Sweet Success with OTS, On The Spot Queen Rearing

May 28, 2015- On The Spot (OTS) queen rearing is incredible!  Check out OTS Queen Rearing by Mel Disselkoen.  I was supposed to check the hives on May 29 for new laying queens in all my splits.  However, the weather was perfect May 28 and I couldn't wait one day longer.  I am pleased to say that each split had a laying queen, 2 of the splits already had some capped brood. The splits that stayed on the original site had almost all the frames drawn out and I had to place 2nd hive bodies on these! 
The artificial swarms with OTS queens from last year had packed out their hive body, had drawn out all the frames  of foundation and had multiple frames of capped brood.  I needed to place a second deep hive body on them also.  Because the artificial swarms were so strong, I shook some bees from those hives into a couple of my weaker starts ( starts where the queen had just started laying because I saw only eggs), to help them build up quicker.
I still have two starts to check next week on June 3. That hive had been notched 5 days later than the other hives.  If those two starts also have laying queens, that puts me at eleven hives going into summer, Yippee!  All of these from three overwintered hives, that had OTS queens started from just one hive one year ago.
That is more than 100% success!

I plan on moving most of my splits to a friend's twenty acres.  After the summer solstice, I will have to dispatch the queens and then decide if I want to continue to make more splits or have them focus on honey or a little of both.  That is the fun part of it, having so many options of which way to guide your bees.  Needless to say, either way I needed more bottom boards, top covers, hive bodies and frames etc.....  To save some cash, I bought unassembled frames and along with my husband put together 250 frames in the last 2 days!  A fellow beekeeper had made a jig that he let me borrow, it saved a ton of time as we could make ten at once and with the nail gun it went very quickly.

I also decided to try and catch some free bees.  I have two swarm boxes up, but no permanent residents yet. I have seen bees coming to check it out, maybe scouts, maybe just curious  bees. I put up a couple pictures below of the swarm boxes. I tried to stick to what Honeybees like and don't like based on the book, Honeybee Democracy by Tom Seeley. It is a very interesting read all about swarms.

Some of the hives on a "bee happy" kind of day

Some of the 250 frames we put together on this rainy May day.  The ones on the left don't have foundation yet. I use the black because it is easier to see the eggs and larva on and is recommended in Mel Disselkoen's book, OTS Queen Rearing.

Swarm box about 8 feet up on neighbor's fence post.  Inside are 2 frames of older brood comb and 3 frames foundation.  I also placed lemon grass essential oil on a paper towel and put it in a baggie with small opening. 

A few visitors to the box.  If they were scouts, the honeybees did not vote for my box.

My other swarm box approximately 10 feet up at a friends house a few miles away from me.

May 9 Full Circle

It was a year ago, May 9, that I brought my first hive of bees home. I went into the fall with three hives and came out this spring with three. 100% overwintering success! This week I went back into the hives after notching frames last week and found queen cells. Those two hives were each split into 4 hives including the artificial swarm.  I currently have 3 hives with queens and 7 hives waiting to be checked at the end of May for new laying queens.  I have one more hive to split this week because it was notched later than the other two.

 2 Artificial swarms and 5 splits with queen cells

The 3 original hives. The tallest one in picture still needs to be split this week. The other 2 are splits with queen cells, queens should be emerging today.  Will check all the splits end of May for new laying On The Spot queens.

Honeybee on Grape Hyacinth in my yard.

May 2 Dandelion Time and Splitting

I can't believe I have come full circle with my honeybees and  am now launching into my second year of beekeeping. This week the temperatures were over 60 degrees F. and it was sunny, decent weather to make my artificial swarms  and notch my brood frames per Mel Disselkoen's On The Spot (OTS) method.  His method can be found on the web  @ www.mdasplitter.com  and in his book, OTS Queen Rearing, A Survival Guide For Beekeepers Worldwide.            .
Two of my hives had over eight frames of brood.  They were strong enough to remove the queen with 2 frames of brood to make an artificial swarm and do the notching on the brood frames left at original hive. I was able to notch at least 4 frames in each and will now check back in a week for queen cells.  I will then be able to make splits using a frame with a queen cell on it and at least one other frame of brood.  In doing this I have prevented my hive from swarming and am able to make successful splits with strong healthy queens from my own backyard!
The other hive will have to build up a couple more frames of brood before I am able to remove that queen and notch the frames.
Dandelions  are blooming and many trees are popping also.  Great sources of nectar and pollen for the bees.

Honeybee on Dandelion



Check out all the pollen on her body, coming in for a landing on Dandelion bloom

Almost a full load, time to head back to the hive.

April 5 Pollen!

You have to experience Spring in Michigan.  On March 29, we had sleet, blowing snow and wind. On March 30, I saw my honeybees bringing in pollen.  It was 50 degrees F. and sunny with 18mph winds. On April first, there were so many bees bringing in pollen that it created quite the traffic jam at the top entrance! Really, there were that many bees! No April fools here.  These girls with On The Spot Queens (Mel Disselkoen-On The Spot Queen Rearing) have come through winter and into spring extremely strong and active.  I had to move the top box back just a crack over the excluder to make another entry. I have three very large Silver Maples blooming in my yard.  Today, I discovered 20 ft. from the hives what I think to be three pussy willows which are also in bloom.  Both of these trees provide an early source of pollen and nectar for the bees.

Honeybees on March 31st bringing in pollen!  You can't see the top entrance hole because it is covered with bees.  Excuse the crazy leopard print duct tape. It was available when I needed to tape down some tar paper that had ripped during the winter.

Bees returning to hive. Notice the top box pushed back to allow more bees entry with their full loads of pollen. They were literally getting stuck in the top entry hole with so many trying to get in and out.

April 5, 2015. The hives free of their winter wrapping of tar paper!

Bees from Hive B bringing in pollen at bottom entrance. They stayed lower this winter and are using both entrances. Notice the bee in the left side of the pic. She has a pollen stripe on her back and pollen dusting the tip of her abdomen.
 

Silver Maple Bloom

Finally, on April 5 I was able to catch the girls in action. The temperature was in the mid fifties and the past few day's winds had died down considerably. I could stand under the tree and hear them buzzing. This girl flew low enough for a photo. Honeybee on Silver Maple bloom.



March 21 Maple Tree Sap and the Honeybee

Just for fun a week ago my daughters "tapped" our large Sugar Maple tree in the front yard and attached a small empty plastic water bottle below their "tap".  Low and behold, hours later it was filled with sap.  They ran to tell Dad, who caught their excitement and by that evening the tree had two official taps with 5 gallon buckets below and we had a book titled, "Maple Sugaring at Home."  Today is one week later and my husband and the girls started boiling approximately 15 gallons of sap this morning on an outdoor fire. The maple syrup we will obtain from that 15 gallons and the entire day spent  boiling it will most likely provide enough for one Saturday morning pancake breakfast.  I'm sure every drop will be savored!
This tree they tapped is about forty feet from my hives.  In between checking on the sap and keeping the fire going, my husband and I were putting together ten hive bodies for spring splits.   When I had finished pounding in the last nails, I walked out of the garage into the sunshine and  noticed some action around the Maple tree. I walked over to the tree and there on it's trunk crawled 10-15 honeybees.  It appears they like the sap too!  It is only 45 degrees F. today and close to 20 mph winds, but these girls are out there doing their thing!


The tap with the sap dripping down onto trunk of the tree.

Getting a drink.

Honey bee hunting from sap on the trunk.

Honey bees on Maple tree trunk that has sap dripping down onto it.



Honey bees flying in 20mph wind to visit our Maple tree that has sap dripping down the trunk.

High hopes for a good Spring and healthy bees to split. Deep hive bodies put together today. Plan to use Mel Disselkoen's method of On The Spot Queen Rearing again this year. All my OTS queen colonies from last year  have made it through winter and are doing well.

Happy 1st day of Spring, 2015!

As if on cue, my crocuses opened today.  It is spring, amazing spring where everything is renewed and new life abounds everywhere.  I love it!  I think those of us that endure long winters of snow, ice, wind and subzero temperatures cherish it all the more. You can imagine my joy today when I bent down to inspect the crocuses and found honeybees scurrying around inside the cupped petals.  The cup or bowl like shape protects the bee from the wind so she can do her work.
 All three hives appear to be doing well.  I placed a pollen substitute patty on each hive on March 11 and continue to monitor the need for more sugar brick or pollen. I have left the tar paper wrap on for now as the temperatures are still dipping below freezing at night.

1st day of Spring, 2015.  Honeybees on Crocus. Wish I had planted more Crocus bulbs last fall.



Honeybee on Crocus.  Pollen!! March 20, 2015. West Michigan.

My youngest excited to be able to help now that she has a suit and pumped up about Spring and the Honeybees!

Why? and Spotty Snow.

It was near 35 degrees F. today with bright sunshine.  A nice afternoon to watch the hive entrances for any activity.  About 10 feet from the hives I noticed a dead bee here or there in the snow. Coming closer, I encountered little orange blots dotting the once pristine white blanket of snow.  Moments later a honeybee flew right by my face. I got closer to the hives and could see Honeybees coming out of the top entrance hole of Hive A.  Many a bee must have decided the bright sunshine meant warmer temps because one after another they would leave the entrance, fly about 5-10 ft. and then dive bomb into the snow.  This concerns me as I can't imagine the cluster is all that large at this time of year and to lose so many bees to this activity they seemed so keen on doing cannot be helpful to this hive's survival.  I realize the bees must take cleansing flights, but it seemed a bit too cold for this activity today.  Many never made it back to the hive.  The other 2 hives only had an occasional bee leaving the hive.  Honeybees, they always leave me wondering.

 Bees from Hive A exiting their top entrance hole thinking it's a beach party just because the temp. is over 30 degrees F. 

Dead bees outside the hive with dotting of bee excrement in the snow.