I don't have much to say right now, but I have a minute to say it. So I guess I'll try to fill in more detail. People are finally having live conferences again and I've been speaking some. As I said before queen rearing has not gone well though I put a lot of effort into it with not much result. The bees have not done badly, but I suppose some of the same issues with queen rearing have resulted in the colonies often being queenless and what few queens I've had have been used requeening them. The USDA did their usual APHIS inspection (actually done by UNL) and as usual not a lot of Varroa. Most of the rest of the results are not here yet. I see some new kinds of flowers out in the pasture that must be a result of one of the mixtures I've planted over the years. Not sure what all of them are, but it's good to see variety. The Chicory is still blooming and the goldenrod is pretty much in full bloom as are the asters. The Joe Pye Weed and Iron weed is petering out, but I see some still blooming. The Elderberry has all gone to berries now. I should get out and collect them so I can get the juice and so I can spread the seeds. I keep trying to mow where I can, but I keep finding things blooming in the weeds. Some of those are more recent and I'm not sure what they are. I'm getting more and more native thistles but they are a distraction as I'm always battling the noxious weeds (mostly the non-native thistles) to keep the weed board happy so they don't threaten me and at first glance they are difficult to tell apart. You have to look at the underside of the leaves. The native thistles are almost white on the underside of the leaves. There are a lot of different sizes and kinds of the natives. The Teasel is doing well on the other side of the creek, though I don't see any on this side. Lot's of milkweed. Unfortunately I also get a lot of giant ragweed, pigweed (lambs quarters) and curly dock none of which seem to do anything for the bees. And of course grass which is the enemy of all bee plants...
I saw this frenzy going on and turned the cover over to block the entrance. They were doing this same thing before I blocked it. They would pile up until they would fall in clumps. I slowed it down to try to see it better.
I have fallen behind on posting. I work 40 hours a week and then try to keep up with bees, so I've fallen behind on my posts most everywhere including here. I'm feeling my age. For the first time I find myself thinking that 8 frame medium boxes full of honey are too heavy. And the 8 and 9 frame "queen castle" mating nucs are also getting too heavy. You would think this constant increase in the pull of gravity would have people concerned...
Last year I had an apprentice, which helped a lot on getting bee work done. We raised a lot of batches of queens, but did not have very good returns. Some of that is probably weather, some is probably predators (dragonflies etc.). Some of it, I think is that the dividers on my mating nucs are deteriorating and queens are getting killed by the neighbors. The corners at the top are getting chewed out. I hope to get enough help, between apprentices and Bee Camp, to build some separate 3 medium frame mating nucs. We will see. It's that or ...
https://bushfarms.com/beescamp.htm
Bee Camp dates: 22-26 May 2025 (arriving 21 May leaving 27 May)
(Work week will be 17-21 May 2025 arriving May 16))
Location: Nehawka, Nebraska 68413(45 miles south of Omaha Eppley Airport)
Cost: $1,000 ($100 non-refundable deposit. $900 on arrival) or if you do work week, just the $100 deposit.
Accommodations: meals and camping in a tipi provided. I highly recommend staying in the camp. If you don't you will miss a lot of the camaraderie, but Hotel or Glamping (glamour camping) are available in the area at the cost of the camper and the camper is responsible for arrangements.
Weather permitting we will be doing bee things for at least 4 hours a day, usually more like 12 and other activities the rest of the day.
I guess this is a clear sign I don't post here enough. You can still see my last post on last year's camp. Last year was another great year. A lot of fun, a lot of camaraderie and a lot of new friends. Here's my...
New member looking to meet local natural beekeepers: anyone in/near Central Massachusetts?
I just got started with a langstroth hive this summer, planning to build a top bar hive and swarm traps for the spring. I am a decent carpenter; would be fun to collaborate and build some hives together with others in the area.
