Visual Cues for Bees

I'd read about visual cues for bees and I started to put different stickers on the fronts on my hives to help bees get back to the right hive.

Ever since I lost a queen who I found dead from a sting outside a hive I've added visual cues for the bees.  She had been on a mating flight and even still had drone parts in her rear.  I believe when she returned from her mating flight she went into the wrong hive.  At that time I had both hives identically painted and sitting side by side.

[photo - stung dead queen after returning from mating flight]

Now if the hives are side by side I change the orientation of the front, even if it's only by 10 degrees because the differences aid the bees in returning.


A few weeks ago I collected a small swarm from Home Depot.  They had landed on patio furniture at the front door.  As I swept the bees into the box I could tell these were young and inexperienced bees with a virgin queen because the swarm was small and that they were home scenting in multiple locations and took longer to figure everything out.

[photo - original first two hives with identical painting sitting side by side]

I wanted this hive placed in my yard with lots of drones so the queen could get mating done safely and get to the business of laying eggs.  I put a piece of black gorilla tape about 1 1/2" to the left of their top entrance as a visual cue.  I especially wanted their new queen to get back into the right hive after her mating flights.

[Photo - green super was the top box with tape marker to the left of entrance.  New purple super added and tape moved up to the new entrance]

A few weeks later I checked and the queen was busy laying and they had capped and opened brood.  I went to add a super and I removed the tape from the lower box and moved it up to the same position on the new super.

What was really cool was to watch how the returning foragers focused on that black tape.  They flew to it, hovered for barely a second and then glided 1 1/2" to the right and went right into the hive.  They had instantly found the new adjusted entry without confusion because of the tape marker.

[Video - original marker near entrance on top green super]

[Video - After new purple super added and tape marker moved up as a visual cue for the entrance]

That day was a really busy foraging day so the bees were returning in large numbers.  So, sorry I didn't video that day but on another swarm hive I videoed the same thing so I hope you can see how they use the tape as a locator for their entrance.

Each piece of tape on the front of each hive is placed differently so avoid confusion.

Kelly Kettle a Beekeeper's Friend

While camping on an overseas trip my friend got out this metal thing that looked like a canister and in less than five minutes we all had hot coffees in our hands.  Wow.  Very nice to have a warm up on a cold afternoon.

It's called a Kelly Kettle and is an Irish design that's been used for many years   The kettle sits on a base where a small fire is created.  The intense heat rises up like a chimney through the hollow center of the kettle and rapidly heats the water.

It takes almost no fuel (leaves, twigs) to create the small fire.  There are also accessories that sit in the bottom fire bowl to cook food or a pot rest that sits on the top of the kettle.

This is great for camping and hiking as well.  Sold by https://www.kellykettle.com it comes in a lighter weight aluminum or a heavier steel that lasts longer.

Bee Culture E-Newsletter

If you didn't know already, there's an excellent and free bee newsletter that you can sign up for to receive an email each day.

Bee Culture is a magazine and the author Kim Flottum wrote the much acclaimed Backyard Beekeeper's book, among others.

They have search robots that troll through the internet looking for bee related news and then they send out articles.

Today's article is about a recent discovery that bees can see far better than scientists realized.

You can view it and also sign up on their website:

Bee Culture - Bees See Better

Wax Moth Caterpillars saving us from plastic

This short video is very interesting.  A beekeeper and scientist happened to notice how wax moths chew plastic very effectively and now they're exploring the possibility of using them to solve our plastic problems.  More info at the link below

Wax Moth Caterpillars

I have seen how these caterpillars not only chew the wax but also the wood of the frames.  They've got quite the strong mouth parts to be able to do that.

How to make Salves with beeswax

 I've done a couple postings on making body products with oils and beeswax.  Generally the recipes are very similar.  The bottom line is that the amount of wax added to the oil will determine how hard the lip balm, lotion bar or salve or ointment will be.

Generally salves should be softer so you can dip your finger in to scoop a glob.  So there is less wax used in these recipes.

The ingredients can vary widely as far as what oils you use and also if you use a scent or fragrance or essential oils.

This recipe is how to make a salve which is great to put on those aching muscles or arthritic joints.  I have bad knees and I was surprised to find how much this salve helps.

You could actually make your own "Tiger Balm" which is quite effective - but that requires product from a supplier.  This recipe uses spices from your own kitchen that are warming or hot.  It's not as strong as Tiger Balm but I find it's better for daily application and less smelly.

Warming Spice Salve:

Containers - small jar or two 2 oz tins
6 tbsp Infused Olive Oil (see how to below)
2 tbsp Cayenne Pepper Powder
2 tbsp Black Pepper
2 tbsp Ginger Powder
2 tbsp Beeswax
25 drops Essential Oils (see below)

If you have a fine sieve then the spices can go into the oil loose.  If not, use a piece of cloth to knot and hold the spices.

An Oil Infusion:  In a double boiler heat the oil and spices over a medium heat for 45 mins.  Let cool and then strain the spices, keeping the oil.

Reheat the oil over a medium heat and add the beeswax.  Have containers ready.  Once the wax is melted, add the Essential Oils, stir well and then pour into containers.  Let cool.

There are essential oils that will not only give scent to the salve, they are also known for their anti-inflammatory properties which will aid the area it's applied to.  These oils are Ginger, Rosemary, Peppermint, Black Pepper, Clove, and Lavender.  Don't use all of them but one or two would be lovely.  An oil like Lavender can also help to relax and de-stress as well.  There will be a spicy smell to this salve which you'll always smell as well but I don't find it unpleasant.

The red colour comes form the spices.  It goes on the skin red but does not stain the skin.

Now that I've shared my recipe, I'd love to hear how you like it if you've tried it.

How to Make a Body Lotion Bar

If you've made lip balm then you can make a lotion bar. The process is the same - you make a semi solid cake with moisturizing oils and beeswax.

The finished lotion bar melts on contact with your warm skin.  This bar is lovely to rub on your dewy skin after a shower.

With the lip balm recipe a couple posts back, I used simple oils that are readily available in the kitchen.

For this recipe it uses a variety of nourishing and moisturizing oils which are quite luxurious for the skin.

The beeswax helps to create an emollient barrier on the skin which holds the moisture against the skin.


Essential oils give your bar glorious scents and if you explore some aromatherapy oils you can create blends that can be for stress, relaxation, etc.  These give your bar an added dimension and are value added which takes your product up a notch.

The molds used for the shapes are soap molds (Milky Way brand of molds - "Guest Soap") which are sold at the suppliers listed previously on the Lip Balm recipe and re-posted at the bottom.

A small kitchen scales will help tremendously since most recipes are not by tbsp or cups, but instead by grams.

Some of the oils are semi-solid at room temperature and some are liquid oils.

Recipe yields 6 bars

18 g Virgin Coconut Oil
36 g Apricot Kernel Oil
36 g Jojoba Oil
30 g Shea Butter
36 g Cocoa Butter (deodorized or it smells like chocolate - which isn't a bad thing)
 15 g Mango Butter
8 gel capsules Vitamin E Oil
3 g Essential Oil Blend
81 g Beeswax

Slowly melt the beeswax, coconut oil, apricot kernel oil, jojoba oils and cocoa butter on a low heat until melted.  Then add in the Shea and Mango Butters.  Finally add the more delicate Vitamin E Oil and your Essential Oil blend.  Stir and make sure everything is melted.

Have your molds ready and pour your warm mixture into the molds.  Leave 30 minutes to cool.  I find it's best to put in the freezer for 5 minutes prior to unmolding so that pieces don't stick in the mold.

Or a better way is to place the freshly poured molds into the freezer for 15 minutes, then remove and unmold so that your mold is freed up to do another batch.

The bars do fit nicely into metal tins sold at the suppliers which keep them from being crushed.

I'd love to hear from you if you try this.  Good luck!


Candian suppliers:
New Directions - Canada
Voyageur Soap & Candle

USA suppliers:
New Directions - USA
Brambleberry

Excellent free How To videos for beekeepers from Guelph University

Dr Ernesto Gusman and Paul Kelly are the excellent instructors for the beekeeping course held at the University of Guelph's Apiculture Centre.

Below is a link to a series of about 30 free instructional beekeeping videos.  They are very professional and Paul's teaching technique is very straightforward and easy to understand.  I can't believe these are free!

This is a beekeeper's goldmine of info.  Enjoy!

http://www.uoguelph.ca/honeybee/videos.shtml

An example is Swarm Control posted below.  When hives swarm we lose productivity in the hive so it's best to try to prevent it.