brucelovesbees

A conversation with a treating Beekeeper.

The Mite Bomb Beekeeping Podcast

Overwinter setup for honeybees in Pennsylvania.

What I’m sharing here is not what I’ve heard or something I’ve read somewhere. This is what I actually do, and have done for years. I’ve done all the silly, tedious stuff. Don’t waste your time.

What are the white markings on my bees?

This time of year, this question always comes up in every beekeeping forum. The video below shows what honeybees look like when returning from Spotted Jewelweed. No, there isn’t someone out there marking billions of bees.

The Spotted Lanternfly flow 2020

The invasive Spotted Lanternfly is at it again. Feeding the bees during what would normally be a dearth period.

Plant poppies for your bees!

For the past few seasons, I’ve been planting poppies for my bees, saving the seeds and planting again. I started with ordinary “bread” poppies from the grocery store baking aisle. They start a bit slow, but then take off quickly. Poppies provide enormous amounts of pollen early in the morning. I’ve seen as many as seven bees on a single flower with pollen sacs loaded almost instantly. I don’t believe poppy flowers provide much nectar, if any. It’s interesting to see the slight changes in the colors of the flowers as pollen from other poppy growers finds its way into my little gene pool. Below, I’m linking a short video of what I do here at home to grow poppies for my bees.

Matt Feldhues, aspiring mite-bomber?

This is similar to the conversation I’ve had many times with people wanting to get into bees. To see where I’ve been the past 3 months, visit me (PA Swarm King) on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/rodriguezbruce

If you want to be sexy af (and fabulous), grab an Official MBBP t-shirt: teespring.com/shop/mite-bomb-beekeeping-podcast-t

Three different swarm collecting techniques

Today, I employed three different techniques to collect swarms on a miserably windy, chilly, and rainy day. The first was the “Set it, and forget it”, because it was close to home. I just sat the nucleus box right up against the swarm cluster and left the bees to slowly crawl in. I’ll pick them up tomorrow night.

With the second swarm (further from home), I used a bucket, and bumped the majority of the bees into it. Then I slipped a filter bag over the bucket and snapped the ring lid on. Once all the stragglers flew into the top, I cinched the slack up over the top of the bucket and closed it with a rubber band. This is much easier on the bees, as there are no frames swinging around and shifting on the bumpy ride home. Once I got home, I dumped the bees into a hive and opened the filter bag to release the stragglers.

The third swarm was just out of reach, in a tree, so I used the “Bucket on a Pole” method. A very straight forward and popular way to get a swarm down, but the wind made it interesting.

Triple swarm call!

One thing I’ve learned over the past few years of chasing swarms is to never get tunnel vision on a swarm call. Especially during prime swarm season. Always walk around and look up into the trees and at nearby buildings for a beeline. If you find one, you’ve very likely found the source of your swarm. Then, keep looking around for other swarms that the caller did not see. Below is a video of what started out as a call to remove a single swarm. Then, plans changed. Also, always have more than one swarm box setup in your vehicle. I never leave home without at least 5.

Very busy swarm day!

I made this goofy video compilation of the 5 swarms I got in one day. I literally “found” a queen in an alleyway, on the ground, for a queenless group of bees on a fence. Very fun and tiring day.

Fun swarm removal in Reading, PA

These bees swarmed from a nearby brick wall. I love city bees!