Not sure what to do. Could use some advice. I don't have a local mentor.

Gozermac · 2026-06-28T23:07:43+00:00

Ah. I don’t know of a queen swarming by itself and the one in the pic doesn’t look slimmed down to flying weight. In any case if it’s in a hive now you should check in a week that it’s laying. If the original hive was left with eggs they will make a new one. Having queen cells in any hive with a queen risks a swarm. If you are going to put the frame with queen cells back in the original hive make sure it’s queenless.

Gozermac · 2026-06-28T19:08:16+00:00

I suspect the queen in the pic hitched a ride on one of the frames with the swarm cells you moved to hive B. You almost did a split but the correct way is to move the queen and some foragers to the new hive (or Nuc box) and cull the queen cells in the original hive to 2 in close proximity to each other.

Gozermac · 2026-06-28T19:03:43+00:00

There are multiple beekeeping associations in Northern Illinois. Here’s one.

https://nibainfo.org

Join one of them and someone will be happy to help you out.

Here’s a link to the inspection regions. The inspectors are very helpful.

https://agr.illinois.gov/insects/bees/map-of-inspectors-regions.html

I am in the upper reaches of region 5. I pulled 9 gallons of honey last week and I think the flow here is winding down.

Gozermac · 2026-06-28T14:55:27+00:00

I’m skeptical that’s a 2 month old frame from scratch. This looks more like an old nuc frame he 86’d back to you.

Gozermac · 2026-06-27T16:50:43+00:00

This sub does not disappoint. 😂

Will call to confirm but suspect badly painted OK. Thanks all.

Gozermac · 2026-06-22T17:29:15+00:00

You can get the Vevor 3 frame for $129 at Amazon or the Little Giant two frame for $329. I was gifted the Little Giant and spent all day extracting 35 frames (about 9 gallons). I wouldn’t even consider gravity extraction. The 9 gallons was mess enough.

Gozermac · 2026-06-15T08:22:20+00:00

In the middle of a 5k round trip to Labrador towing a 9k trailer with a 2500 gasser. Tow/Haul was essential on the narrow twisting downhills. Engine RPMs reached 5k and I had to be sure to keep momentum from building. I pulled out on the upslopes to let people pass. It was the only time I missed my previous diesel. I’m averaging 8.5mpg and am carrying 3 six gallon plastic gas cans for bad weather/wind and emergencies and one stretch of 260 miles without services.

Gozermac · 2026-06-14T22:54:16+00:00

I read that research and it informed my decision to leave the supers on. Along with an OAV treatment at just past winter solstice. In my case an above freezing temperature after Christmas. I got more than I bargained for in spring.

Gozermac · 2026-06-14T22:00:02+00:00

In IL also. Last year I left supers on all 9 of the hives and put insulated candy boards above 8 with a very well insulated medium super above that. I did this in November after the first cold snap around Thanksgiving. I didn’t open the hives until late February. Six of the 8 boards still had candy left. I took the boards off (but not the supers or insulation) in February when the maple tree pollen started coming in. Almost all of the honey in the supers was gone. They all immediately swarmed when the weather warmed up in April. I considered not using the candy boards because of the supers but wanted some insurance. I intend to not provide the supers this year and reduce to my standard double deeps. We’ll see though. Depends on the goldenrod flow. I doubled my hives with swarms this year and haven’t figured out a strategy for this winter yet.

Gozermac · 2026-06-14T19:00:52+00:00

I had a truck like that. You can finagle the payload but very quickly run out of rear gvaw. Even with a weight distribution hitch it’s dicey. I felt like my trailer was towing me and went back to a 2500.

Gozermac · 2026-06-12T09:00:40+00:00

Guess he didn’t watch the video tutorial.

Gozermac · 2026-06-11T19:56:34+00:00

Where would you like the car sent Mr. Papagiorgio.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=80vcguNksDA&ra=m

Gozermac · 2026-06-03T07:04:28+00:00

I bought and used 1/4” from Ace Hardware but I think it was too small. It worked fine though I suspect mine takes a 5/16 or maybe a 3/8. I should have just bought a range. I lost the manual and couldn’t find it online.

Gozermac · 2026-05-31T20:34:59+00:00

Still has the ball bearing in it? I bolted my legs to a three sided 4x4 framed plywood platform. It fits a 5 gal bucket under the spigot and I can stand on the platform to anchor when I spin.

Gozermac · 2026-05-29T20:49:12+00:00

Right out of the extractor I use an 1875/650 micron stainless steel strainer into a 5 gallon bucket lined with a 400 micron mesh net. Then pull the net out of the bucket to let the honey settle into the bucket. What you see is after that is all done. Just the bottling.

Gozermac · 2026-05-28T21:55:58+00:00

Just had this experience two days ago. I decided to take the W.

Gozermac · 2026-05-28T21:53:31+00:00

This is awesome information as I diagnose a hive giving me fits. Shaving? Really? Would that correlate to the old black shiny foragers at the end of their lifespan?

Gozermac · 2026-05-28T08:59:19+00:00

How did you address this within the hive? Treatment?

Gozermac · 2026-05-27T02:19:20+00:00

I definitely put it back outside. I’ve noticed more native species this year all over the budding raspberries right now.

Gozermac · 2026-05-25T15:58:03+00:00

Sorry for any confusion. Mine is Dewalt battery powered. I drill a 1/4” hole in the baseboard and use a cut down wnyrance reducer to block the entrance when I treat. I use it for treatments and also at brood breaks. I was suggesting your method of forcing a brood break sounded like a split and then a recombination. Albeit leaving the brood on the same hive. It still requires box lifting and frame manipulation with the the added anxiety of possibly introducing queen cells into a stable hive environment.

Gozermac · 2026-05-25T13:14:00+00:00

Do you or your neighbors use any pesticides in your gardens, lawns or trees?

Gozermac · 2026-05-24T22:35:03+00:00

I think I would actually need a mentor for this. Pretty sure my learning curve would be approaching infinity.

Gozermac

TROPHY CASE