Oregon State Beekeepers Association

Ask A Beekeeper:

Please send your questions and answers to:Beekeeping Questions.

A Question from Gordy:

live in Portland , Oregon and would like to buy several bumblebee hives and/or bees. Can you recommend a place that I can buy them? I already have mason bees.

Unfortunately you can't buy bumble bees. You can find plans on the internet to build bumble bee boxes and hopefully attract bumblebees to inhabit them, though I understand you are lucky if you have one colony actually take up residence if you put out ten boxes.

Answer:

Honeybees are available locally. You can see listings at orsba.org. Once there click on the products and services button and then click on bees for sale. However I wouldn't suggest getting bees without first attending a bee school or at least having a mentor who can show you the ropes for the first year. Bee schools are starting to be listed on the Events page at orsba.org. There isn't one in Portland , but there is one in Salem . After attend a bee school it is a good idea to attend Bee Day in Colton in April, the date hasn't been set yet. This is the next step with hands-on learning stations which physically shows you the things you heard about in class.

A Question from Nate:

My daughter and I started a new hive this spring.  It is thriving and we recently added another deep super.  Unfortunately, when we first installed the bees, due to a lapse in both judgment and experience, we removed a frame to open a space to fit the queen's cage in.  When we inspected the hive 5 days later the bees had already filled the space with natural comb and filled the center of this combe with a nice circle of brood.  I didn't want to lose the brood this early in the game for fear of losing the whole colony so I let it go.  Unfortunately, there is no way to 'inspect' this comb as it is securely fastened to the hive at the edges.  Although there is plenty of brood hatching, we couldn't find the queen the last time we inspected because I suspect she's hanging out on this natural comb.  I'd like to replace this comb of course with a frame.

I thought once the upper chamber starts getting filled I'd break out the natural comb.  If it has a lot of brood I'll rotate it to an edge, and eventually it may become unused long enough to remove it entirely from the hive.  Does this sound ok, or is there a better route?  Any thoughts you may have on how to 'remove' this comb without losing valuable brood would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:

A Question from Mark:

I have been beekeeping for 5 years now, and have had as many as
five hives and as few as two. I have not found a good way to store
supers after removing the honey, I tried placing them on top of each
other and then using the dichloro.... moth stuff on the top most
super on a pie plate and putting cover on them, but got wax moths.
I also tried putting them in sealed 55 gallon drums and then putting
the wax stuff on a tin plate, and I don't get any moth damage, but
then I sometimes get mold. I have talked with local beekeepers, and
they all seem to do the first method. One beekeeper told me to
place them under a roof with no walls and then place an inch of wood
between each super and stack them up. He stated that it worked for
him. I was wondering if you would share any ideas for storing them,
so I won't always be in the mode of making new frames. Thank you
for your time and effort.

Nate, One thing I have done with natural comb is I will take two frames without foundation and I will run support wires between the holes just like you would do to support foundation. Then I wire the frames together on one end like it was a hindge. Then I cut the natural comb out and place it on one on the frames and close the other frame over it like a book. This will hold the natural frame and support it and then you remove both frames at once for inspection.

My daughter and I started a new hive this spring. It is thriving
and we recently added another deep super. Unfortunately, when we
first installed the bees, due to a lapse in both judegement and
experience, we removed a frame to open a space to fit the queen's
cage in. When we inspected the hive 5 days later the bees had
already filled the space with natural comb and filled the center of
this combe with a nice circle of brood. I didnt' want to lose the
brood this early in the game for fear of losing the whole colony so
I let it go. Unfortunately, there is no way to 'inspect' this comb
as it is securely fastened to the hive at the edges. Although there
is plenty of brood hatching, we couldn't find the queen the last
time we inspected because I suspect she's hanging out on this
natural comb. I'd like to replace this comb of course with a frame.

Answer:

Mark, I don't use any chemicals. I do let the bees clean my extracted comb, and when they are clean and dry I freeze my frames over night, I torch the insides of my boxes to kill any insect eggs that may be hiding in the corners, then I put the frozen frames in the boxes, seal the seams with duct tape and store them in a dry place and make sute the lid is tight. I've had no moth problems at all. Any mold is quickly cleaned up by the bees in the spring.

A Question from Paul in St. Paul-Minneapolis:

I manage a diversified berry farm in the outskirts of the St. Paul-Minneapolis metro area and my brother takes care of about 10 hives on the farm. We have the hives primarily for pollination, but also enjoy the honey.Question: Because of the proximity of the hives to workers and pickers - no matter where we locate the hives on the farm - is there some proven or effective way to "fence off" the bees (wooden, plastic or living fence) that would lessen the threat of bees being agitated by nearby workers/pickers? If the bees could not SEE the people nearby, would it make a difference? If the SOUND of the tractor working the berry rows nearby were muffeled with a living fence (bushes) between the hives and the tractor, would that make a difference? Or do the bees go strictly by SMELL... or a combination of these? Would any kind of fence or other barrier reduce such smells, sounds or line of sight sufficiently to lessen the threat?  There must be others - whether back yard bee enthusiasts, professional bee keepers, farmers, orchardists - who've had similar problems. Is there any research around that resolved these? Where could one possibly go for an answer? Web sites? Publications? University extension authorities? Bee associations?  Many thanks for any possible help... and if you are in the Twin Cities, consider this an invitation for a complimentary berry picking session. - Paul

Answer:

Paul, 95% of all honey bee stinging incidents happen at the hive. It is rare for bees to sting unless provoked while away from the hive. It is best to keep workers at least 20 feet away from the entrance of the hive, this is their flight path. They usually fly out and then up. Stand back and watch their flight pattern. The bees are not concerned about tractor noise. I use a weed whacker around my hives all the time and never have a problem. Honey bees can see carbon dioxide in our exhaled breath, and this may alarm them that there is a mammalian predator in their area which may make them defensive around their hive, especially if they have been visited by skunks or bears in the past.

Since your workers are being threatened away from their colony, I am thinking that you have aggressive bees. I have had some colonies where bees stung me for no reason while I was over 50 feet away form the colony. Honey bees that are allowed to produce their own queens or colonies with (SMR) hygienic queens produce more aggressive bees. I would suggest you replace your queens in the spring with queens that are advertised to be gentle and productive. You will see the difference within six weeks when all the bees from the aggressive queen have died off. May I suggest you buy queens from a California or a South-Eastern state. I have had too many comments about aggressive bees from Texas and Hawaii .

A Question From  Audra in Alabama :

Can you tell me how to keep bees away from my swimming pool. They are scaring my children and I feel it is unsafe for them to be so worried about a bee stinging them while they are in the pool. Is there anything we can do about them. Help!   

Answer:

Audra, there are some possible solutions, but first do you know where the bees are coming from? If they are coming from a local beekeeper, you should make them aware of the problem. If it is from a wild hive, you should call in a beekeeper to take a look to see if the bees can be removed. Also, are you sure they are honey bees? Next, what chemicals are you using in your pool? The reason I ask is that honey bees are attracted to hot tubs that were cleaned with a chemical, (I think it was borax or bromide or something that starts with the letter B.) The only final solution would be to place a large container of sugar water as far away from the pool as possible. This may attract them away from your pool.

Question from Stoyan in Sofia, Bulgaria:
I began practice with TBH, but I'm afraid about the situation in winter
time. Normaly we have winter seasons with -10Co to -20oC for two-three weeks

Answer:
As long as you leave then enough honey they should survive as well as they would in the wild. Cold does not kill healthy bees.

A Question from April: 
Hello I have a very large old oak that has a hive in the middle of the trunk I don't bother the bees and they don't bother me, but this summer my daughter is having her wedding in our backyard.  I don't want to take a chance with this many people around the tree. How do you handle a hive in a tree? I tried sealing it up with foam insulation they chewed through it and they have chewed holes in my tree. I would hate to lose the tree. Any advice would be helpful thank you.

Answer:

Several things come to mind for your situation. The first step is to find a local beekeeper to come by your place and assess how easy or difficult it will be to remove the bees. If the cavity is deep and if the comb is deeper than one can reach with ones arm, you have a problem. If a beekeeper can remove the comb and especially the queen and most of the workers you will be able to fill the cavity with cement to prevent future inhabitation. If you leave the cavity other bees will come along and move in.

If the bees are unreachable, a cleaver beekeeper could wrap the tree with hardware cloth with a bee escape that leads into a box hive attached to the tree. Bees will leave the hive in the tree to forage and will be unable to regain access to the tree because of the bee escape and they may set up house in the box attached to the tree. Eventually, with no new food coming into the tree all the bees including the queen will come out. At that point the beekeeper can remove the box and you can seal the cavity in the tree.

The third option would be to destroy the bees and fill the cavity. To be on the safe side you may want to have an arborist look at your tree as well. If there is a big cavity your tree may be doomed and you wouldn't want the tree falling on your wedding guests.

Please let me know if you have any trouble locating a beekeeper. Let me know where you are writing from and I will help find someone where you live.

A Question from Greg:
I had one of my hives die out, I believe it was because of it being queenless. It is now February, and NO one has any queens till late march or April. Any ideas??

Answer:
Two ideas for you, Greg. Have you contacted any queen suppliers from Hawaii ? They generally have queens available all year. If that proves to be too expensive, you could join that colony with another colony and split it back when local queens are available.

A Question from Peter:
I'm very interested in starting beekeeping.
I live in Grant County, have several fruit trees (in addition to 50+ acres of alfalfa hay), a couple very old apricot trees (planted by the original homesteaders) and I'm only a few miles from an extensive apple orchard (where I have permission to put a hive or two). I also have a huge, 100-year old Linden tree in my front yard that's humming all summer long.

I've only begun to read up on the subject, but what I've read so far fascinates me ("A Book of Bees", and "Robbing the Bees", plus whatever I can get online).
I've built my first Langstroth hive (thanks, BeeSource!), and am looking for a supplier who ships packaged bees.

My questions are:
Aside from the anticipated pleasure of just getting to know the little critters, can I expect a surplus of honey around here?
What resources are available regarding "what blooms and when"?
The winter temperature sometimes dips below zero overnight, and summer daytime temps can hit 120°; what do I need to do to protect "my" bees from freezing/roasting?
Thanks for any help you can provide...

Answer:
Peter, you can expect a surplus, but probably not in your first year. If you are starting your bees on new foundation the bees will need to draw the comb and a lot of the energy it takes to do that comes from eating the nectar that would be turned into honey. Though every book will tell you something different, it is generally understood that it takes 8 pounds of honey to produce one pound of wax.

As for the nectar flow in Oregon , when the black berries are in bloom the nectar flow is on. Being you are in high country, I would suspect that will be June for you and the fruit trees may give you an earlier kick. I'm not that familiar with your flora up there. There is now an OSBA branch beekeeping association in Bend . Their members may be of more help to you on your local nectar sources.

A healthy colony will not freeze. Be sure your hives are well ventilated and dry. Ventilation will keep them dry in the winter and cooler in the summer. You can vent a hive by putting a stick under the lid (not big enough to make it an entrance), or by drilling a ¾ inch in the hive body.

My best suggestion for you is to attend a bee school this spring. If you can only make it for one, go to Bee Day, which is put on by the Portland Bee Association. I don't know of anyone who ships packages any more, however you may be able to link up with beekeepers in Bend , or arrange for one of the suppliers to deliver bees to you at the Bee Day event.

While doing the "Ask The Beekeeper" feature at osba.org I often share my opinion. I've heard it said that opinions are like a certain part of the human anatomy, everyone got one and most of them stink. Over my years in beekeeping I have shared many opinions, and many of my opinions have changed over the years. Case in point is the use of Top Bar Hives. Recently I got a reply to my opinions by Dal Allan. Since writing that piece I have to admit that my opinion has changed. I asked Dal if I could use his comments on our website. He reworked some of his text for better understanding. I think it is an important read for anyone that may be considering TBH beekeeping or anyone who plans to teach a bee school session. Thank you, Dal for sharing your comments with us. Click.TBH for his comments.

A Question from G
My question is there is a lot of moisture on the top lid of my hives.  I have tried to wipe it off, I put straw between the inner lid and the outer lid.  I am afraid to leave it open because it is so cold.  What should I be doing?

Answer:
Moisture isn't uncommon. Bees are little heat and moisture generators. If you ever have the occasion to transport a bunch of colonies in the hack of a pick-up truck with a canopy, you will quickly see your windows fog and when you reach your destination you will find a blast of heat comes out when you open the canopy. Remember bees dry honey and they like living in a dry environment. If the moisture can not escape the hive all it can do is condense and drip back into the colony. It is a good idea to use an inner cover. It is also a good idea to have your hive vented. I use screened bottom boards all year and I drill holes in the top portions of all my boxes. Some beekeepers don't drill holes for ventilation, but rather place a small stick under their lids which lets moist air escape. Also tilt the base of the hive so condensing water will run along the front side of the box and drip onto the ground from the bottom board. It is a good idea, if you have extra equipment, to switch out your bottom board, inner cover and lid in mid winter with a dry replacement.

You may think that ventilation in the winter cold will harm the bees, but cold will not kill a healthy colony unless the colony is subjected to minus 0 temps for a long period of time. Moisture will kill bees.

A Question from Marcia
I am making a split and have a new queen on order to arrive in a few days. My question is where to locate the new hive. I would like to set it up in a location on my property but it is not within the few feet/few miles options for hives.(It is about 200 ft away and down a hill) Do I have any leeway with a new hive or am I better off keeping it near the original? Your advice is appreciated.

Answer:
You should do well if you split your hive by placing a queen excluder on the top of one box, and place some frames of brood in a box above the first box. Workers, or shall I call them “house bees” will go to the upper box to prevent the brood from chilling. The queen will stay below with her group. After an hour or so, remove the top box, put it where you want it to be and introduce a new queen cage. The reason this works without driving your bees two miles away for two weeks is that you have split “house bees.” These are bees that haven’t been out flying and haven’t imprinted how to return to their location yet. Once the bees are 19 days old they will begin flying out to gather honey and nectar. If any of those bees make it into the split they will return to the parent hive. House bees are happy being in the comb with other bees. The split by the above method will work, however shaking a bunch of bees into a new box may not be as successful.

Answer:
Beekeeping is much like any farming business. Every month of the year has a beekeeper doing different jobs.
In January and February a beekeepers needs to look in the hives to see if the bees are healthy and if they have enough honey to eat to get them through the rest of the winter. Sometimes we need to feed them sugar water to help them through. We also place different medicines in the hive because bees can get several diseases and mite infestations that will kill them. We test each hive for disease and infestation.
In March and April we order new queens. We want queens that will lay a lot of eggs. More bees means more honey and more pollination. We replace old queens with new ones every year. Old queens lay fewer eggs as they get older. Some beekeepers truck their hives to places like California so they can pollinate the almond crop, and some keep their bees at home to work locally. Beekeepers with strong hives will often split the bees and make two hives out of one, with a new queen in each.
In May and June and sometimes until late July the bees are collecting nectar from flowers. They bring the nectar into the hive and store it in the wax comb where other bees fan the nectar with their wings to dry the nectar. They remove most of the water in the nectar, and once the moisture is less than 18% it is then called honey. The bees then place wax over the comb to seal the honey so it won’t reabsorb water. It’s just like canning jelly. In the old days people used to cap their jelly jars with wax instead of lids.
In August and September the beekeeper will take the honey from the hive. We leave enough honey in the hive so the bees can eat it during the winter. The extra honey comb is removed from the hive, the wax cappings are scrapped off and then the frames of comb are placed into a machine called an extractor, that spins really fast and the honey leaves the comb through centrifugal force. It’s like that thing that goes around and around in a play ground. If it goes really fast you might fall off. That’s how the honey is extracted. The honey that is collected is filtered to get out impurities and then is put into jars. The wax from the cappings is used to make candles and many other products.
After the honey is taken the bees may need some more medicine to get them through the winter, but they are pretty much left alone until January. We do check on them ever couple of weeks just to make sure they are OK. But for the rest of the year the beekeeper will be selling the honey and the hive products, storing equipment for the winter and will be repairing equipment, ordering supplies or building new hives for use next year.
As for why do we keep bees? It's pretty cool. It gives you a chance to solve problems and has great rewards when things go well.

A question from Jim:

I'm considering building some of our own hives and was wondering if plans are available anywhere and if plywood can be used. Hives I've seen are
constructed from solid lumber and was wondering if there is a reason, like
glues used in plywood production may be harmful to bees. Any comment or
suggestion would be appreciated.<P>

Answer:
Yes, you can find plans at www.beesource.com.  Most people use 1” X 12” shelving pine.  Though marine plywood is used for some bottom boards I would not construct a hive body from it.  There are a lot of glues that may off-gas in the heat of a sunny day.
About construction, some people who build their own boxes feel confident with lap joints and nails.  I don't.  Remember that if you move your boxes when full they may weigh over 60 pounds.  There is a lot to be said (mostly curse words)when a box full of bees falls apart when you move it.   Lap joints aren't that strong.  Dove tail joints with a dab of wood glue and nails are the only way to go.  Equipment you will need is a table saw, dado blade (to carve hand holds), dovetail jig and a router.   In the long run, you may not save money by building your own boxes especially when you consider your time being worth money, but will gain satisfaction of beekeeping being more in your control.  

A Question from Torsten

I read in "Beekeeping: A Practical Guide" that "It has long been know
that bees and horses often have difficulty coexisting and should not be
kept in close proximity. The odor of horses seems to offend bees and
has been known to trigger stinging incidents."

Does this seem accurate to you? Does he mean stinging of the horses?

Answer: Torsten,
It is possible for them to co-exist, but you have to pay attention. I have two horses with their living quarters and corral less than 100 feet from my hives. There was some bee action on hotter days, but the horses could get away from them by going into their stalls. They like the horse water buckets, and they are attracted to some of the minerals in the sand of the corral. It could be the salt from their urine. I plan to move my bees a little further away this year and out of the direct flight path. I have let the horses graze near the hives and they haven't been bothered. Be sure there is a fence blocking your horses from getting to the hive because they may try to rub up against the boxes. Also, work your bees in the evening; just before sun set. One time I worked the bees in the morning and they were riled up all day; making a real chore of getting the horses into the trailer. Horses become real trailer shy once they get stung while loading.

Finally, be careful with fly spray. We once used called something like Lexon or Lenox, I know it has an X in the brand name. Anyway, there were some sweet natural fruit oils in it, and 30 seconds after spraying it on one horse the bees swarmed the horse. Thousands of bees seemed to come out of no where. They didn't sting the horse but were licking it spray. We ran the horse over to a hose and sprayed her down with water. We've never had a problem since, but I do spray a fence post before trying any new sprays on any of the horses.

From Jamie in New Jersey:
        Hi! I'm currently working on a plan to renovate the Nature Center at my YMCA camp and I was wandering if you have any information on keeping beehives as displays. I have looked all over the web for information but I have only found information on keeping bees in outdoor boxes. Any information you can forward me would be a great asset.

Answer: Jamie,
        What you are looking for is an observation hive. An internet search with the words "observation hive" will yield you hours of reading material. There is even a new book about them that I saw in a beekeeping magazine last year, but I have been unable to track down the name of the book or the publisher since I saw the ad. It isn't on amazon.com nor alibris.com.
        Observation hives are really great, however, though they are small and nicely contained they do pose some problems. One problem is they are small, the other problem is they are nicely contained . An observation hive may have one, two or three frames inside and bee colonies do better when they have at least 30 frames. The goal of a colony is to grow, split into a second colony, make big food reserves for the winter and start the whole process over again next year.
        If you place a young queen who is able to lay 3000 eggs a day into that environment she will get scout bees to look fore a better place for her to produce young. What many beekeepers who have observation hives do is place an old worn out queen in their observation hive.
        My advice is to get some help locally. There is a beekeeping association in New Jersey. The internet address below should help you locate someone close to you in the Bergen Passaic area.

http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/TFGroups/njgroups.htm

        Also, be aware that New Jersey is not a bee friendly state. Last year laws were passed against beekeeping in (I believe it was) Morris County. It made the news out here. So it is a noble idea bring honey bees back where they should be, in parks and neighborhoods. I hope your efforts will open minds.

QUESTION from Pat:
        I just want to know what the going rate for extracting others honey is by the pound?

Answer:
Pat, Some people do it for half of the honey, some do it just for the wax (not a good deal for the extractor). My call would be time is honey. Hand cranking should cost more than a motorized radial extracting. As a extracting contractor you should think of your self as a specialized service provider, so if you take money or honey make sure you get what your time is worth. A plumber gets $25+ per hour, but you may have a hard time hand cranking $25 worth of honey in a two frame crank extractor in an hour. Also consider what other professional services are you providing. Do you have a honey house with an extracting room that is certified by your local health department? Are you going to use a refractometer to grade the honey to assure the honey moisture content is OK? Are you going to bottle the honey? Do more-get more. I am going to pose your question on the OSBA Message Board to see what the other beekeepers are doing.

QUESTION from Diane:
        In July we "harvested" a hive of honeybees from the wall of a friends house. It was a very large hive and we put it in two boxes. We dumped some of the honeycomb in the box to feed the bees. Two weeks later, without reorganizing the frames, we introduced a new queen. (To the box I have). Now we have a frame with a "horn" of capped brood on the side of it. (There are only 6 frames in the box.) Plus, the bees keep building comb off the top of the inner lid. (extending toward that horned frame) We took the comb off the lid once and it was full of eggs, so we know the queen is doing a good job. I have been feeding the bees to build them up for the winter. I am concerned about organizing the hive, at this time, not wanting to destroy brood. Should I wait until next spring and just let them build as they will. Or will it be detrimental to the winter cluster to have things cattywhompus in there? You can tell, I'm pretty green at this. I can't find the answer in "Beekeeping for Dummies"!

Answer:
Diane, Your problem began with having only six frames in the hive. You messed with the laws of bee space. What you have done was to turn the hive box into an open space like the bees had in the wall you took them from. Bees, being efficient creatures, will turn a void into storage. This isn't a good time to mess with that problem because the season is basically over. The population of the hive will start decreasing soon meaning that there will be few young bees of the age that build wax structures. You will need to feed them through the winter because there may not be enough food to get them through if they were limited to one box. You will be able to fix it next spring, maybe mid March. Add a second brood box to the hive with ten frames of foundation. Once at least six frames are drawn and you see the queen is laying in the new comb you can remove the old box and put ten frames of foundation in it, (or you can reuse any drawn frames that look good), place that on top of the hive and let the bees work it. You can take a frame out making each box a 9 frame hive, but only do this when nine frames are drawn. The bees will extend the comb on each frame to hold more honey. Nine frame hives can actually hold more honey than ten frame hives. But if you do this too soon the bee will build some wild stuff. Make sure the frames are fully drawn before removing and make sure to evenly space your frames. One more thing that Iíve learned from experience, use wax foundation rather than wax coated plastic. They seem to draw better comb on wax early in the year.

QUESTION from Bill:
       We seem to have an abundance of meat bees and wasps this summer. Does that mean anything weather wise?

Answer:
Meat Bees? Good one! I never heard that term before. Beekeepers had a lot of swarms this year as well, and it is blamed on the warm and dry spring this year. They were able to get cracking earlier. Their food supply came in earlier, so they built up their population earlier and kept it strong. It is not an indication of a weather pattern to come. For that you need to look at the squirrels tails and wooly bear caterpillars. : )

QUESTION from Khalil in Iran:
        Dear sir Would you please answer these questions:

1)Unfortunately,I have no access to any bee keeping books in English in Iran.Are there any of them to be downloaded free?
2)Is it necessary to requeen a colony's first swarm? If yes, why?
3)Can a queenless colony be made to produce a queen in late summer or early fall?
4)What is meant by organic honey, we do not use such a term in Iran?
5)What may happen if we keep a hive in warm room in winter?
6)Is it economically profitable to plant some hectares of alfalfa for the purpose of its nectar? if yes,how many hives does each hetare need when it is in full blossom?
Thanking you in advance.
Khalil

Answer:
1. There are no free book downloads that I know of, however the Internet makes most information available in dribs and drabs. This site, orsba.org was an online ìbeekeeping 101î course, and we feature the Ask the Beekeeper question and answer section. We also have a message board where you can get the opinions of several beekeepers on any topic. Also visit gardenweb.com, where there is a really good beekeeping forum that is visited by beekeepers from all over the world.

2.It is a good idea to requeen a swarm because the old queen that left the hive with the swarm is, wellÖold and less productive. An old queen will produce less worker brood, which means that you will have fewer bees to gather nectar and pollen. Many beekeepers donít seem to understand that simple point. More per hive means more honey. You can get more production from a large hive than you can get from two small hives. This is why swarm prevention is so important. Most beekeepers are happy to capture a swarm from one of their hives thinking that they now have two hives, but what they have in reality are two weak hives rather than one strong one. Having a hive swarm is basically a failure of the beekeeper.

3. A queenless colony can produce a new queen if the queenless situation is realized by the bees in time for them to turn worker larva into a queen but feeding them royal jelly and building queen cells for them. Often times a queen will get old as stop laying worker eggs and when the bees realize it all they have is drone larva and they try to produce a queen with that. It is hopeless at that point. Sometimes a worker will try to replace a failing queen, and since workers arenít mated all they can produce is drone larva.

4. Organic honey is a touchy subject. In the US honey can be certified organic if it meets several conditions including no medications or chemicals are ever used in the hive. Bees are known to travel several miles to collect nectar and pollen. My personal opinion is that the word organic should not be used unless you can know without a doubt that no chemicals have been used within a 2 and ‡ mile circle around your bee yard. I donít use chemicals in my hives and I live in a rural area, but I will never claim my honey is organic because I know that neighbors down the road use chemical fertilizers.

5. In very cold climates it may be a good idea to get the bees out of the weather by putting them into a cold cellar or a cold barn. In a warm room they will be looking for food and flying around. They may become demoralized. If you can keep them below 50F degrees they will cluster for the winter and eat their reserves. There is no need to keep them active through the winter. If they are active they will need to eat more.

6. I donít know the specifics of the nectar load in Iran, but here for that amount of land, which is about 2 and ‡ acres to a hectare, I would put no more than eight hives per hectare. Consider if there will be enough food from other sources for those hives when the alfalfa is done. If not, you may want to drop down to 6 hives per hectare. Look at the big picture of the full season and try not to focus on only one crop. Here our beekeepers work the almond groves in late winter then fruit trees, then berries, then on to other crops.

QUESTION from Dale:
        A March 1998 Oregon State Bee Association publication has an article about the use of vegetable and the use of medicated extender patties to control mites . A specific oil, Canola, placed on shop paper towels and inserted between the frames of the brood chambers is suppose to work. I am interested in using non-poisonous means to control. Do you have information about this method? What is a medicated patties, where do you purchase? Do you know of place to buy used bee equipment, specifically a small extractor?

Answer:
There is some good science behind the canola oil and paper towel. The theory is that trachial mites know how long their life cycle is and they need to make sure their host will live long enough to let them complete a cycle. The way they can tell a young bee from an old bee is by taste. Young bees taste different than old bees. A free trachael mite will attach itself to a hair folicle on a bees leg, and if it tastes right it will move up and enter the bees breathing tube and multiply. When you place an oil soaked paper towel in a hive (on the frames in the top box), the bees will want to remove it. Since it is too large the bees will chew it up into managable pieces, and carry it through the hive and toss it out the hive entrance. While carrying it out the pieces of oil soaked pieces brush against other bees in passing. The oil rubs off on everything it comes in contact with and masks the smell of the bee in the process. If a trachael mite can't taste the age of the bee it will avoid using it as a host. Remember this is for trachael mites, not Varroa mites.

As for medicated grease patties, it is generally a bad idea. What people who use them do is get some crisco and mix it with sugar and medication. The problem is that when dosing bees this way there is no way to assure the bees will consume all of the grease patty within a week. The antibiotic should be given in a dose that will be consumed by the bees within a week. Sometimes the patties will sit in the hives for several weeks and start to turn moldy. When mixing the antibiotic with powdered sugar and sprinkling it on the top bars of the frames the bees will usually consume it within a day or two. One dose every week for three weeks will do the job.

As for used equipment, a local bee supply store may sell used equipment or you could try e-bay.

QUESTION from Laurie:
        I have a new hive and I purchased a carniolan queen, but received italian workers. After hiving the new colony, I saw all italians, but in 3 weeks I began to see carniolans as well. However, it has been 3 months and I still see a mixture of bees. I thought I was dealing with robbers perhaps, but I find 3 different colors of workers on the "stoop" fanning the hive in the afternoons - golden italian looking bees, the dark sometimes almost black carniolans and this mixed striped brown and black. I would have thought the italians would have died off by now, so I am wondering, since you can get hybrid bees, can a single queen be mated by more than one male, and if so can she produce both a pure line and a bunch of hybrids as well, or have aliens invaded my yard?

Answer:
Laurie, Queens are known to mate several times before they settle in to lay eggs. A flying queen will attract drones from all over, which is better because if they mated with drones from their own hive constantly the genetics would get strange since the drones in her hive are her brothers. Though your queen producer may try to keep their yard pure with one race, it isn't always possible. Unless you purchase artificially inseminated queens that cost hundreds of dollars you can never really be sure. There are often several variations of coloring within a race. Beekeepers always assume that Italians are light colored bees and carniolans are darker. This isn't always true, though sometimes it is. Here in Oregon these two races seem to be the best producers for our climate, so if your production is good and bees have a good temperament I wouldn't worry. Robber bees don't hang out at the hive front fanning for another colony. Speaking of fanning, do you have any vent holes drilled into your hive bodies? Bees can waste a lot of time and energy cooling a hive. If it were vented they could be doing more productive things.

QUESTION from Bernie:
        I'm from Pittsburgh, PA Today when breaking apart a hive from one of the hives, the supers were loaded with what appears to be mold. What can I do to rid the supers of this mold?

Answer:
Bernie, Normally a strong healthy colony will clean up any mold. Did your bees put away a lot of nectar and have a major population drop where they didn't have enough bees to dry and cap it? Also are your hives ventilated? Having lived on the East Coast I remember times in the summer when the humidity made it impossible for things to dry. If your hive isn't vented I'd suggest a screened bottom board and 1/2 to 3/4 inch vent holes in the front each hive body and super. Also one other thing that may be a bit risky since it may create a problem for other hives is to place the moldy frames into a healthier hive and let them clean it up.

QUESTION from Elizabeth :
        I have just moved into a 20 acre ranch in Tumalo (near Bend, Oregon). The previous owners tell us the bees in a tree by the house were there since 1999 at least. We think they may be mite resistant.
A friend who has started to bee keep took away about 9 pounds of bee swarm 3 weeks ago. I was so surprised to see 2 swarms active this morning in 2 trees adjacent to the first bee tree that swarmed.
My friend has no other bee boxes to use and the current swarms are 40 - 50 feet high in the tree, probably need a cherry picker to reach them.
Do you know of any resource in my area that could capture the bees and help me relocate them to an unused field behind our barn. We have been considering turning that area into a wildlife preserve with pond and wild flowers in the future. Not so close to the house as the current bee tree and swarms.
How long will they be swarming as they started this morning?

Answer:
Elizabeth, Swarms usually hang out for three to five days. Caution, the longer they are there the more defensive they become. They get hungry after two days.
Unfortunately there are no beekeeping branch organizations up in your area, so I don't have anyone to call for you. There are two things you can try. One would be to attach a pale to a long pole like a chimbey cleaning pole, and bump the bees into the bucket. Another way would be ot place a close cardboard box with a hole in it on top of a tall step ladder. Bait it with honey. The only other thing to do is let them find a place on their own.
You could build a bee box to hold them out of scrap lumber and place them where you want them. Put them in their new location as soon as you have them in the box, don't wait.
Look up "top bar hives" on the internet. They are very usable by bees if you don't expect to take honey from them. They are inexpensive to build.
Please keep me posted. If you need a quicker response to your questions, post a message on the OSBA message board. You will find a link from the main page at orsba.org.

QUESTION from Bob :
        "I have a new queen ordered and should be here this week. Present hive is queenless, has a large number of bees, but no Queen, no brood. The brood chamber has honey in all frames (not all capped over- but each one about full ) . I have another brood chamber ready with drawn comb. Now - should I evenly distribute the frames of honey between the two brood chambers, requeen into the one full of honey, requeen into the one with comb only, and whatever I do, which one to put on top of the other. (There is also a full super of capped honey-not this years. ) Hope you understand all this.

Answer:
Before I get to your answer, do you know why your hive is queenless? Was there a swarm? Did you find any queen cells in the hive? If so were they on the bottom of the frames or in the middle? The reason I ask is because when there is a swarm the old queen leaves before the new queen emerges. Then after the new queen emerges she still has some development to achieve before she goes out on her mating flights. Your new queen may not lay her first egg for some time; weeks. At this point beekeepers panic and introduce a new queen, who finds out right away that there is indeed another queen in the hive and then there is another swarm that takes half of the remaining bees. Before you install the new queen please make a good inspection of the hive. Look of eggs in the bottom of the cells, look for a queen that may be smaller than a mature queen.

Now for your answer. Place the brood box with the empty frames on top of the full box. You can switch some honey frames from below to the top box. This will draw the bees up. Have three or four empty frames in the center. Take a small nail and puncture a hole in the center of the candy of the queen cage. The hole should be small so as not to let the bees escape, but to let them see there is light at the end of the tunnel. Place the queen cage candy side up between two frames, and check on it in four days. If the queen has been released remove the cage and leave the hive alone for about 10 days. If the queen hasnít been released by the fifth day, you can remove the cork, place the cage back into the hive and let her escape once you close the hive. Do not disturb the have for at least 10 days.

QUESTION from Dave :
        My family has kept bees on the farm for 40+ years. We became discouraged with losses that we attribute to mites. We now have a shed full of empty and sad looking hives, supers, extractor, etc. I now live in Portland and would like to keep one or two hives here and maybe get a couple or three going again at the farm. Is there a good source for me to learn the current stuff and purchase safe bees and products? I'd heard about some seminars this spring and summer and a man who's selling bees and products in the upper valley, maybe Yamhill? Could you be so kind as to connect me with any of this/these?

Answer:
Dave, itís a little too late to start now since the nectar flow is about to start any minute in your area. All the classes and workshops are finished for this year. But it is a perfect time to start for next year. If you are really eager to start you could put out a few of your boxes and see if a wild swarm colonizes any of them. Also you should find a bee association that is close to you and attend some of their meetings. Once you network with some beekeepers ask a beekeeper to look at your equipment to see what can still be used and what can not. Do keep an eye on the OSBA website for upcoming events, and get a good book on beekeeping for winter reading. There will be several bee schools through out Oregon in the late winter, and there may be more upcoming Honey Bee Workshops. Donít forget the OSBA Fall Conference in Newport during the last weekend of October. As for finding bee suppliers look at the OSBA Products and Services page or the Links page.

QUESTION :
        I've had supers on two hives for about two week and notice that only a few bee are coming up into the super and comb is being built on the super foundation. What if anything needs to be done?

Answer:
At this point Iíd say nothing needs to be done because we are probably less than a week away from the nectar flow. When you see the blackberries in flower the flow is on. However if you live in a higher elevation and do not see buds on your blackberries you could feed your bees one part sugar to one part water. Bees require a lot of food to draw wax. Another trick Iíve used is to place the honey super between the brood boxes.

QUESTION from Jack:
        Hello,
I just printed out an application to the association, and will join today.
I live in a fairly urban part of Portland and have a new hive in my fairly private backyard. I successfully transferred the package bees and released the queen, and they seem to be doing well. There are lots of fruit trees in bloom around here and the workers are returning with very large clumps of pollen. Tomorrow is six days since I released the queen and I will check for eggs in the comb. As an aside, my neighbors were all consulted before I got the hive, and they are all very supportive of the venture.
My only concern is that I have a fairly constant parade of small black ants crawling up the cinder blocks and into the hive. I assume they are going for the sugar syrup I have in a feeder that takes the place of a frame. Or are they maybe after the pollen-substitute cake resting atop the frames? The bees don't seem to mind the ants. Should I be concerned? I was imagining a stand with four legs I could construct that could be placed in small cups of liquid, thus keeping any non-flying insects out... I am hoping that when the bees start storing and capping their own food that the ants will lose interest.
Thanks for any advice! Welcome to the OSBA. I hope you can make it to our fall conference in Newport this year.
As for the ants, they aren't considered a big problem in this area of the country. Fire ants in Texas on the other hand... Normally if the ants get out of hand a healthy bee colony will control them. One thing some beekeepers do is have their hives on stands with legs and they place the legs in something that will contain liquid; pie pans or plastic containers. Once filled with liquid the ants will not swim for a free meal.

From Thao:
        Dear Thom, Thank you very much for help with my science fair. all i need to do is mostly polish my paper and work on my display model. I really apprecitate your help and the information you have provided me and your time. i have talked to my teacher and she said that i didn't need to have an experiment with bees so now i will need to make a model of a worker bee for display.

Your Sincerely, Thao

Thao,
I am happy I could help. I am always delighted when people chose to do school projects on honey bees and bee keeping. Feel free to contact our website and let us know if you ever decide to keep bees. I do get a lot of requests for information, but I rarely find anyone who is as interested as you. Your studious nature will make you a good beekeeper. You deserve an "A" just for asking such good questions.

QUESTION from Michael:
        Excellent site! Thanks for all the hard work that goes into it.

I am a hobbyist trying to transition from Beehaver to Beekeeper. For the last several years I have encouraged feral bee hives in my back yard strictly for their pollination value. As I got to know them and studied their behavior, I got interested in Beekeeping. I have been reading books and internet sites to learn as much as I can.

As I look toward my first honey harvest, many questions remain, but the most nagging one is this. In my suburban neighborhood, the forage for bees is rich and varied. However, I have little knowledge of and certainly no control over what chemicals my neighbors may be spraying and dumping on their trees and flowers. Is their any real danger that pesticides or other chemicals might be transferred to honey stores in human endangering amounts?

ANSWER:
        Michael, Thank you for your kind words. This site is a joy to work with because of the great community of beekeepers we have here in Oregon and elsewhere in the country. Itís nice to be able to help people with questions no matter where they are.
As a beekeeper you can only control what you do. There is no way to keep your bees away from the nasty stuff that is out there. However you can take some consolation that honey bees will work closer to their hive when and if possible. You can plant some plants that attract bees and give them a good water supply. If the highway department sprays weeds in your area, you may want to contact them and find out when they plan to spray. You could either move your bees a couple miles away, or maybe you can negotiate that they not spray your area if you maintain the roadside weeds. That can take some of the worry away, but that doesnít take away what they still may be getting into. Fertilizers and herbicides are the biggest concern for you. Insecticides normally just kill the bees so it doesnít normally get into the honey. Considering that bees get nectar from so many sources it is unlikely that any dangerous amount of bad stuff will end up in your wax and honey.
Most of the nasty stuff that gets into honey comes from beekeepers who donít follow directions by placing honey supers on their hives before the prescribed grace period has lapsed after a medication cycle. If you medicate, please follow all instructions, and though most medications say it is safe fifteen days after the last application, you may want to wait 30 days.
You can also have your honey tested if you desire more peace of mind.

QUESTION from Maggie:
        We have honey bees living in our large Oak Tree about 30 ft off the ground in an old knot. I am confident they are honey bees because they have lived there at least a few years (only out when it is warm) and can be spotted everywhere there is a pollen source. They don't seem to be a nuisance, so I guess I should just leave them alone. However, many of our guests often ask if we are going to have them removed. Any advice? We have a 2 yr old and a baby on the way.

ANSWER:
        Maggie, Leave them, they won't harm anyone unless someone climbs the tree and messes with their hive. Count yourself fortunate that you have wild bees; they will help you have a healthy garden. Removing the bees would be a major project, and it would be easier to cut the tree down than to get them out of there.
There is a chance that the bees may swarm in April or May, which is the way honey bees make a new colony. The swarm may be collected by a beekeeper if it is accessible.
So don't worry, they will not seek out your children. And remember if your children ever do get stung, it was more than likely a yellow jacket that stung them.

QUESTION from Matt:
        Iím 13 and starting to get very interested in beekeeping. I hope to become a beekeeper ASAP but I am completely broke. Is it at all possible for a colony of bees to move in to a log that i have perfumed with sugar water. if not, what is the best way to get a colony of bees to move nearby?

ANSWER:
        Matt, In your last message you stated that you were writing from Huston. You should be very careful about wild bees in Texas since most counties have problems with Africanized honey bees. Your best bet is to find our when a Beekeeping Association meet locally and go to one of their meetings. Beekeepers all over the country are trying to get young people, such as yourself involved in beekeeping. Iím sure they will welcome you. Once you visit with the group explain that you canít afford to start a colony but you would be happy if someone had a spare hive, and could help you set it up at your house and mentor you through your first year. Beekeepers are real good about sharing information and equipment with those who are starting out. We will help answer any questions you may have in the future.

QUESTION from Lisa:
        We just got an observation hive kit from Glory Bee in Eugene for our daughter's 8th birthday. We have constructed it, and have talked to a few friends that have bees. I need some instruction on maintaining and caring for the hive. Do you recommend any books specific to observation hives? If you have any info. or suggestions please let me know. Thanks, Lisa

ANSWER:
        Lisa, Observation hives can be a challenge to maintain since the nature of honey bees is to build a large colony and store more honey than they need. One and two frame observation hives have around 1/20th the space of a normal colony. I do not know and any good books on observation hives, though a good basic book on beekeeping like ìThe Beekeepers Handbookî will help you understand what is going on in there.
        Often times beekeepers will place an old queen in the observation hive because they produce less brood, thus keeping the population low. You will probably want to keep them on sugar water all year because one frame doesnít store much food. Donít be upset if the hive doesnít thrive. Itís really hard to figure how much medication this hive will need. Best guess 1/10th of what a normal hive would get. Also keeping the hive indoors with a clear plastic hose to the outside is best. This way the bees will be kept at a more constant temperature, and you will have the ability to provide them with darkness (a dark towel covering the glass) when you arenít looking at them.
        When done correctly an observation hive can be a wonderful learning experience. If something goes wrong you can always start over. Your friend who keeps bees should be able to help you with the basic setup and may be a good source for replacement queens for you when he/she replaces their queens. Please write back with tales of your hive, and maybe you can write your own book on the subject in a couple of years. It would sell pretty in the beekeeping community.

QUESTION from Matt:
        While doing some Spring Chores on my hive, I encountered blue mold. Yes, "Blue Mold". It was all over the bottom board (which I scrapped thoroughly) and it had spread, just slightly, to the bottom of a few frames. I think this may have started from some syrup that puddle on bottom board last fall. Have you seen this before? Does it pose a health threat to the hive? What do you suggest I do? Thanks for your help. It sounds to me like you have a ventilation problem. No biggie, though. The first thing you should do is replace the bottom board. It is a good idea to have an extra board to swap out every spring. Believe it or not, a bottom board can hold 6 quarts of water. Also use a screened bottom board above your normal bottom board and then drill a æ in hole in each hive body box. This will let moisture escape. Next winter place a æ inch shim under the hive so water wonít pool, it will run out the front. As for the mold, scrape off what you can, and the bees will take care of the rest.

QUESTION from Bob:
        Could you respond with information on price, terms and conditions under which hives are placed (rented) on locations in Cornelius, Oregon. Who has that type of service in our area and the point of contact for those businesses. Also, under the typical arrangement, is the honey part of these agreements? Thank you for any assistance.

ANSWER:
       Bob, It's really an individual thing. If you were to supply a hive for pollination the prices range from $35-$45 per hive depending on the crop. Higher prices are charged for cranberries because they really beat up a hive. Even higher prices are charged in California for almonds because the demand outweighs the supply and I hear they are getting $60+ per hive down there.
You can come up with an agreement with the grower as to how long they need your bees and that you want a fair warning if they are going to do any pesticide spraying, and it is always a good idea to make sure you have access to your hives any time you want to check them. You can find some good boiler plate pollination contracts on the internet at this address:
http://www.pollinator.com/sampcntr.htm
As for honey being part of the deal, that is up to the agreement you create, but normally the way it works is you bring the hive, the bees do their work, you get paid and then you take the hives to another location for the next crop that needs your services. Yes there are a lot of commercial pollinators in Oregon. Larger ones travel to several states, and smaller ones work locally. If you go to orsba.org you can click on the Products and Services button and there you can see a sample of who is working out there big and small.

QUESTION from Lonnie :
        I'm trying to find out if there are any laws to regulate honey bee hives in the city limits of Bend Oregon. For example, how many hives, can they be kept in the city limits, and what are the liabilities. Law suits ect. Please let me know ASAP. Thank you,

ANSWER:
       Lonnie, It is best to check with the extension agency and the animal control agency or the City of Bend. The OSBA doesn't keep a database of city restrictions. I don't know if there are any restrictions, and most cities that aren't in New Jersey do not have any laws on the books. If you do set up some hives be sure not to get more hives than you can manage. If you are right in the city you should be able to have a few hives, but if you put ten in your back yard I'm sure neighbors will become concerned and try to get laws passed against you.
       If you do find that there are laws against it, please let me know. I have been contacted by a number of people in Bend area who wish they had an OSBA branch in that area, but as of yet no one has put a group together. It may be time for someone, like you, to take the idea and run with it. If you have a good solid organization and become an OSBA branch you will have some resources at your disposal that could educate the law makers about the importance of beekeeping in your community. If you would like to start a group we can give you some pointers on organizing a group and the benefits that you will reap. We can also get the word out in our newsletter and on the website. You really need a branch association up there.

QUESTION from Donna :
        I have noticed some mold or mildew on some of my stored comb. Is it still usable? It is stored in a cool dry basement so I'm not sure why it is moldy.

ANSWER:
       Donna, It is moldy because the comb is slightly damp and sweet from small bits of residual honey or nectar that the bees didnít clean up. It is also being stored in the dark. Itís no big worry. The bees will clean it up when you put it back into the hive. The only thing you really need to worry about with storing comb is wax moth. If you see silky threads or worm-like larva in your comb you have to fix that problem because they will destroy your comb.

QUESTION from Meridith :
        I am a beekeeper in Lexington KY with one hive who is considering moving to Portland OR. Unfortantely I lost my original strain of bees this winter as a result of mites. I would like to start my hive again ASAP but just wondering how transporting them would work. I would probably be driving a UHaul with the rest of my belongings. My dog would be in the cab with me so they would have to ride somehow enclosed in the back and I am guessing that the trip would take 3 days or so. Two questions: would it be best to wait until I get to OR before I start back up? Also, do I need to do any sort of sanitizing to the hive before I get new bees? I had a mite problem which was compounded by using a bad batch of CheckMite. I tried a second batch which got rid of the mites but at that point my colony was very small and weak and did not last. I have cleaned the dead bees out of the hive but just wondering what else I should be doing.
Thanks

ANSWER:
       Meridith, Please do not bring bees here from Kentucky. Youíve got small hive beetles back there and we donít want them here. Start fresh, you and our beekeeping community will feel better. To be on the safe side, leave your wooden ware behind as well.
As for your die-off due to mites. It is common for a winter die-off due to tracheal mites, which Check Mite cannot control. You would need to open some dead bees up and put them under a microscope for a diagnosis.
Once you get here you should go to a local OSBA Branch meeting. OSBA Branches are listed on orsba.org along with their meeting dates, times and locations. We also have two honey bee workshops scheduled this spring. You should plan on attending one because they cover the latest in IPM (integrated pest management) and you will get a feel for what beekeeping is all about in this climate.
People at a local branch should be able to get you some bees as soon as you are ready, packages, nucs or singles. You can also get on our swarm call list.
There is a strong beekeeping community here in Oregon. You will get the full meaning of this statement if you attend our fall conference. I am always amazed by the enthusiasm of our members when I attend one. Let us know when you are in the state and weíll get you pointed in the right direction.

QUESTION from Laura :
        Is it possible to keep bees in Central Oregon. And if so are there ever classes offered close to Bend or Redmond? Ý Ý I am interested in learning more about Beekeeping before I jump in and get started. Ý Any information would be greatly appreciated. Ý

ANSWER:
       Laura, Yes, you can keep bees in the Bend/Redmond area, and I strongly encourage you to do so. Unfortunately, there are no OSBA branch associations there at this time. I do get a lot of e-mail from people who want to keep bees up there, and I always suggest that they talk to their local extension agents who may know of someone who is keeping bees. Also it isnít hard to start your own beekeeping association. Simply get a place to meet and make announcement posters and put them in the local feed stores, and ask your local master gardeners to place a notice in their news letter. Also let me know and Iíll spread the word on the OSBA web site and in out internet news groups.
I donít know of any beekeeping classes in Bend, but there are several around the state in the spring. Ours in Clatsop County will run two Saturdays in a classroom, the third being a hands-on field day. Other groups have them every year as well; Lane County, Salem and Rulh Bee Supply has a class as well. We will list the classes on the OSBA Events page as soon as I get the dates from the associations. There are also two Honey Bee Workshops that are being scheduled. One will be in Eugene and the other in Salem. Those workshops are geared more for those who have bees already, but attending one couldnít hurt.
So for now I suggest you buy a copy of theî Beekeepers Handbookî or if you are more scientifically minded, ìThe Hive and the Honey Beeî Good winter reading. Let us know if you take the plunge.

QUESTION from Lanre Oderinde, Ibadan Nigeria :
        Hi, I have some questions as regard bee keeping and honey production. I am currently using tbh for my bee keeping.
1. How long does it take to have honey after colonization?
2. How many times in a year can one harvest honey? My apiary is located in semi rain forest region of West Africa.
3. How often do I inspect my hive
4. Is it necessary that we must be up to two persons before we can work on a hive?
5. Which hive is the best in terms of honey production and beehive management?
6. I have a swarm at my backyard. The bees are inside a camp gas cylinder with a very small hole. How can I dislodge them in order to hive them in a new tbh?
7. What is the average yield of honey production in tbh?
Ý

ANSWER:
        Lanre, Welcome to the world of beekeeping. I will answer each of your questions:
1. That depends on how big and strong your colony is. Establishing a top bar hive takes a lot of energy and food. Bees need to eat six to eight pounds of honey to produce one pound of wax. If there is no abundance of nectar from flowers you will need to feed the bees until they are established. It would seem that you have flowers throughout the year in your climate. Once they have some comb built you will be surprised how quickly they fill it.
2. As for how often you can take the honey, you arenít limited being your geography is between the equator and the tropic of cancer. Your bees will work all year long. Let them get well established, but donít let them get crowded. If you have ten full frames in the hive take five. Let them build back up and do it again. If they get crowded they will swarm.
3. Inspect your hives every week at first and determine how quickly they work on projects. You may find that once you know what they are capable of you can base your inspections on what you expect their output to be. You should look in on them at least every 14 days. If you find they are building a lot of bridge comb you may want to check them more often and cut the bridges.
4. You may inspect your hives by yourself, though as a beginner it is helpful to have an experienced beekeeper with you in the beginning.
5. Top bar hives are not all that efficient because you are limited in size. They are mostly horizontal and bees like vertical. It is hard to estimate the amount of medications needed. You canít extract the honey so you have to destroy comb to reap the honey which means the bees will have to rebuild comb. A standard ten frame or eight frame box hive is the most efficient, but more expensive to get started. With a top bar all you need is a container and some sticks.
6. The swarm may be coaxed out over time by putting two cone shaped screens over the entrance, one inside the other, like a fish trap. Have a hole in the end of the screen that will let a bee out but not let it back in. Have the opening go into a hive. Bees will exit and will not be able to get back in. Eventually (2 months or longer) with no food coming into the hive the queen will be forced to leave. At that point she will find her colony waiting for her.
7. As for the yield it depends again on the strength of your hive and your climate and abundance of nectar. You may find seasonal variations as well. I hope you report back next year to let us all know. We envy your climate because our nectar flow is only six week a year here in Oregon.

QUESTION from Lisa:
        We have a 2 deep hive which is being attacked by yellow jackets. We have a yellow jacket trap nearby, but they seem to be freely entering and leaving the hive. Is there anything we can do to help our bees defend their colony? We have been unable to find a yellow jacket nest and the only thing we have found is to stand by the hive and try to squish them when they come out.

ANSWER:
        Lisa,
Your best defense at this time of year is to use an entrance reducer also known as a mouse guard. You can make one out of scraps of wood. The idea is to reduce the area where anything can enter the hive. One inch is more than enough, and this will give the bees guarding the entrance a big hand. At this time of year there are fewer bees in your hive and reducing the entrance is like blocking off 90% of a soccer goal, that makes defending the goal a lot easier. Fewer bees can better defend the smaller entrance. A healthy hive should be able to defend against yellow jackets. You may want to open the hive to see if theyíve done any damage to the winter food supply. If they robbed it sufficiently you will need to feed your bees this winter

QUESTION from Michelle:
        Hi, I'm doing a project on bees. Could you tell me if beekeepers have a special name given to them other then beekeeper? Say something more scientific or perhaps the study of bees? Thanks M

ANSWER:
        Apiculturist, which comes from the Latin word "Apis" meaning bees. An entomoligist is one who studies insects, which may include honey bees.

QUESTION from Ed:
        Last year my 4 hives made plenty of honey. In the fall I noticed that in front of a couple of the hives were many dead bees and many outside, slowly dying, walking around with their wings askew. I thought either they got into some spray or had nosema. The two hives that survived made no honey this season and may need to be fed to make it through this winter. I have been medicating them only in the early spring with Fumidil-B and tetracycline in syrup, menthol crystals and Check Mite strips for 6 weeks. Is this appropriate or should I also do this in the fall or change the way I medicate them altogether? I wanted to attend the disease management seminar but was unable to when it was scheduled in my area. Would it be possible to get a copy of the seminars printed information if I sent you my address. Thanks.

ANSWER:
        I will send your request for materials to the people at the Honey Bee Workshop. You should get a reply from them about the materials used in the workshops.
        As for your sick bees, it sounds like nosema, the K wing being a major symptom though it could also be mites. Nosema is a disease of confinement, which means that it spreads quickly when bees are confined in packages or in hives during cold seasons. It is present in all hives and we treat bees so to keep it in check. What happens is that bee that normally go outside of the hive to expel waste, but with this infection they sometimes cannot control where they go especially if they are confined. If they expel their waste inside the hive other bees will clean up their mess by picking it up with their mouths and transporting it outside the hive. When they do this they become infected as well. Just like in humans with dysentery, bees will become dehydrated and without proper moisture in their body their wings will crumple. If you see bee waste spattered on the front of your hives the illness is in the advanced stages. Medication for this condition should be used in spring and fall. Each hive should get the medication mixed in one gallon of one part water to one part sugar in the spring and two gallons of one part water to two parts sugar in the fall.
        As for other medications, teramycine should be fed in powdered sugar (not in greese paddies or in liquid)in spring and fall to keep foul brood in check Two tablespoons on the ends of the frames every seven days totaling three doses. As for the Checkmite, it is becoming the practice to test your mite load before medicating. If the bees are keeping their mite load low many beekeepers are skipping the treatment. Over medicating can cause resistance.
        Since you missed the Honey Bee Workshop there should be more this spring, and there will be several Bee Schools happening all over the state between February and April. There is usually one in Portland, Salem, Astoria and Lane County. Check the events page at the OSBA website later this year for dates and locations. You should also look into attending a few local bee association meetings. The dates, times and locations for all OSBA branches are listed at the site as well.

QUESTION from Bill:
       Ý I just opened a jar of NC homegrown mountain honey this morning and boy was it sour. ÝPeople here, myself included, love Sourwood honey. ÝBut, this one was really strong! ÝStrongest I've ever experienced. Ý Ý There doesn't appear to be any fungus, mold or other growth that would make me think it was ruined. ÝIt has been around for a couple of years, though. ÝIt has the comb in the honey if that makes any difference.
       Ý Any opinions as to its quality? ÝShould I toss it? ÝIt's a full quart of clear mountain nectar and I hate to waste it. Ý
        Thanks for any opinion. Ý

ANSWER:
        If it doesnít taste good to you, you could feed back to the bees, but if this is a challenge to your honeymanship, (yes I made up that word) you should try to find someone with a refractometer and see what the moisture content is. Someone who judges honey at your local fair should have one. If itís over 18% get rid of it. If itís under and you donít want to eat it straight you could cook with it. Better yet share it with your local beekeeping group. You might have something special there that someone might like.
        Oh, one question, did you use a fresh clean jar with a new lid when you bottled it? I once had someone give me some honey and they reused a lid from a salsa jar. Within two days the honey tasted like salsa. In a week it was totally unpalatable so it ended up being used as a glaze with alder ash for a pottery project where we used local natural materials to glaze pots. It was a nice glaze.

QUESTION from Maureen:
        I have 3 hives on Sauvie Island. ÝThey are in their second year. ÝThey seemed strong in the early spring and appear to be healthy now but they have produced very little honey in the supers. ÝWhat's up? Ý

ANSWER:
        Maybe one of my questions below will help you pin point the problem. First, are there any big beekeeping operations near your hives? If someone has a hundred hives working a pollination contract near you, there is only so much nectar to go around and your bees may be getting squeezed out by the competition.
        Next, were your brood boxes empty of honey during the nectar flow? Bees will fill them first because they are closest to the entrance.
        Did you put your supers on early enough and leave them on long enough? The end of April until August 1st is what is normal in your area.
        Were you using drawn comb or foundation? It is said that it takes 8 pounds of honey to make 1 pound of wax. Also bees are sometimes hesitant to draw on plastic foundation. A trick to get them to draw comb is to place a the super between the upper and lower brood boxes.
        Did you use a queen excluder?
        You said your bees were healthy in the spring. Did you requeen? If not there is a chance you had a swarm from each hive. A swarm will really cut your honey production because the half of the hive that is left can only do so much work.
        You said they appear to be healthy now, but have you tested and treated for mites and nosema. Nosema is present in all bees; it is only visible in the later stages. Also, just because you donít see K wings and bees dead in piles in front of you hive doesnít mean that you donít have a mite problem.
        So to sum it up there could be many reasons for poor production. Better luck next year.

QUESTION from Lawnn:
        I have a swarm of what look like honeybees in and around my Russian Olive tree. Is there a way to hive and keep them??? Would appreciate an answer soonest, so I can go purchase whatever I need.

ANSWER:
        Yes you can, but I wouldn't suggest it. You will need to find a place to get some beekeeping equipment right away,(today) and that my run you upward of $300 if you want to do it right. You would need boxes with foundation, lid, bottom board,some protective clothing, a smoker...and the list goes on. The best thing you can do right now is call a local beekeeper to come and get them. If you can't find a local number at the OSBA site, check with your county extension agent or local law enforcement.
        If you want to keep bees now would be a good time to start reading about how to become a beekeeper. It isn't as simple as it looks. Attend some local beekeeping meetings. Visit all the pages at www.orsba.org, download and read newsletters, attend a bee school next spring and start with a new hive next April. If you start this process now, not only will you be totally ready next spring, you will also increase your chances of success. You may find a keeper willing to show you the ropes and get you started with some used equipment. Beekeeping is better if you see it done correctly first rather than striking out on your own and finding frustration and disappointment around ever corner.
        On the other hand you may also see that beekeeping really isn't for you and that is better to find out before you have a hive looking at you from the back yard.

QUESTION from Tim:
        I have captured a swarm of feral bees and I do not know if I injured the queen when I had to move few rocks. In any event there is not a queen present, and I was wondering how to get rid of the drone laying worker, so I can re-queen the hive. I have been told to take the hive about one hundred yards away, shake out every bee and then set the hive back in it's original spot. The drone laying worker they say will be to heavy from laying to make it back to the hive, but the others will, and then introduce a new queen. Is this a good way or is there a better way? The swarm at this point seems to be very gentle and I was going to re-queen with a carnolian queen. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. The swarm has been queenless for around two and half weeks.

ANSWER:
        There may actually be a traditional queen there. Sometimes queens become drone layers when they get old and at that point the hive supercedes for a younger queen. The old queen goes off with the ill-fated bees that are loyal to her. The way to tell is you need to find the eggs. If a single egg is placed at the bottom of a cell you have a queen. If this is the case, keep looking for her and remove her.
        If the egg placed on the side-wall of a cell or if you see several eggs in a cell you have a laying worker. You may not be able to see the laying worker because she looks like other workers, but as you examine your frames you will find some suspects at the center of clusters.
        I would just introduce a new queen in a cage the same way you would install any queen to a hive. Let her attendants eat their way through the candy over a period of days. Her pheromones will be strong enough to reset the bees loyalties. The laying worker should become a worker again, and if not, remember the life span of a worker is short. Shaking the bees out may not be a good idea because you may lose a lot of bees that are too young to be oriented to the hive location.

QUESTION from Billy:
        I have fifteen hives of bees. What I would like to know is witch Queen Bee leaves with a swarm, The old Queen or the young Queen? My Wife and I have been working with Bees for several years and I have heard two different answers to this question. Please set me straight.

ANSWER:
        It's the old queen that leaves. She actually leaves right before the new queen emerges so there will not be a conflict. Some hives may swarm many times because the new queens sometimes fight to a draw with their newly emerging sister queens rather than to the death and each surviving queen will take some of the hive with her.

QUESTION from Susie:
        Not sure if you can help us out with this question but hope possible you can lead us to the proper direction. We have a nest of bumblebees in the gable rafter overhang of our house. They have about 5-6 symetrical holes drilled straight up into the board. How to we get rid of these as they are hanging around our entrance door? Thanks in advance.

ANSWER:
        I am assuming that you know that they are bumblebees for sure.Ý If they are something else you may need a different solution.Ý But if they are bumble bees I will suggest you leave them for now.Ý Their life cycle only last one year, and their colony will have less than 200 bees.Ý All the bumble bees will die in the fall and the mated queen will go under ground for the winter and come out next spring to look for a new place to nest.Ý This will be your chance to seal up the holes when the hive is vacant in the winter.Ý Bumble bees are very beneficial and will not sting unless they are actively provoked.
Positive identification is necessary for this plan to work because if they are a variety of mason bees, and there are some that will be active this late in the season, they use the holes in your house to raise the next generation.Ý If the bees are big, hairy and show yellow, orange or red colors they probably are bumble bees.

QUESTION from Dennis:
        My wife and I were surprised to find about 30 bees on a golf ball sized clump of what looked like corn kernels on the ground in our backyard. One of the bees is much larger than the rest. So I guess we have a queen and some new bee cells and a very small swarm of honey bees. We want to encourage these bees to make their home here. We are in a suburban environment (Lake Grove) with a good variety of trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. I'm concerned that they are on the ground. Should I move them or provide shelter?

ANSWER:
        30 bees is a small swarm for honey bees. I suspect one of several events is taking place. Either they are not honey bees, or there was a larger swarm that has taken off to their new home and these 30 bees got left behind and are being faked out by a scent the queen left behind. It could also be a new born queen who was not killed by the dominent queen and was able to escape with a few attendants. Finally it could be just a bunch of bees that are attracted to some food source.
        As for providing them shelter, if they were part of a larger swarm they may find their way to them. If they are the entire swarm their colony is too small and will not survive. Ususaly swarms smaller than a softball don't have much of a chance.
        I admire you for wanting to provide them with a habatat. I would not suggest anyone to start a new venture in becoming a beekeeper this late in the year. But now would be the perfect time to learn about how to keep bees for next year. You may want to attend some meetings with your local beekeepers association, ask a beekeeper if you can watch how they work their bees, buy and read some good beekeeping books; The Beekeepers Handbook, The Hive and the Honey Bee, and attend a class or a Bee School next spring. By starting now you can collect knowledge and necessary equipment over the next nine months to become a confident, successful beekeeper next April.

QUESTION from Jeff:
        Hi ‚ I¼m a total beginner, so bear with me in case I use incorrect terms! We¼ve had a hive in our yard for 2 years (a local beekeeper had hived a swarm and had been looking after the colony), but the colony died this past winter. A swarm from a neighbor¼s hive moved into my hive about a month ago. I¼ve been doing my reading, got my smoker and veil, and today made my first inspection. I checked the top 3 supers and found that most of the frames were pretty nasty looking, with the cells filled with darkish, solidified matter. Possibly the results of whatever killed the previous colony. My worry is that these gnarly combs are not making life easy for the new colony, and I¼m wondering if it would be wise to just replace them with new comb foundations. I¼m not sure if it¼s too late in the season to do this or not. And I¼m not sure what is really going on with the combs. I¼m trying to get someone to come out and examine them, but in the meantime, any advice?

ANSWER:
        Jeff, I suspect the solidified matter you are talking about is capped honey. It is still in the hive because no one harvested it and the last colony of bees died before they could consume it. It may be more solid than liquid because the cold of the winter may have crystallized it. You can salvage this honey if you wait for a warm day. Heat will return the honey to a liquid then you can harvest it. However be sure that there have been no medications in the hive while that honey was in there. If you or anyone medicated the hive while the honey was in there that honey should not be consumed. It can be fed to the bees next winter or destroyed.

If you are not sure, start fresh. You can and should leave the bees two full deep boxes for their brood and for their food reserves for next winter. You can add foundation frames in your supers now. Ten frames per box and wait until they draw out at least 7 frames before adding another box of foundation frames. The nectar flow is starting and the bees will draw comb rapidly.

QUESTION from Dale:
        I purchased a queen and about 1 pound of worker bees 2-3 weeks ago. All went okay until 2 days ago when the bees started to congregate outside of the hive. I have 1 hive, live in central Oregon. The weather has been cool and rainy. The apple trees, flowers, current bushes and bitterbrush are in bloom. I feed the bees about 1 quart of sugar water made up of, 1 cup granulated sugar to 1 cup of water each day. The hive is sitting on a stump about 18 inches high. There is no tall grass around the hive. The hive entrance is not blocked. The bees cluster on the ground in clumps about the size of my fist. They are dead in the morning. The flyway is littered with the bodies. Other bees are working. My observation is based on the pollen laden bees returning to the hive. The queen is in the hive. There are numerous capped cells. Information is appreciated. Three things come to mind. First since you said that you got 1 pound of bees, Iím assuming you added those bees to an existing hive. If this is the case it sounds like you had a swarm. Your former queen left you a queen cell as a parting gift.

Next, if it wasnít a swarm I would suspect pesticide poisoning. Is there any spraying going on in your area (within 2 miles)?

My third idea is less likely since you said it has been cool and rainy, but hives need good ventilation in all sorts of weather. Bees need to control the climate inside a hive. They can easily keep a hive warm, but cooling a hive takes a lot of work. Also it takes a lot of work to get the moisture out of the hive. You should drill a ‡ inch to æ inch hole in each upper hive body to promote air circulation in summer and winter.

If the three suggestions above do not sound like they fit, there could be other factors such as disease, over medicating, unapproved medication application and so on. We can explore these other problems if you are not satisfied. Send more details and weíll try to figure it out.

QUESTION from Harry:(Not, Harry from Salem)
        I'm not exactly new at this but it's bee a while and I just inherited two beehives. One contained mostly dead bees with lots of old brood and honey that smells pretty ripe, and the second a healthy colony which contained about fifteen useable frames of brood and pollen, at least three queen cells complete with larvae, another two deep boxes packed full with honey-some pretty old and a gazillion bees. Yesterday I cleaned up the brood chamber adding a few new plastic frames(it was stuck together pretty bad), destroyed the queen cells, replaced the honey with a deep box of plastic frames salted with a couple frames of honey and ordered a new Buckfast queen-she will supposedly be here in about a week. Today was their first day in my back yard (they were not happy) and I have five questions:
1. How best can I get their minds off swarming without splitting?
2. What medications must I apply and exactly which ones are most practical?
3. Is it a bad idea to feed back the smelly honey?
4. Is there an easy way to clean up and reuse the plastic frames of smelly honey and dead brood?
5. Do you think they will learn not to dive into my pool-at least 50 drowned today?

ANSWER:
        Wow! Youíve been busy, and you are going to be busy. Your bees may be unhappy untill they get settled in. Before I get to your five questions I want to make you aware of something about the Buckfast queens. They are supposed to be very nice and gentle, but if you see any nasty traits in her offspring, requeen with another race. Give her 40-60 days before making that determination. I am suspicious of queens raised in AHB country. Also Buckfast queens are good swarmers and you will need to requeen next spring.

Now for your questions:

1. It is hard to prevent a swarm once they start preparing for it. Swarming is a natural way of growing their population. Bees start preparing for it in January, but you wouldnít notice the signs until April. Measures need to be taken early, like not encouraging an early build up. Feed bees only if they are running out of honey. Do not feed pollen supplements. Reverse brood boxes every month starting in February. Give them lots of room and things to do. Also split hives with a healthy population. You can try removing queen cells, but it is unlikely you will find them all, and you will need to look for them weekly.

2.As for medications, if you plan to add honey supers, all medications need to be out of the hive at least 15 days before doing so. It is getting too late to add mite strips since they need to be in the hive for 45 days, but I would suggest one gallon of sugar water with Fumidil-B for each hive (yes one gallon in the spring, two gallons in the fall). Also Terramycin in powdered sugar, (not paddies) two table spoons per hive every five days.

3.Honey should not smell bad. If it does that means that it has fermented. If the smell is coming from dead brood it could be the odor of dead brood, but it could also be foulbrood. It might be a good idea to have another beekeeper who is current with their understanding of bee diseases take a look at your frames If that isnít possible it would be prudent to burn the frames and start fresh. . If the cappings are concaved you may have a problem. You donít want to start spreading foulbrood through the local bee community.

4.See the text in answer 3, but if determined OK the bees will clean them up.

5.Cover your pool for a week and provide them with a water source close to the hive. Trickling water is best. A low flow fountain pump would be excellent. Give them rocks or wood to stand on when they drink. They really like dripping hoses, too.

QUESTION from Lisa::
        My husband and I are new beekeepers. Last fall we removed the honey supers and sealed up the frames so that moths could not get in. The frames still have honey in them, but it has become super thick or it has crystallized. Is there anyway to separate the honey from the frames at this point? We tried to extract recently, but very little honey would actually come out. The honey is on pierco frames. Can we scrap the wax and honey off of the frame and then melt the wax and honey in a double boiler and separate the two or should we just give up and feed it back to the bees? We have a lot of frames (approx. 40 frames of honey) in this condition at the moment.

ANSWER:
        I think they can be saved. Honey that is stored in a cool place will tend to crystallize. The trick to recovery is to heat the comb with the honey in it. What you will need is a deep box with a reflector lamp inside. You can find these lamps at any hardware store. They are the kind you wold use when painting a room. They have a clamp and a reflectorÖIím sure youíve seen them. Place a reflector lamp in a deep box, and stack honey supers with frames on top. Then place a top on your top box to hold in the heat. Check on it often and do not let the temperature rise above 110 degrees. Check the temperature in the box on the bottom and the box on top. Once you get the temperature up to 105-110, try to maintain that temperature for an hour or so then you should be able to take out frames, uncap them and extract the honey. These temperatures are no warmer than what would be found in a hive on a hot summer day. This temperature will not pasteurize your honey.

QUESTION from Tim::
        I have just started to raise honey bees and have started several hives from packaged bees. I checked on them a week later, and the bees in one hive, were clustered around the door repelling ants. I thought of ant baits but I do not want to take the risk of contaminating the hive. What is my best alternative?

ANSWER:
        Normally a healthy hive can repel ants and just about anything else that may try to invade a colony, except bears. Having some ants in a hive will not cause trouble. If you find that your bees are losing the battle you may want to get involved. One good thing about ants is they canít fly. Some beekeepers that live in fire ant country build hive stands with legs that they set in shallow containers (like margarine tubs) and fill the tubs with water. The ants will not cross the water to climb up the legs of the stands. This should also end any trouble you may have with ear wigs as well.

QUESTION::
        Hi, I've heard that I should feed my bees 6 weeks before the "flow" starts. When does the flow start? I'm in the Willamette Valley, just north of Hillsboro.

ANSWER:
       Generally the ìflowî in Oregon is when the black berries are in flower. Being that you are in the Valley you may have some earlier and later flows depending on what is going on with agriculture in your neighborhood.
        Now, the reasons for feeding are numerous. Many beekeepers start feeding a light syrup in January to prompt the bees to start preparing for brood rearing. This will build the colony size earlier which means more foragers, more honey. Another reason to feed is to prevent starvation. Honeybees can starve in May if they run out of honey. You will also feed your bees when you are medicating for nosema disease in the spring. Another reason to feed the bees is if you are trying to get them to draw comb. They need to eat a lot to make wax.
        One thing that many beekeepers over look is feeding their bees a pollen substitute. Sugar water (syrup) is good, however bees get their protein from pollen. They need protein to feed the queen so she will lay eggs. The larva need protein as well. A good feeding of syrup and pollen will build a strong, healthy colony.

QUESTION::
        I am a very small beekeeper due to the fact that I only have one hive. Several years ago, I put out a hive, bought some bees, and after several years, the bees died through the winter. Since the hive had a lot of honey in them, I put them in storage. Three years ago, I noticed bees around my garden and put out the hive with the honey in it. In about two weeks, a group of wild bees moved in and they have been active ever since. The hive is made up of two hive bodies and I have not separated them since I put them out three years ago. The colony is getting quite strong this spring and I know I should separate the hive bodies and get rid of the burr comb that has joined many of the frames together. The burr comb has also joined the lower frames to the bottom board. I have another two hive bodies that I could put out with frames that do not have the foundation drawn out. What do you suggest I do. If your suggestion would be to move the bees into the new hive body, how would I go about doing that?

Answer:
        There are a few ways to go with your situation. First you may want to ask your self if you want to be a beekeeper or a bee haver. If you just want to have bees simply leave the box alone and they will take care of them selves the same way they would if they took up residence in a hollow tree. However if you are interested in being a keeper you are going to have to get busy to get these bees in good health and prevent them from endangering the health of other honeybee colonies in your area.
        First you will need to open the box on a nice day. If you have a hive tool use it. If not a flat bar and a paint scraper will do the trick. Make sure to suit up since you have a wild queen. She was not bred for temperament. Use your hive tool or flat bar to pry out each frame. Scrape off the burr comb. You can transfer each frame into a new box after it is cleaned up. Remove the burr comb from the site when you are finished. After you are done you should order a new queen, and if your colony is strong order a second queen and split the hive as stated in a previous answer to a question at www.orsba.org. Put in the foundation and the bees will draw comb if you feed them. You can leave one hive right where it is, but the other (new) hive should be moved two and a half miles away for two weeks, then you can move it back to a new spot next to your old hive. Next you should medicate your bees to rid them of disease or prevent them from becoming diseased. Follow the directions on the medication. If you have questions about what medicines to get and when to apply them, you may want to get in touch with a local beekeeping association or visit a local bee supply store.

QUESTION::
        Is it possible to take a good colony and take half of the bees and stick them in another empty hive and a new queen to make even more colonys.And how much would the queens cost.

Answer:
        Yes, it's called making a split and it is easy to do. What you will need is an empty deep box with a top and a bottom board and 10 frames of foundation and a queen excluder. What you will do is open the box with the bees in it, pull out two frames with honey in them. Brush the bees back into the box and place the frames in your new box. Then pull a frame that has brood in it, brush the bees into the old box and place that frame in your new box. The reason you brushg off the bees is so you don't mistakenly put the old queen in the new box. Place the brood frame in the center with one honey frame on each side of it. Fill the rest of the box with foundation frames. Move the frames in the old box towards the center, and put foundation frames in the old box to fill the void. Next, place a queen excluder on top of the old box, then place the new box on top of of the excluder. The house bees will migrate up to protect the brood frame. After about an hour or so you can remove the new box, put a top and a bottom on it and introduce the new queen. New queens cost between $9 and $15, and can be mailed to you. Make sure you get your queen marked (a dot of paint on her back). It usually adds $1 to the price, but a marked queen is much easier to find in a hive full of bees.

QUESTION:From Angela:
        I was wondering why there aren't any regional branch associations in Douglas county. Is there some reason that not many people keep bees there? I'm just beginning to learn about beekeeping. Also, I'm interested in possibly using topbar hives, since I'm more interested in the wax than the honey. Are you aware of anyone in the NW with experience using them? I live in Seattle now, but am considering moving to Roseburg in the future.

Answer:
        There are no branches of the OSBA in Douglas County, but this does not mean that there are no beekeepers or OSBA members there. When you move back to the area you may want to check with the County Extension Agent or the local Master Gardeners to see if they know any beekeepers in the area. You may also join the OSBA. We will have a list of members (who desire to be listed) available to members at the fall conference. You may want to consider starting your own branch. Clatsop County started a branch last June and they now have 24 members in their local group and just reported their newest member has joined the OSBA as well, making six OSBA members from Clatsop County.
        As for top bar hives, they are unlawful in many states because you can not remove the frames to search for disease, and since there is no standard with top bars itís hard to apply medication in proper dosages. It is also hard to move your hives. If you are just interested in producing wax, do realize that you will be taking that which will hold the winter food supply for your bees. Without food for the winter your bee will die. Top bar hives only work for wax where the bees can work for food all year round.
        It may be better purchase wax form a beekeeper, or to start standard hives. You will get more and more wax as the years progress.

QUESTION:From Doug in Gresham
       I have bees in the wall of my house and Iím trying to determine what the best course of action is to remove/exterminate. But I need to identify the type of bee. Is there a way to tell between honeybees, which will entail a lot of work to remove them and the hive from my wall vs. another species of bee that can just be exterminated and whatever nest be left? They are dormant now and so I think the time is now to do what I need to do... I live in Gresham, OR

ANSWER:
        It should be easy to figure out if they are honey bees since other types of insects that are mistaken for honey bees do not over winter in mass like the honey bee. Yellow jackets and bumble bees all die off leaving a mated queen to survive the winter and start a new colony in the spring in a different location. Mason bee adults are packed in long slender holes that are capped off with mud.
        Honey bees will become active on warm days, and even on cold days you should be able to find some dead bees on the ground beneath their entrance. Honey bees are not as brightly colored as the yellow jacket and not as black as bumblebees. They are somewhat hairy and colored in differing shades of brown. Depending on the race of the honey bee they may be lighter or darker shades of brown. If you find a dead insect and still are not sure, your county agent or a local beekeeper should be able to help you determine what it is.
        You should be able to hear them buzz in your walls if you thump on the wall from inside your house, even when it is cold.
        If it is determined that they are honey bees it is best to get them out. If they are sprayed and killed in the wall the smell of decaying brood and fermenting unripened honey will come into your house and will possibly stain your interior walls. You will need to hire a licensed contractor and a beekeeper or exterminator. Many beekeepers do not want to get involved with removing bees from a house, but check with a local beekeeping association to see if anyone is interested. Local branches and contact information of the OSBA can be found at orsba.org.
        The contractor will need to remove or cut through the siding and open the wall. All the bees and comb will need to be removed and the wall will need to be replace and sealed so no other colonies can reenter your building. If any comb or honey is left behind a new swarm of bee may find another way in and start your problem all over again later this year.
        If the bees are no immediate bother, some beekeepers know how to hang a bee trap over the hole. Itís like a crayfish trap with a double screened funnel attached to the house on one end and to a bee box on the other end. Bees who go out to forage but can not get back into the hive so they set up house in the bee box. After about two months with no food coming into the hive the queen comes out with the rest of the bees and they settle in the bee box. It is then safe to remove the box and seal the hole where they get into your house. There should be no brood or honey present at that point.

QUESTION:From Julie, Greetings! I have some honey still in the comb. The wax is a bit dirty, even after I chew it, it doesn't hold together. Should I do something to clean it before using it for candles? Is this normal to have the wax so dirty? I will have to heat the honey, I guess, in order to separate the very last of it from the comb. Could you help me with these questions? I have even entered :clarify beeswax: into the copernicus agent, and still nothing! I don't want to heat my honey unless it is absolutely necessary!

ANSWER
       Wax is often littered with hive debris; off-castings of capped brood or capped honey cells, pollen, honey bee body parts, propolis and anything that the wind blows in. Virgin wax has a different consistency than wax that has been melted. Old wax has a different consistency than recently drawn wax. Impurities in wax can give it a whole different texture depending what the impurity is.
        Processing wax is either done with a solar wax melter, which some say is the best because it is a slow process. Others opt for placing their wax into a nylon stocking and then placing the stocking in very warm water, not boiling. The wax will melt and flow through the netting leaving all the debris and slumgum trapped in the stocking. Remove the stocking while the wax is melted, let the water cool and the wax will solidify on the top of the water.
        As for extracting the honey from the combs without heat, you may uncap the comb and let it drip through a screen. To speed up the process focus a heat lamp on the comb, and monitor the temperature. I understand you want your honey to be as raw as possible, but you can safely go up to a temperature that would be present inside a hive on a warm sunny day without damaging / pasteurizing the honey. All the molds, vitamins and pollens in the honey will not be disturbed if the temperature remains under 100 degrees.

QUESTION From Curtis: Dear Sirs, I'm writting an essay on Beekeeping in Colonial America. My question is, what kind of tools were used during that period.

ANSWER: Curtis,
       From my research there has never been much written about beekeeping in US Colonial times. Most of what was written is during that period describes advances in beekeeping all over the world.
       It is safe to assume some things about the equipment that was used during that period. Keep in mind that the Colonists were simple people who used their tools for all sorts of jobs. Their bees were kept in woven grass skeps, wooden boxes and hollowed logs. They used knives to cut comb and clean hives. They knew about and used smoking devices like smothering fibers. They had protective clothing like hats, gloves, and netting material to cover their faces.
       Most of the hive equipment we use today didnít come about until the late 1800ís. They didnít have removable frames of foundation (except some may have known about Greek top bar hives). They didnít have honey extractors, so they cut the comb and let the honey drip out and used the wax for all sorts of things.
       To keep their bees through the winter they joined all their bees into one hive, and used everything from the hives that were evacuated. To evacuate a hive they would place a box with a hole directly in front of the hive entrance. Then they would drum on the hive until all the bees went from their hive into the box.
       So other than knives, screens, smothering grass and protective clothing, not many tools were available to them.

QUESTION from Robbyn: Regarding Royal Jelly, Iíve been a beekeeper for a couple of years now maybe more, but how do I get the good stuff?

ANSWER:It is interesting to start this question and answer forum with such a controversial topic. Royal jelly is used as an additive to cosmetics, lotions and as nutritional dietary supplements. Most of the worlds supply of royal jelly comes from China, Japan and Korea, with Japan making most of the purchases.
        As for your question, "how do I get the good stuff?" As a beekeeper you can produce your own, but it is labor intensive. First you need to dedicate your entire hive or several hives to the process, meaning forget about honey production. First you remove your queen and replace her with frames of artificial queen cells. Then place 12-36 hour old larva in each cell. Remember that bees need a lot of pollen to produce royal jelly. After three days you remove the frames, discard the larva and scoop out the royal jelly. A good yield is 200-300mg per cup. It can be refrigerated, frozen or freeze-dried.
        You can buy this product from most health food outlets, but remember that bee products from China are probably under intense scrutiny since illegal medications showed up in imported honey last year. This means that the price may be higher than in the past.
       As for the controversy surrounding royal jelly, there have been no blind studies and little research done with this product in the US. All claims for health benefits are anecdotal at best. Royal jelly is 66% water, and the other 34% is full of all other sorts of nutritional goodies. A promising fatty acid substance in royal jelly is called 10-hydroxydecenoic acid. Unfortunately, this being an acid, it becomes neutralized in any environment with a pH of 5.6 and above. The pH of a human body is 7.4, which makes this fatty acid useless to humans when consumed in royal jelly.