On 6/29/2017 11:00 PM, Diesel wrote:
Terry Coombs news 28 Jun 2017 20:21:29 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:

snip

It depends on the size of the colony , but there are general
guidelines . With 2 deep and one medium box on , I like to have my
hives weighing around 90-110 lbs in late November . They don't eat
so much when it's cold - under 40° - but it takes a LOT of
resources to "brood up" in the spring . Population contracts in
late summer/into fall , then around late February (here , other
places timing might be different) they start to build up again for
the spring nectar "flow" . Peak population in my hives is probably
around 35,000 to 45,000 bees . Takes a lot of bees to bring in
all that nectar and pollen !

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Snag
Terry,

I'm wondering something about bees. I'm going to take a 2x4 and use a
hole cutter to cut holes the size of a mason jar lid. I intend to
place the mason jars inside these holes, upside down of course in an
effort to see if honey bees will take interest and build a cone. Is
this feasable, or, am I essentially wasting my time? If I am wasting
my time, do you have any suggestions for how I might accomplish the
goal?

Like CRNG, I'm a city boy and know little about nature or things
related to it. Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions/advice you're
willing to offer.

A mason jar is way too small for bees to make a colony , they like a
bit larger space . Bees don't usually make cones , those are wasps , and
most people don't want them around . Now if you hung a box about 15 x 20
x 20 up in a tree and baited it with a q-tip dipped in lemon grass oil
inside a baggie , a feral or swarm colony might take interest . Leave a
3/4" hole for an entrance somewhere near the bottom .

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Snag