[Gossamer's Scrapbook] The Ethereal Canyon I

[Traverse]

I know this is said a lot, and not nearly enough, but thanks Goss. Gossamer :

[Gossamer]

. More Bee Stuff! This time lets talk about Nucs. Matt & Jen Suited Up Okay, for some of you have requested I post pictures of my Nuc and its installation. I've explained how package bees come, but you can buy bees two ways... packages with only adult bees or nucs which stand for nucleus hives - four frames inside a cardboard box with a queen included. We started the pink hive with a package bee set. The coral hive was started with a NUC. Here's a picture of the nuc and the installation below. Both hives are thriving and both are basically neck and neck in terms of how they are doing and progressing this year. I figured the Nuc would have a jumpstart, but it really didn't seem to matter. The package bees are keeping up nicely as well. Our Nuc Hive aka The Coral Hive And a Bee Video for Jules .

[Elaine Spade]

Nice! I really envy you guys! I want one myself too! Maybe if I'll move away and live alone ( or with somebody) I'll try to buy one once! ^^

Happy honey hunting!

[Paragon]

I think this is helping a lot of people see how friendly and fun bees can be - lots of people have very negative opinions. So it's great - glad you're enjoying things Jen, it looks like a lot of work, but rewarding too!

[Clyde Sullins]

Sadly V I am one of those people making a request in the HD, but at least mine is for a good reason. Any who, I would just like to say, that my previous respect for the founders, has been triplicated, by my own "attempt" at creating a lore. My own attempt is fraught with errors and issues, a few of which have been fixed, and it boggles my mind to think that you all created all the lores you have. Tons of them. So I would just like to say here and now, thanks Goss for all you do, and for assisting people like me by critiquing their attempts at lores, and for all the lores you have spent a untold hours on making. I will never look at a lore the same again...

[Gossamer]

. More Bees - Removals & Rescues I had to post the Nuc Scrap finally so I could actually post this one too. I lied when I said there are two ways of acquiring bees. I should have said two ways of buying bees. You can also acquire bees two more ways. You can capture swarms of bees that swarm out of existing hives (due to bad conditions, overcrowding, a bad queen) or you can remove feral colonies of bees that have made themselves at home in structures and are unwanted. I recently joined this Bee Team along with Gillar who goes out on weekends and saves bees from exterminators by gently removing them and taking them away to hives to live out their lives instead of having someone come out and say bug bomb them. I have some pictures from both removals to post up. The one that was done last night by and large was the most interesting and we had the biggest amount of payback for going because we brought home new bees. I am lacking some pictures that I will have to post up later to really complete the process for you. Namely those pictures are what the inside of the new hive looks like. I would have liked to have had some, but I was busy working and not actually photographing because this removal yesterday was a huge one and it seriously took most of the day. We got called to the Veterens of Forgien Wars Building in Winlock and they had a slight bee issue. When the wall was exposed, we found more than a slight bee issue. This one was a repeat offender... a hive had been removed at the same location some five years ago.. so it wasn't surprising they were back. This is our second bee rescue/removal. From The Outside With The Wall Removed So what my bee club does in this case is move in, remove the wall, gently take the hive out, and cut the comb down to peices that can be hung in frames by skewering the sections in place, and then we use a bee vac to vac up all the bees and put them in the hives we've created by removing the comb from the wall. Below is a picture I believe my bee mentor took, of a frame being made from a section of hive, but I'll show you some later that I've taken. So photo credit below goes to Suzanne of LBCA. Then you snug these frames into a spare box - in this case one Gillar cobbled together the night before in very little time - and then herd some bees onto the comb. They love their comb and will land on it, cling to it, mass around it, guard it, etc. You can sweep clingons off things and into a bucket and dump them over the comb and they will go slide into the deep crevasse of the comb where its dark and cool. So once you get the comb in a box, you get the bees streaming in the box too. Then you can take them home. We managed to get five boxes out of this hive. It could have been a whole lot bigger too, but I think the bee team got to it early. Our box has brood, pollen, honey, and everything the bees need to survive besides a Queen. I'll work on the queen issue later. For now, the bees are safe, even if they are in a temporary cobbled together home that will be replaced by a big new shiny blue hive later this week. Now, I know a lot of you see bees as scary stinging terrifying things. But here's a young bee coming to say hello to me. She's from the new 'feral' hive we have in our apiary, which was about as feral as a kitten with a ball of yarn. They were friendly, engaging, and didn't get mad at all, even as we cut out their comb. Now, how can you look at this picture and not go 'awwwwww soo cute'. These new bees are welcome in my bee yard.. very welcome. And I will figure out how to requeen them one of these days so they keep being viable. .

[Elysium]

That last picture is so adorable. I've been learning a great deal through these scraps and they make me re-evaluate my position on bees. I hope I find the guts to start a colony one day, too. (Especially with my aspiration to move to Oregon!) Keep 'em coming! I hope your busy schedule eases up on you!

[Gossamer]

. More Images From Saturday's Removal. Are you guys getting tired of bee stuff yet? I can go back to my normal rants and raves if you'd like. I've already explained a lot of these images to you in my previous scrap, but I'll post up these additional images. They were all taken by the Secretary of LBCA Suzanne and full ownership credit goes to her. But man, she's an awesome photographer and does a heck of a good job. That comb was so beautiful it looks almost alien. The comb still hanging in the wall with the sun striking it. This gives you a perspective on how big the colony was. This is considered LARGE. Matt aka Gillar after he cut a section of the comb away. This is me and a little helper affixing comb with bamboo skewers to an empty frame so they can be put into a hive box. See how the bees cling? Our work isn't bothering them nor deterring them from their work. This is Gillar aka Matt wondering if we are ready for another section. He's pretty handy with a (I kid you not) Ginsu knife. The removal team Saturday minus one Photographer Extraordinaire. The three ladies on the far right are three generations of beekeepers - Grandmother, Mother, and granddaughter. .

[Aidara]

This is awesome. Those combs look so cool. It makes me want honey really bad.

All those bees behind you on the woodwork- did they get bee-vacced after the photo was taken or is it a process of them just slowly vacating the area after their hive is removed?

[Gossamer]

. Response You honestly just let them settle down, vacuum them up, then let them settle again, rinse repeat etc until you get your vaccume full. Then you dump them over the frames in the hive boxes and they scurry down between the frames hiding in the darkness of the comb drenched with honey. They kinda go into shock for a day or two, gorge on their honey when they think someone - say whinny the poo bear is going to gobble up their honey - and it takes them a day or two to snap out of it and resume activities. So they are fairly easy to manage. Everyone else that doesn't find their way to the hive box where the comb is will eventually either die off or wander around and find a new hive to join. Bees welcome new bees in so long as the new bees bear food, and most will come to new hives with food. .