Good or Bad

[Jimbo]

After inspecting my bees yesterday (30th Oct) the bees in all 5 colonies were out flying. The temperature was about 10-11 degrees. This is not that unusual. I have obseved them flyng in lower temperatures. What was unusual was the amount of pollen still going in. The pollen was a dark orange. I have no idea what plant it is.
I thought this is good as the queens are still laying even after the recent cold spell we had. I also thought this is bad as I intend to give an Oxalic acid treatment when there is no brood. #
Is it good the queens are laying so late in the year or is it bad as I can't give the Oxalic acid treatment?

[Jon]

Hi Jimbo.
I think this is a good ivy year and the bees are rearing brood and also stockpiling pollen.
That picture of the bees with yellow banding in the other thread was taken today and the bees were working like crazy with the temperature around 11c.
I am reluctant to open mine this late on but I am sure several of them would still have 5+ frames of brood.
The one which went queenless on me last weekend had this amount.
I have noticed that a lot of my queens stop or reduce laying from mid August to mid september and then build up a big brood nest again in October with the ivy pollen and nectar coming in. That could also be something to do with varroa levels and September apiguard teatment.

It might have more to do with the availability of forage combined with suitable weather than anything else such as type of bee.
A couple of years ago I put supers on a couple of colonies in late September and got 45 lbs of ivy honey.

last year I did Oxalic treatment towards the end of December and January is also a good time. Two weeks into a really cold spell would be perfect timing.

This was the activity level today (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LPh5K_XTxQ) 31-10-2010

[gavin]

I was surprised to see mine flying this afternoon, especially as it was getting a bit late and the sun was low. Maybe the fondant over their heads was helping. Yellow pollen (maybe ivy, seemed a bit pale) and some pale yellow almost whitish pollen that was something else. There is very little flowering at the moment - Viburnum was in bloom but I don't know if bees go for that.

My oxalic treatment last year was late, perhaps too late even with such cold weather. This year I'm aiming for anytime in December. As workers emerge around 21 days (in summer?) I'd be hoping for cold weather about 3 weeks before treatment. The important thing is to minimise sealed brood at the time of treatment, so cold weather 10-21 days before treatment is probably best.

G.

PS Good that you will have more young bees, bad that they will be using up stores!

[Calum]

Plenty of flight over here too.
Most of the pollen is coming from the grave yard as it is all saints tomorrow...

[gavin]

This was the activity level today (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LPh5K_XTxQ) 31-10-2010

That's surprisingly busy for this time of year. Must be an ivy flow on.

Does the graveyard have ivy too?

G.

[Calum]

Yes it does, but that wouldn't explain all the different colours.

Here anyone with a relative in the graveyard spends time tending the grave and brings flowers to remember prior to all saints (today).
It is a holiday day today, only petrol stations open. Nothing else at all. Its like Lewis on Sunday.

[gavin]

Its like Lewis on Sunday.

LOL! Is that a Wester Ross saying?!

Mine must be about a km and a half from a graveyard and about a km from a garage. Never thought that they could be sources of pollen - but the graveyard will probably have a smattering of fresh flowers at any time, anniversaries and the like.

I'll bet that there are a few flowers in the big garden nearby too, not that I've looked. Possibilities might include cyclamen, Michaelmas daisies, ornamental heathers, Mahonia, Viburnum.

G.