February Beekeeping Chores

Time to get my beekeeping equipment inventoried and order what I will need for this year. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

February Beekeeping Chores

One of my recent orders was for one of our buzzing bee toys, an item so anticipated that the Dad called me today to ask when would it ship. He said “my son can hardly wait to get it!”

I know the feeling. Even as a beekeeper for 11 years, I also anxiously await for the arrival of my new beekeeping equipment. First, though, I have to figure out what I need. This is actually a chore I try to get done in January but since I’m behind, I’m keeping it on my February list.

1. Check my colonies for where the clusters are located. Add sugar cakes for supplemental food.

2. Inventory all existing beekeeping equipment. Separate items that need repairs. Make a list of items I expect I will need.

3. Place my beekeeping equipment order.

4. Repair those items that need repairs.

5. Organize my equipment so I have all similar items together.

6. Replace used foundation with new foundation.

7. Order queens bees. I want to add Varroa Sensitive Saskatraz queen bees to my apiary gene pool so I have those on order. They should be shipping in April, when, weather permitting, I plan to make splits.

8. Paint my woodenware. I didn’t get around to painting my nucs last year so this should be their lucky year.

9. Scope out garden locations for temporary housing of nucs and hives from swarms. Last year I ran out of space and was scrambling.

10. Catch up on reading; I’m behind there, too.

    Charlotte

It's a Sign!

My new Bluebird Gardens apiary signs. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

It’s a Sign!

Delivery trucks are regular visitors to my house. Most know that my driveway is not a U turn; it’s not designed to carry heavy vans and it’s located uphill from one of my apiaries.

This particular delivery van driver was new but not so new that he had been told not to drive down my gravel driveway. He also did so when I was working the closest hive so bees were actively flying around the area.

I found the driver at a neighbor’s house claiming he had been stung several times. When I asked to see where he had been stung he pointed to one area on his ear lobe. There was no sting there but I treated it anyway and reminded him he should not be driving his heavy van down my small gravel driveway.

So after I maneuvered his van out of my driveway, I decided it was time to put up more signs. I live on a dead end street and all of my neighbors know me as the “bee lady.” Nevertheless, I thought it was time I put up signs that honor the work bees are doing without being scary, a gentle reminder of sorts that I am a bee lover and there are honey bees on the property.

Most of the available signs are directive and include “no trespassing.” Since I was going to be the one looking at these signs most of the time, I chose a more friendly route. Here is one of the first signs I put up in my apiary many years ago.

This is a more typical sign noting bees in the area. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

After a brief search, I found the “Honey Bees at Work” signs that now mark my two apiaries. The signs are bright and easy to see and honor the work bees do. And I like seeing them!

My new apiary signs honor the bees without being threatening. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins0

To make sure the clear path was obvious, I added a garden flag that reminded visitors there are bees on the property and that this was a safe path to use.

Garden flags can also be an easy way to sign bees in the area. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

So far the new signs and garden flag seem to be working.

And yes, I have been repeatedly told I should not have driven the van out of my driveway but I was only too glad to get it out of the way.

Oh. And he did drop off the packages he was initially delivering but he left them at the top of the driveway.

Charlotte

Storing Bee Equipment

The space beneath a deck that has now become my beekeeping storage space. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Storing Bee Equipment

If you are new to beekeeping the one thing that can easily sneak up on you is storage. Or to be more precise, storage space.

It’s not apparent spring through summer when bees are using most, if not all, of your equipment. By fall, though, it becomes apparent that your garage can either hold your cars or your beekeeping equipment but not both.

I was facing this dilemma when earlier this year an unexpected option opened up under a deck area. With a little creativity, we closed in the area, gave it a dry ceiling and arranged it for extra space.. The area already had my water totes so with a little of reorganizing it now holds my extra beekeeping equipment including suits and hive bodies.

Another storage area winters over extra beekeeping equipment. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The storage area - not a he shed, or she shed but a bee shed - is close to one of my apiaries. I now have “easy to move doors” and can use a shoulder to nudge the opening wider.

Beekeeping equipment is now readily accessible to my apiary. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I added a grapevine wreath with some dried flowers last week, a traditional welcome to my outside garden rooms. You can’t see it well but I have a little yellow bee skep on the right side. Skeps, or woven baskets, are a popular symbol to represent beekeeping, it even appears on garden quilts.

Fun to add another grapevine wreath to my bee shed door. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

It’s wonderful to have most of my beekeeping equipment now all in one place. I can now do a better job of ordering whatever I need for next year; make repairs and, if all goes well, even extract honey in this space.

As I was leaving the area, I noticed one of the sure challenges beekeepers have, keeping track of their hive tools. See where I left this one?

Not the best place to store a hive tool. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The hive tool is now safely back in the bee shed, waiting for the next time I need to use it.

Charlotte