Winter report

Even though I have not gone into the hives since fall, there still has been some beekeeping activity.
I want to repopulate Olea's hive and #1 hive.  I investigated various bee suppliers and ultimately decided to make splits instead.  I was unsure about making a split for the top-bar hive, so I thought of contacting Les Crowder,  a well-known top-bar beekeeper.  I had met him at the bee conference in Oregon.  I wrote an email, but before sending it, I looked in his book. There, on page 41, was the answer to my question.  So, instead, I emailed Les a couple of questions about details, to which he responded.  So come spring, I will make a shook swarm into Olea's hive.  Les advises checking the hive weekly for swarm cells once swarm season is here, which can be as early as March.  When the swarm cells are present, the bees are preparing to swarm and that is the time to make the split.  Logical.

I do not want to open the hive if it is below 60 degrees.  I had an old thermometer laying on the ground but I did not think it was accurate.  I got this garden thermometer at Home Depot ( a store I am not alone in not liking) and hung it on the fence behind the hives.  I made a little eave over it to protect it from the rain.  Now I can see from the house if it is warm enough to go into the hives.


In order to keep ants from getting into the hives, the legs of the hive stands are in cans with oil or water.  I had a problem with the cans rusting so I had the idea of using porcelain soup bowls instead.  They did not rust, but they were too slick and would slide on the brick supports when I worked the hives.  It would not have been a good thing if the stand tipped over!  Replacing the cans is difficult because I need to lift the legs about 10 inches up.  I was talking to another backyard beekeeper who said it was easy to replace the cans.  He uses cat food cans.  Duh!  Tuna fish cans are too small in diameter and I had been saving tomato cans.  So I cut those cans down, turned over the sharp edge with pliers and today replace four soup bowls.  I need a few more cans to finish this chore.

Cut down cans

New cans on #3 stand

I was thinking about the spring build up that the colonies do each spring and, since it was a warm day, wondered what it was that stimulated the bees to do the build up; temperature, hours of daylight, availability of food, something else?  I looked in my books, searched online and was unable to find anything about it.  I emailed Professor Seeley (whom I also met at the conference) with that question but he has yet to reply.