Please take a look at the PDF file with me helping out at Chaw'se Grinding Rock State Park in Volcano Ca.
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=553
One of the latest adventures...
indian_grinding_rock_state_historic_park.pdf
Every spring with budding flowers, warmer temps we see an increase of honey bee activity. You will see what looks like a complete tornado of bees flying every which way, then the bees will settle on something and form up into a ball of bees just hanger there. What you are seeing is 1/2 the bees from a survivor hive and last years queen flying out looking for another home. DO NOT BE FRIGHTENED! This group or swarm is sending out scout bees looking for a new place to live. Their stomachs are stuffed with honey and are not protecting a hive with eggs, larva, etc. After a while the swarm will move on to what they'll consider greener pastures. This is what as a beekeeper we will attempt to put the hive into a hive box and remove to an area where we feed and nurture them and allow them to build up.
Our local beekeepers have a meeting at the Ledger Hotel in Mokelumne Hill on the second Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 P.M. Good food and great fellowship!
We have started up our meetings and look forward to getting together after what we've all gone though with Covid.
This is a meetup where everyone can ask questions and collectively solve any problem that arises. We also share emails and phone numbers so you can get help if you need a hand moving hives, swarm capture or advise. We help new beekeepers "Beeks", get going in this rewarding hobby and sometimes bee rewarded with a jar of Ag. free spray honey that is nothing short of the best honey you will ever taste.
I highly recommend beekeepers NOT to order, buy or bring in package bees, nucs, or queens from outside our county or immediate area! Instead, arrange to obtain bees from neighbor beekeepers that provide good genes. Africanized Honey Bees "AHB", are in the Bay area and San Joaquin Valley.
I was spraying Roundup around and noticed some weeds are budding to bloom already. Please try not to spray Roundup on weeds with flowers on them. The bees gather this Roundup pollen and take it back to the hive and feed it to the larva and even though Bayer has decided that Roundup does NOT kill adult honey bees, this is not the case for the returning bees to feed it to the larva. This study was done on adult bees and did not include the different stages of egg, larva and pupa. If you must spray when the weeds have flowers, do so in the late evening as to reduce the volume of herbicide collected by bees. Take a look at this link on more information about Roundup.
www.sierraclub.org/sierra/new-study-shows-roundup-kills-bees
more to come...
Tom Cannon
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=553
One of the latest adventures...
indian_grinding_rock_state_historic_park.pdf
Every spring with budding flowers, warmer temps we see an increase of honey bee activity. You will see what looks like a complete tornado of bees flying every which way, then the bees will settle on something and form up into a ball of bees just hanger there. What you are seeing is 1/2 the bees from a survivor hive and last years queen flying out looking for another home. DO NOT BE FRIGHTENED! This group or swarm is sending out scout bees looking for a new place to live. Their stomachs are stuffed with honey and are not protecting a hive with eggs, larva, etc. After a while the swarm will move on to what they'll consider greener pastures. This is what as a beekeeper we will attempt to put the hive into a hive box and remove to an area where we feed and nurture them and allow them to build up.
Our local beekeepers have a meeting at the Ledger Hotel in Mokelumne Hill on the second Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 P.M. Good food and great fellowship!
We have started up our meetings and look forward to getting together after what we've all gone though with Covid.
This is a meetup where everyone can ask questions and collectively solve any problem that arises. We also share emails and phone numbers so you can get help if you need a hand moving hives, swarm capture or advise. We help new beekeepers "Beeks", get going in this rewarding hobby and sometimes bee rewarded with a jar of Ag. free spray honey that is nothing short of the best honey you will ever taste.
I highly recommend beekeepers NOT to order, buy or bring in package bees, nucs, or queens from outside our county or immediate area! Instead, arrange to obtain bees from neighbor beekeepers that provide good genes. Africanized Honey Bees "AHB", are in the Bay area and San Joaquin Valley.
I was spraying Roundup around and noticed some weeds are budding to bloom already. Please try not to spray Roundup on weeds with flowers on them. The bees gather this Roundup pollen and take it back to the hive and feed it to the larva and even though Bayer has decided that Roundup does NOT kill adult honey bees, this is not the case for the returning bees to feed it to the larva. This study was done on adult bees and did not include the different stages of egg, larva and pupa. If you must spray when the weeds have flowers, do so in the late evening as to reduce the volume of herbicide collected by bees. Take a look at this link on more information about Roundup.
www.sierraclub.org/sierra/new-study-shows-roundup-kills-bees
more to come...
Tom Cannon
Here are some swarms captured in Amador County.
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When bees swarm, your being treated to one of natures most amazing events. Sit back and enjoy the show.
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Here is a "cutout" before the building was taken down after the fire. The hive has been in the ceiling for years and we were able to get the queen and put them into a hive box.
Comb from shed wall. The white towards the bottom is this years comb with the older comb on top.
This is 3 to 4 years old and the beekeeper that removed this hive before me only nailed the plywood with 6 nails so it would be easier on the bees when he went back into it.
Gallons of honey were taken then fed back to the bees in the hive box with a feeder.
