If you didn't have a good season with your honeybees below are some suggestions.
-Order your bees to arrive later in April
-Be sure your hives are well insulated before hiving your bees
-Order and maintain two or more colonies as your chances of having one of them produce are better
-Be sure your sugar to water ratio is at least 1:1 in the spring
-Don't let your bees go without a water source nearby
-Don't spray chemicals or insecticides near your colonies
- Make sure your queen(s) are strong and their patterns are full (not "spotty") early in the season so if you need to re-queen your hive can still succeed.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
It's Time to Get Your Honey!
Don't leave your honey in your hives any longer unless you want your bees to eat it all!
We had a hard frost last night so at dusk, I was harvesting everything I could out of my garden. I harvested all my sweet corn, too! The lettuce and spinach got covered up with blankets.
Fall is officially here and Jack Frost is back in town :(.
We had a hard frost last night so at dusk, I was harvesting everything I could out of my garden. I harvested all my sweet corn, too! The lettuce and spinach got covered up with blankets.
Fall is officially here and Jack Frost is back in town :(.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Amazing Year for Some First-Time Beekeepers!!
Some first-time as well as experienced beekeepers had trouble keeping their bees from freezing to death in April and May. Others had trouble keeping their bees from swarming in June and July. Many of my first year students have done exceptional. Ann Johnson, Pam Nelson, Melissa Shippey, and Will and Jeremy were some of the students who had great queens, fantastic locations, and what I call a "Bee Thumb". . . Ann showed up to my queen caging demo and I found out that she was put on Earth to cage queens!! She spotted an unmarked Italian queen in my Carniolan hive. Then she went on to help another new beekeeper cage her queen. Jeremy and Will have a great location along the Noyes Slough which I was impressed with. Their bees are on top of a south-facing dirt mound where they come and go with out disturbing anyone in their yard. Pam Nelson's queen is one I would winter over if I had the proper facilities. She is checking into sending her bees south to have them wintered.
Melissa Shippey's bees are near the Botanical Gardens. They were simply, OVER THE TOP with honey. Congratulations to all of you who've had such a successful year!!!!!
Melissa Shippey's bees are near the Botanical Gardens. They were simply, OVER THE TOP with honey. Congratulations to all of you who've had such a successful year!!!!!
Fall Beekeeping Tips
Wintering Bees: If you want to winter over your bees, you can contact either Steve Victors (907)892-6175 or Steve Petersen (907)457-2440.
Robbing Honey: To rob your honey, get a large Rubbermaid tote with a lid (no holes). Set the tote several to many yards away from your hive(s). Take one frame at a time and tap it to knock off the majority of the bees. Then brush the remaining bees off the frame as you are walking away from the hive. Try to get all the honey frames into the tote with very little to no bees. Store the tote in cool, dry place. If you can't extract right away, crack the lid on the tote to keep the honey from fermenting. Only do this if the bees can't get to the honey. (i.e. a basement or a garage)
Reduce Your Entrance: If your hive is nearby, you can put your entrance reducer in at night and take it back out in the AM if it's warm enough.
Extracting Honey: I do have a manual, two-frame extractor I'm renting out for $25 per day. It comes with a strainer, hot knife, and several scrapers. To reserve it, just email me at sciencebasedart@yahoo.com.
Robbing Honey: To rob your honey, get a large Rubbermaid tote with a lid (no holes). Set the tote several to many yards away from your hive(s). Take one frame at a time and tap it to knock off the majority of the bees. Then brush the remaining bees off the frame as you are walking away from the hive. Try to get all the honey frames into the tote with very little to no bees. Store the tote in cool, dry place. If you can't extract right away, crack the lid on the tote to keep the honey from fermenting. Only do this if the bees can't get to the honey. (i.e. a basement or a garage)
Reduce Your Entrance: If your hive is nearby, you can put your entrance reducer in at night and take it back out in the AM if it's warm enough.
Extracting Honey: I do have a manual, two-frame extractor I'm renting out for $25 per day. It comes with a strainer, hot knife, and several scrapers. To reserve it, just email me at sciencebasedart@yahoo.com.
Buying wax
Science-Based Art is buying wax for $8 per lb. so if you don't want to deal with processing your wax, let us know!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
HONEY FOR SALE!!
We have freshly extracted honey for sale. We will be at the Farmer's Market today and Saturday and the Downtown Market on Monday afternoon/evening. If you want to purchase it directly from us, just email us at sciencebasedart@yahoo.com. The price is $16 per pound and we have various size bottles.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Science-Based Art Classes Begin the Last Week of August!
Read, Write, Publish! (3 spaces left) Mondays 9:30-11:30AM
Soar Through the Solar System (Full) Tuesdays 12-2PM
Primary Science (Full) Tuesdays 2:30 - 4:30PM
Primary Science (Full) Wednesdays 9:30 - 11:30PM
Creative/Essay Writing (Full) Wednesdays 12-2PM
Intermediate/High School Art (2 spaces left) Fridays 10:30AM-1:30PM
Intermediate/High School Art (2 spaces left) Fridays 10:30AM-1:30PM
Marine Marvels (Full) Fridays 2-4PM
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