|
|
Post by todd balsiger on Aug 1, 2009 20:30:00 GMT -7
I hope the picnics, meetings are going well. I have not attended -- each time there has been a conflict.
|
|
|
|
Post by Electric Herb on Aug 2, 2009 17:25:54 GMT -7
And you have been missed, Todd. We read and discuss your beekeeping tips for the month at each meeting.
|
|
|
|
Post by todd balsiger on Aug 3, 2009 8:35:49 GMT -7
Well, for the Picnic I was in Washington working. Then I just had my 25 highschool reunion.
I am behind in beekeeping chores, too. I have only taken honey off once. I need to take honey off in a big way, and start extracting in earnest.
Meds are no fun. I think I will at least try Apiguard this year applying it as suggested by Randy Oliver (between brood boxes, only 25 grams instead of 50 I believe, on note cards...).
|
|
|
|
Post by HarryVanderpool on Aug 5, 2009 1:36:13 GMT -7
We read and discuss your beekeeping tips for the month at each meeting. Todd does an excellent job on the monthly tips article in the Beeline. Very readable as well. Thanks Todd! |
|
|
|
Post by todd balsiger on Aug 11, 2009 22:55:48 GMT -7
Well, thank you Harry. Of course, no body has forgotten that you did it for years. If you have done the tips, then you are very appreciative and supportive of others that volunteer to do it.
My tips are on auto pilot now. Which is not a good thing but it makes it easy for me. When I started, I wanted to "modernize" the tips. I think now I am no longer on the cutting edge, especially regarding pollen feeding.
Pollen feeding is conspicuously absent in my tips. My tips do reflect how I take care of my bees, and I have always had very low winter die off.
This past winter though was an exception for a small number of hives I kept in Sandy. From that incident I started to think that there really is something to that CCD.
While I am on a role, my yields this year are at an all time low. I will have a more definitive figure soon when I take my remaining supers off. What I have seen thus far is very dismal.
You had to make your honey early (May) -- the later flows just didn't materialize. Unfortunately for me, my hives were all busy swarming in May. Difficult to remain at a constant number of hives without lots of swarming... Maybe feeding Fumidil B too much... Can't fight nature... All those swarm hives are doing very well now, good queens. Some did make it but seems to be small percentage. That too I will find out soon when I take the supers off and really look at the hives -- fall culling.
|
|
|
|
Post by todd balsiger on Aug 16, 2009 22:12:36 GMT -7
Some did make it but seems to be small percentage.
This was suppose to say, some DIDN'T make it. I saw the error, but since I don't log in, it stayed. Doesn't make since though.
Took off more honey today. BAd. Longarm said he had a great crop, but I read that his bees are at 1400 feet. That's higher than any of my bees by about a 1000 feet.
Here it was an early show, then nothing.
|
|
|
|
Post by bugleman on Aug 17, 2009 10:25:53 GMT -7
Yeh Todd! That 2+ weeks of rain right at peak Blackberry bloom was a killer. If you had collonies at elevation you caught a later bloom when the weather cleared.
|
|
|
|
Post by todd balsiger on Aug 18, 2009 23:59:56 GMT -7
I am finished now with taking honey off. Last location was better; supers actually had weight. Still was low on average, but one hive did have three full supers (an outlier). Most just had one fairly good super. These hives were at the highest elevation near Sandy as far away from another commercial beekeeper (not far, Joe Steven's has planted part of his operation next to mine). I think they worked thistle, which apparantly has a long tap root.
Absolutely nothing in red clover.
I think this year's crop is about 40% of last years. Part of my hives -- at least half -- did get hit by pesticides again during crimson (spraying corn). But bees away from it did worse as June was dried up.
|
|
