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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,635
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,635 |
From what I gather everyone that raises bees up here, they lose them in the winter. I did have a bud who said he never lost his.. but he’s no longer up here moved few yrs back. I need to get some because we have apple trees, I need to get them pollinated. There are keepers that overwinter successfully. Most will kill the bees September-ish time frame and harvest the honey. Bees fly quite a distance for nectar. I'm surprised there are none in side a 5-10 mile radius of you. Last yr our trees didn’t produce much.. our cherry trees, did not so great. Our apple trees, I’m not sure if a late frost got them or lack of bees. Our crabapple tree, yr before tons of crabapple last yr zero.. like i said not sure if it was frost or lack of bees. This is our 3rd yr with the trees and I really like to see our Apple trees produce something, they are honey crisp. It is common for trees to produce poorly after a huge crop... so it may not have been any real problem. My niece has kept bees for years without ever losing them. some years are harder on them than others, but they survive.
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 15,681 Likes: 3
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 15,681 Likes: 3 |
Keith Malone. He is based in Chugiak. http://alaskahoneybee.com/Site/ALASKA_HONEY_BEE.html He has a lot of extra packages right now. He sells his own Alaska over winter hybrid, Improved Russian Strain, Italians, and some Carniolians. He sells them in a 5lb package for 252 so its a little more than outside but they are doing well and we have a lot of them. Cool. Thank you.
![[Linked Image from i.pinimg.com]](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/98/b6/d8/98b6d863a5f722b551cd8e1440bd2bd4.jpg) Z
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,964
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,964 |
We’ve got 2 hives, both made it through the winter....though our winter is milder than yours. I’m hoping to do a “split” soon. We have Carniolan’s, which seem to winter well, using less stores! I would ultimately like to have 8 hives! memtb
Last edited by memtb; 04/29/20.
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,252 Likes: 25
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,252 Likes: 25 |
Due to the strange world of teaching remotely. I have decided(really the wifey decided) that we should raise bees. We bought two hives of IRS (improved Russian Strain) honey bees and hived them in Langstroth hives. We live in the middle of nowhere in on top of a hill above Fairbanks so they have a lot of fields but they also have a lot of predators. We got the bees that will kill yellow jackets. They are supposed to be a bit meaner than the other bees but they seem to be very nice right now.
It is still cold at night, dropping down to 20F, to we have a number of quilts over the tops with just a tiny bee entrance and exit. We have pollen patties and candy boards on the tops of the frames and the queens are held in by pollen patty and should be free in the brood by tomorrow night. It gets up to 55F during the day and they do fly. They are a lot more gentle than the wild bees. We will see how this experiment works. It is interesting.
Just wondering if others here raise bees. I'm planning on getting a starter hive and trying them out here on the AKPEN. In the last ten years or so the fireweed has taken off where you see miles of pinkish purple. The problem is that 55 F is a very warm day out here and bees usually aren't active unless it's unusually warm and calm. A friend told me about the Russian Strain and that they do better in colder climates. Where did you get them if you don't mind me asking? LOL! Your bees will get blowed to Asia!!
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time.
--Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice.
--ironbender
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