Howdy and Welcome to RV Bees.

I am located 6 miles west of Searcy, Arkansas.

I have 3 registered Bee Yards with Crimmson and White Clover.

I offer Italian Bees in established Hives and Nucs with filled out frames of brood and an established laying Queen.

All bees and hives are state inspected with health certificates.

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Homemade Pro Health or Honeybee Healthy Mix

THIS MIXTURE IS A CONCENTRATE TO BE MIXED WITH THE SUGAR SYRUP!

5 cups water
2 ½ pounds of sugar
1/8 teaspoon lecithin granules (used as an emulsifier)
15 drops spearmint oil
15 drops lemongrass oil

15 drops of Tea Tree oil

Use hot water to mix the sugar and water.

While mixture is hot add the Lecithin Granuales, spearmint oil, Tea Tree oil, and lemon grass oil.

Put ingredients in a blender and mix for 4 minutes.

add 1 teaspoon per quart of syrup

The emulsifier can be bought at any Health Food Store.

It lets the oils and water mix and adds animo acids that bees need to stay healthy.

Makes 2 quarts

CAUTION- Do not spill this mixture around a bee hive for it will attract honey bees.

NOTE:

1-  When installing new foundations or a super spray the foundations with this mixture added to the sugar syrup, the bees will fill out the foundation a lot faster.

2-You can also spray down a cluster or colony of bees to calm them down.

3-It will also cut down on fermentation of the sugar syrup on warm days.

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HONEY BEE IDENTITY

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HOW TO TELL IF HONEY IS COUNTERFIT

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ZOOM

How to Test Honey

Honey has a number of health benefits, but with so many different brands of honey in the market, it can become difficult to differentiate between real and adulterated honey. So to help you decipher between the two here are a few simple ways you can find out.
All you need to know about real honey:
Honey is made from nectar collected from flowers by bees. This nectar is then taken to the hive where it goes through three levels of processing (by the bees). During the first stage of processing, the enzymes injected into the nectar thickens and ferments the nectar. Subsequently, the second level of processing further thickens the nectar turning it into honey. In the third step, the final step the nectar is further processed and this is done by extracting the water from the nectar making the honey loose about 80% of its total water content. This is why honey is a deep, rich golden brown colour and has a thick consistency. At this stage honey is ready to be extracted from the hive. If extracted too early, the honey will be runny and loose. You may also like to read about 5 amazing combinations of honey that can do wonders for your beauty and health.
How to differentiate between real and artificial honey?
Test 1: The crystallisation test
During the third level of processing the bees infuse the honey with an enzyme that continuously rids it of water (even when it is stored). This is why, honey when stored tends to form a thick, crystalline clump at the bottom of the bottle. Caused due to the continuous action of the enzymes, real honey will always thicken when stored. Whereas artificial, adulterated or fake honey will not. This is also one of the reasons honey is so great for your health, especially when combined with lemon.
Test 2: The water test
Due to the properties of real honey, it does not mix easily in water. Therefore when you pour a spoon of honey in a glass of water (warm,hot or cold) it will settle to the bottom and will have to be stirred in order to mix it thoroughly.
In the case of fake honey, it easily mixes in water even without stirring.
Test 3: The paper test
Take two pieces of paper and place the two samples of honey on either sheet (make sure you label each piece to know which sample belongs to which bottle) and let it stay. Real honey, due to its lack of moisture content, will not wet the paper and perforate it as fast as fake or adulterated honey will.
Test 4: The finger test
This test is quite subjective since it is based on how you feel after applying the honey on your fingers. But it is worth a try. Take some honey and rub it between your thumb and index finger. After a while you will see that while some of it has been absorbed into your skin, the rest will not leave your fingers feeling sticky.
On the other hand fake honey often has sugar which makes it extremely sticky to touch.

What We Do          

Here at RV Bees I raise healthy honey bees that are medium to long range foragers.

From time to time I will have established NUCs

I will be offering Italian Queens

I mark Queens as a courtesy (White)

All Honey Bees and Queens will have State Health Certificates.

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DRY FEEDER

This feeder is to feed a High Protein Dry Pollen Substitute. I use this feed during the dry part of the Summer and also keep it out during the winter months. During the warm spells during the winter the bees will forage on it.

Parts List from LOWES

1 ea. 4 inch Thin walled Drain Pipe PVC Item #24140

1 ea 4 inch PVC adapter Fitting Item #24122

1 ea 4 inch PVC Pipe Cap Item #24132

Cut a length of the Drain Pipe 10 or 12 inches in length

Glue the cap on one end, then place the adapter on the opposite end and glue it.

I use a High Protein Pollen Substitute I get from Mannlakeltd.

Place 1 1/2 to 2 cups of dry feed in the front of the feeder and

place 3 or 4 sticks on top of the feed for the bees to crawl up on to groom themselves on.

When setting up the feeder make sure the back end of the feeder is higher than the front to keep rain out of the feeder. 5 degrees ought be sufficient.

 Fondant Bee Candy

This is great for emergency feed in the winter

This recipe is our choice for making a good fondant candy for the bees. We have chosen not to use corn syrup because of GMO and of all the hybridization that the corn plant has gone through. It has been proven not to be beneficial for the bees. Cream of Tarter is excluded for the same reason because it is not beneficial to the bees

1. Use 1 part water to 4 parts sugar. 1 cup of sugar weighs 8 ounces.



 2. Add 1/4 tsp. vinegar per pound of sugar.

The vinegar helps to break down the sugar as it cooks and will be evaporated.

3. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until boiling begins.

If you try to make the candy without stirring it will yield a transparent gel that will be extremely sticky

4. Boil covered for 3 minutes without stirring.

5.   Boil until mixture reaches 234F. Do not go over this temperature since this will cause the mixture to caramelize and will be harmful to the bees.

6. Remove from heat and allow to cool to 200F. This will cause the candy to have an increased thickness.

7. Whip with a whisk until whiteness occurs.

8.   Quickly pour onto waxed paper having a towel beneath. Be sure that the towel is not fluffy since it will depress the cake’s width. This method will make a nice cake

9. Allow to cool undisturbed.

10. Remove waxed paper and store each cake in a plastic bag in the refrigerator

The cakes can be handled as plates, but may be a little fudgy. They will be completely white with whiter areas inside. Tiny crystals will shine from a broken edge. Place fondant directly over the brood cluster so the bees can have access to it











Please contact me anytime!

    If you have a problem with a beehive or bees just call                          and let's discuss your situation.

             I look forward to hearing from you.

                                "The Bee Guy"

                                501-593-5324

                                                                      from 8am til 9pm 7 days a week.

                                            email at  capt44@rvbees.com

  WHITE COUNTY BEEKEEPER'S ASSOCIATION                 

          will be holding meetings the 2nd Monday of each month.

      We are currently having our meetings at the Downtown Church  of  Christ at 900 North Main Street in Searcy, Arkansas at 6:00PM-8:00PM

                   We use the North Parking Lot, signs will be posted.

                                                          We are in the Auditorium.  

Please Bring a Can of Food for the Church's Food Bank.

It is our way of thanking them for the use of the Church's Auditorium.



   Our next meeting will be Monday May 14th, 2018 

 

                                                                   Membership Dues are 

               $20.00 per individual or $35.00 per household family

Visitors are Welcome to come to 2-3 meetings to see if they want to join or not.

                      Jeff Orvis ---------------- President

                                              Debra Lang-------------- Vice President

                                               Debra Carpenter-------- Vice President

                        Charles Oldham ---------Vice President

                                                                                                ------------Treasurer

                        Jackie Orvis  ------------ Secretary

Come and see what the BUZZZZZZ is all about! 



  WAX MOTH & YELLOW       JACKET TRAP!

Take a 2 or 3 liter Soda Bottle and where the sides flare out to a straight side drill a 1 inch or so hole.

Now mix 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar and 3/4 cup red apple cider vinegar together and pour it into the bottle. Now cut up a ripe banana peel and cut it into chunks and place it into the bottle and put the lid on.

Now what you should have is a bottle with bait in it with a hole in the upper part of the side of the bottle.

Let this mixture set a few days to ferment. It will attract Wax Moths and Yellow Jackets which will drown.

It does not attract honey bees.

FLOWER POT SWARM TRAP

I set out 18 of these Swarm Traps in April of 2014 in the City of Searcy, Arkansas. I caught 19 swarms.

YOU CAN SEE HOW TO MAKE SWARM TRAPS ON THE SWARM TRAP PAGE ABOVE

I have bee recieving several calls about folks building this swarm trap and have caught numerous swarms.

ROBBING SCREENS

  Here it is at the tail end of the Honey Flow and the Honey Bees are looking for Food to store for the winter.

Honey Bees are famous for robbing weaker hives and taking the honey back to the stronger nest.

Things that can entice Robbing situations.

1. Spilling sugar syrup close to a hive.

2. The smell of Raw Honey after working a hive.

3. Using a Boardman Feeder can in most cases cause robbing situations during a dearth.

Honey Bees when attacking a weaker hive hit it head on and are very aggressive. They over whelm the guard bees and march right on in and reak havoc. They will eventually either drive the weak bees away or kill them, one or the two.

Here is a situation that can happen to any hive at anytime.

First reduce the entrance to around 1 inch.

  You can make a Robbing Screen very simply. You don't need to buy/order anything. Bend some screen wire (window screen will work) in the shape of a "W" and staple it across the reduced entrance. Extend it 3-4 inches or more on either side of the opening. Install it early in the morning before the bees come out or late in the evening when the bees are in. Install it immediately in order to stop robbing, don't wait!! The bees that live there will figure out how to get back in, the bees that want to rob the hive will try to go straight in and get stopped by the screen.

I attached some pictures of what I mean.

 Just attach or staple one wing to the hive box and the other wing to the landing board.

I make my robbing screens the length of the hive entrance.

The robber bees will pile up right in the center and are in such a frenzy they don't realize the entrances on each end of the screen.

If you suspect robbing install a screen quick. A hive can be devastated in just a few hours.

Hope this helps you.