[susan rudnicki]

Great preparation steps!!! Michael Bush is wonderful and if you have been part of BBK in the past, you know we also advocate using feral, survivor stock bees, unlimited brood nest, and no treatments. I would only urge you to get a mentor. Maybe Erik of Root Simple would have some guidance for you, as I am in Manhattan Beach, and he is more in your part of the city. (though I have students in Glendora, Hollywood, and Thousand Oaks—just depends on patience in working with my schedule)
I am doing a large cutout of a old kitchen cabinet on a deck in Redondo Beach on Tuesday, if you would want to assist and learn by seeing a wild hive in situ—-this is how most of my students get their first hive and how I acquired by first colony (with Rob McFarland mentoring me!)
It is fascinating work and you get a real jump start in understanding how a hive organizes itself.
I looked up the book by Dominique di Vito that you listed and I don’t put it on the same level as the others. She seems to be a dog person (many dog books) and is not listed as being a beekeeper. There are a LOT of writers out there putting out books about beekeeping and most of the impetus seems to be wanting to ride the wave of beekeeping interest that is flooding the country right now—the use of the term CCD is a flag, as most scientists are no longer using that term. Many authors have NO experience with bees at all. One has to be careful, especially as the books with a treatment-free stance are very few.

[susan rudnicki]

Hi, Jennifer—the bees are busting out all over! I am the Forum moderator, and a mentor to new beeks. When you say you are “new” can you describe what books you have read, meetings or HoneyLove Sanctuary visits attended, or if you have a mentor yet?
Education is key to success with bees, and critical when keeping them in the confines of the city. I urge you to join HL and come to meetings where we have monthly topics presented and many like-minded folks that you can connect with. All that being the preamble—luring a swarm to your new woodware is not a sure thing. They often show preference for cavities previously occupied by other bee colonies. Bees are highly driven by pheromones and chemical signaling, kinda the way you see with dogs as they pass down the street gathering information by smelling every fence post and tree trunk. So, bees may come as a swarm to occupy your hive, or it could sit there for years and not attract anyone.
Please write back with a little more information to the questions above and help us help you to get up to speed. The rains of the last 3 months have caused a explosion of swarming activity (I have picked up quite a few) and colony cutouts are another source of resilient, well-established bees.

[susan rudnicki]

Laurence—as a experienced bee rescuer, I would add to the above that the average citizen often does not knowledgeably assess the structures bees are inhabiting. The public also does not understand the way bees build their colonies, which is fundamental to doing the job humanely. “Stucco” walls can have a LOT of heavy interior structure— if not be applied as a finish layer to concrete block, even. This type of material is not easily penetrated. So, a wall job requires a trap-out, a technical procedure of the highest order and which can take several weeks, and which almost NO ONE in the LA basin has the expertise to perform knowledgeably. Most clients just want things “fixed” immediately, but this is not compatible with true humane removal/trapout from a block wall. Most clients also are loathe to pay a decent wage for the skills and the time, as well.

[susan rudnicki]

Hi, Lisabeth—you have reached the right source! First, tell us a little about yourself and what education you have taken to learn about bees. Where do you live? Have you been to some of the HL Monthly Symposiums where we have topics presented on beekeeping? How about visiting the HL Sanctuary? Rob and Chelsea have written a excellent guide for all things related to keeping natural honey bees, using wild bees (survivor stock) caught from the great population of the LA Basin. Please tell us what books you have read to guide knowledge.
However, hives set up in backyards to attract swarms are not guaranteed to be occupied, as you have discovered! Sounds like you have more than one hive, which is a smart setup—when something needs remedying for a problem, one of the hives can often be the donor of what you need. Are you wishing to keep in Langstroth hives or Top Bar hives?
Very important—have you made contact with a mentor who is experienced and accessible to you? (I am not familiar with the acronyms this post is titled by—SWF, ISO?) Let us know the answers to these questions which can help route you to sources and help. You can also call me, the HL Forum moderator, at 310-374-4779 Thanks! Susan

[susan rudnicki]

Hi, kayla—yes, there are a lot of localities that are not under the umbrella of LA City, so are not afforded the ability to keep bees legally. Chelsea McFarland, the founder of our group, with her husband, Rob (you can see them on the pull-down tab under “About” on our website) knows more about the process than anyone. But it is not easily or quickly done, typically. The LA City effort was 5 years in the making.
The truth is—a majority of beeks in LA are just keeping bees anyway. With careful, diligent management, and attention to constant learning by the beekeeper, the bees can do very well and not be a bother to anyone.

[susan rudnicki]

Hi, writing back I am concerned about destruction of queen cell you found. I hope this was not a attempt by the colony to supercede a failing queen. Much of the time we humans can not know the bees requiring a new queen and what spurs them to start the process. You do not say if there was a egg or larva in the cell. Be aware, for swarming, many queen cells will be drawn and if they are already occupied, even cutting them out will not stop a colony from swarming—they are on the trajectory already. ONE queen cell is often the attempt to replace a queen. Michael Bush has some good writing on this subject, here http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfallacies.htm

[susan rudnicki]

Hi, Leslie—thank you for a comprehensive description of what you have so I may offer advice with those things in mind. MANY newbees fail to describe their colony situation, so a lot of time is spent trying to dig it out with notes back and forth!!
The big difference between us is that we are still in the throes of Winter (for Los Angeles, that means we have finally been getting some winter chill of mid-40 degrees F. Winters are increasingly showing heat spikes and little to no winter chill, even at night) I think you are in Summer now. And the dependent factor is forage for you. If you are on a flow, the honey storage could find the bees backfilling the queen’s laying space (becoming honey bound) unless you open up the brood nest by moving some brood frames out to a nuc or up into another level. If you are looking at swarm prevention, the initiation could be not far off with 2 deeps of brood drawn out to the degree you write. I do not use excluders, preferring to practice Michael Bush’s method of unlimited brood nest. Bees will naturally store the excess honey in the upper boxes anyway, and the queen will build a strong, resilient brood chamber if she is not confined. Here is a link—http://www.bushfarms.com/beesulbn.htm
Are you using foundation? I do not use it, so I can’t address how fast they will draw wax for you. You say “The honey super drawn out ” so I am not sure what you are meaning.
I am assuming you are using the term “checkerboard” in the proper manner attributed to Walt Wright, who coined the term for describing nectar/honey frame management to avert swarming. A full head of honey above the brood nest is a signal to swarm, too. So he describes alternating filled nectar/honey frames with empty frames above the broodnest, and laying on another box where the five honey frames taken out are alternated above the lower honey box, or, H,E,H,E,H,E,H,E,H,E for the lower one and E,H,E,H,E,H,E,H,E,H for the top one. This gives the bees the impression they are not ready to swarm. One other question—where are the bees sourced? Package/breeder bees or feral survivor stock? I am not including any understanding of varroa counts or loads since I do not deal with that issue, my AHBs do it! But it is a factor when there is not genetic resistance.

[susan rudnicki]

Hello, Doris—I wondering why you make this statement “There is nothing to study with bee hiving. It is simple, they can live there own. The only thing you need to be aware is how to extract the honey and when.”
Firstly, HoneyLove is a educational organization, so why would we exist if keeping bees required no study? Taking honey from bees is the very last step of good husbandry and represents a bonus, not the “only” purpose of beekeeping. Certainly, if you are keeping bees in the urban environment where 99% of your neighbors are not beekeepers, your negligence of study and knowledge of bee biology and management may create a nuisance for others when bees swarm or get crowded, which can make them defensive.
Secondly, any bee club in any state would say the same thing I write above—we are NOT interested in facilitating uninformed bee management and beekeeping or in any way leading the public to think this attitude is one we endorse. This is the kind of statement “there is nothing to study…” that people who are against beekeeping will seize upon as evidence that bees should not be allowed in Los Angeles. Our club and many other people worked for FIVE long years to convince the Los Angeles city authorities that we would be responsible and careful. This resulted in the approval of the new LA City code allowing beekeeping of 2 hives per residential lot.
As a six year beekeeper myself, I can make a short list of the things that uneducated beeks will often miss and cause their colony to die or decline Queenless hive
Drone layer
Starving
Crowded conditions
Too much space
Swarm preparation
My guess is you are ignorant of all these issues as well. No knowledgable beek would make such a statement. Please be more thoughtful and helpful with remarks posted to this site. Thank you, the Forum Moderator

[susan rudnicki]

Hello, Doris—I wondering why you make this statement “There is nothing to study with bee hiving. It is simple, they can live there own. The only thing you need to be aware is how to extract the honey and when.”
Firstly, HoneyLove is a educational organization, so why would we exist if keeping bees required no study? Taking honey from bees is the very last step of good husbandry and represents a bonus, not the “only” purpose of beekeeping. Certainly, if you are keeping bees in the urban environment where 99% of your neighbors are not beekeepers, your negligence of study and knowledge of bee biology and management may create a nuisance for others when bees swarm or get crowded, which can make them defensive.
Secondly, any bee club in any state would say the same thing I write above—we are NOT interested in facilitating uninformed bee management and beekeeping or in any way leading the public to think this attitude is one we endorse. This is the kind of statement “there is nothing to study…” that people who are against beekeeping will seize upon as evidence that bees should not be allowed in Los Angeles. Our club and many other people worked for FIVE long years to convince the Los Angeles city authorities that we would be responsible and careful. This resulted in the approval of the new LA City code allowing beekeeping of 2 hives per residential lot.
As a six year beekeeper myself, I can make a short list of the things that uneducated beeks will often miss and cause their colony to die or decline Queenless hive
Drone layer
Starving
Crowded conditions
Too much space
Swarm preparation
My guess is you are ignorant of all these issues as well. No knowledgable beek would make such a statement. Please be more thoughtful and helpful with remarks posted to this site. Thank you, the Forum Moderator

[susan rudnicki]

Please contact Ray Teurman, email noted on the earlier post. He worked with a group that designed and installed a hive surround such as what you are proposing.

[susan rudnicki]

HI, Helen—this is a wonderful idea. There have been efforts to site bees in Griffith Park in similar manner but were shot down due to “legal considerations” So, reading this list of proposed needs, I am struck by the missing aspect of legal liability coverage. This will be a important consideration in moving the project to realization. Also, the expertise, training and dedication to inspections and monitoring and maintaining records for the bee hives at each site can not be underestimated. The procurement of the founding bee colonies would need to come from sources of experience in judging suitable temperament for a public setting. In my opinion, the project would benefit from using feral, re-homed honey bees to emphasize the need to protect bees from extermination and to highlight the continuity of survivor genetics, not buying bees from breeders that must be treated with acaricides. You may want to reach out to our member, Ray Teurman, ray teurman@me.com since he was involved in building and maintaining a enclosure in LA that sounds similar to your proposal. So, those are my observations! Susan

[susan rudnicki]

Hey, Geghard—just had another idea (Susan again…) call Walker Rollins, she lives in Altadena and has a bunch of neighborhood hives or could hook you up with someone around you 213-880-3056 oramomi@gmail.com

[susan rudnicki]

Amy—this post reply you put up was marked “hidden” ???? WHERE are you located? Are you in Sacramento?
Anyway, I am responding. Your neighbor is not informed about safe bee removal and I would ignore this advice. Pest control companies are in the business of exterminating honey bees and have no expertise in rescuing bees or handling them humanely. They apply poisons to your property. They can create defensive reactions in the bees whose home is being destroyed, resulting in stinging incidents. Please let us know where you live. A beekeeper is the best person to safely take the bees from your garden, but you will need to provide some basic information—-How HIGH up is the colony? In a tree, structure, or what? How LONG has it been there? Please reply back
Thanks

[susan rudnicki]

Amy—this post reply you put up was marked “hidden” ???? WHERE are you located? Are you in Sacramento?
Anyway, I am responding. Your neighbor is not informed about safe bee removal and I would ignore this advice. Pest control companies are in the business of exterminating honey bees and have no expertise in rescuing bees or handling them humanely. They apply poisons to your property. They can create defensive reactions in the bees whose home is being destroyed, resulting in stinging incidents. Please let us know where you live. A beekeeper is the best person to safely take the bees from your garden, but you will need to provide some basic information—-How HIGH up is the colony? In a tree, structure, or what? How LONG has it been there? Please reply back
Thanks

[susan rudnicki]

Good!! the reading is very helpful for learning the technicalities of the bee social behaviors. What kind of hive do you have them in? Langstroth, Top Bar? Do you know about the Natural Beekeeping conference HoneyLove is sponsoring that goes all next weekend? I strongly recommend you come as it is a very quick and intensive road to learning helpful information and the chance to make connections with others in the beekeeping community.
If this is your first hive, I strongly urge you to get connected with a mentor. This will help you learn faster, with fewer mistakes (mistakes that can sometimes endanger the public and our collective beekeeping reputations) and give you greater confidence. Be careful about reading a lot of posts on the Internet and YouTube videos. Often, the people posting this information are NOT in our area of the country (you may have heard the phrase “all beekeeping is local” and this is VERY important in dealing with Los Angeles feral bee stock)
Where do you live? HL can hook you up with a mentor in your area. Do you have your basic equipment—suit or jacket, veil, smoker, hive tool, boots or protective shoes, hive stand? Do you know how to inspect your new hive and what you should be looking for? A new swarm should be inspected every few days on foundationless frames to make sure they stay under the profile of the topbar.
Have you read Rob and Chelsea’s book? Please write back!

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