Subject: need a mentor

From: [email-masked] (JCHenry500)
Date: 13 Jun 1996 23:50:00 -0400

I am looking for someone to whom I can ask some really dumb questions. 
Have my first hive (for 6 weeks) but get concerned about the hundreds of
bees that sit outside the hive and all the wax that builds up on the edges
of the frames, and my smokers goes out.

Is there anyone interested in being a mentor, teacher, sounding board?

Thanks
Charles Henry
Arkansas
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Francis Miquet)
Date: 14 Jun 1996 19:43:13 GMT

> Is there anyone interested in being a mentor, teacher, sounding board?

I'm a newbee as well to beekeeping. I befriended a local bee-keeper last
year and became his "apprentice" of sorts. I volunteered my time in
exchange for first hand experience. This year I'm on my own. There must be
bee-keepers near to where you live. It sure beats the internet in terms of
learning potential.

Francis

From  Tue Jun 18 09:59:47 EDT 1996
Article: 4625 of sci.agriculture.beekeeping
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From: (WALLY)
Newsgroups: sci.agriculture.beekeeping
Subject: Re: need a mentor
Date: Fri, 14 Jun 1996 23:34:59 GMT
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On 13 Jun 1996 23:50:00 -0400, [email-masked] (JCHenry500) wrote:

I found that if I let the smoker warm up well at first (get some coals
going at the bottom) before I start stuffing in whatever I'm useing at
the time (pine cones, cardboard, egg cartons, etc.) it stays lit OK.
You need to pump it every once in a while after its going, and its
easy to loose track of time.  Its taken me years to figure this one
out.  

I think you are refering to propolis instead of wax on the edges of
the frames.  Its the stuff bees use to glue things together and block
out light and drafts.  Some hives use more than others.  

There are lots of books out there, but the one I have that I find
myself referring to the most is called "Keeping Bees" by John Vivian.
Lots of down to earth stuff and good pictures.

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From: [email-masked] (BusyKnight)
Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 03:24:27 GMT

[email-masked] (JCHenry500) wrote:
> concerned about the hundreds of
>bees that sit outside the hive
Most likely, nothing to worry about.  The hive has to stay at
a specific temperature/humidity and so the bees are more
likely to be out of the hive to reduce the temp or humidity.
Its their way of controlling the condition of the hive.

>and all the wax that builds up on the edges
>of the frames
Let me know IF you ever discover the solution to this !!!

> and my smokers goes out.
Yep, mine too!  Many solutions exist, you just have to experiment
until you find one that works for you.  Packed sawdust in a wire cage,
pine needles, burning cow chips, on and on and on.....     :-)

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From: A. J. deLange <[email-masked]>
Date: 14 Jun 1996 11:47:12 GMT

>bees that sit outside the hive

They're just doing the same thing you'd do on a hot evening: go out and
sit on the porch. Also, if you look carefully, you'll see that some of
them have their rear ends up in the air, their heads down facing the
hive entrance. These are beating their wings to force air through the
hive to cool it. It is important that there is a vent at the top
of the hive such as is made by raising one edge of the cover (put an
entrance reducer or some similarly dimensioned piece of wood on the
inside cover) so that this air can circulate over the combs and out.

>... and all the wax that builds up on the edges
>of the frames, 

Many bees today are not familiar with the Rev. Langstroth's work
and so are not aware that they shouldn't build burr and bridge comb
in a modern hive. This is also pefectly normal (and a nuisance).

>and my smokers goes out.

Give it a puff of air from time to time. Don't pack it too tight.
>Is there anyone interested in being a mentor, teacher, sounding board?
Collectively there is lots of experience here at all levels from
beginers (like me) to people who have been nurturing bees for years.

AJ
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (JCHenry500)
Date: 17 Jun 1996 16:15:56 -0400

Thanks to all.  Have several willinf to help.

"With bees, you never know"..Poo

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From: [email-masked] (Paul Petty)
Date: Mon, 17 Jun 1996 10:50:38

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (WizDoom) writes:

>Hi  everyone,
>I am also new to beekeeping. I live in tuc ,az and i am looking for
>suggestions on how best to locate the queen. I need to requeen a colony
>but i am having trouble finding her. Its an old unkept hive that was given
>to me that was mite unfested and crammed full of honey but all the comb
>was dark and no foundations in the frames.
>What a mess. Trying to nurse it to full strength but it has been tough. My
>first year
>with bees and I love it . Jest two hives but lloking for more.
>Thanks in advance.

I use a technique which I read about here for re-queening 
without finding the old queen.  It goes something like this:  Take a few 
frames of brood from the hive, brush the nurse bees back into the hive (so you 
are positive the queen is not on these frames).  Put these frames in another 
box and put it on top of the old hive with a queen excluder separating them.  
Put the lid back on and leave them alone for half an hour while more nurse 
bees move up into it.  What you have done now is to make a nuc without a 
queen.  Now you can introduce the new queen into this nuc and either remove it 
as a separate hive, or leave it in place as a two queen colony.  If you do the 
latter, you can wait until the new queen gets established and then move more 
brushed off frames to the upper section until the lower section (with the old 
queen) is a more manageable size.  (Divide and conquere?)  Have fun.  This 
technique has helped me with a few difficult situations.

---

From: [email-masked] (JCSchaper)
Date: 17 Jun 1996 23:59:29 -0400

do the bees have enough space in the breeding room? maybe there are some
honey combs that are full and the bees don't have enough space (also a
problem with heat) the young bees just sit oudside because they have
nothing to do, it is hot, and maybe not enough space.
Maybe you just change a honey-comb with an empty frame so that they have
something to do,
regards,
Christoph Schaper (germany)
also beginner

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From: Mike Carbiener <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 14 Jun 1996 09:12:13 -0700

I too am, a beginner. But I don't think you nbeed to worry about suck 
things. Maybe put another super on. That might help with the bees and 
extra wax. They might not have anyplace else to hangout and build wax.
As far as your smoker goes, that happens to me too. I've found that if 
I use pine nnedles I don't have this problem.  Put a small amount in 
your smoker and light it. Once it is really burning, put more in and 
pump it a few times. While you are working, squeeze it every now and 
then to keep it going.
Mike