Natural Beekeeping Network

[Sir David]

very good pictures

[Barry Jackson]

Great Pictures
Thank you
Barry

[zaunreiter]

So you want more? Here we go!

Plums are blossoming and the bees are most busy.

A bee looking at the busy folks at the pond.


Pollen - so much pollen.


Willow.


Some bugs eating their way through the pollen abundance. I heared them munching, which is why I spotted them.


Air manoeuvres in the front of the entrance.




Vertical landing boards - no worries.


Just cute!

[zaunreiter]

Spring at least!


I observed that the bees hang from the blossoms after the visit, to brush their hair and store the pollen in their pollen baskets.

[zaunreiter]

Water, the bees collected really much water throughout the day.










Good friends hugging each other and having a drink or two.

[FollowMeChaps]

What camera do you use Bernhard?
Robin

[zaunreiter]

Canon EOS 500D
Canon 100mm Macro

[FollowMeChaps]

Thanks Bernhard. A fancy bit of kit, beats my point and shoot. Keep those pictures coming; they're BRILLIANT.
Robin

[zaunreiter]

I nadired on Sunday - not too late, I'd say. First heavy nectar flow!

What is she looking for?


Like a bear!


Someone at home?


Nectar!
















20 degrees Celsius, sunny day and nectar is coming in.

Bernhard

[zaunreiter]

This is what we call a sand bee - I think it is an Andrena sort of bee called in Latin/English:


Front view:


On a blossom:








Another solitary bee:

[zaunreiter]

What I try to do, is to take picture of flying bees with a macro lens. Very difficult. Because bees are small objects and pretty fast. Especially the wings, because bees move their wings 1.600 times a second!

I did some pictures with a very high closing/shutter time - more than 2,500 is needed, 5,000 is best. But...the pictures get very dark.

I tried different things, changing ISO, used a strong lamp and so on. Not satisfied, yet!











I really like this series, although a bit dark - the bees throws up it's forearms before jumping. I like that one. Like people bungee-jumping.

[zaunreiter]

The bees brought in some 4 kilogramms of nectar/honey last week. They also nearly finishing two fresh combs.



The box in the middle of a stack of three boxes is packed with brood.



Bernhard

[zaunreiter]

Another small observation I made. Bees tend to land on other bees, that are
over and over covered in pollen. (Willow and other sources.)





Even during flight, they try to land on them! Must be most attractive.



Bernhard

[mini-thumper]

Hi Bernhard
Brilliant photographs! You must be very patient - digital has much to be thanked for; can you imagine doing this with 35mm film?

With regard to bees landing on bees. I was sitting watching my bees yesterday afternoon and observed lots of bees seemingly being 'set upon' possibly as intruders. They too were always the most polleny bees so it must be a common strategy they employ - I wonder why?

Keep up the good work.......

Boyd

[zaunreiter]

Delivery service!


The fresh drawn combs get filled with honey immediately.


Guards of the brood.


When do they hatch??


This bees polishes the hive walls.


Heating bees.






Bernhard

[zaunreiter]

The first queen cell / cup started in 2012! It gets visited every second and has a lot of attention of the workers.





Bees massively carry in water and can be found on many blossoms.





You even see the nectar in the flowers.



Cherries, some apple and pear trees are blossoming already. Others don't due to the chilly nights we have now.

Some more impressions of the day:




























Bernhard

[BoBnh]

Bernhard, When are you going to publish a picture book?
Those are amazing photos.
They are probably the best bee (and insect) pictures that i have seen.

Bob

[zaunreiter]

A second queen cell was started.


Both cells gets visited and cared for frequently.




Chewing gum while working...


Today the bees carried in pollen like mad. Really a lot of pollen. Nectar income was not that much, although cherries and a lot of bushes are in full blossoming.

The bees build on comb here and there.

Bernhard

[zaunreiter]

I supered empty boxes today. (Nadired already some time ago. Hives are bursting.)

I used foundations as ladders, so the bees do not build upwards, thus connecting the boxes. I pre-heated the foundation with a blowtorch and used scissors to cut it to size.


I clamped the foundation between split topbar halves, nailing them together.


I used the blowtorch to melt the upper extending foundation, the molten wax runs into the gaps making it really sticking to the topbar.


Two "ladders" for each super box.


Seems to work.


Crowding - I love it.




Bernhard

[MObeek]

To Bernhard,

Thanks for a good idea on making ladders for supers. Have you also tried moving a comb into the super? If so, did it work also?

[zaunreiter]

Yes, works very well. Since I am writing an article for beginners, presumbly with no empty combs at hands, I used foundation for the pictures. You could make use of the prime combs from swarm bait boxes, for example.

Bernhard

[MikeRobinson]

You're an excellent nature photographer and, with your knowledge and obvious love of bee-nature (and the unusual experience of having beehives in your house), I could seriously see a book to be written here.

[zaunreiter]

The combs in the box below the supered box are almost finished - and filled with honey to the rim!


I can hear the bees fanning a lot - the air around the hive smells like fresh honey. Beautiful!


Bee highway up!


The top of the foundations get drawn out now. On each side of the two foundations.


Next to the foundation small building clusters start comb next to the foundation.


Seems to work as intended. When the May nectar flow hits the combs should be ready to take all that lovely warm honey.

Bernhard

[zaunreiter]

Yesterday I spotted the first drones of the year.







The queen cups still get attended, but do not grow much, just swelling a little, getting broader as it looks like.







I expect a swarm in a week or two maybe. I now prepare a combined swarm&pollen-trap. I will report.

Bernhard

[MObeek]

To Bernhard,

Could you please write an ebook with tons of your past pictures and info on what you did, when you did it and how it turned out? It would really be a great step-by-step info for new beeks and beek-wannabees for sure. I'm willing to pay for a fair price for it.

[jefdby]

Me too! I want the book
How do you get into the hive so much to take photos?
A friend had to tell me the queen was in one of my photos. She was in a rosette of workers.
I love your photos, and your attic Idea. I wondered if I could do that, but then I saw how you have a window, and walkin ability. I have an American attic....no access to ME really. oh well.

Jennifer

[zaunreiter]

I have a window in all hive boxes, which is really a nice thing to have. So much to learn without disturbing them.

Bernhard

[zaunreiter]

Flight studies. I am still struggling with highspeed flash settings and all.



















Bernhard

[zaunreiter]

Foundations get drawn out. The combs getting thicker.


At work.


Hook off, mate!


Swarm cells grow slowly.




But get worked on continiously.


One full box with honey already filled.


Bernhard

[colobeekeep]

Hi Bernhard. Great pictures!!!
I have a question. How do you get the pictures of the comb with just a few bees in the way? When I try to take pictures through my Warré observation windows, the combs are always covered by lots of bees, and they are always building 3 or more combs simultaneously, so there's always a crowd of bees in the way.