[susan rudnicki]

Walker and Kirk took them all early this morning

[susan rudnicki]

Yes—I was inspected, unannounced, by Robert Weider, county apiary inspector who drove from Arcadia. My hives are all registered with the county, which only costs $10 a year for all of them, and I believe gives/gave me the stamp of legitimacy. Someone complained, (I suspect a disgruntled older beek who used to work for fees for the city and now is not on the list) but all was in order when Wieder visited, and he was here about 3 minutes. He went to the public works yard first, to see my 5 hives there and spoke to my sponsor, who gave me thumbs up. Here is Wieder’s note back to me—

Good Morning Susan,

The person that complained said that the bees were not being properly cared for and casting off swarms causing numerous neighbors to complain about the situation. After speaking with you, and the fellows over at public works I saw no evidence of this and will make a statement to this effect if the person calls back. I also explained that there is nothing in the Manhattan Beach Code prohibiting beekeeping.

That’s about all of the information I have.
Bob Wieder

You should make sure the bees have a water source the inspector can see them using. Also, his main job is hazardous materials programs and small business inspections—he does not really know that much about bees. He is the third person to occupy the position since I became a beek about 3 years ago—gives you an idea of how the staffing is less than ideal. Susan

[susan rudnicki]

This is taken

[susan rudnicki]

These are gone

[susan rudnicki]

Beeks—please, please do not reply to this website and please always leave a contact phone for me to respond. My email is susanrudnicki@gmail.com and phone, landline ONLY is 310-374-4779. calling on the phone is the quickest way for me to know your bee needs. thanks Susan

[susan rudnicki]

Please call me—NO CELL, landline only must be taken tonight
310-374-4779 I have no contact for you Susan

[susan rudnicki]

Kelly–just a point of information—it is not clear if you are inviting a managed hive on your property (a tenant) or if you are inviting a swarm catching box. But the other thing is, bees fly up to 5 miles from their home hive, and the bees you see are probably foragers and not on the lookout for a homesite. They are emanating from many hives in the area

[susan rudnicki]

These are adopted

[susan rudnicki]

HI, you are looking at “gaiters”, not gators, and these are sold on-line— try to get a light color or they will be a stinging magnet for annoyed bees. I have a jacket from Sherriff, in England, because it has a very fine mesh veil. I also have a full suit from Brushy Mountain, back East, that is best for cutouts or dealing with angry hives. It is made of heavy duck material, and since I don’t sweat much, not a problem. People who want the most coverage but the most breathable and cool suit go to Pigeon Mountain for the synthetic, breathable fabric suit. One thing about synthetics is they will melt if they touch the smoker, so you get holes burned in it.
If you are only going to wear a jacket, be aware that leaning over can expose your backside to stings if it hitches up and bees occasionally crawl in by the bottom elasticized opening. I wear light colored, loose pants when using my jacket. Finally, if the drone genetics of your hives eventually shifts to a more aggressive brood strain, you may get bees for which you wish you HAD a full suit. There are no guarantees that the docility will always be the same.

[susan rudnicki]

These are taken

[susan rudnicki]

Eric—the wax is not necessary. Michael Bush writes this in his book, too.

[susan rudnicki]

Marc—If I were you, I would offer the experienced beek (the only type of person who SHOULD be adopting a neglected hive, for the skills it will require to rectify the issues) some sort of monetary reward for taking it off your hands. This is no different than the homeowner who wants beeks to do a cutout for free—this will be a cutout job. Many of the experienced folks here are getting inundated with “problem hives” that are a great deal of work and often have vicious bees to go with them, from lack of proper management. Please provide information about what size hive bodies they are currently in, as well, so the prospective re-homer can figure out the overall size of the hive—I don’t see a description here. There is also very little time allotted for this rehoming if you are leaving in 4 days. I hope you understand the issues better with this explanation. Susan

[susan rudnicki]

Eric—I would not be so “hands off” First, are they in deep boxes or mediums? The mediums will fill faster, of course.
They have been there 3 weeks so they could be doing some mischief with all the extra room you have there. Bees will build comb FROM THE HIGHEST POINT in the cavity. I would pull off the extra boxes until they get a good brood nest, with straight combs, going in the bottom box. Since you took off the other box, you inadvertently did this anyway. Just keep in mind the way bees draw comb—from the highest point. Do this work just before sundown so that the bees are eager to do what they do at night anyway—stay in the hive.
You do not need to “do the hard work of finding the queen” You need to get familiar with the evidence that she is there—-finding the eggs and open brood is that evidence that all is establishing well. You should be always looking for ALL stages of brood—eggs, open larva, and capped brood. These brood will be in the center sections of the brood nest.
I think the bees become familiar with their keeper, and working with them encourages them to recognize you as NOT the enemy

[susan rudnicki]

HI, Nathan—we spoke a couple days ago when you were not ready? Please check for voice messages also— I do not have a cell, so there is no texting with me, but I have lots of swarm boxes arriving weekly Susan 310-374-4779

[susan rudnicki]

Itis gone Susan

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