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[snoozer]

I have seen alot of bumble bees but not honey bees. Unfortunately the bumbles are going behind the siding on the house. I hate to spray and kill them but can't find anyone that will move them.

 

[addy1]

How do you make it to be creamed?

You either start with a starter i.e. bought creamed honey, your honey will emulate the crystal size, you stir that in with your honey at a rate of 10-1 (10 yours) cool it at 50-60 for a few weeks and it copies the crystal and becomes solidified.

My honey decided to do it itself, I had a bucket sitting on our kitchen tile floor, basement air vents running below which keeps the floor in the 55 degree or so range, feels great on hot feet!
I went to pour the bucket into our bucket with the spout to bottle it and found it was solid. I though it was crystallized, which is large crystals, but it had creamed itself to perfection.

The smaller the crystal the better the creamed honey.

@addy1 I'm sure you've listed this before, but what flowers are you growing? Are you going for all native plants? And how many are wildflowers?

I haven't seen as many bees this year, and the ones I did see were earlier, in the spring. But. I do admit that the heat has kept me inside more than usual this summer, so the bees may be there.

I have planted everything except ever greens, to be bee, bird, pollinator friendly. Removed a lot of grass to put in wildflowers, via seeds, I buy honey bee friendly seeds,

This is one of the gardens,

This was from bee friendly seeds

 

[addy1]

I have seen alot of bumble bees but not honey bees. Unfortunately the bumbles are going behind the siding on the house. I hate to spray and kill them but can't find anyone that will move them.

I would leave them, only the queens overwinter, then they go and seek new homes. But that is just me lol, I save everything except ants that invade the house.

 

[addy1]

I extracted the last of our honey, put the bees to work cleaning the wet frames of any left over nectar, the deck was off limits, until they finished. This time a year, nectar dearth, it takes them a few hours.

We call the frames wet, when they are done there is not one drop of nectar left. Then they go in the freezer for 2-3 days to kill any wax moth eggs. Then into hives boxes to store them for the winter, covered with door screening to keep the moths out. Wire to keep out wondering mice. We store ours in the basement, do not have a bee shed yet.

 

[Mmathis]

@addy1 OK, really stupid question, but how do the bees know to do what you want them to do? When it's time to clean everything up. And where do they spend the winter?

Also, do you sew the seeds or are the plants perennial, or self-sewing, or whatever..... (I only recognized day lilies). Looks like a lot of work, but absolutely beautiful!!!!

 

[addy1]

The plants are self sowing, perennial's, bird sowed. I even grow weeds if they are bee friendly, have a entire fence line of goldenrod. It smells like butterscotch when they are processing it.

@addy1

Also, do you sew the seeds or are the plants perennial, or self-sewing, or whatever..... (I only recognized day lilies). Looks like a lot of work, but absolutely beautiful!!!!

The bees know what to do to survive, we work with their life pattern!
We have a short intense nectar flow here, 6-8 weeks, starts as soon as the first dandelion blooms. That is a major source for them coming out of winter pollen and nectar.
We add honey supers for them fill with the nectar, which they convert to honey. We manage the hive making sure they are not crowded, i.e ready to swarm, have a queen, no other issues.
After we collect the honey, we feed them sugar water, when nectar flow stops it stops, it piddles in a bit but not much.
Our job now is to treat for mites, feed to build the hive to 120 lbs of honey for the winter.
The bees cluster in the hive in a ball, around the queen and a bit of brood. Move up slowly eating the honey they stored. they live in the hive, all winter, we use three brood boxes here. If we have a warm winter we need to feed during the winter, if real cold they don't eat as much.

As far as cleaning up the frames the scent of the left over honey on the comb brings them running.

@addy1 OK, really stupid question, but how do the bees know to do what you want them to do? When it's time to clean everything up. And where do they spend the winter?

 

[snoozer]

I would leave them, only the queens overwinter, then they go and seek new homes. But that is just me lol, I save everything except ants that invade the house.

So the will leave on their own? That's good to know. Should I pull the siding once it gets cold and clean out whetever they have left in the walls?

 

[addy1]

As long as they are bumble bees:

Life Cycle
The bumblebee goes through a complete metamorphosis and includes eggs, larvae (grub), pupae and adults. A fertile female queen that has successfully survived the cold weather months in a protected location starts a new nest in the early spring months. Only the fertile queens that mated the previous year survive and thus bumblebee nests are begun anew each year. The queens begin the new nest by locating a suitable nest location, constructing the nest and laying eggs that will mature into adults that become the first generation of offspring. Also, the queen leaves the nest to gather pollen and nectar that she uses to feed to the larval (grub) stage members of her nest.

As the first generation completes their development into winged adults, these nest members called workers will assume the duties of nest maintenance, construction and collecting pollen and nectar to feed the nest members. At this stage the queen’s role is to continue producing and laying eggs since she is no longer responsible for food gathering and nest enlargement. As the size of the nest increases, toward the mid- to late-summer months the queen will also lay eggs that will become reproductive males and females rather than infertile workers.

The next major event in the life of the nest is when reproductive males and females mate and the fertile females then depart to find a suitable overwintering site where they will live prior to beginning a new nest the following spring. Bumblebees do not swarm like honeybees, but adult, male bumblebees may hover outside a nest as they wait for the reproductive females to emerge, so they can mate.

Signs of bumblebee presence
The presence of bumblebees usually involves actually seeing adults foraging for pollen and nectar among flowering plants on the property. Also, one might see bumblebee workers coming and going around the entrance into the nest site while sometimes gardeners who are working in the soil in late winter or very early spring may uncover overwintering queens.

 

[snoozer]

As long as they are bumble bees:

Life Cycle
The bumblebee goes through a complete metamorphosis and includes eggs, larvae (grub), pupae and adults. A fertile female queen that has successfully survived the cold weather months in a protected location starts a new nest in the early spring months. Only the fertile queens that mated the previous year survive and thus bumblebee nests are begun anew each year. The queens begin the new nest by locating a suitable nest location, constructing the nest and laying eggs that will mature into adults that become the first generation of offspring. Also, the queen leaves the nest to gather pollen and nectar that she uses to feed to the larval (grub) stage members of her nest.

As the first generation completes their development into winged adults, these nest members called workers will assume the duties of nest maintenance, construction and collecting pollen and nectar to feed the nest members. At this stage the queen’s role is to continue producing and laying eggs since she is no longer responsible for food gathering and nest enlargement. As the size of the nest increases, toward the mid- to late-summer months the queen will also lay eggs that will become reproductive males and females rather than infertile workers.

The next major event in the life of the nest is when reproductive males and females mate and the fertile females then depart to find a suitable overwintering site where they will live prior to beginning a new nest the following spring. Bumblebees do not swarm like honeybees, but adult, male bumblebees may hover outside a nest as they wait for the reproductive females to emerge, so they can mate.

Signs of bumblebee presence
The presence of bumblebees usually involves actually seeing adults foraging for pollen and nectar among flowering plants on the property. Also, one might see bumblebee workers coming and going around the entrance into the nest site while sometimes gardeners who are working in the soil in late winter or very early spring may uncover overwintering queens.

They look like bumble bees but a lighter yellow. You can see by his legs that he has been busy visiting flowers.

 

[addy1]

I have those also, they are all over flowers. Mine tend to nest low under any small opening they can find. The way I look at it, the queens that are going to carry them over winter and make the new nest next year, are being created in the nest. Kill the nest kill off a lot of next summers bees.
So unless it is in a place it bothers me I leave them alone. They have never stung me and I stuck my hand in a nest by mistake once, they nested in some loose insulation.

 

[snoozer]

I have those also, they are all over flowers. Mine tend to nest low under any small opening they can find. The way I look at it, the queens that are going to carry them over winter and make the new nest next year, are being created in the nest. Kill the nest kill off a lot of next summers bees.
So unless it is in a place it bothers me I leave them alone. They have never stung me and I stuck my hand in a nest by mistake once, they nested in some loose insulation.

Thanks. I will leave them alone. They are about 2 foot frrom the door so i have to watch so they don't follow me in. The dogs have listened when i told them to leave it so no stings yet. Do they produce honey like honey bees? If so, I will pull the siding this winter and clean it out.

 

[addy1]

Thanks. I will leave them alone. They are about 2 foot frrom the door so i have to watch so they don't follow me in. The dogs have listened when i told them to leave it so no stings yet. Do they produce honey like honey bees? If so, I will pull the siding this winter and clean it out.

No they bring in food that is just for them.

http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/bee-nest-removal-bumblebee.html


Bumblebees are actually very docile – a sting is exceptionally rare, and only ever accidental. The 'malicious' bumblebee simply doesn't exist.
Bumblebee nests only last a season. By the end of the autumn, the colony will have moved on and abandoned the nest.
Most people, if they really think about it can wait that long.

Your actions count.

Fewer than half of colonies are successful, with many figures as low as 18% - only 18 colonies out of 100 as a survival rate is very low.

 

[snoozer]

No they bring in food that is just for them.

http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/bee-nest-removal-bumblebee.html


Bumblebees are actually very docile – a sting is exceptionally rare, and only ever accidental. The 'malicious' bumblebee simply doesn't exist.
Bumblebee nests only last a season. By the end of the autumn, the colony will have moved on and abandoned the nest.
Most people, if they really think about it can wait that long.


View attachment 93934
Your actions count.

Fewer than half of colonies are successful, with many figures as low as 18% - only 18 colonies out of 100 as a survival rate is very low.

Thank you for the info. I will leave them and seal the gap this winter.

 

[Becky]

You either start with a starter i.e. bought creamed honey, your honey will emulate the crystal size, you stir that in with your honey at a rate of 10-1 (10 yours) cool it at 50-60 for a few weeks and it copies the crystal and becomes solidified.

Huh, I never realised that. Kinda like tempering chocolate

 

[Mmathis]

Huh, I never realised that. Kinda like tempering chocolate

OK, I've learned something new thanks to @Becky and @addy1......not only regarding honey, but chocolate, as well!

http://www.ecolechocolat.com/en/chocolate-tempering.html