Who Keeps Bees and Poultry?

[BirdsBeesTrees]

My Long Langstroth hive is finally finished! Just in time to get my Squatch nuc on Saturday.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I installed my Saskatraz nuc yesterday. It was the first time I've gotten a nuc instead of just packages.
I'm not sure how I feel about it. I will have to give it some time and see which is better.
The nuc had a marked queen, which is nice. I usually just look for eggs and if I see the queen it's a happy surprise.

 

[Rooster Giddens]

I've had my own honey bees for 8 years, my dad kept bees, and my great grandma kept bees. I have 4 hives which is more than enough for me. I started with Carnelians but now I have the mite resistant Italians. My husband, my 3 boys, and I run a Family Dairy Farm and have no employees. We milk around 70 cows, but have close to 100 cows and calves in all. Our cows are not in confinements. We have chickens, turkeys, peafowl, call ducks, ducks, Buff Geese, and right now I'm starting a quail adventure. I homeschool my boys who are in 5th, 9th and 11th grades. My oldest son who is 6'5" is basically afraid of the birds, but my 2 other boys take care of all of our birds with me. I would absolutely love to hear from some other Beeks and what birds they have! View attachment 2008569

I have bees. I've been keeping bees for going on 8 years now. I have 7 hives,atm.I lost 3 over the winter! I love my bees That's a nice frame of bees,there!!

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Alot of things have changed in 3 years.

As far as Honeybees, I have 2 colonies so far this year. Carnelians in my traditional hive and Italians in my long hive.
Last year they made it to March.
The last few years have been extremely poor for overwintering for me, so I'm still trying to break the cycle.
Waiting to see about if a nuc from an overwintering Iowa apiary will have one to sell me this spring.

 

[R2elk]

Alot of things have changed in 3 years.

As far as Honeybees, I have 2 colonies so far this year. Carnelians in my traditional hive and Italians in my long hive.
Last year they made it to March.
The last few years have been extremely poor for overwintering for me, so I'm still trying to break the cycle.
Waiting to see about if a nuc from an overwintering Iowa apiary will have one to sell me this spring.

If my bees make it through to February, I start feeding them then. By feeding the bees in Feb., I have not lost any in March.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

If my bees make it through to February, I start feeding them then. By feeding the bees in Feb., I have not lost any in March.

Do you put the feed in the hive or outside the hive?
I've done both, but what do you think is best?

 

[R2elk]

Do you put the feed in the hive or outside the hive?
I've done both, but what do you think is best?

I have done both. I use an entrance feeder but the best is to set the feeder in such a manner that it is directly above the cluster inside the hive. I accomplished this by adding a deep bo0dy and setting an entrance feeder directly on the frames where the cluster was. The bees won't leave the cluster very far if it is cold.

If using an entrance feeder and feeding outside the hive, I remove the jar of sugar water in the evening and put it back the next day after it warms up. If I leave it in place, when the suns warms it up, it increases the pressure inside the jar and forces the sugar water to run out.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I've had a whole box of honey on with a hive of dead bees a couple times. It's unfortunate that they were too cold to leave the cluster so they won't starve, when there is honey stored just inches from where they are.