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!
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.
Our 10 year old explains swarms
Our 10 year old spotted a swarm in a tree and he tells a little about it and how to capture on in this video! We don’t show the actual capture in this video, to be honest this one didn’t go as smoothly as most. A swarm high in a tree over a stream as
Is my hive queenless?
Sometimes something happens to the queen, generally the bees raise a new one and it isn’t. This shows you what it looks like if things go wrong and they don’t raise a queen. This is a queenless colony that is dwindling. Kirk shows the frames, bees, and gives options for dealing with a queenless hive!
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
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
Overwintered Hive, Do I Super or Split?
The million dollar question! If we don’t need the bees for a split we tend to choose supering for honey production when they have the workforce to take advantage of nectar flows. If we find that the colony has run out of room and already decided to start the swarming process (swarm cells in use
Spring Lottery for Honeybees
The spring time dance of bees, they survived the winter but what influences spring survival and success. I’m writing this April 12, 2022. We had a week of 70 degree days, today it is snowing and 22. I’m writing this from my perspective and experience of keeping bees in Southern and South Eastern Idaho. Our