The “Nuc’s” are Here!

In a previous post, we mentioned one of the ways to start a hive of bees is with a small working hive called a nucleus hive or “nuc.”

We placed three nucs out recently and here are some pictures of  those.

In this photo, you can see the five frames which make up the nucleus hive.

The five frames, plus five more are moved to a full sized hive body and – viola- the bees take up housekeeping in their new home.

Certification Complete

Eileen and I both completed the practical portion of the North Carolina Certified Beekeeper course this past weekend.

This is an entry level certification but covers the essential of getting started in beekeeping and is the first step in becoming a Master Beekeeper.

Beekeeping can be a fairly expensive endeavor and having the knowledge base from these certification levels can be a big help in preventing the loss of your investment – not to mention the loss of another colony of bees!

Bringing in the Sheaves (of Pollen)

We checked on the bees today and got a good shot of one of them bringing back pollen. The pictures below show the bees coming back in and the close-up is of the pollen baskets of the one which is loaded down.

  The others are of us working the hives.

Building in Progress

Here is a shot of one frame out of one of the hive. Each hive “body” has ten frames. Currently we just have one body for each hive but will add another when this one becomes about 80% full. Probably about two more weeks.

If you look closely at the very bottom right hand corner you can see a place where they have yet to build on the foundation. As they build the cells, some will be filled with pollen, some with brood (eggs and the subsequent developmental stages) and ultimately some with honey.

 

The Girls Seem Happy!

Here are a few pictures taken two days after the packages were placed in the new hives.

It was mid afternoon when I checked on them and the bees were busy coming and going about doing their “bee thing.” And, that is a good thing.

They’re Here!

Today we received three packages of bees. Each package weighs three pounds, and at roughly 4,000 bees per pound, that’s about 12,000 bees! We’ve placed the hives at a produce farm, a vineyard and in a field across from our house.

We’ll upload pictures soon. If you are just getting started, let us suggest the archived webinar from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm on installing packages http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Resources/Videos.asp

The process went just as smoothly for us as in the video, with one minor exception. Let me just say, make sure you moisten the bees good before dumping them in the hive. They are much calmer when you do.

Other helpful suggestions, make sure you have all your equipment ready – including the feeder and syrup, and your entrance reducer.

It is an exciting time and we are looking forward to the season. Follow along ands we’ll keep you posted as things progress.

What is “organic” honey?

A lot of folks (including us) are beginning to realize the importance of eating more natural, locally grown foods. “Organic” is taken to generally mean without the use of hormones, non-natural pesticides and herbicides. I’m sure the federal government has a 1200 page document outlining the definition, but I don’t know anyone whose read it.

So, how does that apply to the honey you want to buy in the store? Well, if you live in the US and want local honey, chances are it’s not going to be organic, regardless of what the label says. Here’s why:

Bees fly two miles or more from their hive to collect pollen and nectar. In order to certify the resulting honey as “organic” you’d have to know that no farmer or gardener in that radius uses any sort of chemicals on their crop, produce or flowers. Sadly, that’s just not likely.

I’m told there are places in other countries where there are vast expanses of grasslands which are not treated for anything and hives are taken there for the bees to do their thing – and some of you may live there and thus you can have local, organic honey. Most of us don’t live there.

It is more likely you can find honey which is produced in hives where chemical treatments are not used. This is difficult, but we are going to try. Two of the greatest enemies of bees in our area are the Varroa Mite and Small Hive Beetle. The trouble with treating these insects is that the bees are, well, insects as well. The chemical choices are limited and we’re going to try to steer clear of them.

Rest assured, if we do have to treat – like any responsible beekeeper/honey producer, it will be during that “safe” window before the honey flow begins.

We’ll keep you posted.

Certifications

Well, it’s been pretty quiet around here over the cold winter months. Since we’ll start with our bees in the spring, there isn’t a whole lot to do.

However, we have taken – and passed – our written tests to be Certified Beekeepers. There is a practical part of the test we will take when it warms up.

We’ve got a little more equipment preparation, then it will just be a matter of waiting on the bees to get here.

Stay tuned…

And we’re off!!

Well, we bought some bulk honey to get our name and label  “out there” and just sold our first jars!

The rest of the supplies for our initial hives also came in. So, we will be having another “nail and paint day” very soon.

This time of year is pretty slow for the bee business. The main objective is to make sure your hives are ready for winter. It is starting to get pretty cold here at night. We woke up to our first good frost this morning.

We will be taking our certification classes over the next few weeks, at least Eileen will. I might be, but I’m sure I’ll get it done before Spring.

Will keep you posted.

They’re coming together

These are some of the hive bodies we’ve been building.

Yes, they are yellow – in keeping with our name “Southern Gold.” This will also make it easier to distinguish our hives from others if we wind up sharing farmland.

We are going to use the “double deep” bodies, just as shown in the photos. Then when the bees get ready to start storing honey, we will go with a medium super on top of the bodies.

There is still plenty of work to be done between now and spring when the bees arrive.