Comment

Comment by Diana Calkins on September 2, 2012 at 5:34pm

Checked today and all is well.  Thanks Rob & Betsy!  Ours seem to be happily feeding on mustard weed, raspberries and wild sunflowers.

Comment by Paul McCarty on September 2, 2012 at 5:14pm

Not sure what is in season right now, but last week some sort of flow turned on and my hives quit taking feed. Now they are packed with stores! You guys might want to check your hives if you haven't for a while.

Comment by Paul McCarty on September 1, 2012 at 7:04pm

Yeah, I suppose you would be surrounded by the wilderness there. Still, it might work out. Usually bad traits do not show until the second generation virgin is superceded, from what I have learned.

Comment by Kevin Schwebel on September 1, 2012 at 6:45pm

Oh, yes, I got that...but I don't think they're any close enough. I'm not down in the valley, but on the east mesa.

Comment by Paul McCarty on September 1, 2012 at 3:39pm

I just mentioned the commercial guys because that would mean your virgin queen would get a lot of their drone influence, as opposed to other possibly less desirable traits.

Comment by Kevin Schwebel on September 1, 2012 at 3:27pm

unless, of course, I find some wild ones that need a home.

Comment by Kevin Schwebel on September 1, 2012 at 3:27pm

Yes, I think there is enough time, especially down here. I'm pretty far away from the commercial yards, but have my own drones close by and there's also feral colonies a within a couple of miles.  I think for now, I'll just consolidate the 2 strong colonies I have left and start splitting in the spring. It will give me time to build more wooden ware too. 

Comment by Paul McCarty on September 1, 2012 at 3:23pm

With as many commercial outfits as there are in the Mesilla Valley I would not think making their own would be a bad option. You still have a few weeks where they could raise a queen if you have enough bees. Other than that, there is a commercial beek I know who still has queens for sale.

Comment by Kevin Schwebel on September 1, 2012 at 3:11pm

I was also worried about my biggest hive, so we tore it down for a look. It has obviously swarmed, probably while I was away last week.  I was considering another split from it, but wasn't quick enough. The good news is it still has a LOT of bees, and there's a new queen who is laying quite well. I know she's new because she's very blonde, while the other was almost black. They're still bringing in nectar, so they're quite well off for winter now, and I'll have another full super soon. Maybe the thing to do with queens is to let them make their own?

Comment by Kevin Schwebel on September 1, 2012 at 3:08pm

It's been a hard few weeks here at the bee ranchito.  I've been trying to get a heavy split to take a queen, but all to no avail.  After nearly 6 weeks, they've rejected a virgin, had a new queen abscond or not be accepted, and they weren't able to make their own either.  They were down today from nearly 6 lbs of bees to probably a pound or less. And they've had a laying worker.  There are a lot of funny-looking bees out there, so today I pulled the frames and dumped the survivors. A complete loss.

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