Swarm Pictures

I finally got all my swarm pictures ready.  I've included pictures from 3 different ones.  The first was about 20 feet up a tree, where most of ours wind up.  We have to use the bucket on the tractor to reach them.

I lift my husband up in the bucket with snippers for small branches, lobbers for bigger ones, a hand saw  and a 5 gallon bucket.

He carefully removes any limbs sticking out of the swarm because one swarm might cover several.  You don't want to have long limbs sticking out that might hang on other ones, that could accidentally dislodge them.  And nobody would be a happy camper then.

Retreiving a swarm is not usually easy and can be dangerous.  Getting stung is the least of your worries.  Always have the right equipment before you start and know the risks if it is high off the ground.  

When they land in a tree, ideally you would be able to cut the limb they are on and gently lower it into a bucket or the hive box.  It won't always work that way.  If they get bumped, most of them will fall to the ground in a big clump, now they're all ticked off and will fly around in a large cloud for a few minutes.  Eventually they will all settle back around the queen, whether she's still in her original spot or she fell to the ground too.

Before we start each time, we discuss our options and angle of approach.

This is a swarm trap that we tried this year for the first time.  We placed queen pheromone inside and they literally made a 'bee line' for the trap.  The back end comes off for easy removal.

We have seen many of these traps in Tucson, Arizona.  They are used for the Africanized Honey Bees that inhabit the area.

Occasionally we get calls from stranger asking us to remove a swarm or a hive at their house.  We have only done this the one time that they could be easily reached from the ground.  A very experienced beekeeper told us to avoid getting swarms where our feet have to leave the ground because it can be so dangerous.  We will only catch a high sitting swarm if it is ours and we can reach it from the bucket of our tractor.  For those calls about hives, the next thing they say is that it is in the wall of their house.  That will require removing and replacing parts of the house, so the next call they need to make is to a professional bee removal service.

Swarms

This past Thursday we caught our first swarm of the season.  We arrived in the apiary in the middle of the swarm, it really does look like something out of the movies with such a large cloud of bees looking like they are unorganized and out of control.  However, the total opposite if true.  They are very organized, on a serious mission and everybody know exactly what their job is.

A number of scout bees have gone to scope out the perfect new home.  The remaining bee's job is to protect the queen.  Inside the middle of the cluster, is her royal highness.  Once the scouts return and the decision is made, everybody takes off for their new abode.

I once chased a swarm 500 feet through my neighbor's yard.  They were flying about 20 feet above the ground and I wanted to see where they were going.  However, they went through some trees and crossed a fence then I lost them and hopefully the neighbors didn't see me galloping thru their yard in my suit staring at the sky.

Our swarms usually seem to be on branches about 15-20 feet up.  What we normally do is, Danny will get in the bucket of the tractor with a five gallon bucket and a pair of lobbers. Once I lift him up to the swarm, he will trim limbs around and under the one with the swarm on it.  Then he cuts the limb with the swarm and gently lowers it into the bucket.  I lower him to the ground, then we literally dump the bees into a waiting hive body. 

We like to have foundations with drawn comb already in the new hive.  This way the queen can start laying immediately, which is very important.  Otherwise she can't lay eggs until the workers create cells for her, this is a serious delay in bees being born and increasing colony population.  The new colony population will dwindle rapidly while waiting for the new bees to be born.  Therefore it is a good idea to get two or three frames of brood from other hives to help the swarm be successful.

Since the only immediate food source the bees have is what they can carry inside of them when they leave the hive, it is very beneficial to pull a couple of frames of honey from another hive so their food source will be stable as they start to bring in their own.

The next day, we caught two more hives, now our count is up to 14.   Tomorrow night we are picking up the nucs we ordered back in January, then we will have a total of 29.

Incredible Senses

Bees have highly developed senses, and they use them in incredibly intriguing ways.  For instance, while flying, bees orient themselves by way of the sun, even on cloudy days.  They do this because they see ultraviolet rays.  They also hone in on flowers through their sense of smell.  And they can even feel warmth and cold.  On cold days, and really cold nights they huddle together to keep each other warm.

Coral Honeysuckle:  Also known as "trumpet honeysuckle"  for it's red, funnel shaped blossom, the coral variety sadly has a reputation thanks to its invasive sister, Japanese Honeysuckle.  But this well behaved sibling won't take over, and likes a trellis support with either shade or afternoon sun.

Honey Lemon Bars

Honey Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 c AP flour
1/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 c butter, cut up
Filling:
3/4 c honey
2 eggs
2 Tbs AP flour
3 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

In a small bowl, combine flour and powdered sugar, mix well.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Press mixture into lightly greased 8x8" baking pan.  Bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned; remove from oven.

Meanwhle, prepare filling.  In large bowl, whisk together honey and eggs.  Add remaining ingredients, whisk until well blended.  Pour over baked crust.  Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes intil filling is set.

Cool completely on wire rack. Cut in to bars, makes 12.


198 calories, 9 g fat, 56 mg cholesterol, 153 mg sodium, 29 g cargohydrates, 0 fiber, 2 protein

The Drone

A drone's work is never done.  You probably know the term "worker bee."  They do all the work, build the hive, fetch the pollen and nectar, plus a lot more.  And you've probably heard about the queen, who has the very big task of birthing all the little bees.  But drones, what do they do?  Drones are the carriers of the next generation.  They fly out to find queens from other colonies and pass along their genes....thus insuring the continuity of the honey bee race, and of their particular colony.

If ever a plant has received a raw deal, it's the Common Dandelion.  Considered a pesky weed by modern homeowners, it was once a culinary delicacy.  So here's a thought:  Instead of killing them, cultivate them.  Try their flowers as a wine, or their leaves in a salad.  In fact, the Dandelion leaf is how the plant gets its name.  In old French, dent-de-lion means "lion's tooth," a great description of the leaves' signature shape.

Queen Bee Mysteries

I'd like to introduce everyone to a fellow bee friend of mine. Her name is Deb Baker and in addition to loving bees, she is also a mystery author with two established series. When I asked Deb to tell my readers a bit about herself, here is what she said.

"Like honeybees, I have to keep moving, so one day I decided to write something completely different. My agent and I brainstormed. What wasn't 'beeing' done? Then we hit on the idea of introducing a beekeeper to the world of mysteries, which was perfect for me (I love nature). From that tiny glimmer, I created a small Wisconsin town and the protagonist Story Fischer, a new beekeeper with a lot to learn. My publisher liked the idea and so here I am, waiting for the first in the Queen Bee series (Buzz Off) to come out in September under my pen name Hannah Reed.

And like Story, I have much to learn about those tiny important insects. Joining the local beekeepers association and helping out in the club's beeyard has been exciting research. While having my own hives isn't an option right now, I've planted bee-friendly flowers and participate in the Great Sunflower Project every year, where I monitor and record bee activity in my area."

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Here's a little about the book:

It's September-National Honey Month-in Moraine, Wisconsin, and things are looking up for Story Fischer. Her messy divorce is final; the honey from her beekeeping business has been harvested; and the Wild Clover, the market she owns, is thriving. Life seems pretty sweet until her mentor in the honey business is found stung to death in his apiary.

Story is still trying to explain to the panicked locals that Manny was killed by wasps, not honeybees, when another body is found floating in the Oconomowoc River. This time the evidence points to Story's ex. Sure, Clay's a womanizer and a buzz kill-but a murderer?

With the townsfolk stirred up against her honeybees, and a handsome cop-who also happens to be Story's former high school sweetheart-putting Clay in cuffs, it's up to Story to get them both out of a very sticky situation.

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Buzz Off is now available for pre-order. To celebrate I'm running a special spring deal. Pre-order Buzz Off before May 1st and prove it by sending a copy of the receipt - either email (hannahreed51@gmail.com) or snail mail (email for the address) and you'll be entered in the May 1st drawing for a honey of a mystery prize. Your favorite brick-and-mortar bookstore can handle the pre-order for you. Or take care of it right now.


Order from Barnes and Noble Here
Order from Amazon Here
Visit the Queen Bee Facebook Page
Visit the Queen Bee Website


Thanks Deb,
I've got mine ordered and I can't wait to read it!




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To Do List

March Chores:

If you've medicated your hives, remember to remove all medication in time for the nectar flow, no one wants to get that stuff in their honey.

Monitor the hives to be certain they are not preparing to swarm since this is the season for it.  One indication that they are preparing to swarm is that they are trying to produce multiple queen cells.  If you find these, simply cut them out.  Swarming may be a natural occurance, but to a beekeeper, it's not really a good thing.  During a swarm, half of the colony will leave.  That means that the populations suddenly drops dramatically, and there is half the honey being brought in until they get their poplulation back up to normal which can take about a month.  This can put a big dent in your total honey harvest.

You Can Make A Difference

Join the Great Sunflower Project.

Can you plant a few sunflower seeds?  Do you have a 1/2 hour to count the bees that visit it and report the amount?  Great!  You are now a perfect candidate for the project.  You can help create a habitat to understand and protect our pollinators. Sure you'll have to wait til next spring to start planting your sunflowers, but keep the project in mind and plan ahead.

All you do is:

• Sign up at
• Plant sunflower seeds
• Describe your garden
• Count how many bees visit your flower in 5 minutes
• Report your observations

Are you a teacher or a student?  Here is a great project for the whole class.  It's also a fun project for community centers, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, even nursing homes.  By last May, about 30,000 people from every US state and province in Canada signed up to participate this year.  They can even send you the seeds!  Just think, by planting a few sunflower seeds, you are not only supporting bees, but the environment overall.  Trees, flowers and crops must have pollinators to be productive.  By making that contribution, you're also helping support the food production that is important to us all.

Ask your family and friends to join and make it a group project.  Don't worry about forgetting by the time spring rolls around, I'll post this again after the first of the year to remind everybody. 

Sign up at http://www.greatsunflower.org/

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Gingerbee Cookies

1 1/2 cups honey                         2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup butter softened                1 Tbs ground ginger 
1  egg                                          1 Tbs cinnamon
5 cups AP flour                            1 tsp ground cloves

In large bowl, cream honey and butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg. Add flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and cloves; mix until combined.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

When dough is chilled, divide dough in half; return one half to frig.  Dust work surface and dough with flour.  Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutter; transfer to well-greased baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining dough from frig.

Bake at 350* for 10 to 12 minutes 
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Connect the Dots

Bees seem to have the ability to recognize dots, a skill they utilize for distinquishing between nectar-rich and plain old flowers.  Though it's likely more pattern recognition than actual counting, bees can reliably tell the difference between patterns of two, three and four dots.  Dots appear on a variety of plants like Jewelweed and Foxglove, which may form a simple nector quide, inviting the bees in for a quick sip.

This is a Flowering Quince:  Mixing beauty and more than a little brawn, the Flowering Quince is probably best thought of as a garden shrub.  A hearty, sturdy plant, it requires little care or attention.  And it's generally one of the first to stick out a tentative spring bloom in most climates.  Originally known as Japonica, it moves from blossom to a pear-like fruit that makes a tart and tasty jam.

Originally printed in A Bee Lover's Garden calendar.

Farm 2 U

Check out www.farm2uonline.com/westga .

It is an exciting new way to buy local produce in the Carrollton, Georgia community.  The idea is for anyone to be able to buy directly from local farmers.  I have recently started selling honey thru this site along with several others who have farms of less than 25 acres and grow a variety of organic produce.  You will even find beef, sausage, goat cheese, fresh eggs, and whole grain breads there.

Farm 2 U was started in Virginia and has recently come to West Georgia.  The purpose of Farm 2 U is to provide members access to nutritous, natural, locally grown and raised foods by supporting sustaining local family farms.

If you are interested in selling or buying thru this great new local program, visit the website above and read all about it.  Or contact Steve Faulk directly at 678-977-7352 or Stan@Farm2uOnline.com.  If you would like to start a Farm2u family food co-op in your community, visit http://www.farm2uonline.com/ for more information.

Listed to the left are some of the farmers and producers for the West Georgia area.

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Hey Everybody,

Thanks for stopping by our blog again.  We are excited about our new layout.  Across the top you will see tabs for a variety of topics, this should make it easier to find certain interests and keep like things in one place.  We are just getting started with the upgrade and it will take a little while to get it all organized. 

We have been having more and more folks stop by and visit our blog and we thank you very much.  Recently our visitor count topped 1000, something else we are excited about.

Dancing Bee would love to know about our readers; where are you from, are you part of school group or scouts, do you keep bees, do you think you want to keep bees, did you have any interest in honey bees before you found us?  So let us know about you, or if you have any questions or suggestions for the blog, please let us know that too.  Make a comment here or drop us a line at dancingbeefarm@att.net.  Also, visit us on Facebook and become a fan.

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Thanks and Come Again,
Jill