My hive split took!

[Room To Grow]

This is a really great post. We are considering getting bees. My friend and I are taking a beekeeping class in Nov...I am excited about that. I am still wanting to know where to put the hive and if we should get 2 hives. I have read that you need to let them face east or south east. And they should get morning sun...But we dont have much morning sun anywhere on the farm...We have alot of trees that surround the farm. I guess I need to get the book "Beekeeping for Dummies".
Deborah

[lmehaffey]

Originally Posted by Room To Grow

This is a really great post. We are considering getting bees. My friend and I are taking a beekeeping class in Nov...I am excited about that. I am still wanting to know where to put the hive and if we should get 2 hives. I have read that you need to let them face east or south east. And they should get morning sun...But we dont have much morning sun anywhere on the farm...We have alot of trees that surround the farm. I guess I need to get the book "Beekeeping for Dummies".
Deborah

Your class - or the older beeks you will meet there - will answer most of your questions for you. Basically, yes: try and face your hives to get morning sun, if possible and definitely start with two hives. Not sure about your state beekeeper's organization, but some states actually reimburse new beekeepers for part of their start-up (Tennessee comes to mind). Brushy Mountain supply company offers free shipping and discounts to newbies, as do several other companies. Welcome to beekeeping! It's a positive addiction, but worth everything you put into it.

[TxGypsy]

If space allows, don't put your beehives right next to each other. They are more likely to rob and have 'drift' problems. Also, save your money on the feeders. Instead set up feeding stations. I have found over the years that you get a lot more robbing when you have feeders on your hive. To set up a feeding station just use a shallow container that is easy to clean...I like stainless steel large dog bowls....and fill it with the normal sugar water solution. Put a few rocks in it for the bees to land on and you're in business. This is also a more natural situation for the bees. They have to fly to 'forage' the sugar water. I believe it helps satisfy an urge to forage. I normally place my feeding station a goodly ways from the hives.....at least 50 ft away and preferably further.

[Room To Grow]

TxGypsy, Thanks so much for the information. I will keep it in mind. Imehaffey, I will look into that. And thanks I will be getting 2 hives instead of one.
Deborah

[redneckplanter]

awesome.thats the beesknees.smiles

[werecat]

ok, now I'm ready to cry or break things. I just yesterday went to check on the split and now the blasted thing is dead and full of moth larva and the nasty little cocoons have made divits in the topbars of all my frames. I just emailed b & b Honey farms to see if anything can be saved or if I should just set the whole mess on the burn pile. I am just ready to blessed scream I so mad!

[Saanens1]

It's frustrating but Don't give up! I have had bees for 3 years and am a member of NEOBA which has over 400 members, in talking to a lot of them - splitting is not an easy thing. Moths are nasty - you can freeze the frames and that will kill the larva, then you can set them out and let the bees clean them.

[lmehaffey]

Originally Posted by Saanens1

It's frustrating but Don't give up! I have had bees for 3 years and am a member of NEOBA which has over 400 members, in talking to a lot of them - splitting is not an easy thing. Moths are nasty - you can freeze the frames and that will kill the larva, then you can set them out and let the bees clean them.

Be sure to leave them in the freezer for 48 hours -- too often, a 24-hour freeze won't get 100% of the wax moth larve and unhatched eggs. Generally, a full-strength hive can handle wax moths by themselves (although there are things you can do - both "natural" and chemical interventions). Like saanens1 said: don't give up -- losses are an expected part of the learning curve.

[werecat]

Originally Posted by lmehaffey

Be sure to leave them in the freezer for 48 hours -- too often, a 24-hour freeze won't get 100% of the wax moth larve and unhatched eggs. Generally, a full-strength hive can handle wax moths by themselves (although there are things you can do - both "natural" and chemical interventions). Like saanens1 said: don't give up -- losses are an expected part of the learning curve.

No worries. I'm heartbroken cause I feel like I messed up (I did cause I didn't know any better), but give up??? Never! the exisisting healthy hive is 4 medium sups (no brood boxes) and I keep having to explain to my mum, "no, I am not going to harvest just one sup. the bees might need it and even if they dont, I will when I do the split right in the spring with nuc boxes and purchased queens!" She was really counting on honey, but there isn't much I can do to change it. Come spring I will try again and if its a 10 frame medium sup. depending on what sort of comb I find when I open it I should be able to use the one sup to start 3 splits if I purchase queens and am really careful.

[TastyofHasty]

Originally Posted by werecat

No worries. I'm heartbroken cause I feel like I messed up (I did cause I didn't know any better), but give up??? Never! the exisisting healthy hive is 4 medium sups (no brood boxes) and I keep having to explain to my mum, "no, I am not going to harvest just one sup. the bees might need it and even if they dont, I will when I do the split right in the spring with nuc boxes and purchased queens!" She was really counting on honey, but there isn't much I can do to change it. Come spring I will try again and if its a 10 frame medium sup. depending on what sort of comb I find when I open it I should be able to use the one sup to start 3 splits if I purchase queens and am really careful.

Geez, Werecat, you're sure TALKING like a beekeeper!! Say that again in plain English?