FEEDBACK

I am leaving this post to request feedback. If you read this blog quite often, or if you have just happened up on it for the first time, tell me what you think. What would you like to see more of? Pictures? Factual information about honey bees? new ideas? Honey bee news? Stories about my hives? I am about to start building new hives, would you like to see lots of pictures of my progress? Wanna know the different types of honey bees and help me choose the ones I will use next year? Wanna see pics of the areas I am thinking of locating my hives next spring...maybe vote on it?
I'm just trying to get some idea of what people are interested in knowing about Honey Bees and my operation.

Getting Ready for Winter

Not much is going on the bee-yards right now. The fall honey flow is coming to an end, and it's time to prep for winter. I was hoping to get A little honey to harvest this fall. But I didn't. Honestly I am a little down-hearted about that, but I shouldn't be because I knew from the beginning that I would more than likely not get to harvest any honey this year.
I am feeding my hives in hopes that they can put up enough to make it through the winter...I almost think it would be cheaper to let them try it on their own with out feeding them sugar water, and if they don't make it then buy more bees...we'll see. But I'm going to try and feed them till it gets too cold.
We're really looking forward to next spring! I plan on doing a little experimenting with some new hives and new types of bees. We have decide that we are going to make all the hives that we add next year. It was a relatively easy choice that all new hives will be some sort of Top Bar Hive, instead of using the Langstroth hives that I bought this year (and not cheaply either!!). I plan to document, on here, the process of building my TBHs with photo's and some video!! .
Look for me to start posting that around probably January.

Here is a GREAT link about Top Bar Hives, it's the one I use the most. But be aware, it is ALOT of info!!!

Here is the Wikipedia link for Top Bar Hives.

Wild Swarm 08/10/2009

Yes it is true I have caught another wild swarm. This makes my second one this year, and this one I caught by myself (without the help of a mentor) YEA ME! I was at work on Monday morning 8/19/09 and got a phone call from my Grandma "I think something is wrong with one of your hives (I live next door to granny) there are bees all in the air near the end of the garden." So here I go, headed home to try and salvage what is left of one of my hives. I get there and sure enough at the end of the garden on a tree limb is a huge swarm of bees. I am like "great, what did i do/didn't do to make them want to swarm?" So, first things first, I get everything ready and I check my hives to see which one they came out of. After checking them both I know beyond a shadow of a doubt...those aren't MY bees. Well, they are now :) After determining that my hives were okay I gather my stuff to catch this bad boy. This is the second swarm catch for me, first solo (solo means no help from an experienced beekeeper). The last swarm I caught I was more of a helper getting some hands-on experience. It was an easy swarm, low on a fence post in a middle of someones yard. This swarm I had on my hands now was not so nice. It was in a tree limb about 8ft off the ground ON A HILLSIDE. long story short: I caught the swarm, took them to the "Possum Hollow division of Northside Honey Bees" and hived them next to my first wild swarm.

Here's one of me on a ladder on the hillside. I would not recommend doing what that guy is doing with no protective equipment, actually I suggest against it.

Bees in a box

Brushing the bees off the limb

The bees that won't brush get the water treatment. sprinkle some water on 'em and it inhibits their ability to fly. Just sprinkle some water, smack the limb really hard, and watch alot of bees fall in the box. (alot of bees not all the bees)

Bees in a box, ready to be put in a new home and make me some HONEY!