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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2010 17:45:50 GMT
I'm not really sure Bixa,I will have to ask Luke.
Yes,to see that tiny hole and then walk in the house and see the whole hive like that was mind blowing. We photographed it exactly in that sequence too,so, you can imagine my surprise,awe,etc. when I saw it. I was totally mesmerized.
I've been told by some local beekeepers that the colony collapse disorder is predominately more of a problem with imported bees that are used over and over again and transported from place to place for pollinating large orchards for big business.(almond orchards in particular where the bees are worked to their maximum capacity and then gathered up and shipped off to another big orchard). I don't think it's quite as big a problem with native or wild bees that are just left to do their thing in small hives in their own backyard so to speak. It's the big business/commercial bee enterprises that are having more of a problem.
I may be misinformed on this though. It's not been talked about locally to my knowledge.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 9, 2010 19:47:45 GMT
I read a very long article on colony collapse a while back that said that was the theory -- that it might have something to do with moving the colonies around like that. Whether that is the cause or not, it would certainly contribute to the spread of any disease, wouldn't it?
I'll try to find the article.
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Post by lola on Oct 25, 2010 14:44:22 GMT
So glad this got to Landmarks, because I'd missed it before. Fascinating, casimira.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2010 17:56:55 GMT
In a recent news report about the mortal bee pandemic, they were saying that 80% of the fruit crops depend on bees.
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2016 20:15:55 GMT
Today we acquired a "new" hive of bees that we removed from a house that some friends of ours are renovating.
I had a "proper" bee box/home built for them and we just finished the transfer a couple of hours ago.
We perseverated long and hard about the placement of the box which resembles a manger on a saw horse with a shingled roof .
Inside are slots lined with melted beeswax and some pheromones that we purchased from a reputable online source recommended by the beekeeping forum that I've been a member of for several years.
It's now a wait and see if they take to the new home and set up house after choosing/crowning a queen.
I'm super excited about this but, having no success before for whatever reason, I can only hope they will be happy here.
Goodness knows they have plenty to nectar on, elderflowers in particular, along with a huge variety of other wildflowers, all in very close proximity.
There were four of us involved in the process.
Two got stung several times, my husband got stung once, I did not get stung at all.
We did take care to sedate/smoke them before the transfer in the crates after suctioning them out of their preexisting home.
I'm guessing that a couple hundred of them died but, this is very common.
There are easily a couple of thousand surviving thus far.
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Post by htmb on May 31, 2016 20:37:05 GMT
Good luck and keep us posted. This sounds like an interesting challenge!
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2016 21:07:18 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 1, 2016 0:31:49 GMT
Casimira, that's really exciting! I feel like this this thread now has its own beekeeper AND hive. It will be a thrill to watch this unfold.
Lizzy, can you all put a hive(s) out there on your property, or would someone have to be there all the time to tend the bees?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 5:07:12 GMT
We can't have honeybees because I am violently allergic. Our neighbour has them, though.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 5:09:50 GMT
I had completely forgotten this thread and was fascinated by the photo report on page one.
My grandfather had a couple of beehives when I was little -- one under the mirabelle tree and one under the pear tree. Naturally both of those trees bore abdundant fruit but I was loathe to come anywhere near them. My grandfather had a netted hat and a smoke can identical to the one in the photos, and now I wonder when he learned to do such things. Maybe it was passed down in his family through the generations or maybe a neighbour taught him how to do it one day. I will never know.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 14:16:53 GMT
So far so good...they seem to be slowly moving into the house.
It's difficult to tell just how many of them are in there just yet.
I certainly don't want to rile them up and have them get pissed off and swarm.
Late yesterday afternoon we had a heavy downpour and I was worried it might cause some adverse reaction to their settling in.
Some appeared to retreat under the white sheet that we had spread for them to congregate on and ascend into the house.
At least they're still here...
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 1, 2016 15:10:02 GMT
Exciting! Are you watching them with binoculars from your house?
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 2, 2016 5:33:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2016 11:55:36 GMT
OH!!! You are too funny!!!
I have been checking on them regularly.
They seem to have moved into the house but I am holding off on opening it up at this particular time to allow them to settle in.
Two days of a couple of heavy duty downpours sees to have hastened the process.
For now, just letting them "bee".
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 2, 2016 16:55:41 GMT
So glad to hear that they are hived and not hive-nots. I will continue to comb through this thread, as I know you will wax eloquent about their progress.  |
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Post by lugg on Jun 2, 2016 21:10:31 GMT
 Wishing you continued good luck Casimira.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2016 11:42:21 GMT
So glad to hear that they are hived and not hive-nots. I will continue to comb through this thread, as I know you will wax eloquent about their progress. Why am I not shocked at this coming from you? Thanks a bunch Lugg!!! |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2016 19:31:30 GMT
OK, an update.
The vast majority of the hive are still here but aren't moving into the newly constructed "bee box".
Initially we though they were.
The hive is still in a large plastic heavy duty crate that they were transported in.
We are trying different measures to lure them into the at this point "McMansion" built specifically for them.
But, they are still here. lots comings and goings.
We gently raised the crate closer to the box and put lots of twigs and branches to cluster onto but, so far, they seem to be sticking with the crate.
Both the crate and the bee box have pheromones in them.
Mind you, the original hive that was extracted was HUGE and had we are guessing, but not sure, had 4 Queens.
The whole thing is a very complex and intricate process.
It's a wait and see.
I am not as discouraged as I was with other transfers.
The comings and goings that I see are encouraging, and upon approach with care not to disturb them, they are active and non aggressive.
It's all pretty cool.
They are very busy so, something good is going on.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2016 2:24:45 GMT
It appears the bees have gone. 4 days straight of monsoon like rains I guess it was just too wet for them and they had not moved from the crates into the wooden protected house. Luke said that the same thing happened to him one year when he did a transfer during the rainy season. So we will give it another try during the drier season. These guys were moved from a nice and dry cozy spot in a house. I guess this qualifies me as a slum beekeeper...  I am disappointed to be sure but I learn something new each time. |
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 7, 2016 3:40:15 GMT
The little wingéd buzzkills!
Do you think now that you can get the hive out of the transport box, some bees might come colonize it? Or is it a question of bringing a group and their queen to the hive?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2016 6:55:03 GMT
I doubt that there is very much in the crate that is worth anything at this point. We will examine the situation tomorrow. Transferring and transporting feral bees is a crap shoot. The chance of success is very limited.. Most bee excavators remove the hives upon hire and set them loose in the swamps or woodland areas. Those of us who team up and do transfers are not doing it for profit,although, personal gain as in this case . We aim to save bees in order to eliminate chemical exterminations. We don't charge any fee and try our best to find them happy homes. This particular hive had survived 2 attempts at extermination but came back, they were that determined. They went somewhere, and hope they are safe and happy. Sometimes it bees that way. I am putting any immediate attempts on hold for now as I will be traveling a lot in the coming months and have a lot on my plate. While I am abroad I would like to visit some apiaries in different countries and regions. I would like to thank the people who took an interest in this endeavor and for the support .  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2016 10:18:05 GMT
Did they at least have the decency to pollinate your garden before they left?
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 19, 2022 20:48:34 GMT
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Oct 21, 2022 6:19:06 GMT
Good grief. That's cruelty to bees that is (never mind assault with a lethal weapon) I hope that she's banned from keeping bees for the rest of her life....
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