BeesCause

I'm Back...

2008-06-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

Well, you can obviously see that I've been otherwise occupied for awhile!

For the past month or so, I've been heavily involved in:

Watching my bees shiver - thanks to global warming!
Expanding my blogging universe

If you get a hankerin', come on over and visit me at www.BoardmanCountry.com, where everyone's entitled to MY opinion. It's probably where I'll be spending most of my time for awhile.

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Subscribe...

2008-05-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

As you can see now, I've placed on the left side bar two different ways that you can subscribe to my content feed. In other words, you can automatically be notified when BeesCause is updated or has new content.

I think this is a nice feature for folks who are interested in what I'm presenting because you don't have to be checking the site until you get the "feed."

Also, if you're not aware of it, you can get a FREE feed reader at www.Google.com called: Google Reader.

This allows you to subscribe to any feed you like (and there are lots of them!). It's really just a website that you go to in order to read feeds to which you've subscribed. Saves time by bringing updates right to you, instead of you having to go check for them. Cool!

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Bee Video

2008-05-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

Here I'm going to run a little test to see if you are able to effectively use this link to see a neat video about the first hive inspection of the spring.

Hopefully, this will just work by clicking on it. Check out the following:

Spring Inspection

Once the video begins, you can right click on the small image and select ZOOM for screen size options. Happy viewing!

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Swarmest

2008-05-05T21:23:00.001-07:00

Beehive
Originally uploaded by magda rees

Up close and personal!

Any time I can get my hands on one of these nice-sized swarms, I'm happy.

Free bees. Freebie!

Have a good evening.

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Swarmer

2008-05-05T21:06:00.001-07:00

bee swarm
Originally uploaded by truan

These gals obviously picked a nice warm day to pull up stakes and head for parts unknown.

Really, the most fascinating part of a honeybee swarm is the part just before this stage. Bees literally FILL the air as they wait for the queen to land somewhere. Then they all cluster like this to wait while their scouts find a new place for them to live.

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Swarm

2008-05-05T20:57:00.001-07:00

Swarm
Originally uploaded by Bumblebee

First, last month's "Poll" question was, "How long has Bees Keeper been keeping bees?" Answer: I'll never tell.

With that out of the way, it's May. Typically, May and June are considered "swarming season" for bees and beekeepers. So, just in case you should encounter something similar-looking to this, you'll know that some nearby honeybees are perpetuating the species.

Whatever, you do, don't panic! If you're seeing a swarm of honeybees, you are seeing them at their MOST docile moment. They just LOOK intimidating!

Just send me an email and I'll come get them!

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Again...

2008-05-01T10:22:00.001-07:00

Honeybee Nest Removal - 06
Originally uploaded by Max xx

Looking out from the inside of the window...a closeup view of wild bees at work.

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Wild Colony...

2008-05-01T10:20:00.001-07:00

Honeybee Nest Removal - 07
Originally uploaded by Max xx

Well, here Max xx has captured an intriguing series of shots of a wild colony holed up in the exterior of a window casing.

This is what the bees do when they don't have "assistance" from human beings.

Of course, the thing had t be removed in order to further progress on the remodel.

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Monday, Monday.

2008-04-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

The weekend, as usual, was busy but we did manage to actually accomplish a few things.

On Friday, I discovered that one of the hives that came through the winter had lots of bees in it, but NO brood. Not good.

Although I did spot a few eggs there, they were such a smattering that I began wondering if the queen had died.

She was there, though, and once I found her I watched for awhile to see what the heck she was up to. A whole lot of nothing.

Fortunately, Jim, out at the Beez Neez, had some queens on hand. Carrie stopped by there on the way home from work and snagged one...I thought.

Low and behold, when she arrived home, there were TWO queen cages in the little bag. Obviously, I had not communicated effectively. But not to worry.

Since I had so many bees in this particular hive, I split the hive and installed a new queen in each half. I did, of course, find and "deal with" the old queen before placing the new queen cage inside.

Such a pity. That queen was actually my best producer last year. Hated to see her go, but when you're done, you're done!

Today started out a bit on the wet side, but now the sun's out and we're hoping for dryness and warmth!

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

More...

2008-04-28T15:15:00.001-07:00

Bee Birth 3 - 10 mins of hard work
Originally uploaded by Max xx

Max xx has certainly captured the process for us.

These are truly great shots!

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

To Bee or Not To Bee...

2008-04-28T15:12:00.001-07:00

Bee Birth 2 - shoulders next
Originally uploaded by Max xx

This one looks like she's seriously considering just popping the lid back on and going back to bed.

But, of course, the sisterhood wouldn't stand for that.

C'mon! Let's get crackin'!

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

It's a Bee!

2008-04-28T15:09:00.001-07:00

Bee Birth 1 - chewing her way out
Originally uploaded by Max xx

Once the new bee is fully developed in the capped cell, she chews her way out into the world.

Now, since the worker bees lifespan is only five to six weeks from the day she emerges from this cell, she gets busy right away.

When you figure that a vibrant queen bee lays 1500 eggs in a day, you can see how the population in the hive increases rapidly as spring sets in.

At peak summer season, each hive will be home to anywhere from 50 to 80 thousand bees.

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

They're Called "Brood"

2008-04-28T15:03:00.001-07:00

In the hive 6
Originally uploaded by Max xx

Here's a terrific shot of the later stage larvae along with what we call "capped brood."

So first, it's the egg. Then the "uncapped brood" as you can see here. Finally, the bees cap off the cells with a wax covering and the new bee develops through the pupae stage and into the fully developed BEE!

Good stuff here!

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

From Egg to Larva...

2008-04-25T11:57:00.001-07:00

Bee Babies ... Larvae
Originally uploaded by chrissie2003

You can see here after the three days in the egg stage, the developing larva lays down in the bottom of the cell in the fetal position and like any other baby...GROWS!

When inspecting your hives, you always want to see lots of cells in this phase of development as well.

Soon these little gals will be capped over with beeswax for the final transition into an actual bee.

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Bees Besieged!

2008-04-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

Great name for a great book!

"Bill Mares travels the U.S. interviewing hobby, sideline and commercial beekeepers, honey packers and importers, honey bee researchers and scientists and many others related to the beekeeping industry to identify the status of beekeeping in the U.S. and looks for answers to questions on varroa and tracheal mites, resistant diseases, cheap imported honey prices, research problems, the economics of American agriculture, and the decline in the number of beekeepers in America.

During this odyssey, Bill captures the beekeeping industry in its glory and in its wisdom, in its innocence, and with its pants down. He paints the whole picture as no one has done before. He examines, too, the common aspects of the beekeeping industry...its past, the present and even the future, the many personalities, and the diverse parts and pieces and places that make up this tiny, esoteric, but critical cog of modern agriculture.

This snapshot, developed from the perspective of someone who needs honey bees in his life, makes our understanding easier and, perhaps, the troubles less threatening."

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who has even the remotest interest in the state of the honeybee today!

If you're interested, click on the link at the left for The Best Bee Space. At the bottom of the page you'll find a link to Beekeeping Books. It's in there.

Aladdin's Cave

2008-04-24T21:39:00.001-07:00

Aladdin's Cave
Originally uploaded by chrissie2003

No wonder she's all yellow when she arrives at the hive!

The apparent pollen "baskets" on the rear legs are really not baskets at all.

What you see there is really just a pollen WAD. It's sticky stuff, you know, and therefore simply clings to those legs until she off-loads it into the appropriate cell deep within the hive.

Have a good night all!

Signing off,

Bees Keeper.

Field Trip...

2008-04-24T21:31:00.001-07:00

Bee Catch!
Originally uploaded by da100fotos

Now this is how it's done!

Did you know that the honeybee cycles its wings 11,000 times per minute when flying?

And even at that, the "experts" in flight tell us that the way they are constructed, there's no way they should be able to fly at all.

Must have something to do with Who made them rather than how they were made.

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Zoom Eggs!

2008-04-24T21:21:00.001-07:00

Eggs
Originally uploaded by techmeister

Be sure to click on this photo of, once again, newly laid eggs. Then follow the directions in Techmeister's comment below the pic.

You'll have the best view you ever will of what the egg looks like in the cell. Fabulous!

You can see why it's so much easier to do hive inspections on bright sunny days. When the slightest little cloud comes by to darken things up, it's darn hard to see these little buzzers-in-the-making!

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Eggs, Eggs and More Eggs!

2008-04-24T21:03:00.001-07:00

More Eggs!
Originally uploaded by techmeister

For a thriving hive, upon inspection you must be able to visualize EGGS! Once the queen has laid the egg in the bottom of the cell, as seen here many times over, it is only an egg for three days. After that, it has developed into the larval stage.

Therefore, while inspecting the frames in your hive, if you don't find eggs it means that the queen has not been present and laying for at least three days. This is not good. You must re-queen right away in order to maintain the essential life cycle within the colony.

This is tremendous photography of what you want to see each and every time you open your hive. If you've never seen them before, the eggs are those little white rice-like things standing up in the bottoms of those otherwise empty cells. Only one egg per cell is allowed!

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

There She Is...Miss Queen!

2008-04-23T18:02:00.001-07:00

Queen bee
Originally uploaded by Max xx

This will be my parting shot for today.

As you can see this mature queen is significantly larger than the workers around her. She's an egg-laying machine.

Also, notice the blue dot up on her back. That is placed there manually by the beekeeper to make her easier to spot in the hive. This makes her a "marked queen."

Well, stay tuned. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of the hive and it's activity in future posts.

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Pollen Count...

2008-04-23T17:44:00.001-07:00

Galápagos interlude 2
Originally uploaded by Max xx

And this is what that same pollen looks like after they've off-loaded and stored it in the comb.

I wish my storage was this organized!

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Speaking of Saddle Bags...

2008-04-23T17:40:00.001-07:00

Galápagos interlude 1
Originally uploaded by Max xx

Here's another great shot of some of our pollen-laden friends getting ready to enter the hive with their offerings.

For those interested, any time you see this activity occurring, it's a sure bet that there is an egg laying queen inside. And that's a very good thing!

The healthy queen bee lays about 1500 eggs every 24 hours.

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Saddle Bags

2008-04-23T17:08:00.001-07:00

Saddle Bags
Originally uploaded by Dalantech

I'm trying out a new feature this evening that allows me to post photos - really good ones too - from Flickr.

I'm hoping this will make for added interest, since you've been kind enough to come visit here.

I think the term "Saddle Bags" is an appropriate description of what we're seeing here: a worker bee with a developing load of pollen.

Signing off,

Bees Keeper

Bee Facts...

2008-04-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some interesting facts about the honeybee:

A colony of honey bees during the peak of the season is made up of a queen, several hundred drones, 30,000 - 80,000 workers and brood (up and coming bees) in various stages of development.

More of the kids...

2008-04-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

So, in "Still Praying for Heat," you met Jesse, grandbaby #6 of 10.

I'm sure you'll have fun meeting #'s 7 and 9, Evan and his new brother Kingston.

Evan is two now and whenever possible loves to have a good romp with Grampa.

Of course, I like to make sure he gets a chance to see the world through my eyes every once in awhile!

Being as proud as any of the rest of you grandparents out there, you'll see that from time to time I have to let some of the grandbaby news slip in here.

Whereas all of these little ones are miracles to us, Kingston, in his short four months has had more than his share of time at the doctor's and in the hospital. But just look at him now! Not to worry, he's catching up on the good times. And for this, we hereby give all glory and honor and praise the Lord Jesus, The Healer!

Signing off,

Bees Keeper