, why, and when of our successful mite treatment program!
Getting Bees Ready for Fall To Do List
Kirk walks through the biology of what is going on in the fall and what will need to be done in the next few weeks to get bees ready for winter!
Hive is struggling to grow and produce, and has a bad attitude.
This short clip walks through one of the common causes of a hive that fails to grow and seems extra crank.y! Also note, it was only the one hive that seemed to be bothered by the skunk. The colony was also short pollen which limits the ability to raise brood. This hive check was preformed
Some favorite late July blooming plants !
Two plants that bloom in late July and really help the bees out,. Nectar and pollen flows can really vary depending on the moisture received.
July 21 Hive Check
Checking on the hives started on Bee day the end of April.
Bearding or Out of Room?
This video shows what bearding looks like. During warm weather bees will often beard on the outside of the hive, especially in the late afternoon. One easy check is if the bees go in at night. If they don’t, then that is a good indication they are out of room. Kirk gives some suggestions on
June 15, 2022 Hive Check
Hive check on new packages hived on Bee Day this year. They went into boxes with drawn comb. Nectar flows are on so they aren’t taking sugar water. Some are ready for honey supers! Kirk walks you through hive checks on 4 colonies. Some patchy brood due to the cold rainy weather we’ve had. He
What to do if you find a supersedure cell
We can’t stress enough that hive inspections should be about looking for evidence of a queen, not about finding the queen. Look for eggs, larvae, and brood. What do you do if you find a supersedure cell? These are typically on the frame in the main brood area. As a general rule we leave them
Is it time to add another box to your hive?
Our general rule is that you add another box when the colony is covering 60-80 percent of the frames in a box. (Kirk says 80-90 in the video but don’t let them get that crowded if you can avoid it). This is a new package started 21 days ago in drawn comb from a deadout.
What to do about a queenless hive
What do you do when you don’t see evidence of a queen in your hive? Whether you smashed her during an inspection or something just happened to her, what are your options? This is a new package that ended up queenless as evidenced by no larvae or brood. Kirk walks through options, and decides to
May 14 2022 New Package Hive Check
It’s been 2 weeks since we hived these packages! Here are a couple videos to give you an idea about what we are seeing and what bees should be doing. Recommendations, check hives in the middle of the day when it is warm. You can learn a lot just by watching the entrance! If they