# Dad called it tuition!



## nchobbyfarm (Apr 10, 2011)

Whenever you started something new and it didn't go as planned, my old man called it tuition.

I bought a hive today. The guys life had gotten way more complicated and he needed one less thing to look after.

He sold me the hive at a reasonable price and I was drawn to his ad.

I bought the hive and picked it up about an hour and a half before dark. I sealed the entrance with an old corrugated political sign and a staple gun.

I drove them the hour home and set them on the stand. When i opened the entrance, it was blocked by "wet" bees. I used a screwdriver to open the entrance. I used my hive tool to open the top and stuck the screwdriver in to hold the top open on that end.

I heard a substantial buzzing. We will see what tomorrow brings.

If I lose them, dad would say I paid some tuition.

He was right!


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## Adirondackian (Sep 26, 2021)

I think as long as you didnt lose the queen, they should be fine. Congrats on your new endeavor. Its very exciting. I had a few hives years ago but lost them to various things, hopefully you'll have better luck than I did.


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## nchobbyfarm (Apr 10, 2011)

Adirondackian said:


> I think as long as you didnt lose the queen, they should be fine. Congrats on your new endeavor. Its very exciting. I had a few hives years ago but lost them to various things, hopefully you'll have better luck than I did.


Maybe I got lucky. Both hives were very active today.

I plan to wait until we get a substantial rain as we are in a horrible drought. Then I will see if both the queens made the move successfully!

I put out water in a chicken waterer about 40 feet away with rocks and 2 quart gravity feeders with 1 to 1 sugar water. They are 100 feet away on a fence post platform.

They didn't appear interested in either.

Fingers crossed!


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## goodatit (May 1, 2013)

nchobbyfarm said:


> Whenever you started something new and it didn't go as planned, my old man called it tuition.
> 
> I bought a hive today. The guys life had gotten way more complicated and he needed one less thing to look after.
> 
> ...


next time you move bees, block bottom entrance. next take hive cover off and staple screen over the top box to allow heat to escape.


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## nchobbyfarm (Apr 10, 2011)

goodatit said:


> next time you move bees, block bottom entrance. next take hive cover off and staple screen over the top box to allow heat to escape.


Thank you for the advice!


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## Montanarchist (Feb 24, 2005)

I'd get more blocks under those hives, bees don't always fill comb equally on both sides.


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## nchobbyfarm (Apr 10, 2011)

@goodatit

@Montanarchist

Thank you both for you posts.

The larger 10 frame hive with the 2 deep supers moved well according to a visual inspection. I'll hopefully be doing a internal inspection Sunday if the forecast holds.

The 8 frame deep is a total loss. I'm sorry my ignorance costs this hive but from looking at the frames, I'm fairly certain it was queenless anyway. Either way, it could have been saved by a more experienced beekeeper. The heat got it.

Maybe I'll get there....


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## nchobbyfarm (Apr 10, 2011)

Well, I have 4 hives out of 5 hives still active. 3 are thriving and have reasonably tempered bees. The fourth lost it's queen, never capped 3 queen cells and was requeened. It is still a bunch of mad girls. 

Three are flourishing and the one is floundering and one was a total loss. 

We will see what happens from here.


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## nchobbyfarm (Apr 10, 2011)

Montanarchist said:


> I'd get more blocks under those hives, bees don't always fill comb equally on both sides.


I took your advice and made a sturdier stand for the hive.


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## nchobbyfarm (Apr 10, 2011)

I never knew bugs could be so hard to keep alive.

Apparently keeping desirable bugs alive is much harder than killing undesirable bugs.

Holy learning curve, Batman!


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

I’m surprised how well your electric fence seems to keep them home!


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## nchobbyfarm (Apr 10, 2011)

A few pictures from this week's hive inspections.


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