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  • From: KNat <knat AT sprintmail.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Bees
  • Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 10:34:03 -0500

VAN DELL JORDAN wrote:
Is anyone in the group a beekeeper?

I live with bees. Not sure who's the keeper yet. I just started last year. Had a wonderful new experience with swarming/mating flight Saturday. March, I had thought I lost my hive (or as good as.) The numbers were way down and all the other hives in the area, and all the hives of several friends who had gotten bees last year from the same source were lost. I got a new batch in an additional hive and then the first started picking up too. Well, they must have decided to replace the queen. They came out of the old hive and started circling it, raising to a spiral just above it. Then they beelined to the base of a tree and spiraled up it in a line til they got reassembled in a cloud at the top. I went in to call an experienced beekeeper. After a bit I went out and they came down to a cloud around me (I've had that happen before, the kids call it Mama walking the bees. One son also walks bees.) Anyway, I walked to the hive and they went back in except for a small cluster at the top of the tree. I went in to get ready to go out and when I came out a queen and her court landed on me. I overreacted and shook them off. They reformed their circle on the ground. The queen in the middle and 5 then 7 surrounding her head in, tail out, around her in an even circle. I got out a box and put a board down for her/them to walk onto and lifted her/them into a box but scared some of them off. We'll see if they return to the original and overthrow or begin anew a third colony. My project for this sunny day is to build another hive, just in case.

Peace,
Kathyann

ps my survivors were wild caught then added to with a commercial queen last year. My friends got all commercial. don't know if it makes a difference but I definitely prefer the personality of the wild caught. here's a hunting box http://outdoorplace.org/beekeeping/history2.htm
A beekeepers calendar http://www.backyardbeekeepers.com/to-do.html




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