May 30, 2018
Checking a friend’s top bar hive; bees are doing great!
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Checking a friend’s top bar hive; bees are doing great!
4 frames from the top bar came to about 9lbs of honey. 🐝🤗🐝 It's the darkest honey I've ever seen from my hives. Hoping to get more from the Langstroths this week! 🤞 #topbarhives #honeybees #honeyharvest #beekeeping (at Portage Lakes, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgZ8QVSudAG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Newfoundland was AMAZING. it's like stepping into a fairy world! Unreal views and the people are so warm and welcoming. ❤️ Sadly, I returned with COVID, and then my sweet Chappie was at the emergency vet due to pneumonia so it's been a very stressful homecoming. I'm still coughing a lot but have a bit more energy everyday. My wonderful husbeast has been doing EVERYTHING on the homestead for me while I recover, though I'm taking things over a little at a time. My wee baby chick is now huge! 😱 And I was in the hives this afternoon to see how things were going. My top bar colony is STUFFED with honey so I took 4 frames to give them more space. It wasn't all capped so will need to be eaten right away. I'll strain it this evening and then we will dig in. 🐝 The colony that had a virgin queen when I left is now queen right and she is laying BEAUTIFULLY. I also caught a swarm in a spare nuc! So that was a nice surprise. Fingers crossed my other colonies are also doing well. I had to rush inside due to a storm. 🤞 #homesteading #chickdays #topbarhives #honeyharvest #beesofinstagram #beekeeping #newfoundland #covidsucks (at Portage Lakes, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf99dCDu3-v/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Got to spend some time with my bees this morning! My single overwinter survivor colony is still small but seems to be turning a corner. 🤞 The package I installed into my top bar hive is going GANGBUSTERS. 😍 This is a Carniolan queen, and the package was ordered through @qrcltd (my go-to for packages every year!). It helps that they had comb to make use of but still. . .this gal is an egg laying machine! 8 full frames of brood, 2 frames of pollen/honey, and they're busy repairing broken comb and making new ones. They're raising drones as well (maybe 5% of brood so far). I've been feeling so behind this spring but this inspection has helped me feel like maybe I'm actually on track. 🤗 #ilovebees🐝 #beeswax #beekeeping #topbarhives #honeybees #spring2022 #homesteadhensandhoneypod (at Portage Lakes, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdeQKeVOq6i/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Cold and extremely muddy package install yesterday!! I drove through snow to pick up this package of bees from @qrcltd Just like last year, I installed them in the top bar between snow flurries. My hands hurt from the bitter cold and I was worried about my new friends but they were quick to cluster up around the queen. Fingers crossed I have better luck with my TBH colony this year! #beekeeping #ilovebees🐝 #topbarhives #beepackage #homesteadhensandhoneypod (at Portage Lakes, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccl20WEuX-h/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
My top bar hive colony didn't make it. I suspected they wouldn't as they went into winter very small despite my best efforts. I brought these 2 frames of capped and uncapped honey in to store. I left the other frames in the hive, in the hope it might attract a swarm in Spring. I have ordered packages and nucs for the new year so I'll have bees in there again. 🐝 My two Langstroth hives are still alive. May that continue! 🤞 #topbarhives #colonyloss #beekeeping #honeybees #beeswax https://www.instagram.com/p/CX4WZfUu0Bh/?utm_medium=tumblr
Got to dress appropriately for a hive check! 😜 @thehivejive Did the mid-season shift in my top bar hive. I really love this thing! Such a pleasure to work and the bees are so docile and sweet. They've filled a little more than two thirds of it so far and are still building diligently. Just starting to make a little more honeycomb than before but still seem primarily focused on broodnest expansion. Started to find some queen cups on the edges of the comb but no eggs in any of them so I knocked them down. It's always so fun to check on this colony. 🐝 #homesteadhensandhoneypod #homesteading #beekeeping #honeybees #topbarhives (at Portage Lakes, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRK-ULHn-Xv/?utm_medium=tumblr
A moment of Zen! ❤️🐝❤️ I am really enjoying my top bar hive! The colony is booming and such a pleasure to work. I love to just sit out there and watch them. #homesteadhensandhoneypod #bees #beemagic #honeybees #topbarhives #video (at Portage Lakes, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQdobWIpXfZ/?utm_medium=tumblr