Bees in Arizona

Mark's eldest son, Robert, and his lovely girlfriend Danielle (Hi! We miss you!) went hiking in the desert recently.

 Pollinators and other winged creatures are taking flight as spring transforms the earth and blue skies beckon.  Check out those contrails! It was a beautiful day for a flight.

Robert has a fascination with all things crittery, and the Lewis family loves to tell stories about him and his adventures.  "I'd come home and if there was a box with a rock and a piece of paper on it, I knew not to get in it," Mark says.  "Usually there would be some kind of snake or lizard . . . he was always bringing home something from the woods or river."  Feral piglets. Poisonous snakes. No big deal. Robert is also a great photographer.

One of my favorite pictures of Robert was taken when he was about 10 and is wearing beekeeping gear.  He's watching a honey bee crawl on his gloved hand and looks so happy.  I'm excited that he's interested in pursuing a degree in entomology here at Mississippi State so we'll have our very own bee expert in the family. In the meantime, we have to settle for great photos of bees who will make some delicious sage honey.

Got Bees? What To Do When You Find a Swarm!

Text from Mark: Fixing to attempt a swarm catch.

Text back: Wish I could go with you! Can Andrew take photos?

He called.  "Andrew is in town, running errands."

Keri: "Where are you headed?  Who called? How exciting!"

Mark:  "They're probably our bees.  I'm going to Mel's."  (Our neighbor who owns a tomato farm down the road.)

Keri: "Oh." (Imagine a balloon deflating.)

Bees swarm.  It's a fact of life.  The big build-up in population results in the rearing of new queens, one of which will triumph over the others.  The original queen bee will be prepared by the workers for leaving (in a rigorous process explained in fascinating detail in Honeybee Democracy).  Then the "mother" of the usurper will swarm away with thousands of worker bees, leaving the hive to her offspring.

So, what do you do if you find a swarm of bees hanging around your home or yard?  Please don't call an exterminator!

Options for Dealing with Swarms

• Call a local beekeeper.  If you're using local honey (like you know you should!), call your honey provider!
• You can find information online at Honey Run Apiaries using your zip code. (I just submitted our info.)
• Call your local County Extension office, NRCS office, co-op, or farm supply store. They usually have a list of local beekeepers interested in catching swarms.
• If you live in Southern California, you can call the Backwards Beekeepers Bee Rescue hotline: (213) 373-1104.
• Leave them alone and let them relocate on their own.  They know what they're doing, and given time will move on.  It just depends on their location and your level of tolerance.

If you live in the Golden Triangle region of MS and need a bee swarm removed, call Mark at 662.418.4422!

Advice on Preventing Swarms from Taking Up Residence in Your Walls
 
If you are a homeowner, be sure to seal up any small holes in the exterior of your home as well as any outbuildings you have.  Bees love to find sheds, barns, old buildings, etc. and build comb in the spaces between the frames and sheet rock.  This is a good time of year to do some home maintenance and avoid having bees take up residence in your walls.  Some beekeepers will do "cut outs," meaning they will remove whatever walls are necessary and take out the bees, comb, etc.  This is messy, time consuming, and may require the payment of a fee, but is much better than killing the bees, leaving the mess in the walls for mice and other bugs to try to eat, etc.

Update on Today's Swarm:

Mark: "I've got the bees and we're headed to the Barhams'.  They weren't in a spot I could shake them off into the box, but I'm pretty determined now to get some swarm catching boxes."

Spring Expansion as Bee Population Explodes

Hive 6 with its newly added, painted deep super.

On Friday, Mark decided to check the bees without me.

Hive 1 -- see how many bees were in the air?

After the chaotic addition of supers due to the population explosion and discovery of brood built between the boxes, he called me.  I rushed home from work, took notes on the three remaining hives, and snapped pictures. 

Brood built in the wrong place = dead baby bees. Gross.

In short, he added a deep and medium super to hives 1, 5, & 6.  Moved a feeder from 5 to 2.  We'll add deeps to the others this week. 

Empty brace comb = wasted effort for the bees, more wax for candles.

Empty supercedure cell = possibility they requeened themselves.

Hive 5 needs re-leveling after the flood!

Three expanded hives, with some lost bees on the back of Hive 1.

When we checked the hives Saturday, the difference in temperament was amazing: the formerly aggressive hives had settled noticeably and were making use of their new space. What's fascinating is that in some hives, they haven't filled all of the frames with wax/comb, yet they'll build brace comb on the tops and bottoms of frames where they congregate.  Mark said, "I'm sure glad I have those back saver bee stands," as working in those conditions without any help was a bit of a challenge. Maybe next time he'll wait for me!

Back Saver Bee Hive Stands

Hive stands on the trailer.

Mark picked up 25 aluminum bee hive stands, his "Back Saver 1000" model. 

Features include:

• all welded aluminum construction -- won't rust
• extended platform holds hive cover and supers as you work (and keeps equipment off the ground)
• rain cups to deter ants 
• height raises equipment to comfortable working height
• fits standard hive bodies and bottom boards

Mark designed these with the help of our friend Jody Reyer, a welder.  The initial prototypes were welded steel that was then galvanized.  The weight and cost made them impractical, and the rain cups were too low. Click here to see one of the prototypes. The first aluminum model was improved in weight, but still had the rain cups improperly placed.  Finally, the new version appears to have all of the elements Mark initially desired. 

Side view.

Top view.

He uses treated lumber to brace the ends.  He wants me to do a pictorial guide to assembling, as he figures most beekeepers will prefer to do the braces themselves rather than pay extra shipping for lumber and screws. But, knowing Mark, he'll do whatever the customer wants!

Hive stand in use during inspection.

If you're interested in purchasing a hive stand ($189 plus shipping), contact Mark at 662-418-4422.

Time to Build an Ark

We had a close call this week.  Bee Hill came perilously close to being under water.  A ferocious storm blew through -- lightning struck so close the house shook -- and the rain poured down Tuesday night, and part of the day Wednesday.  Our plans of expanding to two smaller hills on another part of the property dissolved upon the discovery that they were submerged.  Mark couldn't resist the opportunity to wade out and snap a few pictures. Clearly, his boots were not tall enough for the task!

Bee Hill, March 9, 2011

The Intrepid (and Wet) Beekeeper

One of our young pear trees in bloom.

What's Blooming in Your Neck of the Woods?

Before I became a beekeeper, I didn't pay much attention to the details in nature, such as when flowers bloom.  I've always loved flowers, and used to plant them each spring with my mom (Hi Mom!).

This year, however, my eyes were hungry for the first signs that something, anything was blooming.  First came a tiny purple flower called Henbit, which I'm sad to say is called a weed.

Next, a tiny white flower.  Name unknown.

And a tiny pink and white flower.  Name also unknown.  Help me out, here, plant people!

But, by far my favorite, the glorious pear.  Pear trees this time of year look like giant snow ball puffs on sticks. I took this photo of someone else's pear tree.

 Our pear tree is much more the Charlie Brown variety.  But it's close to the bees who are delighted it's there.

Mark pulled down a branch so I could get a better shot of the delicate blossoms.  (He's wonderful and patient like that.)

Red bud trees are blooming in the edges of some woods.  Daffodils and other bulb flowers are springing up.  So what's blooming where you live?