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One of my hives. Layens reformed.

Konrad,
Can't wait until April, when my neighbors bees arrive. Three hives and some 60,000 bees. I'll take some photos when it's all set up.

merops_apiaster,
Georges de Layens ????

Eric

Yes, Georges de Layens.
Layens is perhaps the most common hive in Spain. Actually I prefer the perfection but I have any Layens.

Thank you all!
Eric, it's the type of hive used.
Here, in North America we use Langstroth hives.
Konrad

Here is a link that might be useful: History

Still sleeping!
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Man....this cold snap doesn't want to let up!..... you guys south feel it too?
Some bees kill them self's taking off in cold weather.....hope this is kind of normal the way it looks??
Konrad
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My friend, don´t worry, "Miss Spring" is there, like that grasshoper, and will jump suddenly.

http://album.miarroba.com/merops_apiaster/4/81/

Here is a link that might be useful: azahar flowers

Thank you merops!
This is a nice picture of that grasshopper!
Have done a spring check up and all looks fine.
Konrad
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I love the hive pictures! I wrote before about bees under a potted plant. I'm computer challenged I wanted to say "my bees" :) match your picture here.

Oh...I remember you, so they matched,....then what happened, ..let me think, they probably left after they finished collecting for whatever they came for?
Konrad

Right now, the Girls are hard at work, hauling in allot of pollen.
Konrad
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Wow, they do seem hard at work! :) Btw, what type are they (Italians, Carnies, etc?) Also, are they working any specific plants in your area right now? (the pollen looks consistenly the same color of yellow)

Great image! Thanks for sharing it.

Cheers.

Thank you selocic!

Yes, they are only on Willow right now.
Konrad

Oh..I forget....these bees are Italians.
Konrad

Fresh pollen, so good. I am harvesting multicolor.

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Looking good!
I had to cut out some comb in one frame, the bees build it out too far to one side, it had pollen in it an honey, some of it I ate!.......man sooo.....good!
I was thinking to put a pollen trap in one day, but haven't
had the heart yet to steel it from them.
Here another pic the girl at work.
Konrad
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Don´t worry with the pollen trap. A good one only harvest the 20%, so the bees have enough food. On the other hand, you can alternate opening and closing the trap. My bees are very happy -I think- and they are giving me honey of every colour, now in spring.
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Here is a link that might be useful: mielllllllllll

Nice pic of your worker, Konrad.

And "merops...", it seems that you have honey to spare! Looks like new shades for Crayola Crayons...the "Honey Pack"! :)

merops....you have wonderful honey color!....thanks for sharing!

selocic....thanks for your kind words!

Here is another in the plum flower, taken with macro.
Konrad
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Mmmmmm! Macro-effects... Superbee, superflowers and superphoto.
I want to be "macro" too.

www.myoldtools.com/OBhive/OBhive.html

This is quite splendid, for someone who has always thought to have hone bees but hasn't.
So enjoy the photos and information.
First time I have looked at the Beekeeping forum.

Very interesting.

Thank you all!!
This is my very first swarm!
And placed on a perfect spot, low to the ground, easy to collect, about 20 yards from then hive.
Konrad
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Working the California poppies.
Konrad
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What a beautiful thread. Konrad, keep the photos coming they are beautiful and fascinating.
I'm not a beekeeper, but love to attract them to my gardens and love to watch them at work.
Please show us what they have done over the summer.

Jane

Thank you Jane!

Here is a link for more pictures...

Here is a link that might be useful: more pictures

I have to say ¡Guau! (Wou!).
With that High Quality photos you can sell cameras, or you can sell bees, or flowers.

Thank you merops!
The bee season comes nearly to an end, is has been a very good year! Lots of sunshine, lots of sorties, moisture when needed!
The hive in the first picture has produced nearly 200 pound of honey!
This is exceptional good, average is more like half of that.
Liquid gold is flowing.
Konrad

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Hi all!

Figured I'll show some pictures to keep this thread alive.

Spring check up a couple of weeks ago.
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Yesterday's pussy willow pollen day.
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These are a couple of pollen frames what came out of the
honey super.
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konrad- how did you learn to bee keep?

First, I feel very comfortable around honey bees, have been around them for many years as a child, growing up on a farm in Switzerland, with a bee house just a few footsteps away.
My dad never kept bees, someone else did and I was watching the bee keeper often.
Only in my later years, I was getting interested in starting a few hives because I was lucky to own a few acres of land where I put in a fruit orchard and other trees, [I'm a tree huger]....so heaving bees in my situation, I feel,....and I'm so blessed, that everything is coming full cycle now.
Before I started, I was reading allot about keeping bees and I'm member of the Edmonton bee club.
It is my wish, that some of you have the privilege to do the same.
If you where not as lucky as me, owning some land, perhaps you can have a hive or two in town or city, just check the bylaw, or else you might know a farmer, [or just ask any farmer] who is willing to give you a place to put up some hives.
Konrad

Konrad
Your photos are such a pleasure to look at

I would like to send them to my son, who is beginning to have an interest in bees and has the property for this
Do you know how I could send the pictures from this forum to my sons email address.

Myself I have a good sized lot but it town. Not sure if I could manage a hive or not
Really like to see the work you are doing

Thank you Diane!

>>Do you know how I could send the pictures from this forum to my sons email address.Perhaps it would be better, just to send him this whole thread, on top of your screen, click on
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bees/msg0221140925387.html?28860&pp_user=konrad___far_north&pp_ticket=iv9DuuJbDS4Pc
and paste it on your son's E - mail.

Here a couple of swarm pictures.
Konrad
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Konrad, I also enjoy your pictures and posts. Been keeping bees for a few years now. I'm currently at nines hives plus one I'm trying to nurse back to health for a friend whose hive got hit by a bear. I've just started trying to get some bee pictures. It does take some time. I'll try to post a few soon. Tony

Excellent Tony!
This year I managed to capture 3 out of 4 swarms, [one got away] and I think the 3 little swarms where after swarms,..got brand new Queens for free!
I will Winter 8 hives....will see what is left come Spring?
Konrad

Small after swarm...2 of them I had on the same tree, [Evans Cherry]
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Licking out super...

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I'm not sure how to post in this forum but I'll try. If it works, these are the hives in my backyard
[IMG]http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x222/berkshirebee/Honey%20bee%20Photos/IM000626.jpg[/IMG]

Toni, you're very close, use the 3rd. line, [tag] , copy and past....I prefer about 100 to 140 KB file size,
well...this thread is getting too long for picture upload, we should start a new one in the Gallery.
Konrad

Some of my hives after taking off supers. These are in my backyard, right in town.
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Tony, this is looking good!
Do I see a electric fence around your hives?
Is it for Bears?
Konrad

Konrad, Yes that's an electric fence, 5 strand. I use a solar charger and ran the wires through a buried pvc pipe. There's plenty of black bears in these parts. Even though I'm less than 1/2 mile from main street We had a bear in our yard before I started keeping bees. It went after the bird feeders. That was about 8 or nine years ago but no sense taking a chance. I live in the next to last house on a dead end st. with woods after that. We've had bear,deer, racoons, foxes, possums, skunks etc in the yard. One hive I have was given to me by a friend who got out of beekeeping after the 2nd time her hive was hit by a bear. I nursed it back to health with a new queen and a few frames of brood from another hive. I agree a new thread should be started. Maybe I'll do that now. I'll just call it beekeeping photos.

Here is a documentary...mostly talking about Varroa mites,... not yet in
Australia

Here is a link that might be useful: Honey Bees Blue's...

It was a exceptional year, [spring] for me with good strong hives, [5] and it happened they could take advantage of the orchard, flowering nice again after it set out 2 years, mostly apples cherries and plums.

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Nice pics. Makes me wistful. Around here, we don't have to wrap the hives. You must be very dedicated to take the extra steps to insure survival. I'm on the fence about getting bees again, I still have the equipment, although I have loaned the extractor to a friend.

Skunk cabbage provides our earliest pollen, does it grow in your area? Also, have they developed something for the various mites? Last I knew, it was menthol boards that you put in and took out. Made for 3X the work and I was very busy at the time. Getting older, slowed down, maybe I need to rejoin the bee world?

Thank you D!
I haven't seen Skunk cabbage around here,..might be borderline hardy, one could try.
Varroa mites can still be a problem, I have treated bees with Oxalic acid, [vapor]. I have been lucky that for over a year now I haven't treated because mites have declined, a mite count this spring, [with sticky board] left in hive for four day's showed 0 mite drop. Perhaps bees have figured it out how to get rid of them.
I think a good way to get your hives back to health is you let them make their own queen, never buy queens, the swarms I catch are my new hives or insurance for winter kill. I sold some hives, I was down to two last year, catched 3 swarms, all 5 hives survived the winter, lots of new queens, this year I had 0 swarms.

When I took the bee course many years ago our local Alberta Provincial Apiculturist said,.. never keep a swarm or queen in swarm, these hives are notorious in swarming. I don't believe it!
Go for it!

From the honey pull, July 7
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The season came to a end again and it was a record year in terms of honey average per hives, total of 5, it was around 190lb. ...could have been higher if I would have checked them, was too busy, after the first extraction the wet supers went on, 2 boxes for the weaker, 3 for the strong hives. On the two strongest hives, 3 deeps were plugged with honey all the way and some frames were crystallized already and couldn't extract, probably lost about 80lb total.

Here's my Top Bar Hive. Just put it together from a kit bought in Portland OR.

I have no idea what I'm doing. Io went to a class and will go to another one in 2 weeks. I think I have the needed supplies.

It's a semi rural setting. I hope there will be enough nectar. I have 2 acres. There are lots of wild blackberries, at least a few big wild cherry trees on the property, and a moderate sized horse chestnut. Lots of dandelions. I have been interplanting the lawn with dutch clover seeds, will convert part of the lawn to a small wildflower meadow, and I planted the fence rows with crimson clover. I planted several 15 ft tall Linden trees in addition to a new little orchard and some buddleias. I think the things I plant won't contribute much nectar for a few years so they'll have to forage the area.

The hive front has a window so I can look inside without disturbing the honeybees. The bees are on order.