Beekeeping it’s the bee’s knees

There is a big commercial bee farm a couple miles from me I think i'm catching their splits good docile bees My farm has ponds and surrounded by cornfields they all show up here for pollen and water

 

Would I be a good neighbor if I put a hive against a south-facing block wall, with houses within 5' on the other side?
I know one neighbor has some hives, I find dying bees on my driveway all the time. I would just like to expand the territory for them, and have my trees and garden get regular pollination. Honey, if it came, would just be a bonus.
Can a hive go in a chicken coop? I fenced off the last 30' of my yard, and that's where the chicken roam.

 

As long as the chickens don’t knock it over jumping on the hive don’t see why not , here is a link on hives with neighbors
https://backyardhive.com/blogs/begi...re-the-effects-of-a-bee-hive-on-the-neighbors

 

Yes that's probably fine. In my experience they tend to go out and up like 20 feet before flying back the other direction anyways. IE: one of mine is at the base of my deck and one right next to the pillar at the bottom of the stairs and there's never been issues with them flying into anyone or anything. They usually go around or way up over

Also, if honey isn't important to the experience for you, and pollination close to the hive is - there are other options of bees to keep that are easier/cheaper to keep and better at local pollination. Honey bees tend to avoid pollinating the area about 50 yards around the hive for hygienic purposes.
Depending on your terrain and the plants you have, Mason bees or Leafcutter bees could work as well and would be a lot simpler
https://crownbees.com/ <-- good website to check out for those

 

So this is my only box with this issue. Wax moth damage. It was frozen all winter so do I assume I just have to scrape clean. Any direction, tips etc are always so appreciated

 

Scrape it clean the bees will propolis the holes. If you reuse the frames you can lightly pressure wash them and then rewax the foundation.

 

Perfect. I have completely scraped and cleaned the frames down to the foundation. There were 2 frames that were black and old that came with my nucs. I tossed them.
Thank you

 

Morning all
Had a call from my daughters boss and she said they had bees in a bird house, and wanted me to get them. Said how big could it be, got my stuff together and went it was a big bird house and full of bees took the house down loaded it in the truck and took them home

 

some strange lookin birds

 

They were so gentle they didn’t even stir

 

Nice score. How many colonies do you have btw

 

30 right now just sold 10 nuc getting ready to make more splits gonna try to get about 50 before winter solstice

 

1. 
   Was able to get the bird mansion empty of bees and in to there new hive cut there comb out and put it in frames and found the queen and got every one rehousised

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We are so cold here, haven't had a warm spring, trees started to bud and have just stayed shut last 3 weeks. Just heard from my nuc supplier that pick up will be at least a week later, so last weekend in May.
We hardly had any sun in April and none this week. Temps single digit Celsius. 10C average or 50F and near freezing every night
Not looking promising around here.

 

We had a dry dry early spring here

 

Couple of weeks back wife/I got home from lunch, parked in the middle of the house to get to kitchen easier. Then from the back room I hear "Honey, what is THAT?"

That turned out to be a massive swarm in our back yard. They started to settle on the rain gutter of the carport, not sure why.
The air cleared mostly, I called a local company I had been following, and they came out within the hour. Guy comes back in shorts/tank, borrows my ladder and gets right up in the gutter. Shows me pics and says they will leave soon.
We walk all the way back, I asked him to give me some ideas on where back there I could put a hive. About 10 minutes later we walk back to the carport and it's biblical again. "I better go get my gear"
He took them to the nice bee relocation yard, said these were gentle Italians.

I tired to be brave the whole time, but then one touched my ear

Because of that experience, I'm still reluctant to have them in the back yard where a grand-niece/nephew could wander out towards the chickens and find somebody else.

 

Afternoon all
Did a removal at the a station today big ole hive comb went up another foot to the roof line .

 

Back at it. Finally got my nucs and installed today.

 

Another season. 3 different mite treatments since September, 45 lbs 2:1 sugar syrup fed in each. Just did last treatment Oxalic acid drip, 7lbs fondant ea and wrapped.
Bottom box ea had 7 solid frames of bees. Top box very heavy.... Let's hope to see them next spring