3.20.13 Swarm is still here

It rained for a little while last night so I went out about 4 am and checked the hive stand….no ants. Guess they don’t like Jim’s grease.

The swarm is still in the tree behind the hive.

It rained again this morning…and quite hard but not for very long. But it was cool. They are in a tight cluster. It’s almost 4:30 pm and a little sun is filtering thru the trees, but I don’t see much activity. A few scouts out and about. Some even checking their old home.

This is how they looked yesterday when they moved the first time. I originally said this was a 60’ tree but I think it is taller.

It was interesting to watch it continually change shape. Then it moved to the tree it is in now.

a little later….

They are beginning to tighten the cluster.

The tree is too tall to get to with a ladder , and I can see no way to get them on this little limb even if I were to climb up. They need to move a lot lower before we can get them or just make it easy on us and move back into their hive or the little swarm catcher hive.

Late afternoon they are still here…guess they’ll spend the night in the tree. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Swarmed 3.19.13

What started out to be an interesting day…yesterday…ended up being disappointing.

I was happy to see more pollen coming into the TBH than had previously been coming in…and I thought I had solved the ant problem.

My neighbor, George, has 2 hives and came up to see my bees. I opened the observation window and it was empty…just the comb and a few bees. We looked overhead and could see them flying around the top of a tree. They had left home. When I opened the hive there were more red ants. I don’t know if they didn’t like the TBH we built or the ants ran them out. At any rate, they are free.

I could hear them in the trees and finally saw where they were sitting in a nice big swarm….about 60 or so feet in the air and back in the woods a bit. Didn’t see them this morning but the sun is just getting in the trees. I’ll look for them later.

I took the 2 combs they had made and the 2 that I got as starters from Sam out of the hive and Jim installed the bars they were on into Langs frames. When I put them into the Langs hive I looked for ants and didn’t see any. I guess the screen on the inner cover helped keep them out and the bees did a good job of guarding the entrance.

I went out to check the hive stand for ants about 10 pm….there were several running around. Jim has a 5 gallon can of grease and we did up the legs. I checked again at midnight and there were ants at the base but none going up. It is a temporary fix…big red ants weakened a hive I had year before last. They are a problem here in the woods. The hive stand was set in concrete so we can’t set the legs in cans, but Jim reminded me that area can flood and that is why ours are near the top of the stand. They just need a bit of modification.

About mid morning, Jim gave me a call and said they were on the move. They settled in a tall tree closer than they were yesterday afternoon. A little later he hollered again…they were moving. This time they settled in a tree about 40 ft off the ground and almost directly behind the hive they had vacated. They were still there when the sun went down. They’ve swarmed to 4 different trees since they left and all are in the same area…getting closer to the hive?

I’ve watched bees go in the TBH …sometimes only 1 or 2 at a time….sometimes several. Maybe they are going to come home? I hope so…don’t know if they do that or not. If the scouts have been checking the hive and find it OK…maybe they will.

Tomorrow looks to be another interesting day.

The Langs was really bringing in pollen today. Maybe the Queen needed the extra comb for laying.

Early this morning I think over half the bees were bringing in pollen.

Here’s a short video of them early afternoon. I didn’t see quite as much. Don’t know much about pollen…it may be more available early in the day. Something else to learn.

It’s been dark for several hours…I just did my ant bed check. None on the hive stand and the guards are in the entrance of the Langs.

 

 

Interesting day 3.18.13

I could hear a tap tap tapping on the tree out front. It was a Pileated Woodpecker, the one that was the inspiration for “Woody the Woodpecker”. 

See how fast he can peck a hole in a piece of a Cabbage Palm.

Then I decided to go out and do a pollen count. The Langs hive has been bringing in more pollen than the TBH.

I spotted 2 dead red ants on the TBH so opened the observation window to check inside.  Several ants! and they were big red ones. Some almost 1/2 inch long.

Many were behind the follower board that separates the section of the hive the bees are starting in. As they build I will move it farther to the rear to give them more bars to build comb on.

I got a wet paper towel and removed the bars so I could squish ants. Once I got all of them out I could still see several in the front half,  so I moved a few bars and got them. Bees didn’t mind at all.

I lifted the cover on the Langs and there were a dozen or more running around on the inner cover. I had covered it with screen so they were not able to get inside from there.

I put a porch on the front of the Langs and have not seen them bring out any dead ants so I’ll leave them alone until I do.

The TBH was bringing in more pollen than yesterday.

I got these within a minute.

They still aren’t bringing in as much as those in the Langs.

Got this one by accident. My camera is so slow that by the time it takes the photo the bee is already inside…so just started snapping away.  Love these in flight shots.

While I was sitting there the “kids” came out. I was sitting so still they never knew I was there until I moved and then they were off like a shot.

Except for the ants it was a great day for wildlife. We’ve watched these two raccoons from the first time their mother brought them out.

In this video you can see how close they were to the area I was sitting in. Part way thru you can hear the call of the Pileated Woodpecker, and his tap tap tapping.

Lots of bees in the TBH…but they do not seem as active as the Langs. Hope that doesn’t mean there is no Queen.

Honey Bees from Anarchy Apiaries……….treatment free small cell 3.14.13

I have been looking for small cell Honey Bees raised here in Florida and  was referred to Sam Comfort of Anarchy Apiaries.   Anarchyapiaries.org   It’s a very interesting read if you are interested in a back yard hive of your own.

We drove to Vero Beach, FL and picked up 2 packages. He also supplied me with a frame of honey for the Langstroth hive and 2 for the Top Bar Hive. They are natural comb…not commercial wax foundation.

When we got home, I set things up…checked to make sure I had all my equipment. I did wear a white long sleeve jacket and a veil but no gloves.

I had my camera outside and didn’t realize Jim was snapping pictures. So glad he did. I do most of the picture taking for the blogs and usually behind the camera, not in front of it. Kind of nice to see me at work….or is it play?  Definitely play! I love these little gals.

I set one package of bees in the Langs hive while I installed these in the Top Bar. I had originally ordered one package and was having trouble deciding which hive to put them in. Jim came up with the perfect solution….order another….so I did. I called Sam and left a message that I would like a second one…giving him very little notice…but he managed to get the second one for me.

I got the package open….shook the bees into the hive…..that was the easy part. It took awhile to get the bars in place without squashing any bees. 

As they went inside I carefully closed the gaps in the bars.

Once I got several in place I walked away for a few minutes and let them settle down.

The two bars that have most of the bees on them are the 2 Sam gave me that has comb and honey on them. The bees stayed close to them and eventually went down on them.

The box they came in is sitting on the chair with the screen for them to climb up to the hive.

All the bars are in place. I have screen over them to help keep wax moths out. The top is leaning against the tree on the right. Most of them are in the hive or on the front at this point.

I removed the box, rinsed it off and stored it in a shed where the bees wouldn’t be attracted to the queen’s scent, if there was any left in it.

I let them settle awhile then installed the other package into the Langs hive.

There are spaces between these frames so I was able to put them all in place and then wait until the bees went down.

The inner cover goes on next and then the top. The inner cover is necessary because the Honey Bees would glue the top down and there would be no way to get it off since it sits down over the box.

I put sticks in to reduce the size of the entrance so they wouldn’t have so much area to defend if robber bees showed up.  I think there is a hive nearby. I don’t know if they are managed bees or a feral hive, but  my Bottlebrush bushes have been humming with bees lately. My friends, George and Debbie live a few miles down the road and have 2 hives of their own, but they have more Bottlebrush than I do and there is a nursery even closer to them with lots more so I don’t think it is their bees.

I was hoping to attract a swarm but didn’t want to miss out on a chance to have small cell Honey Bees and had to get them while they were available.

Once the hive is stronger I’ll remove the reducers and give them more access.

You can see the inner cover. Once the bees had a chance to settle, I added another box called a “super” on the inner cover and a small jar of Sam’s treatment free honey, then put the top on.

The Queens come in a small cage with a cap on it….under the cap is a bit of sugar candy that the bees will eat away and release her. This gives the bees time to get used to her pheromones (scent) and accept her as their Queen.

I forgot to take the cap off the one in the Top Bar Hive. I had received a message from Sam reminding me to remove it…..so did the Langs right the first time. Had to open the TBH….reach in ….get the Queen Cage and remove the cap.  It’s a bit intimidating to reach down in thousands of bees and pick up their Queen….but they didn’t mind a bit. I  got  the cap off and the bars back in place without any trouble. Not one sting.

I will check the cages in a few days to be sure they have been released.

I did get 3 stings during the TBH install. My fault. I closed my hand with one in it…sting on the palm. Pinched one between my knuckle and a bar….sting on the knuckle….and did the same to another with the middle finger…sting .  I have a few fat places on my right hand. Guess I need to start using my L so they can match.

Looking in the window of the TBH shortly after it was closed up.

This morning it was pretty cold….and they were all clustered around the comb.

I shined a flashlight in and I believe the Queen Cage is empty. Hope they didn’t get her out too soon.

I hope they are all over the comb like that because she is happily laying. 

Anybody see a Queen? 

I’ll be perched in my chair watching…hoping to see her. They are so interesting. I could watch them for hours. Guess I need a “Bee Cam”. Something else to research.

Monarch Caterpillar shedding it’s skin 2.26.13

The plants in the Butterfly House were getting short on leaves and it needed cleaning.

I removed all the pots….vacuumed the droppings off the bottom and washed the tray the plants sit in….put a Giant Milkweed in the tray and several of the smaller plants that still had leaves and caterpillars.

The caterpillars on the Giant Milkweed that is going back outside had about 15 caterpillars on it. They had to be moved to the new one. I don’t move them unless I see them crawling or eating. When they sit still for a long period of time…they are usually getting ready to shed their skin. They have their hind feet anchored and if moved at this time, they could die. (I found that out the hard way. ) If the skin of the hind feet isn’t anchored they are unable to get out of it and then they die.

This caterpillar was the only one that didn’t move, other than to rock back and forth…a sign it is going to shed.

I picked the leaf and set it on a table where I could watch it. I noticed the skin behind the head was a lighter yellow…the process had started.

In the video you can see it rocking side to side. It does that for awhile. I started filming at 8:06 and it was almost 11:00 before it was completely out. I edited it to keep it shorter.

Once you see it start to ripple it’s body, it is moving the skin to the rear. When I move the leaf, the skin is about half way back and you can see how the old skin is anchored to the leaf. It’s back feet come free about the same time as it is able to knock off the old face. When I turn the leaf again, you can see the pile of shed skin.

They do this about 5 times.  Many climb on a dead branch, the side of the pot or on the screen of the Butterfly House. Outside they could be anywhere. I think they try to be in a spot that doesn’t get a lot of traffic. They are very vulnerable during this time. It seems like they eat for a day…sit for a day…shed skin and eat again. During the summer it takes about 9 days for them to get big and pupate. Once they shed it seems like they double in size in no time at all.

Hope you enjoyed the video….again…no matter how many times I get to watch this…I am still amazed.

Monarch Caterpillar pupating 2.22.13

Before we went on our last boating trip on the St Johns River, I found 8 tiny hatchlings. I put them and half a dozen plants in the Butterfly House.

When we got back they were about an inch long.  It only took a few more days and they were this size. It doesn’t take long for them to eat all the leaves. There are 11 in this picture so there must have been a few eggs on the plants when I put them in.

A few days later …… 6 went to the top. By the next morning they were in “J”s. I think it takes about 24 hrs for them to get to the pupating stage. You can see 1 in Chrysalis and 5 more Js. The other 4 have just gone up and will need to make a web to suspend themselves from.

Look at this one….skin is so tight it looks like it’s wearing a rubber suit.

I only found 2 Queen caterpillars. This is one…it’s only about 3/4 inch long. The other is about half that. Similar colors…different pattern and extra feelers.

I have a video below on this caterpillar. Notice how the feelers still have a lot of curve and shape to them, but starting to show some “wilt” in the right one. That is a sign they are going to pupate. They will eventually hang down and start to get wrinkled.

I had my camera all set up and started videoing. Just as it got to this point my batteries went dead…I stuck them in the charger for a few minutes and got it up and running.  This is the last picture I took before switching back to video. Notice the feelers.

You can see the difference between the two in the next picture. Theirs still have a lot of shape and will be a few hours more.

I took this picture out of the video. It had just shed it’s skin and was still gyrating.

Same one a few hours later…..isn’t it beautiful?  What a difference. I never realized it before…but you can actually see lines like there will be  in the wings.

The 6  “J”s are now in Chrysalis form and 9 more caterpillars have gone to the top.  There are 3 more big enough to go up this afternoon or tomorrow morning. That only leaves about 20 of various size to keep on eating.

Enjoy the video. No mater how many times I get to watch them….it still amazes me.

Sunday 2.17.13

We’ve had an easy winter…so far….saw 38* on my thermometer on the rear deck this morning. It’s now reading 52*.

Wood stove has been going steady all night. Kept it at 65* inside. If it were inside instead of in the Florida/screen room, it would do a better job…but we don’t have many nights in the 30’s. With it in the screen room I can have a fire in the morning, even during the summer…and by 10am I can have all the doors open.

Wood rack is full for tonight. Fire going and sun shining into the screen room is making it nice and warm. I have the thru wall vent fan going, drawing heat inside.  Almost 72* in here now….but the sun will be going behind the trees shortly…and it will cool off in a hurry.

I love cooking on it. Made pot roast yesterday. Great for spaghetti sauce too, and any thing that needs to simmer awhile.

My Bottlebrush bushes are full of buds and a day of rain has started it blooming. This smaller one is in the back yard and the Painted Buntings love it for cover while taking turns at the feeders. I have 4 feeders here. 2 on the pole and 2 just to the right of the big tree. One is a platform on a cable for the squirrels. They can run out the cable and avoid the cats. The Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Titmice and Cardinals share it with them.  The other is a platform feeder on a PVC pole. We set that up for the Doves so they wont need to feed on the ground..also to avoid cats.

The Bottlebrush would be bushy all the way to the ground but I keep it cleared so the cats cant hide under it.

The two in the front yard may as well be called trees, they are that big. You can see all the buds on this one. My 2 smaller ones have buds but no blooms.

My Tangelo and Navel citrus trees are budding…..a freeze could kill all the buds on them and on the Bottlebrush.

I’ll be out early in the morning hosing all the trees and plants down. If there is a frost and you can rinse them off before the sun hits them, sometimes you can save them.

I’ve several caterpillars in my Butterfly House.

There are at least 18 Monarchs that are about an inch long, and 7 tiny hatchlings. If I’ve counted that many you can add several more. It’s hard to see them all, even the big ones.

It will be another 5 or 6 days before any of them will head to the top to pupate and then another 11 or 12 days in the Chrysalis before they emerge as butterflies. It’s a fun process to watch. During warm weather, caterpillar and chrysalis stages are only about 9 days each. Cold weather takes longer.

Even though it’s cold, I’ve seen several Giant Swallowtails and a Tiger Swallowtail feeding on the Bottlebrush, and lots of Honey Bees. Wish some of them would move into my empty hives. Keep your fingers crossed…..March is swarming season.