Comments on: The ants and the bees – advice needed! http://www.anotherdooropens.com/blog/archives/424 When one door closes... Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:56:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: BirchLeaf Designs http://www.anotherdooropens.com/blog/archives/424/comment-page-1#comment-118 BirchLeaf Designs Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:11:22 +0000 http://www.anotherdooropens.com/blog/?p=424#comment-118 Oh, here are a few links to some of our bee pics... http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=80380&id=621618876&op=6 http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=85286&id=621618876 Oh, here are a few links to some of our bee pics…
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=80380&id=621618876&op=6
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=85286&id=621618876

]]> By: BirchLeaf Designs http://www.anotherdooropens.com/blog/archives/424/comment-page-1#comment-117 BirchLeaf Designs Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:48:31 +0000 http://www.anotherdooropens.com/blog/?p=424#comment-117 Greetings from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA! We are also novice beekeepers, but have the guidance from highly experienced beekeepers. Do you put your bees off the ground? We have our bees up off the ground a few feet on a homemade bench, but you could use pallets too. Also, we use a top feeder pail or yogurt pot with holes in the lid - this goes upside down in an empty super on the top of the hive. We really like the yogurt pots the best, they don't seem to leak as much as the pail feeders and they are inexpensive. Your bees may not be taking the sugar water because of an increased nectar flow... Not sure if it is necessary, but we also "water" our bees...we leave water out on the lids of 5 gallon buckets for them to drink - we put a chunk of wood on the lids too, so they can get out of the water should they fall in. Greetings from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA! We are also novice beekeepers, but have the guidance from highly experienced beekeepers. Do you put your bees off the ground? We have our bees up off the ground a few feet on a homemade bench, but you could use pallets too. Also, we use a top feeder pail or yogurt pot with holes in the lid – this goes upside down in an empty super on the top of the hive. We really like the yogurt pots the best, they don’t seem to leak as much as the pail feeders and they are inexpensive.
Your bees may not be taking the sugar water because of an increased nectar flow…
Not sure if it is necessary, but we also “water” our bees…we leave water out on the lids of 5 gallon buckets for them to drink – we put a chunk of wood on the lids too, so they can get out of the water should they fall in.

]]> By: Stephen http://www.anotherdooropens.com/blog/archives/424/comment-page-1#comment-78 Stephen Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:59:39 +0000 http://www.anotherdooropens.com/blog/?p=424#comment-78 Paul, We are south of Tel Aviv. If you are coming this way, please stop by. Rehovot is home to the Hebrew University agriculture school and they do bee research here. Paul,
We are south of Tel Aviv. If you are coming this way, please stop by. Rehovot is home to the Hebrew University agriculture school and they do bee research here.

]]> By: paul davis http://www.anotherdooropens.com/blog/archives/424/comment-page-1#comment-77 paul davis Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:11:39 +0000 http://www.anotherdooropens.com/blog/?p=424#comment-77 Greetings, Stephen! I'm a novice beekeeper in northern Florida, U.S.A., but can share my limited experience with you. We have a bad problem with ants on our farm and I've tried three different feeders. This feeder (http://tinyurl.com/leoawt) is inverted over an inner cover then an empty super is put around it and the outer cover on top. Of the three feeders I've tried, this one has the least access for the ants. I did have ants set up a colony inside the super that held this feeder, but they weren't getting into the hive or the sugar syrup. As for the girls not taking up the syrup, it could be that you are having a strong nectar flow in your area. What is blooming? As soon as certain things go in bloom my girls will all but ignore the syrup in favor of the nectar. I may be in Israel later this summer. Probably fly in to Tel Aviv and will spend a little time in Afula. Do you live near there? I wish you luck! pd Greetings, Stephen! I’m a novice beekeeper in northern Florida, U.S.A., but can share my limited experience with you.

We have a bad problem with ants on our farm and I’ve tried three different feeders. This feeder (http://tinyurl.com/leoawt) is inverted over an inner cover then an empty super is put around it and the outer cover on top. Of the three feeders I’ve tried, this one has the least access for the ants. I did have ants set up a colony inside the super that held this feeder, but they weren’t getting into the hive or the sugar syrup.

As for the girls not taking up the syrup, it could be that you are having a strong nectar flow in your area. What is blooming? As soon as certain things go in bloom my girls will all but ignore the syrup in favor of the nectar.

I may be in Israel later this summer. Probably fly in to Tel Aviv and will spend a little time in Afula. Do you live near there?

I wish you luck!

pd

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