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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on May 16, 2023 6:21:36 GMT -5
This past Saturday and last evening two more swarms flew into my apiary. Yesterdays it had the last year queen and at least one virgin queen. I have video on both swarms, but need to edit them. Here are two pictures from Saturday's swarm.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on May 18, 2023 6:27:49 GMT -5
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Post by Woody Williams on May 18, 2023 8:18:55 GMT -5
Man that is great!
Never to young (or old) to learn the bee’s importance in our lives!
Thanks for taking the time to do that.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on May 22, 2023 12:42:56 GMT -5
I caught another open air swarm and gave it away to help a new beekeeper. Her package of bees and queen were dead on arrival. She got her $200 back and mailed it to me. She won't take the money back. She states I paid $200 for bees and I got them with super thanks. That swarm was the calmest bees I've ever come across. I sold a nuc for $200 and two queens each at $30. I gave one older queen away. A good weekend of $460. On Sunday I went to a garden center with my wife to by a landscaping tree and check my swarm trap there. It has swarm #2 in it. I will be going back tonight around 7pm to pick it up. I still have 3 traps out. Two at my brother's farm and one at a friends house. I need to retrieve them before they get bees in them. Even though I've given away a few, I still have around 40-42 hives. Around a dozen more than I prefer. I've caught six so far in swarm traps and I think seven open air swarms in trees and bushes.
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Post by parrothead on May 22, 2023 12:54:23 GMT -5
Be careful posting kids pictures these days. We have to have written permission from parents to post on our school site
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Post by jjas on May 22, 2023 13:35:20 GMT -5
Be careful posting kids pictures these days. We have to have written permission from parents to post on our school site It's a shame this has to be done nowadays, but I understand the reason why.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on May 22, 2023 13:48:09 GMT -5
Be careful posting kids pictures these days. We have to have written permission from parents to post on our school site All had permission from the school. I waited until all cleared. No names where allowed.
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Post by parrothead on May 22, 2023 13:50:08 GMT -5
I know it is. Sad
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Post by parrothead on May 22, 2023 13:50:43 GMT -5
Just dont want Mack to get into doo doo.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on May 22, 2023 13:52:42 GMT -5
All the pictures came from the School and after they posted the same pictures in their social media site. Good to go! Thanks for all the concerns. You are 100% right these crazy days.
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Post by parrothead on May 22, 2023 14:12:20 GMT -5
Good deal.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on May 25, 2023 6:46:32 GMT -5
Yesterday after work, I did the unofficial weight test of each hive. I tip the back of the hive to estimate honey stores. Some where very heavy and some a little light. Heavy ones, two hands to lift. Some hives over 200 pounds. Per that check I have around 25 boxes of honey. A friend is coming over after work today helping in the pulling the honey boxes. I will be getting a good workout. I will spin the honey this weekend and put the wet boxes back on. We still have about 4-5 weeks of good flow. Wet boxes are the extracted honey frames with honey left behind on the frames. I will pull one more time around the 4th of July. This time will be around 1100 pounds of honey. A deep box will be a good 60 pounds and medium supers around 45 pounds. This pull will be close to half of the pulled honey stores for 2023.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jun 1, 2023 13:42:56 GMT -5
I'll be heading out after work to get a late spring swarm about 3 miles away. I'm planning to take some pictures and video to post later. Swarm #14. Six from swarm traps and from mostly phone calls. I'm planning to graft on the 22nd (my birthday, 62) to replace most of the queens from swarms. If its a darker queen I will save. The others I plan to sell or give away to my past customers.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jun 2, 2023 6:16:38 GMT -5
I'll be heading out after work to get a late spring swarm about 3 miles away. I'm planning to take some pictures and video to post later. Swarm #14. Six from swarm traps and from mostly phone calls. I'm planning to graft on the 22nd (my birthday, 62) to replace most of the queens from swarms. If its a darker queen I will save. The others I plan to sell or give away to my past customers. The swarm flew away as I was driving there. A lot of times it will fly to another nearby tree, but not this time. Hopefully, it didn't pick a home as their new home.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jun 6, 2023 8:12:33 GMT -5
I ended up pulling 9 boxes of honey and extracted 4 5-gallon buckets. A lot of the honey was not capped yet. I will pull one more time around July 3rd. This is the 1st time pulling some of it before the July pull. This time I will pull all of the honey and remove all of the honey medium super boxes. The Catalpa and Grey Dogwood trees are blooming now. Next is the basswoods trees and they bloom around the 3rd week to end of June. Right now the clover is in peak bloom and looking good. I think my lawn is around 50% clover. Funny thing my wife likes the lawn better with white clover over grass. Clover is a darker green and beautiful white flowers. Clover makes a good tasting honey. The mixer of black locust and clover honey is a winner. I set the mower at 3.75 inches and it leaves around 75% of the clover. Next year my field to the left will be wild flowers and clover. It's about quarter to one third acre.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jun 6, 2023 13:32:21 GMT -5
I finally got my motto on the horizontal hive. I still need to add the logo at the end.
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Post by treetop on Jun 8, 2023 12:13:24 GMT -5
If nothing else you sure went all in since you first started a few years ago
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Post by Woody Williams on Jun 8, 2023 13:29:47 GMT -5
Wayne,
Is the early spring honey lighter and less flavorful than honey later on?
I bought some local honey and it is real light colored and a lighter taste. It’s still good though.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jun 8, 2023 13:46:26 GMT -5
If nothing else you sure went all in since you first started a few years ago That is for sure. 2018 I bought 1st hive, but caught no swarms. The next year two packages and a queen. Went into winter with one hive. Thought about 3 to 5 hives. I forgot to put a zero after the 3 to 5 hives. It is addictive once you realize how amazing God's honeybee insects are. I do plan on staying around 31-33 hives. 27 production hives and around 5 resource hives. I'm selling two more nuc hives and I think that puts me down to 40 hives. I will be combining a few hives this fall. I going cull 12 queens and replace with new queens after summer solstice. New queens after solstice reduces the 2024 spring swarming by plus 90%. I'm grafting on the 22nd. My guess around 37 going into winter.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jun 12, 2023 6:48:20 GMT -5
Good news! I sold 3 more nucleus hives so I'm down to 35 hives. The extra bee frames from the ten frame boxes went to the new Martha Carpenter queen hives. I want those queens to survive winter so adding more bees and resources is a plus. That genetic is good against the Varroa Destructor Mite. So another $550 over the weekend.
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