A bee gum is a log that's been hollowed out for bees to make their nest in.  The name comes from the type of tree that was typically used:  here a black gum tree, which was preferred because it lasted longer than other logs.  Other types of wood could be used as well.

The main purpose was to hollow out the center of the log, usually by burning out the center.  Others would simply harvest a tree that was naturally hollow and then cut off the portion(s) to make the hive.

Once the log was burned out, the bee keeper would nail on handles and then make some bores through the sides.  A tight fitting lid would also be made.  Holes were also drilled in the handles to insert a stick through the top portion of the hive to support the top boards of the hive.

As you can see from the image to the right, the bee gum had all the basics of a hive.  It allows the bees to move between the nest bottom where the brood was developed.

With the sticks inserted at the top and middle, the bees will build their comb on the sticks and set up shop.

A few small holes are drilled at the bottom of the log, or notches are made, to allow the bees easy exit and entrance into the hive.  The log is then set on a large flat surface such as a board or large rock, to provide a landing space

The bees will set up their comb in a similar way to how they set up in top bar hive.

They will bind their comb to the underside of the boards, which sit on top of the sticks inside the hive.

The harvest procedures are most likely similar to how a top bar hive is harvested as well. 

That's the skinny on Bee Gums.  This would be an interesting project to add to your bee yard this year.  I hope you try it around the bee yard.  Until next time, I'll see you around the hive!

It's July, and I realized I hadn't posted in over a month.  I took June off and spent my profits from selling honey for an all-expense paid vacation to Loami, IL.  Mostly, I spent time with bees and my fledgling orchard.

So, let's go out to the hive and see what's going on.

Now that you are pulling frames of honey from your bees hard work, it's time to start your harvest.

First, make a plan.  Get your supply list together and in the truck or wagon, so you are ready at the hive.  Be prepared to sweat since you'll be there awhile. 

Beyond my normal gear: gloves and netting; my list includes the following: cooler that will hold full frames; wagon, so I don't have to carry the cooler; frame holder; alligator pliers to grab frames, extra fuel for smoker; self-lighting  propane torch for quick lighting of smoker.

I also bring a bucket with a few frames just in case the harvest is light.

Second, as I get to the hive, I usually have my smoker going.  Before I suit up, I walk over and give the girls a few puffs as a preparation for the upcoming activity.  This gives them time to settle down.   I tend to rely on smoke heavily when I harvest, and try to time the harvest during the sunniest part of the day, as lot of the bees are out foraging.  Because of this, I broke open the piggy bank and bought myself a self-lighting torch.  This way I can quickly fire up the smoker if it goes out.  This was worth the $40.

On a side note, my lovely mother-in-law, Betsy, gave me a bag full of stag-horn-sumac flowers, which are great for the smoker.  These take a minute or so to ignite, but hold the smoke for awhile and don't overwhelm the bees with harsh chemicals or nasty smells you get from burning rags or rope.  And, like most beekeepers, I'm all about "free" stuff like this.

Well, the title here said prepared and Clean.  So my third tip is to clean everything before you begin.  Why?  Well, the bees like you more when you are scent free.  And your equipment works better.  Lastly, you are handling food-stuff.  I'll go into the cleanliness part in more detail when we talk about extracting next time.  And it REALLY counts then.

Until next time, see you around the hive!
tim

From nice weather, to 18.5 inches of snow, to what seem like endless rain.  We are fortunate the weather is not cold enough for snow with all the rain we are getting.

The colonies in the picture are sitting at least 6 inches off the ground, but you will notice the snow almost entirely covers the bottom hive body.

Well, we are not far from swarm season, so the few nice days which may occur between now and the end of April should be used to examine your colonies and ascertain if the brood boxes need to be reversed or if you need to cull and replace old frames.

So now you are pretty sure you want to keep bees.  And the bee box - called a hive body, looks complicated.  But it's not.  See the picture on the left.  These are the main parts.

Most of these are easily made in your wood working shop.  Even I can make them with a circular saw, jigsaw, hammer and nails.  Okay, maybe a drill too.

Plans are easily found on the web.

I won't go into each of the parts.  And while we do not yet have any plans on the site at this time, I'll see about loading some soon.

You may want to check out The Beekeeper's Handbook, 4th, which you can get at Barnes & Noble or Amazon for around $20.  I copied this image from page 39 of that book. We may be adding a book store to this site, so check back with us later.

This image shows the lower half of the hive.  Many of us do not use a hive stand, and instead use cinder blocks, which are sturdy, easy and cheap. 

That being said, if you have a stand, put some peach-can-sized containers under each leg, and put some used motor oil in it, which will protect the hive from ants and other critters.

Here's what one of my completed hives looks like.  The rough looking ones on the bottom I made from scratch.  The nice looking one on top I ordered from one of the bee keeping supply companies. 

If you look close you can see how they have a rabbeted corner. 

Note how this unit sits on cinder blocks, which also sits on a wooden pallet.

So, if you are somewhat handy you can probably make your own.

But the wooden-ware is not too expensive and is easy to assemble.  You can even order a whole "beginners kit" for between $100-$150, depending on what you have in the kit.

Have fun, protect your thumbs, and we will see you around the hive!
tim

Time to start thinking about your stock for 2013.  If you have Illinois Queens, your bees are probably doing well.

These gals are stronger and healthier than their cousins from California or Georgia.  So if your queen makes it through the winter, be sure to give her a crown.

The Illinois Queen Initiative (IQI) has grown out of this trend of trying to keep queens locally produced, even within temperature zones in Illinois.  

But the IQI has more in mind than just raising queens that are more cold-hardy. 

Here are some of the IQI's Goals:
By 2015: Exceed 50% of the demand for queens in Illinois.

Exceed 20% of the demand for nucs or packaged bees (bees provided in bulk by a beekeeper, typically NOT from IL).

Continue training the various methods of
queen rearing to all interested beekeepers
in llinois.

Continue to bring in new genetics as needed in order to enhance current stocks with beneficial traits and avoid the problem of inbreeding.

Continue to test stock for Varroa Mite resistance, hygienic behavior and other positive traits.

You can join this great organization or help out several ways.  Check out their site at llinoisqueeninitiative.com/

My personal goal is to raise at least one nuc to sell to a new beekeeper in 2013.  This should get them off to a good start.

Beekeepers are learners, experimenters.  It'll be fun to try starting a nuc with a new queen and providing it to a new beekeeper.

I hope you join me in this IQI adventure.

Until then, see you around the hive!
tim