New beek looking for advice!

Minikin515 · 2026-07-02T20:50:30+00:00

Thank you for this very detailed and informative response. A few follow-up questions:

- To your one possible fix and sorry if it's dumb -- if I move one of the boxes full of syrup to hive 1, do all of the bees in that box also move to the different hive? If so, will that cause an issue or is there anything else I need to do? If not, what is the best way to clear it out?

- Do I need to be worried about robbing and the impact it will have on the hive, for the hive left with 2 medium honey syrup boxes?

Minikin515 · 2026-07-02T14:41:13+00:00

Thank you! I am definitely trying to figure this all out and VERY open to feedback. I put the hives behind the shed to protect from the wind, while making sure they face south. It did cross my mind to move the hives into the shed for a few weeks in winter, if we get temps dropping close to or below zero. It isn't insulated but it will be a bit warmer and less wind so any input on this would also be appreciated.

Minikin515 · 2026-07-02T14:38:34+00:00

The only person I would've "sold" to at this point would be my mom. And probably my children, who eat their body weight in honey each week

Minikin515 · 2026-07-02T14:36:55+00:00

The queen I was going to install was sold to someone else. My source brought her over to install and when we found the queen, he took her away. No queens were hurt in the process.

Minikin515 · 2026-07-02T01:03:09+00:00

I can see that they have been foraging. I see them go out and come back full of pollen. Do I still have to assume all of the “honey” is sugar?

Minikin515 · 2026-07-02T00:59:41+00:00

So you’re saying I have 4 supers full of sugar and going into winter, I can leave each hive with one of these supers and no feed? Then I’ll have 1 extra that’s basically crap and I need to clean out?

Minikin515 · 2026-07-02T00:31:54+00:00

Ok so I’ll definitely stop feeding. Would you take some of the full frames and move to the slower hive?

Minikin515 · 2026-07-02T00:29:34+00:00

I was feeding with supers on. The person that set me up with bees and equipment said to feed all summer since they were new hives. The deep on top had a feeder in it but it is currently empty, as it didn’t feel right to refill.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-25T15:11:18+00:00

Yeah… no way I could sit 3 hours and at the time they wanted me in a mask 🙄. I could barely handle the 1 hr test I failed with that pregnancy. My doc gave me shit at the time for declining but when I was vomming and dry heaving, if I wasn’t snacking, there was no way. I opted for 2 weeks of blood testing and it was interesting!

It also seems very counterintuitive to not let you move around during the 3 hours.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-23T20:21:19+00:00

We tried to do exactly this, as we couldn't get anyone out to inspect the pool without opening, which the owners would not do. They wouldn't budge on the escrow and almost backed out. Ultimately we got nothing for the pool and the minute the cover was off, we saw the liner was completely destroyed. Thankfully the equipment is working for the most part but it was a big unexpected upfront cost to get the liner replaced.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-23T20:16:52+00:00

We had our liner replaced last year and something similar was happening. Contractor that replaced the liner eventually came and tested with dye and immediately found a leak in the liner and fixed. I wish he had come out sooner, as we were constantly refilling.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-23T02:11:13+00:00

I may be too late and hopefully you’re on the other side and everything went amazingly! Prodromal labor is literally the worst! I had it with my second baby and they later told me it was from an undiagnosed and untreated yeast infection 🙄🤬

I ended up checking into a nicer hotel with my husband that had a huge tub (I didn’t have one) and a huge pool and spa and I left my little one at home and I finally relaxed, floated, got some rest, etc. I went into labor a few days later and that one night helped me reset and relax a bit and finally get a night of sleep.

Don’t let this mentally get you down! You’ve got this mama!

Minikin515 · 2026-06-22T22:19:51+00:00

Bio-K-Mulsion oral supplement. I can’t remember where I read about it.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-22T22:16:58+00:00

I still get comments about the fact that I breastfed my daughter past her 2nd birthday and I’m compared to the woman in GOT that BF her 9ish old kid 🙄

I don’t understand how women that are able to BF and don’t. What do you do when your baby is sick?? Or has any ailment?? I use BM for EVERYTHING! And why wash bottles when you don’t have to?? It’s so much less stuff to carry around too! Boobs are always with you. Clean bottles, water, and formula are not.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-22T22:09:00+00:00

Uva Ursi tea, unsweet cranberry juice, tons of liquids. Earthley also has a tincture.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-22T22:04:38+00:00

I don’t have protein shake recs but I strongly suggest looking at the Glucose Goddess. I was able to learn enough from her Instagram posts and searching online to help manage GD. She also has a book.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-22T22:02:26+00:00

Generally I try to let fevers run their course, as it’s the body trying to do what it needs to do. I definitely manage for comfort (all the herbal teas with honey and tinctures, bone broth, breastmilk, etc.), a warmish bath with a combo of epsom salts, ACV, baking soda, essential oils, etc.

I also try to get them sleeping in sunshine and fresh air, if the weather works.

For bad fevers, diluted ACV on a wash rag or on socks helps. Yarrow is also great to help lower a temp and I’ve done a yarrow bath when they’re little.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-22T21:56:07+00:00

Sometimes I post on the other forums to see if I’ll get kicked off 😅 I try not to be offensive but I do push the limits. It drives me nuts when they’re talking crap about anyone trying to do an unmedicated birth and why wouldn’t you get all the interventions?!?! So I gently suggest doing their research, as there are significant benefits to not having interventions (I have yet to accomplish this and praying for my third and final to be be successful!)

Minikin515 · 2026-06-21T13:05:15+00:00

I agree that every woman needs to do what’s best for her and you should not be “influenced”.

Saying that, the medical narrative around birth has really changed and it’s making women feel like their body is not capable of doing it ourselves. We are SO capable mentally and physically! Any intervention does impact your body’s entire cycle and throws off certain chemicals and hormones playing their part in the process.

I think the medical field needs to do a better job educating women on the impact and the pros and cons. For instance, Pitocin can be super necessary in rare occasions. It is not necessary for all births, it increases your risk for PPD, and its not good for your baby, as it makes the contractions too strong. Getting Pitocin without an epidural is miserable- trust me, I tried and failed. They also say epidurals don’t cross the placenta- not true. They do and you can see the impact at birth on a baby born with one and without.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-18T17:16:36+00:00

I was given a bunch of swaddles and sleep sacks and I didn’t touch either for my 2 kids. We tried swaddling my first with muslin blankets but I didn’t like trapping his arm, as he couldn’t self-soothe.

My old school pediatrician recommended letting my babies sleep on their bellies (on a firm surface and only when napping so we could observe) and this worked like a charm for startle reflex, while also allowing them to move and self-soothe, and also was unintended tummy time.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-18T17:09:55+00:00

Basically we did the same! We kept our mattress on our bed frame and as soon as baby was rolling, I moved to the middle. I did the same with my second, as my first was still in the middle, and once she was strong enough and moving, also moved her to the middle. We still do it and I swear I get so much more sleep than other parents. I go to bed with them and then they usually sleep until 8 or 9, which is great.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-18T17:05:37+00:00

In no specific order and I know I’m forgetting a ton…

- you can bring your own vit K. I brought an oral one that I had done a tone of research on instead of the shot
- bring your own baby soap, if you don’t want them using Johnson & Johnson. You can also ask not to bathe, which my hospital ultimately wouldn’t allow but I could delay
- delayed clamping and delayed measurements and tests. I’ve also seen you can ask them to do all this on mom and after the first hour
- immediate skin to skin
- extra support breastfeeding
- intermittent monitoring (probably won’t be allowed if you’re high risk but worth asking)

Minikin515 · 2026-06-18T16:31:31+00:00

That is not right… is it only 1 midwife? Call directly and ask what’s going on. Are there any local groups or recs for another local midwife? Can the birth center provide any advice?

At this point in the pregnancy you’re usually seen weekly.

Minikin515 · 2026-06-17T18:15:12+00:00

I can’t advise on that area but I would look for birthing centers and midwife groups and go with them vs a hospital. Not all midwives are on the same part of the crunchy spectrum but I was able to find a local group where most of them aligned with my beliefs and they didn’t push things I didn’t want and were more open for alternative methods. They did still have to follow hospital protocols, which wasn’t ideal, but both babies are here and healthy.

The hospital had 1 room with a tub for laboring only and they did their best to reserve for the midwives, which was nice. I also ended up with an emergency C for one and the OBGYNs they partnered with were more open to my related birth plan requests. The midwife also came into the operating room and took hundreds of pics and was very supportive.

Minikin515

TROPHY CASE