100% Local Ohio | Your Cincinnati Bee Connection
Posted in Pests on Sep 26th, 2010
As I was saying yesterday, I get a lot of calls about bees. And, as I was saying yesterday (or was I?), I’ve decided to say “yes,” even when people call not about swarms but about bees living in their homes or in other structures. I will say “yes” and then I will figure out [...]
Posted in Education on Sep 25th, 2010
I don’t love the telephone. However, these past few months I get a lot of calls about bees, and I like those calls a lot. Why? I don’t know…maybe because I’m never sure what situation will present itself, and that’s fun. These past couple of weeks, I’ll bet I get 2 or 3 calls each [...]
Posted in Equipment on Sep 24th, 2010
I’m gonna go ahead and list my next equipment order right here, Reader. That way, I can access it from anywhere…from my phone or from a computer. And, if you’re like I am, you enjoy seeing what other people order. 8-frame, medium hive boxes (20) 8-frame bottom boards (5) 8-frame migratory covers (5) medium frames—grooved [...]
Posted in Woodenware on Sep 23rd, 2010
So, I shared with you yesterday that Jerod and I are planning our winter top-bar hive project. Unlike Langstroth hives, top-bar hives are not standardized. A Langstroth hive is what you’re used to seeing, Reader. Historically, they’re painted white and are stacked one upon the other. (I’ve decided to stop painting mine because painting takes [...]
Posted in Visitors to the beeyard on Sep 22nd, 2010
Jerod is the first person other than me to work in my hives. He’s also the first person to visit the bees who wants to keep a hive himself…and I trust the way Jerod works, so there you go. In anticipation of getting his first hives next spring, he’s been reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide [...]
Posted in Hive Management on Sep 21st, 2010
Here’s the good news as promised, Reader. The bad news, as you’ll recall, is that the bees from the tree have now been combined with the Girls of Summer, and the small swarm I collected last week absconded. But on Sunday’s inspection of the remaining four hives, I found two absolutely gorgeous queens at work. [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Sep 20th, 2010
I have good news, and I have bad news, Reader. Let’s go with the bad news first and get it over with. It’s not the worst news in the world, and we all sort of knew it was coming anyway. And better that it came early rather than late. Everyone said it would happen, and [...]
Posted in Going Naked on Sep 18th, 2010
I spent some time yesterday setting up the site for the new bee colonies. First, Deb helped me move the remnant of an old wood pile. Then, I had to move the compost heap. As I was shoveling the compost to its new spot, I uncovered something that promises to work great in the smoker [...]
Posted in Beeyard on Sep 17th, 2010
In her very sweet way, Deb has “suggested” that we put no more bee colonies on our little hill. Last spring we began this adventure with one hive. Then two. One died over the winter. We added two. That made three. We split one into two. That made four. We collected the bees from the [...]
Posted in Honeybee Adventures on Sep 15th, 2010
Amazons swarmed again yesterday. I love that colony…they’re so vigorous. Yes, I think I know why they keep swarming, but I can’t think of a way around it. I was sitting on my deck writing a thing on my computer when I noticed a lot of bees. And then I realized it was a LOT [...]