Bee pictures - One week after uncaging the queens

[CJ]

We're new at beekeeping so I'm pretty excited about it! We cracked our beehives today, one week after releasing the queens from their cages. I took a bunch of pictures, and thought I'd share, since so many of you seemed to enjoy the last pictures.
Scroll about halfway down the page to today's date.
Bee pictures

[Mike in Ohio]

Nice Pics CJ.

Mike

[JulieNC]

Thanks for sharing, CJ . . . we've caught the beekeeping bug, and will probably get a hive next year. In the meanwhile, it's nice to see how things are going for other enthusiasts.

[Dixie912]

Great photos! Please keep updating us. I hope to set up hives next year and the information is great. Keep up the good work!!

BEEutiful pictures!!! lots of fun, thanks so much for sharing ~ Jimmy Mack

[kosh]

CJ,

That's great! thanks for sharing the pictures. I'm new to beekeeping myself, and got my bees 2 1/2 weeks ago. I learned a different technique for installing the bees that I learned from the instructor of my beekeeping course. Basically you remove the queen cage, and put in in the hive like you normally would, but then you take the box of bees and place that in the hive (first removing some of the frames). They leave the box of their own accord through the opening where the queen cage was. I was glad i learned that technique. The shaking of the bees into the hive seemed like it would be rough on the bees and a little extra stressful for them. Plus, you dont even need to use any protective clothing when you do put the box in the hive. It was great! Mine are doing great, i opened the hive this past weekend and they already had 3 frames drawn out and filled with hundreds and hundreds of brood of various ages.. even some capped.. they are working fast!!!

good luck to everyone with their bees.

Peace,
Jason

[CJ]

Kosh we'd love to take a beekeeping class! We haven't put a lot of effort into tracking down local beekeepers yet, but intend to soon. Springtime is always so busy!
We read about installing them the way you did on the handout we got with our packaged bees, and had intended on doing it that way ourselves, only it said not to do so if it was cold, and it was nasty, cold and rainy when we had to install ours, right in the midst of all that flooding here in the Ozarks.

Post your progress, we're new too and it's great hearing other's experiences with them!
CJ

[Bretar]

Are there any wild honey bees left, I know here in CA they have had some problems with a 'red mite'?

[MomInGa]

Neat pictures and enjoyed the captions you wrote under them.
I'm afraid the idea of handling bees and beehives makes me very nervous, but enjoyed the site.

[kosh]

Bretar,

There are few feral honeybee colonies left in the US, especially on the east coast. Mites, and diseases introduced from (probably illegally) imported bees from other countries brought some of these diseases/pests which wiped out most feral honeybee colonies starting in the mid 1980's. I remember being a kid in the early 1980's and there were several times we had feral swarms of honeybees decide to hang out in our yard while their scouts searched for a new home. My parents called a local beekeeper who came and captured the swarms.

CJ,

The class i took was great. I dont think i would have had the courage to go out and get a hive and bees if i hadnt taken it. I had read beekeeping for dummies before the course, and a friend told me this place about 5 minutes from my home was hosting the course.. It was a great opportunity. The course cost $200, we had 7 - two hour classes, and one hands on class, we got a basic hive set up (bottom board, entrance reducer, 2 deep hive bodies with frames, and one medium super with frames, inside cover and outer cover) along with a hive tool and beekeeping book! it was a deal i couldnt pass up. The only things i had to buy outside of the course were a smoker, a veil, and the bees. The instructor is a firefighter who has been beekeeping in my town for like 7 years. It was well worth the money for the class. There were about 6 people in the class, all different ages, and all had different reasons for wanting to get into beekeeping. I say search the net for beekeeping in your state. You should be able to find a local beekeeping club or perhaps an apiary or beekeepers in your area you can connect with. All of us in my class exchanged email addresses to stay in touch. A few of us have sent out emails to everyone with updates. It is great to share experiences, especially with people in your area, because they are having the same weather and nectar flows.

Peace,

Jason

[Zack]

I have a wild colony at my place still that has produced 3 swarms already this year. I plan on buying a hive so if they swarm again I have a place for them if they swarm again.
Last time they swarmed on the ground before a rain so I covered them, they left after about 4 days but had started building comb on the bottoms of the covers.

I have been afraid to introduce any new bees at my place for fear of harming my local bees.
I have no idea if this is justified.

We are having a bee keeping workshop in Jackson Ms may 21-22 the details are on the last page of the bulletin.

http://www.mdac.state.ms.us/Library/...MB05-01-04.pdf