Two questions: (1) Cigars and (2) Extra Supers
Quote:
> I have two questions which have been on my mind recently.
> 1. I have two new hives (Buckfast variety) and they are now about 4-5 weeks
> old. I tried using a regular smoker but find it a pain to keep lit. If I
> am REALLY diligent I can keep it going but it seems a pain. I occasionally
> smoke cigars (maybe once a month, maybe) and wondered if anyone has used a
> cigar as the "smoke source" rather than the smoker contraption. It seems
> like an easy way to deal with supplying them with smoke and remain lit.
> Any experiences with cigars and bees? Good? Bad? (other than to me that is)
> Opinions?
Lighting,and keeping a smoker going is no big deal once you learn
how.There was a recent discussion here on that subject.As for blowing
cigar smoke on the bees ,I do that on occasion when checking an odd
hive when I dont want to go to the trouble of putting on a veil.There
is no guarantee that a bee wont fly up and sting you on the nose while
doing so,however.
Quote:
> 2. As I stated above my two new hives (I'm new at this too) are fairly new.
> Currently they are within one brood super (per hive) with reinforced
> foundation. They seem to be creating comb and storing feeder syrup and
> pollen at a fast rate (maybe 1/3 to 1/2 filled already.) Is there any
> disadvantage to adding supers now? Even if they haven't filled what they
> have now? What are the problems with adding supers too early?
If the second is put on the package hive before a substantial amount
of new bees have emerged you could slow down the buildup,especially if
the nights are still cold.Wait too long,and feed too much you could
cause them to swarm if they get too crowded.judgement is called for
and you will have to learn this by trial and error.If they seem strong
and are covering 8 frames you are probably OK to add the second.If it
is foundation rather than drawn comb you should keep feeding unless a
strong nectarflow is coming in.Good luck with your new hives
-----Mike
