Message forum etiquette 

The message forum is an ongoing dialogue between registered club members. The forum is not open to non-club members.The message forum is perfect for the exchange of ideas related to beekeeping and club issues or questions. All registered club members will receive a notification that there is a new message posted on the forum and have the ability to post a response.

Forums work when people participate - so don't be bashful! Click the "Post Response" button to add your entry to the forum.

HOW TO USE THE MESSAGE FORUM:
To create a new meaage or reply to an existing message select, POST RESPONSE and add your message/reply. You may always return to the message forum to edit or delete your response. Just select, EDIT or the DELETE choice above your message and make the modifications. It's that easy! Remember, the message forum posts responses from oldest to the newest. On the top right side select, VIEW NEWEST AT THE TOP to view the latest message. I'd be glad to assist you if you have any message forum issues.
Please send me an email, Paul Peters 

Amanda Bellows

New beekeepers here, we bought two packages from the club, everything seemed okay (soft release) and now we have two empty hives. I'm so saddened that they left, and we searched our property high and low trying to find the swarms, but no luck. So, after talking to our mentor, I think we need to start with nucs and I thought I'd reach out here and see if anyone has nucs (or an upcoming swarm) to please think of us, we are happy to buy a happy little bee family (or 2) and establish them here. Thanks, Rae and Charlie Bellows

John Petrie

Good afternoon,  Are there any plans for the club to offer a "200 level" bee keeping course?  Thank you!  

Paul Peters

Have you seen our photo gallery lately?

Queen Rearing Class Photos (click here)
BONS Photo Gallery Page (click here)
BONS Video Gallery (click here)
Mother's Day Event (click here)

Do you have pictures or videos you'd like to add to our galleries? Send them to Paul!

Jill Valentine Welton (*)

Hello,

I'm a new beekeeper and I started with three packages on 4/25. One is very strong, I need to add another box already as they have nearly drawn out comb on all frames and I see larva.

However, boxes two & three do not have any larva and their comb is not nearly as drawn out. It seems as if box three may be making new queens, but not box two. What should I do?

• Should I continue to watch and see if there really are new queens in box three?
• Do I introduce a new queen to box two since they don't seem to be making any? 

​I could really use some advice. Thank you. 

-Jill

Denise Vowell

Jill,

What do you see in hive 2 that makes you think they are making a queen?  When you open hive 1, is there any difference in what you hear from what you hear in hives 2-3.?

Where are you located?  Perhaps we have a club member nearby who might come over and take a look at your hives.

Denise

Zachery Perry

Hi everyone, 

I installed a Nuc about two weeks ago. Inspected and looked for a queen when I moved them to the box and had no luck finding them. Did an inspection last week and again looked for queen and eggs, no luck on either except I did see one cell that had two eggs laid. Went back in again today and found no queen and no eggs at all. I'm afraid I've lost my queen somewhere through the process, nor does it look like I have a laying worker. I'm going to try the requeen route and hope for the best there. Does anyone know where I may be able to get some carni queens? 
 

Replies or text welcome. 
571-665-9910

Tim Riggleman

Zach check with Jennifer at Eversweet Apiary. If I remember right she receives shipments of Queens on Thursday's. Give her a call in the morning. (304) 876-3832

Jill Valentine Welton (*)

Denise,

I don't see any evidence of box two creating a new queen. I thought I saw that in box three, but as of last night I saw larva in box 3 and they seem to be doing well. Box three is drawing out comb, but not nearly at the rate of the other boxes. They are storing nectar/sugar syrup and pollen, but they just seem weaker and not seeing any eggs has me worried. They're not near as loud when I open their box. Perhaps this package lost more bees than the other two before I installed them. (The wind on 4/25 took many out before I realized what was happening). 

I live in Winchester off Senseny & Greenwood. If a member would be willing to come over, I would appreciate it. If you have any advice, I'd appreciate it.

Thank you,
 

-Jill

Denise Vowell

Jill, if you have larvae in Box 3, you have a queen there--or at least you had one a few days ago..  I don't get to Winchester often (and am tied up most of the next two weeks).  Sign into the club zoom meeting tonight and see if you can get a Winchester volunteer to help you.

Denise

 

Douglas Koch

Jill, I can help you out I will send you a private message.

Doug / Winchester resident

Katie Terrzian(*)

Hi!

I'm a new beekeeper who took the class this year. My hives are doing well so far. However, I have a question on behalf of my children's school. The science teacher is looking for leads or information on obtaining a low tech honey extractor to purchase to have at their school for her to extract honey from the school hives with the students as part of their learning curriculum. Will you contact me if you have suggestions, leads or information on this?

Thanks!
Katie Terzian

(617) 515-0933, katieterzian@gmail.com

Tommy Huff

Edward McCaul(*)

I live in Winchester and just started bee keeping.  Was wondering if there are any other bee keepers in Winchester proper that I could talk with about issues raising bees in the city?

Ed McCaul

Steven Sabol

Hello Ed. I'm in my 2nd year of bee keeping in Winchester   Give me a call one evening this week if you like      Steven  Sabol 540-398-7285
 

Jerrold Pike

I picked up queens this morning and have 1 left if anyone is interested call me 5405390980

Doug & Lee Bowen

Had sneak peak at the queen from the rearing class from 5/1.
Should start to see eggs within a week  thanks John for showing us how 

Jill Valentine Welton (*)

Hello,

I inspected my hives last night, and I’ve been concerned about my second hive, Mabel. Hopefully you can tell from the pictures, but all capped brood seems to be drones. I’m assuming the queen hasn’t mated and can’t produce workers. I’m concerned with that many drones the potential mite load may be high. 

• Do I wait for these drones to emerge to mate with the queen so she can produce workers? 

• And/or do I add a frame of brood from my strongest hive?

Any insight you can provide is appreciated.

Thanks,

-Jill

Jerrold Pike

Just got a few more Maryland queens if anyone is interested 

Dane Wence

I'll have some virgin queens ready next week if anyone is interested. 

Grafted from a swarm I caught 2 years ago- so origins are unknown. They built up 2 deeps and 2 supers their first season and I'll pull 2 supers of honey off them next week. Good temprement and fast build up. 

I have 8 cells- I'll probably have 6 extras available. Virgins will be available next week or nucs a few weeks after that. 1st come first serve.

Jerrold Pike

I have about 10 virgin queens if any one is interested in them give me a call 5405390980

Steven Sabol

I have a new hive I started with a package this year. Two frames in the brood super were heavily populated with white larvae up to a 1/4" in length. I collect them on the sticky board and under my entrance feeder. I emptied the large hive feeder and washed it out and let it dry and put it back in the hive empty.  I cut out sections of the infested frames and also cut many larvae with my pocket knife. Well over a 100 larvae on each of these two frames and sticky board.  I left the frames out and replaced them with frames with honey left over from a hive from last year.  I shoveled ashes under the hives this weekend. (Thanks Ed). And also poured diatomaceous earth under the hives yesterday.  Could the larvae be coming from the old frames with honey I stored in my garage from a dead hive?  Are the infested frames salvageable?  I don't see any small hive bettles on my sticky board or on the frames like I did last year. Currently this hive is smaller in numbers than when I put the package in back in april. It does have a egg laying queen but she is not keeping up with my other new hive.  Any suggestions would be much appreciated!!  Thanks Steven Sabol 

Anthony Viti

Any suggestions about labels for honey jars  were can you create your own for a reasonable price thanks Anthony 

Dane Wence

Anthony- Avery has an online label editor and printing service. I've used it a few times for our honey and duck egg labels with excellent results. You can pick your label size/shape and it will create the label for that size. You can either download the design to print yourself, or they will print and ship it to you. Usually it's at your doorstep in a week flat. I'm pretty sure I have a 10% off coupon floating around I can post when I get home.

We use the 22820- 2"x3-1/3" Oval labels which fit well on both the 1/2lb and 1lb queenline bottles. We tried a few of the materials and found that the films holds up best to a few washings. When they need to be replaced, the film comes off easier than the paper ones, which tend to disintegrate. We get a lot of our bottles back, so if you're not expecting to re-use bottles, the cheaper paper labels would be fine. 

Tara Mueller

Looking for anyone who is available to be a mentor! 

I know this is a huge ask!  But...I would be forever grateful if someone was willing to come to my hive one time to do an inspection with me (maybe this Saturday or Sunday, early in the morning?).

This is my first year beekeeping and I only have one hive, located in the Middletown/Strasburg area.  I'm just looking for someone to sortof "show me the ropes".

I've taken a course on Beekeeping through Penn State, read a couple of books and watched a ton of YouTube videos.  But, nothing fully prepares you for the full experience.  I feel like I have a bit of the "Kermit Flail" going on, becuase I'm worried I'm not doing everything I should be doing, or that I'm missing somthing.

In case you don't know what a Kermi Flail is --> Click Here

Happy Beekeeping,

Tara Mueller

email:  mrs.taramueller@gmail.com

phone:  (443) 827-4404

Thomas L. Clarke

Struggling here... 1st year Beek.  Bought 2 packages.. received 1st package April 10th, 2nd package April 24th.

They have both progressed equally, with the 2nd hive following closely the same ebbs and flow as the 1st hive.

I have never seen the queen in the 1st hive, but have seen proof she was alive so closed up early.  2nd hive same thing until 2 weeks ago... I saw the queen.  

Neither hive has out grown the initial 10 frame deep I put them in.  This past weekend, I inspected, found no eggs, found no brood, just honey and pollen.  Did not find either queen.  I was pretty stressed.

Keep in mind, I wear glasses, and when I start to sweat, it is hard to see because of the sweat that falls in my glasses.

Today I scrambled around and bought two new queens.  Went into my hives to do a through inspection and put the queens in the hives.  unfortunately, or fortunately, I found both queens in their hives.  I noticed swarm (queen) cells in each hive, several of them.  

In the first hive, I found larve... no eggs (but I may not be abe to see them....).  2nd hive, I found no evidence of larve or eggs... 

Both hives are behind the typical growth at this point (as far as my FB research indicates).  All other hives seem to have expanded... mine are still a single 10 frame deep... 1st hive 60% drawn, 2nd hive 50% drawn...

Pretty sure neither hive has swarmed previously.

Question: 

1- Do I do nothing since both hives have queens?

2- Do I pinch off both queens (since they appear to be under performing) and requeen with the 2 I bought?

If # 1... anybody need some queens, free for the taking...

If # 2... wish me luck finding these queens... neither is marked, hard to find, hope my 2 new ones survive...

Thank you!

Tom