Hive Check 5.3.13

Yesterday I noticed several Drone larva outside the hive. After doing a lot of research and asking questions on the International Bee Master Forum I felt it was because I had quit feeding them.

Today I saw more dead larva on the tiles and I spotted a Wax Moth Larva that was about 3/4 inch long. It was on the hive stand in front of the hive. Looked as though the bees had killed it but I made sure.

in 2011 I had a weak hive in the TBH that had been over run with red ants. Once they were taken care of we went  out on the water for 10 days and when we got back the bees were gone and the hive was full of wax moth larva.

So…I felt it necessary to check the hive and get rid of them if we did have some.

We set up with a second hive and were going to move each frame into it. Here is frame #1

This comb had some honey in it. It is a top bar that was inserted into this Langs frame, so Jim unscrewed it and put it in a medium Langs frame for the super. I had to cut a small piece off the bottom. It was inserted onto the starter strip of another frame. This should help them start building in the super.

#2

This was an empty frame when we did our last check…what beautiful comb.

#3    this looks like brood. This was a very small comb on last check.

#4  This is all natural comb…not foundation.

#5

more brood…looks like a lot of Drone cells? I was concerned that the Queen might not have room to lay but I see new comb in the L corner. I did not check for eggs in it.

#6         more brood

#7  more brood

# 8   brood and Drone cells…I think that is what the raised cells are.

#9

#10

The pictures were taken out of the video that I did. Jim was helping so couldn’t take pictures. They aren’t very clear but if anyone sees something that shouldn’t be there ….let me know.

No wax moth larva or webbing. All the comb I looked at looked good. Did seem to be a lot of Drone cells…but I don’t know what is normal. Here are some other shots of the same frames.

this is comb 10, it isn’t completely filled out, but does have brood on the R.

this is the one that went into the medium frame. You can see it has an extra piece of wood. That is the original top bar.

Each frame had bees on it. Looked like lots of bees to us. We’ve never had so many…I guess they can take care of the wax moths.

I do have a moth/wasp trap out….sugar, white vinegar, part of a banana and water….I drained it once…at least 12 moths and it looks like I need to do it again.

Glad I checked the hive…but now we get to worry about squishing the Queen or losing her completely…all the bees went inside so guess she was in there…it is now raining so don’t have to worry about them absconding tonight.

This is the video I did…

Drone larva?

It rained all night and part of this morning.

I can see the hive from my porch and noted a few, most likely scouts, coming and going very early while it was raining. As soon as it quit I went down to see what was going on. I check it several times a day to see how much pollen is coming in and what color. Still trying to figure out where it is coming from. I know some is from the SpiderWort I have all around the yard.

I was surprised to see several dead bee larva in the grass in front of the hive.  I gathered up 9 of them, 2 still moving a bit. I could find no mites using a magnifying glass. There is a bit of dirt and grass on them.

There were also a couple of live full grown Drone with them.

I also saw about 20 bees sitting on blades of grass.  I thought they may have gotten too wet during the rain to get back into the hive and most are gone now.

These look like Drones to me…

Do they throw them out if they have too many?

The hive is only 50 days old and from a package. I quit feeding them a few days ago. Even though there seems to be a lot of plants blooming and my Bottle Brush are blooming again, maybe there isn’t enough feed for them. I read the Drones are the first to go when the food supply gets low.

We had a couple of hot days and the entrance seemed awfully crowded so I removed the reducers…perhaps too soon.

I put a couple of large pieces of slate on the ground in front of the hive so it will be easier to see what they are getting rid of.

I just went down to check the slate and saw a worker bring a live Drone out and attack it.

All help greatly appreciated.

Honey Bee Hive Entrance 4.29.13

I had 2 reducers in the entrance until 4.23.13. I removed one to give them more room after we checked the hive.

This picture was taken 4.12.13…..

When we got home from a week on the river, (www.alwayslingerawhile.blogspot.com) I noticed a larger number of bees and removed the second one.

Most of the bees were cleaning or fanning.

The entrance looks pretty crowded to me. It’s 17 days since the first picture at the top was taken….definitely a few more bees today. You can see one of the reducers to the right of the hive.

4.29.13

The package has been in the hive about 48 days now. I’ve seen 2 good frames of brood and there are probably more…we didn’t want to disturb them more than necessary to see if she was laying well.

When we checked them last week there was only one empty frame. I have a medium super on and will check them in a few days to see if they’ve started building there.

When I put my ear to the back of the hive I can hear a lot of humming in both the deep and the medium super.

The bottom board has 2 sizes.  I am considering turning it over when I check them and putting in reducers for awhile. If I put a white sheet on the ground under the hive stand, I will  be able to see the Queen if she should fall out…I hope…

If you have any suggestions on doing it right away or waiting or just leaving it as is…..I’m listening, and would appreciate them.

Cape May Warbler?

I spotted this little bird in my Bottle Brush bush with a Northern Parula Warbler.

These are not very good pictures. I had to take them from a video, but it would not sit still long enough for snapshots.

My field guide said the Cape May Warbler was the only warbler with “chestnut cheeks”.  Sure looks like this one has them.

I’ve put in several photos from different angles so someone who knows their warblers can make a call on this.

It has the black cap, chestnut cheeks and breast stripes.

Florida did not look like part of it’s habitat. That is the reason I am questioning it.

 

It looks like the Cape May Warbler to me. Perhaps I misunderstood the paragraph on the range for them.

Here’s part of the video…also not very good.

Hive Check 4.23.13

My neighbor, George, has had Honey Bees for years. I asked him to take a look at my hive. They looked good 2 weeks ago…but I checked them myself. After I found a frame of brood that looked good (according to pictures I found on the internet) I didn’t go any farther into the hive. I needed an expert opinion.

He looked at this frame that was mostly filled out…looks like they are storing some nectar here. The frames in this hive have no foundation …you have to be very careful how you handle the frames. They can be rotated end to end but must be kept in an up right position or the comb can break. Probably not the best way for me to start, but I bought small cell Honey Bees that have been raised this way and I want to continue.

 

Here’s a closer look. This was one of the frames with the tiny little comb in my last check.

After seeing this frame of brood he said it was doing well and we didn’t need to look any farther. The numbers of bees are increasing and the brood pattern looked good.

I put everything back together. There was still a little feed in the jar so I left it for them to clean up. George thinks there is enough feed in our area now so I can stop feeding them. They are only taking about 1/2 cup a day. Doesn’t seem like much for the number of bees. Guess they aren’t really interested in it.

We have the boat all packed and ready for travel…we’re going boating for a few days!!!

I’ll miss my “girls”.

Cuban Tree Frog

He might be a cute little thing…but he is killing off all of our little green tree frogs that are native.

We used to have the native green tree frogs all over. You could find them on your windows in the morning getting the moisture, or sitting in the plants. I’ve only seen a few in the last few years.

Indigo Bunting at the feeder 2.28.13 (another draft I forgot to post)

I’ve noticed a couple of brown Indigo Buntings coming to the feeders with the Painted Buntings. They are either female or juveniles.

Yester day I saw a Blue Indigo and it was back today.

This one is most likely one of the brown ones. You can see it is still in molt. Once it’s finished, it will be a stunning blue.

You can see some of the pin feathers on it’s head that look like they are coming out. Not one of it’s prettiest stages. They are usually in full breeding color when they leave in April.