Greetings from Tennessee USA

[joebeewhisperer]

Gleaning some knowledge from a different side of the pond.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hi. Welcome. All sorts of knowledge here
Tell us about you and your bees.

 

[joebeewhisperer]

My wife and I were both raised in the mountains of TN, and moved back to a property behind where I grew up. Area is fairly isolated with a state forest on one side and several large tracts of land on the surrounding sides. First experience with bees was a Sunday afternoon where Dad taught me to "course" bees (usually referred to as "bee-lining". I was probably 11-12 years old. Grew up working in Dad's sawmill and later did log homes for about a decade. I've been working in tech since 1999.

Always feel a kinship with areas of the UK, especially when watching older shows. I find many expressions traditionally looked on as "hick" or "hillbilly" in the US are actually hold-overs from those who immigrated here from Europe over the centuries.

On bees: I started back in spring 2016 after my family bought a hive kit. I guess they were tired of me saying, "I need to get some bees again. It was very therapeutic". Currently running 6-8 Langstroth hives, 12-15 Lyson 6-frame nucs (love them for wintering small colonies), and 25-30 mini mating nucs.

I started raising queens a few years ago to avoid the powerlessness of waiting on a queen delivered via post, and also provide a repository for beeks within an hour's drive in each direction. I now run the descendants of queens imported from Russia in the late 1990's. I generally categorize bees as light or dark, with dark bees being the more frugal, light bees brooding almost year-around. These are definitely dark and well-suited for our area at 2K' (610m) altitude.

While I've spent a great deal of time in bees and learning about bees, they frequently school me. I opened a talk last year with, "First of all I totally don't know what I'm doing, and I'm not sure you should be taking advice from me." .... I'll stand by that statement.

 

[Superlativesoul]

My wife and I were both raised in the mountains of TN, and moved back to a property behind where I grew up. Area is fairly isolated with a state forest on one side and several large tracts of land on the surrounding sides. First experience with bees was a Sunday afternoon where Dad taught me to "course" bees (usually referred to as "bee-lining". I was probably 11-12 years old. Grew up working in Dad's sawmill and later did log homes for about a decade. I've been working in tech since 1999.

Always feel a kinship with areas of the UK, especially when watching older shows. I find many expressions traditionally looked on as "hick" or "hillbilly" in the US are actually hold-overs from those who immigrated here from Europe over the centuries.

On bees: I started back in spring 2016 after my family bought a hive kit. I guess they were tired of me saying, "I need to get some bees again. It was very therapeutic". Currently running 6-8 Langstroth hives, 12-15 Lyson 6-frame nucs (love them for wintering small colonies), and 25-30 mini mating nucs.

I started raising queens a few years ago to avoid the powerlessness of waiting on a queen delivered via post, and also provide a repository for beeks within an hour's drive in each direction. I now run the descendants of queens imported from Russia in the late 1990's. I generally categorize bees as light or dark, with dark bees being the more frugal, light bees brooding almost year-around. These are definitely dark and well-suited for our area at 2K' (610m) altitude.

While I've spent a great deal of time in bees and learning about bees, they frequently school me. I opened a talk last year with, "First of all I totally don't know what I'm doing, and I'm not sure you should be taking advice from me." .... I'll stand by that statement.

Thank you for fascinating insight on your beekeeping experiences. John

 

[joebeewhisperer]

Thank you for fascinating insight on your beekeeping experiences. John

You are very kind. I’m still amazed by them.

 

[Erichalfbee]

"First of all I totally don't know what I'm doing, and I'm not sure you should be taking advice from me." .... I'll stand by that statement.

That’s an honest intro. Bees always surprise us.

 

[K M]

Thanks Joe for the introduction. Perhaps you could tell us how US beekeepers manage their colonies when they are hundreds of miles away for pollination? Do the beekeepers stay with the bees for the duration of the pollination season or do they just let the bees 'do their own thing' i.e. swarm? I am helping a farmer with pollination and it's a bit of a drive to get there every week for inspections. Any insight as to how it works would be much appreciated. Regards. Kevin

 

[Murox]

Gleaning some knowledge from a different side of the pond.

Welcome and to reciprocity .

 

[joebeewhisperer]

Thanks Joe for the introduction. Perhaps you could tell us how US beekeepers manage their colonies when they are hundreds of miles away for pollination? Do the beekeepers stay with the bees for the duration of the pollination season or do they just let the bees 'do their own thing' i.e. swarm? I am helping a farmer with pollination and it's a bit of a drive to get there every week for inspections. Any insight as to how it works would be much appreciated. Regards. Kevin

Hey Kevin,

While I know some of the basic steps (trucking, grading, brokers, contracts), I only know one person well enough to get you a detailed answer (Jose’ Uribe @thecaliforniaberkeeper on social platforms).

I dropped Jose a line this morning asking for such, but also told him it could wait until queens cooled down a bit. He and Kelly jumped from 2500 queens per run to some insanely crazy amount this year. They live fairly close to the almonds they agree to pollinate (I think), and check on them while in the groves. Reading between the lines I think a lot of bees have to be fed while in almonds. Like with many fruit trees, the carbohydrates in the nectar barely support the energy they expend gathering it.

Still, with over 2 million hives, there’s probably a good bit of swarming.

For me it’s difficult to imagine the systems these guys have mastered to operate on this scale. Of course they range from cooperatives sharing a 400 hive truck, to individuals owning several 1000 hives.

I’ll let you know when I hear from Jose. Most beeks here in the south have a day job, so I would imagine someone is hired to manage the hives out of state.

 

[joebeewhisperer]

Thanks Joe for the introduction. Perhaps you could tell us how US beekeepers manage their colonies when they are hundreds of miles away for pollination? Do the beekeepers stay with the bees for the duration of the pollination season or do they just let the bees 'do their own thing' i.e. swarm? I am helping a farmer with pollination and it's a bit of a drive to get there every week for inspections. Any insight as to how it works would be much appreciated. Regards. Kevin

Kevin - Jose sent back a reply and said that all the brokers he knew were also beekeepers. Bruce posted a video recently on the condition of his hives upon return.



I was searching for his video on preparing bees for pollination to point you in his direction and came across this one. I think this may be the 1st or 2nd year he has sent bees to Cali, and he’s great about replying. He lives in the south, probably 1500 miles from almonds, so a great resource.

No disrespect, but do they need weekly inspections? In general, I have hives opened multiple times during some weeks and a few that may not be opened for over a month (assuming I’ve added adequate box(es). I know heavy flows can surely blow them up to swarming proportions quickly. I’m sure you have sound reasons, and my ignorance on remote pollination is full on.

 

[Erichalfbee]

No disrespect, but do they need weekly inspections?

Not after you’ve managed their swarm preps

 

[joebeewhisperer]

Not after you’ve managed their swarm preps

That makes total sense. Thank you.

Mine are similar. If a late 2022 queened colony doesn’t swarm within the next 6 weeks, then swarming is unlikely for the rest of the season.