# Finally



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

After 3 days in the 50F high range yesterday warmed up in the high 50F range I took the time in the afternoon to check our 7 hives here at home. Only 3 remain alive and seem to be strong. They are carrying in natural pollen. I don't know where it is coming from, I've been watching for the skunk cabbage to bloom but it isn't even up. I did see a ***** willow along the road with blooms on it how ever.

Plans for this year if we have a normal spring and summer is to raise nucs. break each hive down to 3 nucs and a single deep to start then a couple nucs till mid July.

A sad note. We recieved a call that the owner of our Christmas tree farm bee yard passed away Saturday. 

A cold spell till Thursdays so we won't be checking the out yards till near this up coming week end.

 Al


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## k9 (Feb 6, 2008)

Here too Al, we had a chance to lift the lids on our three hives and they are all active, two stronger than the other. They are up on the candy board taking sugar but ignore the megabee patties in there, they also ignore dry megabee powder that i put out and instead are going for the chicken feed. They also are ignoring the entrance feeders even though they are using the landing boards there. I guess they know what they are doing. Here's to a great growing summer.


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## thenance007 (Mar 18, 2013)

If you lost that many hives, they may be starving and you need to make sure they have honey above the cluster--move honey frames into the middle from the sides or put it above them so they can move up and eat it. If they are light on stores, when it is above 50 degrees you can put out syrup in your bee yard--I use a big plastic bowl with a stainless steel strainer inside that they can climb down to get it. For a week or 2 in February, my 2 hives were taking a gallon a day that way--they can store it where they want it. Kept them from starving. . .


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

I lost 8 out of 8 ,, so will have to buy a nuc ,, just when I thought i had a little better idea of what I was doing ,, guess I got to smart for my own good .. will have to re think the way I was doing things ..


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

We had that drought last summer and the girls only had syrup from the first of July at 1:1 then in mid Sept got 2:1 with the nosema meds in it. My feelings are that a hive full of syrup and sugar crstyals just wasn't enough.
I don't know how your winter was there Tom but ours was windy and cold after Christmas, very little snow and no warm days in Febuary when we usally put pollen pattys on.


Been meaning to call you


 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

Al I have to ask you about all my dead hives and the 2 nucs I will be ordering ,, I have no idea what kind they are ,, so may have to order a queen to replace the one that comes with , but no I will not kill her , I will use her to build the others up .. but that is not what I'm wondering about .. it to hard and long to go into here ,, but I'm dropped my phone is water 5 weeks ago and still don't have it replaced . and do not have long distance on the land line . I will pm the land line number so if you want to call use it...


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Tom put the wet phone in rice for a while. Some times they will work after they have dried out.

 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

was good to talk to you today ,, I was thinking that way of setting them up but wanted to bee sure that I was no missing something along the way .. went and picked one hive up so one is at home now want to get it set up and ready for the nucs . I did see that one of my sbb will be in the scrap , it is one I bought with my first hive , about 8 years ago ,,, now I make my own but make them a lot heavier , they will last longer ( I think )


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Ya I enjoyed our chat too. Kares mom said as we were going out the door about all the minutes I used. Nothoing to worry about as we have roll over minutes totalling several thousands now. We use the most during the bee season, have never ran out in close to 10 years now.

Here is the link to the bee lab we talked about.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=12-45-33-00

Remember it is your tax dollars at work.

 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

on utube they have some hives that has a lip that goes up in the box on top 

google 
[ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKTvp1lupHY[/ame]

then click on

Beekeeping by Rotation System - YouTube

oh there it is never did that before
watch when they take off the top box ,, what kind of hive is that???????


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Can't do you tube vidos at home not enough GB's for that from our ISP we can afford.
I'll have to take the lap top to a WIFI hot spot to see it.

With all this rain maybe today I can do that. Over 5 inches in 48 hours so far and it hasn't stopped or supposed to.

I'll have to use a canoe to get into our Gale road yard. At least the hives are on a hill and a 15 inch high stand.


 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

another thing ,,, why the plastic sheet ,, if I would put that on they would BE SO WET


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Didn't get out yesterday. Watching the local news right now and the weather guy says guess what? more rain today and isn't goint to stop any time soon.

 Al


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## k9 (Feb 6, 2008)

We have had a couple of days in the low 60's here and now a stretch of cold days.... I'm afraid the queen started laying and now the hive is struggling to keep it all warm.... this morning the forecast is for 5 days in a row above 60, as i am typing this it is snowing here.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Ya we had snow showers yesterday. No 60F days at all either.

Your queen started laying in January a little.

 Al


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## k9 (Feb 6, 2008)

The forecast high for today is 64, right now we have ice pellets and overcast, and it's noon.


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

34 now high today 39 and light snow no warm stuff til week from today then 49 but looks wet 
hope when the girls come it is warm and DRY ,, they come on the first , 
but will have to get the hive set up yet , I will set it up then give you (Al ) a call to get you thoughts :whistlin:


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

We started in Sun shine Sunday clouds and rain at noon and cleared to sun shine again by 4:00 PM. Wind was raw and would strip meat of exposed limbs.

Get your snow shoes ready Tom so you can get to the hives. I told Kare you said you had a foot of snow on the lawn and then I saw the fore cast about mid wee you got another foot. Kare keeps saying Poor Deana when they show the broad weather. She got freezing rain snbow freezing rain and just rain last week.

Call when your ready, I keep my phone in my pocket.

 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

right after I talked to you we got warm , snow melted , saw grass , got more snow , lawn is white again . yesterday we got rain ,sleet , snow , wind , all at the same time , and I had to drive in that crap .. today its just cold and have a good wind ,, and to top it off my water heater went out last night ,, we have the tankless one ,, went to fleet farm and they have one for 3 baths for $700 ,, tankless are sold by gals they heat per min ,, so this one is for 3 baths at 2.5 gals per min each ,so it is around 7.5 gals per min toatal


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Got warm enough yesterday the girls were flying. Were bring in pollen from some place. I've been watching for the skunk cabbage usally well up and blooming by now but Nada yet. the Ramps are just now peeking thru the leaf litter.

Sorry to hear the water heater failed.

 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

its just the way my life goes ,, always something going that keeps me from doing things I want to do ,, that is why bon and kids all got upset when I said '' no more bees '''


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Well you can start relaxing once the new bees arrive.

 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

for some dumb reason the water heater started working again ,, I did find one that we want , but will wait til this one is dead for sure , its a $600 plus vent ,, and yes I do want a tank less again .. 
well we have a storm on its way ,, hope this summer is not storm after storm ,, 
this week work has been hard so I'm going to bed 
good night world


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

It's your boss thats hard. Telling you your fired then get to work gre:

We got more rain last night just as it was starting to dry out. just over a half inch and more on the way for today.
Where is that canoe at.

 Al


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

LOL... It's been raining so much here that we're starting to wonder what a 'cubit' is 'cause the animals are starting to come to the farm two by two!!


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

the wife says '' this is a old time winter '' like back in the day , when winters were winter , not just cool weather,


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Another 2 inches of rain here in 48 hours and yesterday was a day of strong winds and snow. 
Thats over 7 inches of rain in two weeks. 
Lets see they say a inch of rain makes a foot of snow right? Whew that would work my snow plow out I think.

 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

wasn't to long ago you said were in a drought , now it sounds like your in the start of a flood ,, but you do need the water to bring the water table back up ,, as some wells my be showing signs of low water table


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

AverageJo

how long you had bees ?????? and what number of hives ??? 
just wondering ,,, as you sound like you have had them for a few years


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

LOL... Nope. Only had them for a few years but I've done a lot of experimenting with them. Last year I had 8 going into winter and so far it looks like I have 7 that have made it through. They're all bringing in pollen. I cracked open 3 of them and they all have brood in them but the rest are in out fields and it's too muddy to get to them and I'm not in the mood to schlep equipment back to them. I'm hoping to do splits and sell some nukes. This year will be experimenting with screen bottom boards: to make or to buy is the question. I want to be able to just dump the screen without having to move all the boxes off in the spring, so I'm toying with designing my own. I've also been asked to take care of a couple more hives as well.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Lots of new wells starting about mid July last year. We had a drought that started about mid May last year and has been drought conditions nearly all winter. Rain is nice but several inches at a time don't do a lot of good as it just runs off Say a half inch on Monday a quarter about Wednesday and a nother half on Friday.

 Al


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