Hive inspection 11-15-2009

[Billybee]

Hello all,

I just uploaded a video of my hive inspection on 11-15-2009.  Everything looks pretty good to me and my 5-6 months beekeeping experience. I saw a few hive beetles and killed them. There are 2 frames with foundation in them. One is packed with honey and the other is all funky looking, chewed up and it looks like they started to draw it out if thats the right term. You can see it at the end of the video. Should I get rid of it or leave it? Some of the comb isnt quite following the guide strip but, what can you do?

Seems to me the frame with the most honey is very wide. Is that normal and does anyone recommend going with the 9 frame system? There are some beeks doing that in our bee club. Nobody in this club is going the foundationless natural route so heres where I turn.

If anyone would like to see the video of the inspection this link should take you there. All input good and bad is welcome. I dont have a clue so let me know if you see something I dont then I can fix it.

Off to the beach

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=100844311

Thanks,
Billy

[Michael Bush]

If the hive was here, in my location, now, in early winter (by beekeeping standards) then I'd be concerned that they aren't built up enough, but they might, if they were frugal bees, make it.  In your location, I assume you can feed if there is a dearth and get them through the winter.

[kathyp]

i like the no gloves to gloves part.  it's like magic!   

check with some of the florida folks, but if that were my hive, and probably having no brood break?, i'd feed.

while you are feeding, you can move some of those undrawn frames closer to the middle of the hive and get them drawn out.

[Billybee]

I thought everyone would like the no gloves to gloves part of the video. Thats why I left it in after editing out my potty mouth.

I am seeing them flying in with their legs full all day long. The weather is still very nice here. The 10 day outlook has 1 low of 69. There is also a pretty decent amount of honey in there. Still feed? If so what is the magic potion. I have tried feeding them sugar syrup before and they did not touch it. I dont remember the mix but, I will do as instructed if needed.

How can I feed them without spending any money on a feeder (if possible) and what is the recommended way to feed? I have not entered this feeding world yet and dont know a thing but, I see many different opinions and it's confusing.

Also on the advice to locate the empty frames to the middle. Do that asap?

Thanks,

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfeeding.htm#bottom

[Billybee]

O.K. folks I did start feeding sugar syrup  outside of the hive..Judging by my bee inspectors gps there are no beekeepers anywhere in my area (no surprise), I only have 1 hive and its a given that in this over groomed neighborhood if there were any feral hives they would be removed so I am putting my money on a no robbing bet. They are wiping it out sun up to sundown.

Now with all of the talk about sugar syrups possible harm to the hive and the fact that these bees are still bringing in food and making honey which there is more of since the video on the 11-15-2009 and its 11-28-2009 do you really think there is still the need to give them this. If things got bad wouldnt they have a pretty good amount of honey to dive into judging by my video? Even if it ran low then I could sugar them up? Or I dont have a clue how much honey for that many bees is needed and dont I dont even want to make that mistake?

Now onto the moving of the undrawn frames to the middle to get them drawn out. It sounded easy enough until.
I found that some of the honeycomb that is next to a partial or empty frame has grown in width into the empty frames space. even the honey on the wax foundation is very wide at the top of the frame so this issue is not isolated to the natural comb growth. Therefor I did not totally do as instructed until I get more advice. If I switch any of the frames around they will be damaged. I also removed the last of the wax foundation which happened to be the only place I saw a hive beetle today.

I know you want to be able to remove the frames.
1:Do I let them just build like crazy and come time to inspect cut them apart and allow the bees to clean up the mess.
2:Open weekly and try to keep things somewhat orderly.
3:None of the above newbee.

All of the comb I speak of that is real wide is all honey. I made another video of todays activities so you can see. I will get better at showing the details and my frame handling skills need help I know.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=101002536

One more thing. The population of this hive is on the rise

[kathyp]

1st. how many frames are you using?  if you are starting with no foundation,  you should be using 10 frames.  i like 10 in the brood box regardless.

2nd, even if you are using 10, it's important to keep the frames pushed together toward the middle of the box.  that will help with that fat comb.

the stuck together frames are not a problem.  take a sharp knife and cut the stuck parts.  

leave the frames with brood in the middle.  take the frames that are fully drawn or almost fully drawn and move them to the outside.  put the undrawn frames on either side of the brood.  if you have some that have funky comb, put them between well drawn out frames. if your brood frames are full, put a frame next to the brood that  the queen can move onto to lay.  it doesn't need to be fully drawn out, but give her one with some space.

even in your neck of the woods you have a slowdown in brood rearing, so don't expect things to get fixed overnight.  you can put it the way you want it and then leave them be for a bit.  

jar feeding over the inner cover is probably the easiest.  if you feed in the open, watch that you are not attracting wasps, etc.  while it may look to you like they have lots of honey, i do not see it.  if your queen continues to lay, they will continue to need stores.  unless you know that you have a good nectar flow going on now, i would feed.

your hive looks fine, just needs time and some of the stuff won't be resolved until a good nectar flow.  in the mean time, they could use some building up and some stores.

you did put that piece of wax foundation back?  that should be toward the center and in the future, use a frame like that to give them a guideline for starting straight.

[Billybee]

I was just in the hive and have been feeding as instructed. Video post as soon as my computer stops crashing every time I try to upload.

I am doing my best to i.d. eggs, larvae and such. I just dont see that there is a lot going on. Matter of fact It seems as if there are less bees. My gut feeling is that this queen is not laying eggs. There is no more comb being drawn out on foundation or naturally.

The weather here in South Florida has been really nice except for a few days so I dont think thats an issue.

Anyone think I should get another queen?

[kathyp]

talk to some of the florida people, but i suspect that even in winter your queens will slow laying and bees not need so much comb.

do you have eggs and larvae in your hive?  what does the pattern look like?  what does your capped brood pattern look like.

the pics would be helpful, but my immediate advice would be wait on the queen.

[David LaFerney]

Can you get another queen even if you want too?