Bees in the rain, biting their "nails"

I could not resist to look what the girls are doing in one of our rare rainy days here in CA. So this year being extremely dry, I took today and checked what they are up to when it is too dangerous for them all to fly out.

You can see how they are all piled up right behind the entrance, waiting for the last drop to fall, so they can get back out. These girls are eager to work!

Stefan

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The Almond pollination must have been particularly deadly this year

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/20/6339000/bee-colonies-damaged-after-almond.html

Published: Sunday, Apr. 20, 2014 - 2:13 pm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Some California beekeepers say pesticides may be to blame for the death or damage of as many as 80,000 bee colonies after the insects pollinated almond trees in the San Joaquin Valley.

Some believe pesticides used on almond orchards could be sickening or killing the bees, the Sacramento Bee reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/1eVnRvv ).

"We're a little mystified," said John Miller, a beekeeper based in Newcastle. "We have some colonies that looked like they've been through some kind of brood die-off. It's puzzling because it is intermittent and random."

California's almond orchards are pollinated by about 1.6 million bee colonies, which are mostly brought in from other states by some 1,300 commercial beekeepers.

Beekeepers have also been struggling with colony collapse disorder, which has led to the disappearance of large numbers of honeybees in North America.

The damaged beehives could hurt the broader agriculture industry. About 90 percent of honeybees that pollinate U.S. crops are used during the California almond bloom before being moved to pollinate other crops, such as apples, cherries and watermelons.

In March, beekeepers met with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials to discuss the problem. Seventy-five beekeepers said about three-quarters of their hives showed damage.

Michele Colopy, program director with the Pollinator Stewardship Council, an advocacy group for beekeepers, believes the hive damage is related to the practice of "tank mixing" certain insecticides as well as applying insecticides during the early daytime hours when bees are foraging.

Beekeepers are calling for labels warning of possible effects of tank mixing, as well as an effort to end daytime applications of the insecticides. But they don't have scientific data linking the colony damage to the mixing of pesticides.

State and federal officials say they plan to work with the beekeepers to reduce the risks that bees face from pesticides applied during the almond bloom.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/20/6339000/bee-colonies-damaged-after-almond.html#storylink=cpy

Honey Harvest April

We just finished our extraction today. 15 people made it to the bee yard,
in spite of it being Easter Sunday.
Kids and adults where excited to see that bees and where full of questions.
We managed to find really young eggs, larva. We saw drone brood, worker
brood and even a Queen cell.
Kids where able to pet the bees and that was really exciting. Not so much
for the bees as for us.
Uncapping honey in the garage and later spinning the honey out of the combs
was all done with manual labor and all guests could participate if they
wanted.
All walked away with a freshly harvested jar of delicious raw honey.
Looking forward to next time.

Stefan

Bee facts

I just came across this really neat page of Bee facts.

http://www.backyardbeekeepers.com/facts.html

FACTS ABOUT HONEYBEES

Pollination
Agriculture depends greatly on the honeybee for pollination. Honeybees account for 80% of all insect pollination. Without such pollination, we would see a significant decrease in the yield of fruits and vegetables.

Pollen
Bees collect 66 lbs of pollen per year, per hive. Pollen is the male germ cells produced by all flowering plants for fertilization and plant embryo formation. The Honeybee uses pollen as a food. Pollen is one of the richest and purest natural foods, consisting of up to 35% protein, 10% sugars, carbohydrates, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins A (carotenes), B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinic acid), B5 (panothenic acid), C (ascorbic acid), H (biotin), and R (rutine).

Honey
Honey is used by the bees for food all year round. There are many types, colors and flavors of honey, depending upon its nectar source. The bees make honey from the nectar they collect from flowering trees and plants. Honey is an easily digestible, pure food. Honey is hydroscopic and has antibacterial qualities. Eating local honey can fend off allergies.

Beeswax
Secreted from glands, beeswax is used by the honeybee to build honey comb. It is used by humans in drugs, cosmetics, artists' materials, furniture polish and candles.

Propolis
Collected by honeybees from trees, the sticky resin is mixed with wax to make a sticky glue. The bees use this to seal cracks and repair their hive. It is used by humans as a health aid, and as the basis for fine wood varnishes.

Royal Jelly
The powerful, milky substance that turns an ordinary bee into a Queen Bee. It is made of digested pollen and honey or nectar mixed with a chemical secreted from a gland in a nursing bee's head. It commands premium prices rivaling imported caviar, and is used by some as a dietary supplement and fertility stimulant. It is loaded with all of the B vitamins.

Bee Venom
The "ouch" part of the honeybee. Although sharp pain and some swelling and itching are natural reactions to a honeybee sting, a small percentage of individuals are highly allergic to bee venom. "Bee venom therapy" is widely practiced overseas and by some in the USA to address health problems such as arthritis, neuralgia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even MS.

Our 1st honey Harvest

Hello honey lovers,
The winter was mild and dry and the bees loved it. My bees came out of this winter really strong and we have a lot of delicious honey to extract.
If you want to come by and see how it is done, learn about bees and the process of making honey, please sign up on the link below.

If you plan to attend PLEASE sign up here.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1pT6jkzPwi4IKPP-8Qtp_oU_EUJvKYEkcAOdxwMhLUbA/viewform

Hope to see you Sunday.
When: Sunday April 20th, 10am
Where: 432 Terrace Dr. , San Jose, CA, 95112

Stefan

The strongest hive

This one is so strong, has so many bees, they populate any area they can find inside the hive.

Bearding

Today it was a pretty warm day and I think I need to take a closer look at these two colonies. They where really strong in February, but now, I think I have swarm potential.
Not really what I want. Will see what I can prevent tomorrow.

2 more added to the family

Just today I got two swarm calls and was able to get them both before sun set.
Made new hive boxes for them as I am running out of hive boxes these days and in they went. Hope they will like it here.

Honey is coming in

April just started and the bees have been very busy. I was able to give them new hive boxes for all the honey they collected. The bottom 2 boxes are for the breeding of new workers. The queen lays all her eggs in this area. The box # 3 and # 4 are for honey  only. As you can see, there are already a number of colonies with 3 and four boxes. This means good honey for all of us.

I will check next week on the exact status, then I will arrange for a harvest day.

If you want, you can sign up for the mailing list, so you know when I will have new honey.

http://eepurl.com/Bxm3H

Sweet times are coming up.

Stefan

http://ajarofhoney.com