October Swarm Catch

It's kind of late in the year for honey bees to be starting a new colony, but it does happen. Here's a short video of a small colony "moving in" to their new home.

Since "closing" on their house, the bees have been coming in with huge loads of pollen for their winter food. They've also done some modifications. The entrance hole is 3/4" in diameter. The bees must have decided that that was too big, and that too much heat would be escaping in the winter. So, they have reduced the entrance by at least half with propolis which is a caulk-like substance which the bees produce from resins they gather from trees. By reducing their entrance, it also makes it more easily defendable from other robbing colonies or predators.

Honey bees are one of God's marvelous creations. I hope that I can help this colony make it through the winter, so they can become a healthy and productive hive.

First Swarm Catch of 2012

Yesterday, at around 9 AM, I received a call to remove a swarm. This was an ideal catch. The bees were about 6' off the ground, and they were very gentle. The ball of bees was about as big as a basketball. I caught them and then returned in the evening to close up the hive box and take it home. 

Here they are entering their temporary abode.

Here they are in their permanent abode. Many are in the air as they reorient their on-board GPS system to their new location.

And, here they are "in the lineup." I added another box so they had some room to grow (first one on the left). 

Click on any of the pictures to enlarge.

Thanks for looking!

Coping with the heat

Today, it was in the high 90's here in South Carolina, and so my girls were dealing with it.

In the first picture you can see them out on "the deck." In the second picture they are "daisy chaining." If you look closely too, you can see several bees who are "fanning" at the opening of the hive to try to reduce the temperature in the hive. Bees are very "considerate" creatures. They all help to carry out the duties of the colony. Click on images to enlarge.

Summer in the Beeyard

Well, summer is upon us here in South Carolina, and my bees have to cope with the heat. I try to provide nice "digs" for my bees, but the truth is, they don't have A/C in their hive boxes.

So here's a few pics of how bees deal with the heat. Click on the images to enlarge - especially the last one! That's my favorite.

Here are they are hangin out on the deck.

Here they are "chillin" on the landing deck, while one comes in like a "Harrier jet" on the left, middle of the picture.

And finally, when it's just too much to bear the heat on the landing deck, sometimes they have to go to the "pool" to get a drink (otherwise known as my bird bath). Here is one of the girls licking up some water.

So there you have it. My bees can't just make honey 24/7, sometimes you have to take to time for re-creation!

Honeybee Awareness Project

OK, in an effort to raise "Honeybee Awareness," my bees and I decided to put together something contemporary for today's audiences. My bees and I had a lot of fun doing this project and I think you will like it a lot. Let me know whether you liked it - we may want to do more projects like this one. Here it is - Enjoy!!!

Why Do Bees Have Honey?

Watch this video to discover why bees have honey.

May 9th Swarm Catch

Here's a video of a recent swarm I caught. Notice how the volume of the "buzz" gets louder as my videographer (my wife) gets closer to the hive box.

We successfully relocated the bees to our bee yard, and they are building comb very quickly. It should become a healthy and strong hive.

An Exciting Hobby