Beekeeping course on Colonsay

[Bridget]

I have a few photos of the intermediate beekeeping course we went to on Colonsay with Andrew Abrahams, in June. Jimbo, Kitta and Grizzly were there too and I know Jimbo took some photos so perhaps he can add some. I'm having problems with the upload, having failed once so not quite sure how these images will show up.The two of Andrew show him in 2 of his 6 or 7 apiaries. We were in the sheltered ones here as the weather was not good. Cold and windy.The photo of the brood box shows how calm his bees were. He didn't really need the smoker much. The fourth image shows1688168916901692 his pollen collector for feeding aback to the bees in spring.1693This one shows the apidea

[Bridget]

Two more photos. the first one taken of a bee on the beach several miles from his nearest apiary. I hope you can make out that it is quite dark.
1694

1695
This is another of the apidea.

Sorry they are all a bit higgeldy piggeldy but don't seem to have quite got the logic to the upload procedure . And the previous message would not let me upload these last two images.

[Floyd]

I am awaiting delivery of one of Andrews Queens, been searching for a supplier that is Varroa free.

He certainly looks like the mental image I had of him.

Where did you stay whilst you were there. Was considering maybe going next year.

[Jimbo]

I stayed at the backpacker hotel on colonsay. Andrew arranges this for you. He also provided a car for us to get around. Attached a few photo's16971698169917001701

[drumgerry]

Looks an interesting trip guys. Does that tower block Apidea in your first photo Jimbo house an overwintered queen?

[Jimbo]

HI DG,

Yes it had an overwintering Q as I specifically asked him about overwintering. it was one of my reasons for attending the course. Andrew runs about 50 colonies with about as many nucs and I lost count of the apideas he had. His colonies are on about 5 or 6 sites. I lost count of the sites as I was bundled into the back of his van and bounced about a bit before arriving at yet another site
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Andrew uses the cup kit system when he wants to produce a number of queens from his breeder queens. (these queens could up to 3 to 4 years old that are well proven for the traits Andrew is trying to breed) He also tends to go for any supercedure cells. With queens that old they tend to produce a supercedure cell which he will cut out and place either in an apidea or nuc. He then goes back and keeps removing supercedure cells and can get 5 or 6 from each of the breeder queens. I got the impression that he never wastes a queen cell. Andrew also explained to me that he improves his stock not by selecting the best and breeding from them but by rejecting the worse 10 -15%. The reason for this is he is in a isolated area, all his colonies are already Amm and he has bred traits like docility and honey production into his bees over the past 40 years. He agreed with me that in my situation where the Amm population is not stable you could breed from the best Amm and when Amm is stable improve the strain from breeding out the worst traits like he does.

[GRIZZLY]

Absolutely excellent course - nice to meet fellow forum members. Andrew runs a well practiced routine with his beekeeping and his queen rearing which makes a lot of sense. I feel that I and other members of the group learned a lot. I will see if I can post some of my photos. Bridget was also on the course.

[Mellifera Crofter]

I'll change my mind and publish my one and only photo (slightly cropped):

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I think Bridget and Fraser must have been standing on my side of the circle. I can see Jimbo and Grizzly. As you can see, judging by everybody's hands in their pockets, the weather was dreich (did I use the word right?).

Kitta

[Bridget]

Their hands are in their pockets because they aren't wearing gloves to protect them against the bees. It was certainly a bit dreich but not cold! Smoke my hands was the cry.😳

[Bridget]

[QUOTE=GRIZZLY;20249]Bridget was also on the course.[/QUOTE

Doh😝

[GRIZZLY]

Mrs Grizzly on the left of Kittas photo.

[GRIZZLY]

[QUOTE=GRIZZLY;20249]Bridget was also on the course.[/QUOTE

Doh😝

Sorry Bridget , I meant to type "Mrs Grizz" , old age creeping up methinks.