Matthew Reed

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since Apr 23, 2013
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Recent posts by Matthew Reed

Kerry,

Good post.

Honey is far superior to sugar water in every way. Thus, I only feed if I absolutely have to. In my case, this is when I catch a VERY late swarm -- July onward. If I catch a swarm of bees from April-June, I generally don't feed anything. Since I have a lot of hives, I usually have enough stores in neighboring hives that I can supplement my weak hives. If you only have one, you either use honey from elsewhere, or sugar water.

Since you started with a package, however, you had to feed. In cooler areas than Texas (where I think you are), the packages arrive when it's still 30 degrees F out (or lower!). Feeding is essential in this situation. In yours, with just one colony, there are probably enough nectar sources within a couple miles for your bees to be successful if you stop feeding now -- even if you don't see them with your own eyes. You can monitor them and see how they do without the feed -- watch their stores and see if they are depleting them after you pull the feeder.

I prefer swarms as they are natural, and come to me full of honey upon which they've gorged prior to leaving the hive.

Best,
Matt
11 years ago
In regard to the best way to super on the bottom -- I think the same principles apply to both Warre and Langstroth. I lift only what I can comfortably. I usually leave the quilt box on while taking the roof off to reduce weight. Leaving the quilt on avoid disturbing the bees so much. If you separate the boxes, be sure to set them down on another box at an angle so there's minimal surface area for bees to get crushed. Then when putting it back together, slide the boxes onto each other to avoid killing so many (though you will kill some).

Best,
Matt
11 years ago
Kevin,

Your steps sound fine, and they are how I've run a few Langstroth hives in the past. I use all 8 frame mediums at this point -- foundationless.

I use cedar shavings or sawdust. I did read a study recently out of an Oregon university that Juniper has a negative impact on mites -- so it could be worth a try using that in the quilt box.

Sometimes I super on the top and bottom -- both on Langstroths and Warres. Occasionally you'll find the bees hesitant to move down in Warre hives, while they seem to move up without a problem. If you do super a Warre, just be sure to add at least a few drawn out combs to the top box so they build from the TOP down. Otherwise you'll end up with some VERY creative combs as they build from the bars below upward!

Best,
Matt
11 years ago
Lauren,

You'd be surprised at how well bees can do in areas like you describe. While you may not get tremendous harvests, I think it's worth a try with a colony or two and see how they do. If they are terribly light on honey stores or die out, then you'll have had an experience and learned something. It would also be worthwhile to identify native, pollinator friendly plants that can be planted in the area to help supplement the nectar sources available to your bees, as well as any native bees that live there.

Best,
Matt
11 years ago
Randy,

I don't think it's a bad idea. A lot of beekeepers would tell you this will lead to the spread of American Foulbrood and other horrible bee illness, but it's not any more likely to do so than a tree cavity or a wall. In the past I've seen Warre-style hives that are one tall box -- equivalent to the volume of at least 2-3 standard Warre boxes. No bars or method of manipulation -- but basically a feral honey bee nesting site. If you've got the time and energy (and place to put them!), then I say go for it! To attract bees to them (if there are any in your area) you can bait the hives with lemongrass oil. Personally, I'd take the time and resources to plant more pollinator friendly plants instead. Here in Portland I get hundreds of calls each year for bee removal from trees and walls. Also, many of the swarms I catch I can see come from feral colonies in such cavities. To me I think there are plenty of nesting sites in cities -- rural areas may need a bit more help.

Best,
Matt
11 years ago
Kat,

Most of our customers are backyard beekeepers. Some with large acreages, others with only their rooftop or balcony. The bees don't seem to care either way. In fact, bees tend to do much better in urban city environments than in rural areas (especially those with monoculture). However, the bees won't ask your permission before they use the swimming pool or your neighbor's bird bath as a water source. You can try putting out some of your own water sources in hopes that they'll use them, but it's often fruitless. Aside from water, honey bees want to reproduce. For honey bees, this means swarming, and the swarm will land wherever it wants, though usually on a tree branch. This is the the time of trial for the urban beekeeper and their neighbors, should the swarm land on their property. Be sure to check with your neighbors and at least let them know that you're planning to get honey bees. In some cities (like Portland) there are regulations that require one to get approval from neighbors, etc.

When they aren't swarming or drinking water in less than ideal places, honey bees generally go about their business unnoticed by surrounding neighbors. I've got anywhere from 3-15 colonies in my backyard and it is only this time of year (swarm season) where my neighbors receive my bees uninvited.

Best,
Matt
11 years ago
Fran,

When I began beekeeping I built screened bottoms onto all of my horizontal top bar hives, and purchased one for my lone Langstroth hive. Since then, I've ceased using them at all on my own hives. I've not removed them on the ones that already have them, but I keep them closed. I've not seen any difference in behavior, and my survival rate has increased. However, I think this is more related to stronger bees and less related to the hives themselves.

My thoughts are that if you're using the screened bottom to monitor mite counts, and then taking an action based on that data, the screened bottom may be of value. However, I don't treat at all, so it wouldn't add any value to my hive. Some believe they help with ventilation, and I think this is a more valid reason to use screened bottoms. If you read Dr. Seeley's work (Honeybee Democracy), you'll find that feral colonies looking for a nesting site on their own rarely choose cavities with much ventilation at all. This leads me to think that they don't prefer that much ventilation, but like most of the things we do to them, simply adapt to the situation.

As to housekeeping, I don't think the screened bottom helps. Much of the debris are too large to fall through the screen, and the debris that are small enough are now trapped on the other side of the screen, inaccessible to the bees to clean out.

Lastly, I receive dozens of calls a year from beekeepers who've built their own horizontal top bar hives. Upon installing their package, the bees immediately abscond. The first question I ask them is, "Do you have a screened bottom on the hive? If so, is it open?" Every time, the screened bottom was wide open when the package flew off. On a long hive like a horizontal top bar hive, I think there is too much ventilation if you open the entire bottom. We'll be offering screened bottoms soon on our top bar hives (due to the tremendous demand), but there will be boards slide in and close up one half of the bottom, thus allowing you to open a bit at a time.

Best,
Matt
11 years ago
Hello, everyone! Glad to be here. I should be able to check in and respond to posts daily when I'm not out catching the MANY swarms of bees we've been having here in the Portland metro area.

Best,
Matt
11 years ago