I’m not going to lie, it’s been a disappointing first year as a beekeeper. Not that I don’t love those busy little insects, I do, but this year they’ve given the horses a run for their money as the financial black hole of “pets”. In the end, thanks to all the swarming shenanigans, Jessi and I didn’t get any honey. None. Not a single drop. Instead, we get to feed the little bugs simple syrup for the next several weeks to be sure that they have enough stores to get through the winter.
Oh well, I guess the learning curve was just steeper than expected. I remember sitting in class last winter smugly thinking that we wouldn’t be those beekeepers whose hives swarm on them. No way, we’d be right on top of it and maximize production for the benefit of ourselves and the bees. Ha!
Anyway, tonight I finally got out and put the top feeders on the hives. It took a bit of maneuvering due to the fact that I needed to empty out the frames in the top box of each hive to have a way to enclose/protect them. It wasn’t too tricky as they obviously weren’t storing any honey in those frames. It was mostly a matter of prying them out and arranging them at the front entrances of the hives so that the bees could make their way back inside.
The Carniolan hive (right, above) had a few built out frames in the top box that I swapped for un-used frames in the other shallow box. Other than that, easy peasy. Now we just have to keep them supplied with simple syrup until mid-September. And cross our fingers that next year our time and money pay off in honey. Ungrateful little bugs!
As soon as I started disrupting everything, a few sentries set up their call at the front entrance of the hive (two bees above). They move their wings as fast as they can, creating a whining buzz that tells all the bees in the air and on the ground where to go.
Of course, these ladies weren’t in any hurry as this was the one frame with stores (pollen) that didn’t make it into the other shallow box. Not to worry, they’ll have it cleaned out and re-stored by tomorrow night.
These girls also weren’t moving fast. They were busy cleaning up the syrup I spilled putting this jar in place. They were simply gorging themselves before they headed down and in the lower entrance.
These bees were slowing making their way back inside from the frames resting against the front entrance. Within a half hour 80% of them had made their way inside, and the rest should have made it before dusk finished falling.
*****
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I’m sorry that you had a disappointing year of bee-keeping, but this post is really fascinating — what amazing photos!
Sorry things aren’t going as you hoped… maybe this is a way to get a big chunk of the learning curve and troubles out of the way in one fell swoop, so next year can be much smoother….
My husband’s cousin keeps bees in Chicago and made it sound like it’s the easiest thing in the world. I was all excited about it, but the more I learned, the more I got overwhelmed. Sounds like next year you guys will be pros though.
you are not alone in a non-harvest year. this year has been tough on a great many beekeepers .
- too much rain on the east coast – bees not able to fly and forage for food – no stores – no honey
- too much heat and total lack of rain here in texas – no nectar flow – no stores – no honey
pay attention to your bees – i am convinced they will let you now the state of the universe – patience new beekeeper – pantience
We only got a little bit of honey from a few frames the bees drew out weird. Since we split our hive (long story ended up with an extra queen), we aren’t going to be able to harvest any either. Good thing we know another local natural beekeeper to buy from.
We’re feeding our little ladies as well, since we split them. Are you adding any essential oils to your syrup? We add some wintergreen to help keep mites away. We’ve noticed a few mites in the hives so we’re doing all we can to keep them strong for winter.
I’m sorry you didn’t get any honey. It’s been quite the bee-keeping saga for you this year. I hope that with your hard-won experience you will have much better luck next year (and all the years after that, too).
That is totally lame, but maybe that just means next year will rock and you will have buckets and buckets of honey. Even with no honey, hopefully they are helping to keep pollination levels high which means bigger fruit and veggie yields for you and the neighbors.
That stinks! We’re trying our hand at beekeeping starting next spring. I hope it is a great year for you next year!
I’m envious of your blog photo everytime I visit…I see your hive boxes in the picture. I hope you hang in there and weather this little glitch. I, too, will be getting my bees next spring and can’t wait to see what they teach me. Befriend your local beekeeper group, they are an invaluable resource.
I’ve been quite curious as to how your bees have come along over the winter? Have you had a chance to check them yet this year?
Any news on the bees? Do you intend to go forward with Year 2? I’m watching and learning through your new adventure with bees, trying to decide if it’s something I might like to take a crack at on our farm.