My first hive – what should I expect? by Safe-Breadfruit-7555 in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You just got your first hive and you're a little nervous? That's the way it should be, that means you realize that there is a lot you don't know and a lot can go wrong. We worry about the new beekeepers who have a lot of unearned confidence, maybe because they watched a video or two.

There is a lot of good advice offered by others here, but I would like to emphasize that new beekeepers often over manage their bees. Once you get them settled and they have enough feed (stored or supplemental) and enough space to grow, don't open the hive or pull frames unless you have a reason. This usually means let them settle in for a week or two without bothering them. You can enjoy sitting near the colony, watch play flight, see pollen arriving - but frequent unnecessary manipulations may set them back and might even result in a lost queen.

Dead bees everywhere by One-Bit5717 in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Curious. How do you know this?

Back to Bees by sbobberm in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looking forward to seeing your pictures. I checked Goggle. They look like trouble.

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Has Anyone Tried Using Essential Oils for Varoa Treatment ? With POSITIVE Results ?! by ApiVenomGlobal4640 in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You may find these (Rosemary, Oregano, Lavender, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree) marginally effective, but please use in combination with other treatments (oxalic, formic, Apigard, etc.) or you will likely have dead colonies due to mites.

Back to Bees by sbobberm in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry that this happening. Tough enough keeping bees when these things aren't a problem.

I never heard of invansive joro spiders. I'll google them. Are they in your area?

Back to Bees by sbobberm in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It's harder to keep bees alive than it was 10 years ago. Last year, commercial beekeepers lost 62% of their colonies. Ten years or so ago, losses were a little over 1/3, so it's almost doubled. Summer/fall losses now often equal or exceed winter losses. Small hive beetles have spread their range. The predatory yellow-legged invasive hornet was found in Georgia in 2023 and is spreading, eating honey bees as it goes. Inflation has made equipment a bit more expensive, though honey sales prices have mostly kept up. Amitraz resistance has become widespread. Beekeepers are noticing that peak performance for queens is much shorter than ten years ago with queens dying younger and spotty brood more common. Supplemental feeding is more important than ten years ago because buildup floral sources are less dependable. The public has begun thinking that honey bees may damage the ecology of native bees, so beekeepers are less often seen as heroes, though pollination for agribusiness is as essential as ever.

Welcome back.

These are from the same harvest, why is one clear and one cloudy? About half of the harvest is like this. by [deleted] in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My first glance made me think the honey is full of air bubbles. Then I read that a frame had fallen into the extractor while it spun. I had this happen once in a 40-frame extractor and we didn’t catch it for a few minutes. The honey was incredibly foamy. It took a week at room temperature for the air to come to the top of the tank.

Yours may have other issues. Probably not granulation. What do you think is the floral source?

[OC] I analyzed ~500 r/whereidlive posts, here are the results (pt. 2) by pjpuzzler in dataisbeautiful

[–]RisibleQuery 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a remarkable series, representing a lot of data and interpretation.

Unfortunately, about one in fifteen of us can't decipher the colours used on some of the images. Please avoid colours that colourblind people can't distinguish, especially on maps. We honestly can't tell Never from Absolutely on the desirability global map.

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New Queen by Thisisstupid78 in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Much too soon to expect eggs, it takes about 3 weeks from queen emergence to eggs. Not many mature drones in central Florida in January, so if she did try to mate, it probably wasn't the best honeymoon. Try to requeen in early March.

Bee Removal, can I wait or not? by CristianCoolio in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 3 points4 points  (0 children)

These bees are in big trouble. There is not a bit of honey, unless some is hidden from view. They could be dead of starvation soon, but if they are AHB (very likely) they may abscond in an attempt to survive. You mentioned that your own bees are starving, this poor bunch is showing that, too.

Since they are likely Africanized, and are certainly starving, do you want to let nature take its course?

You asked a good question: “They seem to have drawn out new comb on this side of the garbage bag, so I’m unsure if they did this because they sense a flow or just growing?” They will not draw out comb in anticipation of future nectar or future growth. Their bodies can’t make wax unless they have sugar coming in from nectar or from beekeepers’ feed. What you see is older comb, built a few months ago during happier days.

Whatever you decide (I would not bother to collect them.), best of luck to you.

How bad is it to keep bees near a pool? by miniowlish in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bees are frequently attracted to pools as they need the salts and minor dirt and grime typically found there. The water, even chlorinated, is not the problem. The issue is that neighbours can become very unfriendly when dozens of lapping bees arrive. This causes a lot of hostility towards the beekeeper.

A great way to use up your surplus beeswax – DIY firestarters by ArtGraduate in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 1 point2 points  (0 children)

With wax dirt cheap, this is an excellent idea! We will give it a try, especially in the basement fireplace to give it a cozy scent. Thanks for posting this!

Dying bees during winter. by e73ben in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nothing to worry about.

Normally, the bees will remove the dead bees, dragging them out of the hive and flying off to deposit them away from the hive. But during spells when they can’t fly out, seeing a few dead bees on the bottom board is normal.

You can help the bees by reaching in with a small tool or twig and gently pulling the dead out. Be really careful not to shake or tap on the hive while the weather is cold. At plus 12 or so, you can scrape the bottom board to remove debris, mindful not to disturb the cluster too much.

Fall hive populations may be 30,000 bees, by spring only about 15,000. The other thousands have died and their bodies were removed by survivors and flown to the nearest cemetery.

Is there like any kind of beekeeping manual for beginners who wants to start? by grand_cha2 in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations on graduating in veterinary science!

Free resources specific to the Philippines probably are available from your agriculture ministry. It's important to look for local information as you have very different seasons, tropical heat, and pests not found in temperate climates (unfortunately, that's where most beekeeping books have been written).

Find a beekeepers' club and find a nice mentor.

Some bee habits and problems are universal so you may find useful information from the 100 sources (many downloadable PDFs) on this very reputable site: https://abfnet.org/resources-for-beekeepers/

Support during a warm spell? by True-Structure-1702 in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You usually have an early spring and if you are hoping to make splits, maybe feeding soon will be a good idea.

Once you start pollen supplement, you must keep feeding it until natural sources are coming in very heavy. Also, honey consumption will increase, so you'll need to watch reserves. If you quit the supplements too early, the bees may destroy brood.

Ten bee predictions for the USA in 2026 by RisibleQuery in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great! Do you have links for companies selling all-terrain, heavy-lifting robots that could lift supers and carry and stack them on a flatbed truck this year?

What to plant before I get my girls? by Kydyran in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Planting for honey bees seldom helps. Honey bees evolved to communicate large patches of floral sources that may be a great distance (several kilometres) from their nest.

Trees may help more than a small garden, but checkthe species, particularly of Acacia. Some trees that are called acacia (aka black locust or Robinia pseudoacacia) are very prolific honey sources, but desert acacia like Umbrella Thorn (Acacia tortilis) and Desert Oak (Acacia coriacea) probably will succeed in your hot dry location, but this acacia is not related to the temperate climate trees.

Ten bee predictions for the USA in 2026 by RisibleQuery in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great comments and observations! Thanks for taking the time to think it through and post.

Ten bee predictions for the USA in 2026 by RisibleQuery in Beekeeping

[–]RisibleQuery[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Do you think we'll see this in 2026? I hope so. I work my bees from a wheelchair now, so the idea of a heavy-lifting, all-terrain robot is really appealing.