todays news

[Bridget]

Ants making a nest on the poly crown board. Thought I'd got rid of them and they came back in 4 hours with more eggs. How can I get rid of them without insecticide? No sign of an ant run they have come up into the bees house from underneath I think. Was told cinnamon powder was good and happily have a pile of the stuff after husband gave up on the honey/cinnamon paste cure for arthritis! Any other ideas.


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[Bridget]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/23/esuruge5.jpg
Ants and eggs on crownboard


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[GRIZZLY]

Try a daily vacuum with a vacuum cleaner - the ants will give up after a while.

[greengumbo]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/23/esuruge5.jpg
Ants and eggs on crownboard


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Hive stand feet in buckets / trays of water ?

[Bridget]

Hive stand feet in buckets / trays of water ?

Can do that as the hives stand on a bench in the bee house that has legs that goes through the floor so the hives don't vibrate when I walk around the bee house. I'll keep hoovering them away and the cinnamon is also helping.
Thanks


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[greengumbo]

Vaseline or similar round the edges ?

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[madasafish]

Garden centres sell sticky tapes for apple trees - to catch moths grubs..

I would use washing line made of rope impregnated with old engine oil: kills all known insects..

[Bridget]

Including my bees- do nt forget they are in a bee house so on inspection they are flying round inside for a bit though it only takes a few minutes for them to clear out once the lid is back on.


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[drumgerry]

Spent the weekend down in Dumfries-shire being taught II by Michael Collier. Now there's a man with some stories to tell! Brilliant to see and try the whole process from beginning to end. Loads of stuff the Cobey video doesn't even mention. Learned about the limitations of the instrument I bought (Schley with fixed posts) but working with Michael to solve that problem. Going to need to practice lots and lots to get even semi competent.

Brilliant weekend and highly recommended. Michael is a top guy and if you're buying kit get it from him and take advantage of the great advice he'll give you.

[fatshark]

Don't you just love the summer? Blackberry is full on here. Just back from the apiary to check grafts have taken. The half dozen colonies are all contentedly humming away evaporating off the excess water from the 2-3 supers each has. It's a great sound :D

PS I know 'contentedly' is anthropomorphising and that's it's really frantic in the hive.

[greengumbo]

Went to check the apiary........police armed response unit doing drills with machine guns 20m from hives. Wee bit put out the security guard didn't mention it as I drove into the site.

Hopefully the hives wont be riddled with bullets when I go back tommorrow. Ho hum.

[gavin]

Wow! Don't suppose you managed to sneak a picture? :)

[greengumbo]

Wow! Don't suppose you managed to sneak a picture? :)

I was too busy reversing at speed (well as much speed as my car can muster) !

[greengumbo]

I was too busy reversing at speed (well as much speed as my car can muster) !

Tried again today and was told to just carry on at the hives. Was fairly entertaining to be looking at frames whilst hearing constant "stop police, put your hands where I can see them GET OUT THE CAR!!" every ten minutes as they all had a go at stopping terrorists.

Bees were grand with it.

[gavin]

Tried again today and was told to just carry on at the hives. Was fairly entertaining to be looking at frames whilst hearing constant "stop police, put your hands where I can see them GET OUT THE CAR!!" every ten minutes as they all had a go at stopping terrorists.

Bees were grand with it.

No bullet holes then? I used to have a super with air rifle pellets embedded in it. Long before my time, I got it secondhand.

[GRIZZLY]

Back off to Colonsay today. Keeping everything crossed for a bit better weather. Andrew recons he hasn't had the weather this year - overcast and sea mist.

[gavin]

Back off to Colonsay today. Keeping everything crossed for a bit better weather. Andrew recons he hasn't had the weather this year - overcast and sea mist.

Give him warm greetings from his supporters on SBAi! Some of his stock will be contributing to the collaborative breeding effort we've started in east central Scotland.

[Trog]

Weather's perfect on the west coast just now ... and I'm on the East Coast for the Portsoy trad boat festival and it's cold and windy ... and going to be wet tomorrow :(

[gavin]

Weather's perfect on the west coast just now ... and I'm on the East Coast for the Portsoy trad boat festival and it's cold and windy ... and going to be wet tomorrow :(

The bees are hungry and tetchy in this bit of the east. I squirrelled away a box full of OSR deep frames ('for the winter') and I've just put them all out into 3-5 frame nucs to keep them going until the weather and forage improves.

[Bridget]

Reporting back on the ants setting up home on the crown board - no sign since I scattered cinnamon on it. Result


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[Bridget]

Up date - cinnamon on the crown board and not a ant seen since - Result. And I was rung up on Thursday and told I had passed my basic bee masters so a second result!


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[drumgerry]

Great news on both fronts Bridget - well done!!

[HJBee]

Great news, 2 colonies that failed Artificial swarm splits, then reunited, have lovely eggs and larvae in them - both after introducing a frame of eggs. Well chuffed. Also my first nuc has a hatched queen cell. A good day indeed.

[Feckless Drone]

On the BBC web site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-28159243

for a picture of the Dundee Utd smock wearing SBA legend in action. Any SBAi members in the Kilbarchan area want to own up to the swarm?
I can honestly say - not mine!

[gavin]

I'm sure many of us have used that hand-on-hip 'Hmnnnn ... is she in the box?' posture!

[HJBee]

Not mine either, will go to a good home no doubt. The man needs to get a new suit to stay incognito doesn't he! 😉

[prakel]

Anyone know who this guy is?

2087

[GRIZZLY]

Looks like a ladybird larva.

[prakel]

Thanks Grizzly.

Can find some odd things in bee hives!

2088

[greengumbo]

Quickie - I'm going to try re-house a colony of bees that has taken up residence in someones outbuilding about 1.5 hours drive away from my house. What time of day is it best to go and do this ? I don't really want to make 2 journeys so was thinking just go and try it. Bring frames and wire in case I need to put wild comb into them. Put the whole lot in a travel nuc and get back.

What do you experts think ? Advice ?

[gavin]

Only just seen this. If it is a simple job then now-ish as bees will need to fly and be gathered up by fanning workers into the travelling box ... then you'd like the great majority at home before you uplift.

So I'd reckon about an hour and a half before a major thunderstorm should be ideal!

[Calum]

I want one.... (http://www.amazon.de/Standard-Edition-Bienenz%C3%BCchter-Honigmann-Evolution/dp/B00H8PEMRM/ref=pd_sxp_grid_i_2_1)

[HJBee]

I want one.... (http://www.amazon.de/Standard-Edition-Bienenz%C3%BCchter-Honigmann-Evolution/dp/B00H8PEMRM/ref=pd_sxp_grid_i_2_1)

I came, I saw, I bought!

[GRIZZLY]

Just installed 4 of Jon G's black queens and am anxiously waiting to see they're accepted by the splits they're in. I'm in the process of converting all of my colonies (21) to amm. just a case now of eliminating all the carniolans before the end of the year.

[Jon]

Good luck with the queens. Fingers crossed for a safe introduction.

[GRIZZLY]

It looks as though the splits have accepted the Q's - nice and quiet and have lost the queenless roar. I'll now leave them alone for a week or so. Thanks Jon for your quick service. I'll be in touch again soon.

[prakel]

Mating apiary trashed by badgers.

[alancooper]

Mmmmmm - my beekeeping comment is sympathetic but I can not suggest what you might do. Will your post get a response to the badger eradication issue?

[prakel]

In a location managed by an environmental group on an 'almost' island where there are probably less than three cows I doubt that the local community will be rushing to cull badgers on my behalf, to be honest. Not that I'd want them to.

I'll just have to buy some telegraph poles this winter and mount the mating nucs on them (cut down to an appropriate height of course). One thing for sure, once they start on hives they're not inclined to stop -it's all in their name...

[gavin]

Mating apiary trashed by badgers.

Sorry to hear that. Ours is fairly secure thanks to the efforts of colleagues rather than me. Drone colonies are behind a fence and mating nucs are up high on posts. We were fearing sheep trashing rather than badgers. The guys even built a stile so that the more corpulent bee breeder (that'll be me then) can get over in relative safety.

[prakel]

Jon's post on this other thread (http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/showthread.php?1020-Position-of-Mating-Nucs&p=26655#post26655) has got me thinking. I've never come across fox damage to hives myself and hadn't considered it as a possibility. Having seen badger damage in the past that was my initial conclusion. What ever the cause, I have no plans to voluntarily relinquish what's proving to be a superb apiary.

[lindsay s]

It must be disappointing to have all your hard work undone Parkel and I don’t mean to poke fun but here are some tips for next year. I especially like the photo with the razor wire.
http://honeybadger.com/hive.html

[prakel]

It must be disappointing to have all your hard work undone Parkel and I don’t mean to poke fun but here are some tips for next year. I especially like the photo with the razor wire.
http://honeybadger.com/hive.html

Thanks, that actually looks like quite a good read which I'll look at properly this evening -some of the options may be easier and cheaper than digging in tele poles.

[Jon]

Did you lose much stuff?
I had some chewed by rats over winter but the Apideas are still usable albeit with a few teeth marks.

[GRIZZLY]

Did you lose much stuff?
I had some chewed by rats over winter but the Apideas are still usable albeit with a few teeth marks.

That's Andrews problem on Colonsay - they eradicated all their feral cats and ended up with a large population of rats. A lot of his apideas have corners removed plus large holes.

[prakel]

A handful of newly mated queens lost so far as well as several combs eaten from the frames but not too much heavy damage to the boxes themselves. A knock-on problem is that the exposed combs seem to have attracted every wasp in the County which are now badgering(!) the other colonies. Been relocating stuff today but still some on the site which we probably won't be able to move for a couple of days now...so more damage tonight I expect.

My beekeeping adventure has suffered far worse than this in the past, it's just so annoying having secured such a good site to now find that we're under attack from the local wildlife.

Our Lyson boxes had some very heavy rat damage in Dec 2012 but they're still going strong although we just noticed that a couple are now sporting some impressive claw slashes.

[lindsay s]

Sorry Parkel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcLlYpuaPLc

[prakel]

One new queen we saved (sneaking suspicion that some may have actually absconded, hard to tell with bees hanging around comb remnants which are strewn all over the place).

212021212122

[Little_John]

Thanks, that actually looks like quite a good read which I'll look at properly this evening -some of the options may be easier and cheaper than digging in tele poles.

Another option might be an electric fence of course - netting perhaps rather than wire ? (depending on the size of the site) - most animals are deterred once they've had a jolt or two.

LJ

[prakel]

Another option might be an electric fence of course - netting perhaps rather than wire ? (depending on the size of the site) - most animals are deterred once they've had a jolt or two.

LJ

I have been giving some thought to the possibility of electrics but think that the land manager may well have issues because of the way that they use the rest of the site. I need to look into the matter though.

I have been offered another site nearby as a replacement but it's nowhere near as sheltered from the elements or casual spectators and might be prone to the same problem anyway. Another possibility going through my mind is to put in some stands built from scaffolding which the hives can be strapped to -it seems to me that the culprit likes to drag the combs away from the main body of the colony to eat in relative comfort, so stopping them moving the hive may be sufficient. Is that just wishful thinking?

Oh, and thanks to Lindsay s for the youtube link!

[Castor]

I have had a badger problem in the past.
Large calibre machine gun and explosives. The only way.

[Little_John]

Another possibility going through my mind is to put in some stands built from scaffolding which the hives can be strapped to ...

I think the use of scaffolding poles would be a great idea - either as single poles hammered into the ground, as per that article - or as frames made to support long lengths of poles upon which several boxes could then be mounted securely. And if longer poles than necessary were used to construct the base of the supporting frames, then the footprint of those bases would be significantly widened thus twarting any attempts to overturn such a structure by head-butting or pushing.

There's got to be a trade-off between the amount of steel used, and the convenience of keeping such structures easily dismantle-able (is that a word ?).

LJ

[prakel]

Large calibre machine gun and explosives. The only way.

I see it as a challenge to my ingenuity and lateral thinking. Now, if we were discussing two-legged predators (who should 'know' better).....

[The Drone Ranger]

Bee house /shed might work with a solar power security light

[Castor]

>>>if we were discussing two-legged predators

...then we use a small calibre to maximise the pain and prolong the agony......


I think the proper solution is probab;y electrical.......

[prakel]

For those who use the Swienty BS boxes, CWJ are clearing the old style brood bodies @ £15.83 + VAT.

http://cwynnejones.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=53_126&products_id=683

[gavin]

Was a little surprised tonight to see frames filling up with nectar and honey at the association site. The weather has been cold and wet, and in previous years as soon as the willowherb is over that seems to be it in terms of foraging. There are still a few flowers at the tops of some of the willowherb spikes, maybe that's what they're getting? It is quite a distance to the nearest Himalayan balsam and there is no sign of white on their backs. I did think that one of them - when I was preparing some for a move to the heather - was actually bringing back heather itself (you could smell it - delicious!) despite the distance involved, but the colonies still there seem to be on something else.

So what could there be at this lowland site that isn't Himalayan balsam if it isn't the scraps from late willowherb? Perhaps later willowherb up the hills behind? I guess I should go back and look for waggle dances to show me where they're going .....

[gavin]

With the sun out today I was in these hives to do a spot of grafting. No doubt about it, the colonies have the odour of heather honey. So a quick look at Google Maps shows that there is a hill about 3.5km away with a good area of heather. Also, the breeze has been coming from that direction, and I always think that an odour trail from distant forage helps them decide to make the journey. However if they are going up there for heather then there is also likely to be late rosebay willowherb on offer too.

[fatshark]

Rosebay willow herb is almost over here as well. Just a few flowers remaining on blackberry. The only colonies bringing anything in are near balsam. I'm taking the last couple of supers off today and already have fondant blocks on a dozen colonies as most are low on stores. I prefer using 12.5kg blocks of fondant in the autumn as they take it a bit slower than syrup, leaving the queen space to continue laying. One good thing about the sudden drop in forage we get here in early/mid August is there's often a brood break. This means any mites are phoretic and more likely to be 'reached' by the Apiguard (which goes on with the fondant).

The end of the season :( with only extraction and tidying everything up (reclaiming my garage!) left to do. Shouldn't take more than 6 months .... :)

[gavin]

This means any mites are phoretic and more likely to be 'reached' by the Apiguard (which goes on with the fondant).


How do you manage that? Eke with the Apiguard and fondant over an open crownboard on top?

Plenty of things still happening here :) even without a garage to accumulate winter jobs. A kitchen full of supers for cut comb. Queen raising still (over-optimistically perhaps) underway. Still wondering whether there will be a late surge in the heather crop (though there is frost forecast tonight to the west of where my bees are). Preparations required for the Dundee show. Association heather picnic this afternoon. More requeening when the bees return from the heather. If October is warm there may be a small flow from the ivy at some sites just to give the bees some encouragement before winter.

G.

[fatshark]

How do you manage that? Eke with the Apiguard and fondant over an open crownboard on top?

Nearly ... I have reversible, insulated covers containing Kingspan. I leave a QE in place, add a shallow eke (40mm?) and invert the cover over the top (omitting the insulation!). That leaves space for a half depth block of fondant. Usually I simply add a full block split in half and leave them until late October/November when I tidy things up and add the DPM to prevent woodpecker damage. This year I've yet to buy enough fondant, so gave them half a block each to be getting on with.

2127

I put the Kingspan on top, balanced a little precariously under the roof. I don't like making gallons of syrup, don't want to buy big feeders etc. and think the bees benefit from later brood rearing and that it encourages less robbing or attention from wasps.

I got the fondant tip from Peter Edwards and have used it for at least 5 years without any real problems. Sometimes they seal the QE in place pretty securely and removing it can be a little disruptive, so I choose a warm day in late October (or don't bother). Fondant keeps very well if unopened. Simples ;)

Good luck with the queen rearing ... I've abandoned things this year.

[Black Comb]

This is interesting.
Do you slice the block longitudinally in half using a cheese cutter?

[fatshark]

No, but perhaps I should. I use a breadknife. It's quite hard work and you need to clean the blade in hot water every 2-3 blocks. I cut the blocks in my kitchen, slap a sheet of clingfilm on top and put them back in the box to carry to the apiary. If you're using full blocks you can slice them down the middle, add the clingfilm and then reassemble them. They can then be easily split open just before use.

I buy fondant from BFP Wholesale who usually have the best prices. About £11.50 last year I think, but I'm happy to negotiate a discount for multiples of 10 if I can. They have a Livingstone depot for those North of the border.

[lindsay s]

Alan Riach talking about beekeeping on Radio Scotland today.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04dqshj scroll to 41:45

[HJBee]

Bit of a deviation on a theme ...
https://www.facebook.com/OddbinsHyndland

[lindsay s]

Last week Stephen Sunderland (lead bee inspector) visited Orkney to carry out some bee health surveillance. The weather couldn’t have been better with two sunny calm days and our bees were on their best behaviour. Sue our local secretary took him around several apiaries and I was lucky enough to visit three with them. It was nice to have an expert looking at our hives and samples of bees and wax were taken at each apiary. I’ve just sent off the floor insert that he left behind in a hive and my bees have made a good job of chewing it up. Stephen also gave us a talk on bee health in the evening followed by an open discussion.
Orkneys bees took a while to build up this spring and though we had a good spell of weather in July, August was a lot wetter than average. All the beekeepers I’ve spoken to so far have said their honey crop was down on last year. So all you beekeepers who have had record crops this year please feel free to gloat on this forum.

[HJBee]

My first crop this year but lots of late season issues taking the shine off it all Lindsay. Queens who won't lay and record varroa count and visible DWV - 3rd treatment this year - worried I will loose my colonies one way or another over winter.

[gavin]

No gloating here Lindsay - a moderate OSR crop, some lime, a good crop of clover from one colony, but not much heather despite the early promise thanks to the coldest August for many years. Probably an average year for most.

[alancooper]

- a moderate OSR crop, some lime, a good crop of clover from one colony, but not much heather

In much of Fermanagh, with its grassland and thick hedges we mainly get "hedge honey". I largely know what plants my bees are taking pollen from (I use a microscope on dropped pollen loads) but am less certain about where the honey comes from. How do you do it? How can I learn?

[GRIZZLY]

Difficult to do unless you can extract pollen from a sample and identify that.

[busybeephilip]

Alan,
you need to sake a sample of your honey and process as in :

http://www.biodlarna.se/website1/1.0.1.0/1105/Identifying%20pollen%20in%20honey%20and%20mounting %20onto%20slides.pdf

Best
Phil

[chris]

......... despite the early promise thanks to the coldest August for many years. Probably an average year for most.

Down here, A bawful year's crop. I've enough for my own rationed comsumption and that's it. The beekeeping union that normally blames everything on pesticides has added the dreadful summer weather for giving honey crops that vary from a 50% to 80% drop from last year in most areas of the country. Apparently the worst year they've ever known.

My Warré gave me more honey than all my Dadants added together.:p

[mbc]

My first crop this year but lots of late season issues taking the shine off it all Lindsay. Queens who won't lay and record varroa count and visible DWV - 3rd treatment this year - worried I will loose my colonies one way or another over winter.

I worked through a varroa ravaged apiary today(one of mine that I hadnt got round to since mid July). Only 9 full supers to clear from 11 hives, lots of supers put on the trailer without needing clearing as they were empty of bees or honey. None of the hives had crashed, but dwv , bald brood, sac brood, pms and abandoned brood much in evidence and I imagine many of these wont make it through the winter as they've taken too much damage already. My notes said to keep an eye on these as there was too much evidence of varroa on the last visit but by the looks of things one of the local treatment free beekeepers has suffered losses and ramped up the infestation of mine. A good splodge of apiguard and a a bit of feed will hopeful;ly bring most round but I'm afraid I'm too late for some as there simply wont be enough healthy bees hatching to raise another batch of clean brood before the winter. I am chastened :(

[Little_John]

Wow, some sad stories there ...

The last two years have been really dire for me, but this year - despite the almost constant northerly wind - has been very good. I ran out of boxes by mid-summer, and I've been busy making more 18-frame Long Hives since then.
The performance of Jon's queens in particular has been excellent: they joined the circus only five and a half weeks ago, yet have already outgrown the 6-frame nucs I'd planned to over-winter them in, and are currently in Nationals on 8-frames. Great layers.

LJ

[alancooper]

Alan,
you need to take a sample of your honey:

http://www.biodlarna.se/website1/1.0.1.0/1105/Identifying%20pollen%20in%20honey%20and%20mounting %20onto%20slides.pdf

Best
Phil

I do not have a centrifuge but have identified pollen in honey by gravity overnight but there were few grains any advice on this?

[busybeephilip]

dont know if it would work but, your extractor is basically a centrifuge - you might be able to make a jig to hold a tube but need to spin for a long time to pellet pollen

[busybeephilip]

you'd need some sort of bucket that can swing out from the verticle to horizontal to hold the tube

[Bridget]

Queens who won't lay and record varroa count and visible DWV - 3rd treatment this year - worried I will loose my colonies one way or another over winter.

I'm with you all that HJBee. I have a new queen hopefully now mated but in a varroa ridden hive and I don't believe I should treat it until she is laying. It's a bit late for her to build up that colony for winter so it's all a bit of a mess. So far only 4 frames to be extracted though there may be a little more heather honey to come


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[Black Comb]

You don't need a centrifuge, you can use the sedimentation method.
This old thread on the BBKA forum describes it - 3rd or 4th post.
http://www.bbka.org.uk/members/forum.php?t=1409

As the thread discusses, identifying the actual grains is not easy, then you have to apply pollen co-efficients to work out the actual percentages.
Some pollens are quite distinctive under the scope, e.g. Rosebay willow herb.

[Mellifera Crofter]

... I'm with you all that HJBee. I have a new queen hopefully now mated but in a varroa ridden hive and I don't believe I should treat it until she is laying. ...

Helen and Bridget, won't you consider treating with Apivar? I don't think it affects the queen.
Kitta

[HJBee]

Used that previously Kitta so changing to avoid resistance this year & already 1/2 way through so committed now!

[Jon]

Varroa counts are very high this year. I have been measuring accurately counting the mite drop from samples of 300 bees shaken in icing sugar to dislodge the mites. Colonies last year were dropping 3 or 4 mites and this year it is more like 20-30 per sample which is very high. The worst dropped 78 mites from 300 bees. I got treatment started around 15th August so I think I should have got rid of the mites in time for a decent build up before winter. The ivy is just about to flower so that should help things with an abundant source of pollen.

[Black Comb]

My drops are high too.

[The Drone Ranger]

Helen and Bridget, won't you consider treating with Apivar? I don't think it affects the queen.
Kitta
Thats the best plan kitta athough any with no brood oxalic trickle right away might be route 1

[greengumbo]

Well I think its winding down time for the year. Some hives coming down of the heather this week and the rest with their MAQs strips on (and not happy about it!!). Not a huge varroa drop this year but I put that down to bad beekeeping allowing big brood gaps in summer.

Still pollen coming in from something and local ivy not out yet so not sure what it is.

[lindsay s]

It was 19⁰c here today so I had a quick peep in a few of my hives. The colony that was trying to supersede has given up and the old queen is still there laying eggs. A new queen that wasn’t laying two weeks ago now has three frames with brood and all of my colonies now have plenty of stores in their brood boxes (it’s mostly syrup).This good spell seems to have perked up the bees and it’s a pity the weather wasn’t like this at the start of August. I have seven queen right colonies going into winter but I would have liked more.:( The meagre amount of honey I’ve harvested this year is still in a tank waiting to be bottled and then our kitchen can return to normal.

[Bridget]

Helen and Bridget, won't you consider treating with Apivar? I don't think it affects the queen.
Kitta

I used MAQS on two of my hives, one has a big drop and no sign of the queen who was a recent supercedure. I held off as long as I could to give her a chance to get mated but had no choice with the drop. Could be a disaster either way. Certainly potent stuff and as evening drew in they were still sitting on the landing board. http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/12/7d686bba173b7049fda75670082b5e89.jpg
Can anyone suggest what to use for the Nuc? The MAQS leaflet says not to use on a colony of less than 6 frames and I should treat the nuc at the same time.


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[GRIZZLY]

Use apivar strips Bridget. I used MAQS on 4 colonies earlier this year resulting in the loss of two queens and severe decline in the other two. I've vowed not to use it again as it is so drastic to the bees let alone the varroa. I will stick to my previous regime of OA in the winter plus Apivar in late spring,

[Bridget]

Ok Grizzly I'll do that but I did need drastic action for those two hives. I've never had very much varroa before but the 24 hr drop since I put on the MAQS is quite severe I think . http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/13/9e45154e7691bbcdbbb73fadcb6e07cc.jpg
I always do the OA and keep tabs on drop throughout the year but this crept up quick and having a supercedure at the same time thought I should defer with a treatment. Oh well we will see what happens. Thank goodness for fine weather so at least the bees have not been confined all day with the MAQS


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[Jon]

I had a few looked like that as well.
Re MAQS, I treated 6 colonies at an apiary on 20th August.
One lost its queen, 3 are superseding and 2 have the original queens laying as normal.
I tested samples of 300 bees yesterday to see how effective it was and it does seem to have removed most of the mites apart from one colony which still dropped a dozen from its sample. Could have been robbing a collapsing colony somewhere I suppose.
Maybe the supersedure would have happened anyway.
Most were dropping 0-2 mites whereas before treatment they were dropping 20-70.
Apiguard treatment is still ongoing but has also been very effective at reducing the mite drop from a sample.

[Bridget]

I had a few looked like that as well.

I don't feel so bad if really experienced beekeepers are going through the same thing re drop, supercedures and disappearing queens. What a strange time.


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[GRIZZLY]

I'm still convinced MAQS is too severe.

[Bridget]

Would you use MAQS again Jon?


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[Bridget]

I agree Grizzly but for the conditions here, still got brood, laying queen, supers on and bees still on the heather, conditions can turn cold any time and no time to loose, it seemed like the best option.


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[Jon]

Would you use MAQS again Jon?

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Definitely not early in the season if I had no spare queens.
I still have queens in apideas so I knew I could make good any loss.
I didn't risk MAQS on any queens I hope to graft from next year. Those colonies got Apiguard.

The main advantage is getting the treatment over and done with in a week.
I was very careful with ventilation as well and treated colonies had an empty brood box or super above the MAQS strips.

Thing is, I have had 3 or 4 queens disappear and a couple of supersedures earlier in the season which were nothing to do with MAQS.
The queen problems may be related to high mite levels.

[Little_John]

As a user of Oxalic Acid Vapour (or Sublimation) which I find to be both a cheap and highly effective mite-killing method, I'm really puzzled at why people persist in using other methods - especially those which are known to harm queens.

Electrical dosing equipment for OA Vapourisation can be made for just a few pounds by anyone with basic diy skills, and 1 kg of Oxalic Acid dihydrate (enough for 1,000 treatments) costs around £12 delivered - so that's less than 1.5p per hit.

The advantage of electrical dosing over gas torches etc., is that the user can apply the vapour from *upwind* and from a safe distance. I find that in practice there is no need for any safety equipment to be worn, if switching is done remotely at the end of a long cable.
One dose during winter is all that is required, or multiple doses (3 or 4) a week apart if brood is present. I only apply OA once a year in winter, but always keep the kit handy during the season to use as a 'fire-extinguisher'. But - it's never been required yet.
There is no need to open the hive, and treatments take about 5 minutes from start to finish. I'll shortly be making a rig to dose 4 hives at the same time.
The only negative aspect that I'm aware of, is the need to lug a heavy battery to the apiary - although using a vehicle's battery is one solution, or maybe use a wheelbarrow ?

What's my mite drop ? Dunno - I gave up counting mites years ago. I sometimes found 5 or 6 on a bad day.

Maybe a method worth considering ...? :)
LJ

[Bridget]

Well Little John - I treat with OA trickle in winter but I lost both my colonies from last year ( one was too small and the other one the queen didn't start laying again in spring ) so my present hives are new - one a swarm the other purchased. However the sublimation method - it sounds good but would need someone to show me and the whole equipment "can be made" sounds out with my pay grade. So maybe you would like a trip to the Highlands to show us how it's done!


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[Bridget]

Jon -you say "The main advantage is getting the treatment over and done with in a week.

I was very careful with ventilation as well and treated colonies had an empty brood box or super above the MAQS strips."

The speed of treatment was one of my reasons for using it in the hope the queens might have time to lay again. As my bees are in a bee house I have kept entrances and door and windows to the house open day and night with super above but the bees have not gone up into the supers. In the MAQS leaflet they say not to feed while the strips are on. I am interested to know why they recommend this


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[Little_John]

Hello Bridget - if you're not conversant with OA Vapourisation, you might find:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQp9pdAOjdo

of interest.

Best regards
LJ

[Jon]

I always do an Oxalic acid treatment in late December to mop up any phoretic mites in what is likely to be a broodless period.
Trickle rather than vaporisation but both work equally well.No battery needed for the trickle method!
Oxalic is also a great treatment for a newly arrived swarm. MAQS costs about £6 per colony and Oxalic about 10p.

[busybeephilip]

I have not tried the MAQS strips. However, many years ago I did experiment using pads soaked in 80% formic acid (from memory that is the working concentration or it could be 60% ) pinned to the back wall of the brood box I found that it killed mites without any problems but it also caused queen problems, the bees simply ball the queen and if she survives then she will be superseded at a time of year when mating is not favourable so the colony ends up with either a damaged queen or an infertile queen. I would now only use formic if the queen was removed to a nuc before treatment and reintroduced - just too much bother for me.

I also know of several in Belfast who are reporting queen losses, I even warned some not to use MAQS but others in the club were saying they had used it with no problems and were encouraged by the "club experts" to use MAQS instead of thymol based treatments. I only know one person that uses electronic OA treatment who swears by it, I am seriously considering making a rig and as someone said the apairy wheel barrow can be used to haul the battery.

[Bumble]

I used MAQS earlier this year for the first time on four colonies in one apiary, and had no problems with it. One colony had DWV, it's recovered and is looking good going into autumn. The bees seemed to take it in their stride, with no bearding and no halt in laying. Mine are big boxes, I'm not sure if I'd use two strips in a standard National even with supers on.

Circumstances meant the strips were left the strips in place for more than a week, they'd half-heartedly chewed at them, but it would have taken weeks for them to get rid of the whole strips. When I took them off I put the 8 strips in a plastic box and left it overnight before putting on the compost heap. When I opened the box there was a smell of Formic Acid, but not so powerful as to grab the back of your throat.

[Jon]

I also know of several in Belfast who are reporting queen losses,

I am one of them. Apart from direct losses it seems to induce supersedure.
Not for the faint hearted of those without a few extra queens.

[HJBee]

Doing a spot of kit cleaning ready to store for winter, one of the local bees came to see what was for scavenging - probably one of Mr Craig's but possibly a bit brightly striped for that?http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/21/1dbed2fbbbaf385daae8ef724d7b27a1.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/21/973c2e82841bf200ebf35299313cb9cd.jpg

[The Drone Ranger]

Thats a Carnie Italian cross with just a hint of Caucasian seasoning Watson
Now take me to Barker street

[HJBee]

Thats a Carnie Italian cross with just a hint of Caucasian seasoning Watson
Now take me to Barker street

Ha Ha, there are a few of these about, she came back with a few of her pals!

[Maybee]

You were feeling brave with the close up photography ?

[HJBee]

When's it's just a couple of bees away from the hive, nae bother!

[gavin]

Mr Kilbarchan's bees? Nah - look like Plan B bees to me, stealing the remnants from your frames ......

(I'm only on the wind-up! Don't know what their bees look like.)

These bees are a bit Buckfasty, no?

G.

[GRIZZLY]

Strange honey flow at the moment. I went to rehive one of Jons black queens this afternoon into a full hive and found I couldn't remove the roof and lec on top of the Paynes neuc box. They had filled the cavity totally full with drawn and sealed wild combs. The honey is some really nice heather which must have come from the cliff tops about a mile away. This is the first I have ever had from this area and must be a bonus from the fabulous weather we're experiencing at the moment. Sticky job doing the transfer but avoided stickying up the bees. Her majesty has laid up about 4 frames of sealed brood together with fresh eggs . Lovely docile bees.

[HJBee]

Mr Kilbarchan's bees? Nah - look like Plan B bees to me, stealing the remnants from your frames ......

(I'm only on the wind-up! Don't know what their bees look like.)

These bees are a bit Buckfasty, no?

G.

I know that's why I don't think they are the Boss Man's bees, which are the nearest! Unless he's moved one of his many captured swarms up there ........

[Jon]

John, that Galtee stock is great for docility. I rarely get a queen I am not happy with re. temper when I graft from them.

[gavin]

I converted four of my local angry hybrid monsters to this stock (not planning to include them in the breeding we're doing, that's for Scottish stock) and that is my experience too. They were horrible stocks in mid summer but now that the workers have been replaced they are gentle. Also piling in the nectar from Himalayan balsam some miles away, and bringing in ivy pollen too. The good temper could partly be the time of year and good weather too. A couple are superseding though and that adds a bit of risk for good winter survival.

[alancooper]

"piling in the nectar from Himalayan balsam some miles away, and bringing in ivy pollen too"

We have had a terrific warm, sunny September with ivy flowering 2-3 weeks earlier than usual (beginning of September). My hives of largely local black bees (good temper) have been bringing in massive amounts of ivy pollen and nectar. Because I did not want hives filling with ivy honey (in my experience it crystallises, becomes unusable by the bees in the winter and clogs frames) I put supers on in mid-Sept after an initial feed in early Sept (they are now filling). There is still much brood in the hives and they are getting crowded. This seems like a "perfect storm" for swarming (I destroyed a Q cell a week ago).

So - what to do about varroa control (I used an Apigard treatment in early Sept for two weeks), feeding and swarming at this awkward time of year? :confused:

[Jon]

A couple are superseding though and that adds a bit of risk for good winter survival.

Seems to be a lot of supersedure this year, some natural and some MAQS induced.
It was over 20c and sunny here yesterday so I would have high hopes that some of those virgins I have in apideas had the wit to fly and mate. Not sure if we will get another perfect day this season as it has turned cloudy and wet now.
I checked one Apidea yesterday and could not find a queen in it and when I put it back in place I saw the queen fly in 30 seconds later so she must have been out and about.

[The Drone Ranger]

I . A couple are superseding though and that adds a bit of risk for good winter survival.

Gavin
I dont know if this will work because I haven't tried it but I would bring the old queen and some frames up into another brood box
Leave the queencell and broodframe down in bottom box and separate boxes with a QXcluder then use celotex spacers in top and bottom
The old queen will be protected from a hatching virgin who I seriously doubt will mate and lay in time to be any use for winter
The old queen may fail but bees sometimes do this when you introduce a queen
They raise their own although there is nothing wrong with the queen you gave them
You often hear people coming up against this requeeening vicious bees with gentle queens (its happened to me in past years)
I dont think theres any supporting evidence but when lots of people notice something there is usually a reason

[Pete L]

John, that Galtee stock is great for docility.

They do seem to be a good tempered bee, checked on a couple this morning and they were very laid back.

[alancooper]

Seems to be a lot of supersedure this year, some natural and some MAQS induced.
It was over 20c and sunny here yesterday so I would have high hopes that some of those virgins I have in apideas had the wit to fly and mate. Not sure if we will get another perfect day this season as it has turned cloudy and wet now.
I checked one Apidea yesterday and could not find a queen in it and when I put it back in place I saw the queen fly in 30 seconds later so she must have been out and about.

Jon - it has been drier and sunnier in Fermanagh than Belfast this September - light shower this afternoon - first for a month. Do you have an early ivy nectar glut and still much brood?

[Jon]

Loads of brood at the moment. Any colonies I have looked into are full of fresh eggs and larvae.

[Jon]

It was over 20c and sunny here yesterday so I would have high hopes that some of those virgins I have in apideas had the wit to fly and mate.

At least one had the wit. Checked two apideas this afternoon and one queen had just started to lay.
Off to the Bibba conference in Wales tomorrow so won't get checking any more until next week.

[fatshark]

Apiguard … epic fail (as my son would say). Just finished Apiguard treatment on my colonies. Limited mite drop from most of them. There was one exception, a colony that had failed to build up after a mid-summer setback. It had quite a bit of sac brood and a very large drop of mites. 4 weeks later (two Apiguard treatments) and there were loads of DWV-addled bees tottering about, some with phoretic mites still attached. I moved the colony away from the apiary, removed the queen and shook the bees out.

Has anyone else noticed that the DWV-afflicted bees are the most difficult to shake off the frames?

I went through the frame or so of brood … 50% of the capped pupae had mites associated. B'stards.

[Jon]

Why did it not work on that colony do you reckon?

[fatshark]

Don't know. A few possibilities. The colony was pretty weak, perhaps enough to cover three frames, with a frame and a bit of brood. The rest was largely stores. Perhaps the cooler temperatures coupled with a lower in-hive temperature failed to get the Apiguard properly 'circulating'? Perhaps the mite levels at the outset were astronomically high? However, a month ago when I started Apiguard treatment there was no more overt DWV in this colony than others (and it was low to non-existent in all). There was obvious sac brood. I'm pretty sure it wasn't operator error ... I use Apiguard buckets and remember scooping the stuff out onto trays on the hive roofs. The only logical explanation I have is an unfortunate combination of ley-lines and heavy neonic usage in the largely urban area surrounding the apiary.

[HJBee]

Has anyone else noticed that the DWV-afflicted bees are the most difficult to shake off the frames?

Yes, I was watching some workers trying to remove some deformed bees (wings and abdomen in some cases). I thought I would help out and they clung on like limpets.

[fatshark]

Nipped down to an apiary this afternoon to collect some cleared supers and top up the fondant on a couple of colonies. Disappointed to discover that they'd ploughed the field to within a foot of the front of the hives. The 3 or 4 yard margin was gone as was the few acres of wild flowers on the other side of the hedge. In the last 5 years the margin was approximately in line with the barrow in the attached image.

2142

Removing half a dozen supers over that lot was hard work :mad:

[Mellifera Crofter]

Not today, or even yesterday's news. Monday was wild, and today rivers are running down our track - but Sunday's news or observation.

We're busy plastering some inside walls with lime (natural hydraulic lime) and the bees just love it. They gather round the edges of tubs lapping up lime-rich water and buzz around spilt lime on the ground. Maybe they need calcium, or could there be something else in lime that they're after? Their taste for drinking water remain strange.

Kitta

[Jon]

Found a hive blown clean over today. Must have happened in the storm on Sunday night.
I reassembled it and saw the queen in the process so it could have been worse.

[greengumbo]

The kitchen is now full of all things harvested. Reckon I'll finish with 60lbs honey from two hives (mainly heather) after jarring it. A year of learning again and I'll be ready for next year. Lots of queens mated and given away to friends in need and some success with grafting and using incubators. A stray queen landing in one of my hives and setting up shop alongside the incumbent was the oddest thing to happen. They both happily laid eggs at either end of the broodnest for a month until I chose who to chop.

Yesterday while putting the rapid feeder on one of the heather hives I got terrorised by the little buggers. 13 stings across my arms. Boy were they angry. Hope this is just a mix of weather, honey being removed and them having been forced into a single brood box for the winter.

Winter tasks....convert the spare wood in my garage leftover from house renovations into nucs and mating nucs for next year. Build a cider press.

[fatshark]

The kitchen is now full of all things harvested.

Phew ... that's a relief. I saw the images on twitter and thought you were running a meths lab ;)

[The Drone Ranger]

I wonder if having field margins of wildflowers does any good.
They get sprayed along with the crops and plowed up again so is it worth paying a subsidy

[The Drone Ranger]

Little behind the release but "Will & Testament" a film about the life of Tony Benn is on release now.
The DCA in Dundee some Odeon cinemas or Curzon home cinema on the web

[greengumbo]

Phew ... that's a relief. I saw the images on twitter and thought you were running a meths lab ;)
The meths lab is for winter. Aberdeen is a saturated market unfortunately ;)

[Little_John]

Finally got fed-up looking at a Kenyan Top-Bar Hive which I built some years ago, which I've only used for bees once, and as a dust-collecting work-bench ever since. So I took a saw to it today and will be re-building as a dual 14x12 Long Hive over the next few days ...
LJ

[Jon]

You will be burning your sandals and Yurt next!

[Little_John]

You will be burning your sandals and Yurt next!LOL !

It was a phase I went through ...

I'd like to say it had some good points, but I can't think of a single one - although plenty of negatives (for me). Still, horses for courses ...
I do like running foundation-less, but not with unsupported comb - for me, that's a step too far.

So - it'll now become a more useful 30-frame 14x12 box, divided into two separate hives, each one the equivalent of a double standard brood.

LJ

[GRIZZLY]

All the bees going at it hell for leather these last two days. I guess from the colour of the pollen they are bringing in that the whins are having a major flow. Seem to be 50 - 50 pollen and nectar gathering. I notice that they have been filling up the supers again , was Himalayan balsom up to last week - lots of white striped workers.

[Adam]

It's been 20 degrees here this weekend and bees have been flying strongly. Not much pollen coming in though compared to a week or two ago.
This is the first year I have ever seen striped workers - don't know if it's the weather that's got the HB out this year, or maybe there's some growing somewhere now.
Hives are getting strapped down for winter or have paving slabs on the roofs.
I am making it my goal to clean everything up this year rather than wait 'till spring. Soda crystals at the ready.

[The Drone Ranger]

Hi Adam
its the old catch 22
If you try cleaning when the bees are flying they very soon home in on you
I use the thornes steamer lid but if there are bees around they catch the scent and invade the shed

Sheffield beekeepers little pollen identifier is easy to use
http://www.sheffieldbeekeepers.org.uk/tools/pollen-chart/

[fatshark]

Sheffield beekeepers little pollen identifier is easy to use
http://www.sheffieldbeekeepers.org.uk/tools/pollen-chart/

... but I'm pretty sure they got the ivy pollen colour wrong. Round here it's bright yellow. I went so far as to photograph bees on it with full pollen baskets.

[The Drone Ranger]

... but I'm pretty sure they got the ivy pollen colour wrong. Round here it's bright yellow. I went so far as to photograph bees on it with full pollen baskets.
Its a good little idea though :)

[fatshark]

I might find it easier to use if I wasn't colourblind 😃

[fatshark]

Honey show tonight ...

Here's one I prepared earlier and - understandably - gave away.

2149

Do they deliberately provide incorrect honey fruit cake recipes to scupper most entries?

[busybeephilip]

Tricky things honey cakes are, I can never get them just right. I think it must be one of the judges nightmares trying to choose from all the entries (apart from the black jar). The only bit I enjoy is eating them with a slab of real butter and nice cuppa tea

[busybeephilip]

I often think that some persons diverge from the recipe as some cakes often look better, can be thicker, and unburnt. Definitely a knack to it

[GRIZZLY]

The problem with honey cakes is actually the honey. If the temperature is not just right or the cooking time is not strictly adhered to , the honey will "catch" or darken giving the cake a burnt effect. The size and depth of the baking tin is also important to get things right - good quality 8 inch tin.

[masterbk]

A good judge will have made the cake for themselves prior to the show and weighed it. If a judge thinks extra amounts of ingedients have been added they will weigh the entries (bearing in mind that undercooked cakes weigh more but such cakes would be soggy especially in the middle and not be amongst the winners anyway). With fruit cakes there is a tendency to add extra fruit. Some will use duck eggs instead of chickens eggs which gives a better flavour. Having said that there are definiteskills involved in making good cakes so the winners truly deserve their certificates, trophies etc. As a judge I find it is not usually difficult picking the winner. I have more trouble putting the "runners up" into some sort of order deciding which should be second, third etc as they tend to have a range of different faults making it more difficult to compare them. With honey fruit cakes they should be moist not dry inside so best to bake them a week before the show and then store them in an airtight tin.

[GRIZZLY]

What to do ? One of my colonies has suddenly decided to retain its drones. The colony in question is bursting with bee - double brood - and I think the queen has been laying at a great rate ,taking advantage of the late flows and warm weather. I suspect that she has now evolved into a drone layer - probably because she headed up an early swarm and therefore is an older queen. I don't want to pull the colony apart this late in the season , particularly as the temperature now gets quite cold - that is if it's not raining. I am thinking of leaving things alone until next spring as finding and killing the old queen to unite them to another q right colony would be a real hassle. They've got loads of food and workers so should make it alright thro' the winter months.

[Jon]

Some of mine keep drones over winter and I noticed a colony I checked late September had a big slab of sealed drone brood.
Probably nothing to worry about.

[Little_John]

Just found another use for honey - a few drops on a piece of stale bread. Wafts a nice attractive scent around, so put 'em into place after dark :

http://i60.tinypic.com/23leeww.jpg

Gottcha my furry friend ... that'll teach you to take an interest in these bee-hives ...

LJ

[Little_John]

Hope you didn't find yesterday's photo too gruesome ...

I caught another one last night - this one has been living in my workshop (and no doubt breeding ...), and has been ignoring cheese, chocolate and even bacon rind - but honey was to be it's downfall. I was a bit keen to catch it, as it's been driving me nuts: every time I start work on making more bee boxes, a brown ball of fur suddenly streaks across the floor. Thus far I haven't been able to figure what it is (or was). Turns out it was a large(ish) short-tailed mouse - with almost no tail at all.

After a brief cold spell, we're back with 20's again - at least for a few days - girls are packing away pollen by the shed-load, and drones are still in residence. There are predictions for around 16 next week, with very respectable overnight temperatures. Can't see any evictions happening for a while yet ...

LJ

[Mellifera Crofter]

Hope you didn't find yesterday's photo too gruesome ...

Yes, LJ - horrible ... When my cats leave me little mouse presents, at least I can chuck them away (the mice - not the cats) - so, I hope people will soon fill this page with their 'today' activities.

On a nicer note, we had our Aberdeenshire honey show today, and I learned a lot about showing honey (about time too - my Module 2 exam is round the corner).

Kitta

PS: Ah! We've moved to the next page - your image is out of view, LJ - so all's well. K

[busybeephilip]

I'm setting my traps this evening. Normally i use chocolate (Galaxy), they seem to like it. Caught one yesterday in the side of my eye climbing up the shed wall as I was moving stuff about, big and fat.

[HJBee]

They love snickers too!

[fatshark]

Galaxy! Snickers! No wonder they're big and fat ;)

[Adam]

That looks like raspberry jam on the bread and not honey!

[GRIZZLY]

Well so far we've had just about everything weather wise - Rain, hail. very strong wind, thunder and lightning. Its more like being in a production of Shakespears "The Tempest". Just waiting now for the plague of locusts.

[Rosie]

Let's hope you don't get a plague of SHBs

[GRIZZLY]

Let's hope you don't get a plague of SHBs

Are you going to post your BIBBA lecture chart ?

[Bridget]

Heading south on the train and see Murray Mcgregor still has hives on the heather near Dalwhinnie. Also some about a mile from me also with supers on. Hope they are not full of Italians.


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[gavin]

..... some about a mile from me also with supers on......

Only a mile? There will be an army of slime-ridden maggots bearing down on your garden as dusk approaches! They do crawl quite far apparently.

On the other hand Murray has had the inspectors crawling all over him (and his hives) so you are probably safe (for now). :)

G.

[Rosie]

Are you going to post your BIBBA lecture chart ?

Rather than hijack this thread I have put a summary here:

http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/showthread.php?967-The-Rose-method-of-queen-rearing&p=27963#post27963

[Bridget]

Well he usually removes his hives in September. Seems a bit late. Maybe the inspectors don't know about these hives?


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[Bridget]

I was going to ask how they spread. Not flying then but crawling. Maybe the scratchy heather will deter those Italian soft bellies.


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[gavin]

Hi Bridget

I was speaking to him last Friday and he hasn't forgotten about his A9 apiaries. The last heather crop to come in. The adult beetles fly - you can see them doing so here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFb9EZeIIzc&list=UUZ5EUOiFj2fHpKU-H0ZtJPw

.. and the larvae crawl, quite far but not a mile.

G.

[Bridget]

Wow if you've got them it should be pretty clear cut. Thanks


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[The Drone Ranger]

Heading south on the train and see Murray Mcgregor still has hives on the heather near Dalwhinnie. Also some about a mile from me also with supers on. Hope they are not full of Italians.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Like in the Allo Allo sketch with the English airmen hiding in the piano.
Plinky plinky plink plonk plinky plinky plonk

[HJBee]

Well just been given the news that I do have a severe allergy to bee venom, start my desensitisation course in Dec (in Glasgow via NHS, so luckier than some), hopefully ok ready for the spring season.

[gavin]

Well just been given the news that I do have a severe allergy to bee venom, start my desensitisation course in Dec (in Glasgow via NHS, so luckier than some), hopefully ok ready for the spring season.

Excellent! Well, not excellent that you have it, but I think that was obvious from your comments earlier. If you are starting in December you'll be through the first phase before the season starts. Then you can join the ranks of we previously-allergic but fixed beekeepers. Good on the NHS. The only issue will be the dodgy sandwiches and squash on offer if you have the treatment over lunch

Must have been, oh, 10 years since my desensitisation and I've had no trouble since.

[HJBee]

Thanks Gavin, I'm looking forward to the next season when I'm not as conscious about it all, it was taking some of the pleasure out of it, also the better half won't be shackled to me in a terrified manner!

[gavin]

LOL! We demand pictures!

[Rosie]

My wife is going through a desensitisation course and is expecting it to take 3 years before she can risk a sting. Do you think she is on a different course or has she been badly advised?

[gavin]

Steve, the version of the treatment I had was 12 weeks of increasing doses in subcutaneous injections then a maintenance dose every 6 weeks or so for the rest of 3 years. The 12 weeks starts with vanishingly small doses of venom and rises to two sting's worth by the end of the 12 weeks. If you are going to have any sort of bad reaction (which is exceedingly rare) it would happen in the middle of that period. As I understood it you were essentially free of the problem by your last of the 12 week series. Certainly you have the assurance of taking double doses and having no reaction by then.

The staff taking her through the programme can advise but that is how I see it.

[Rosie]

She had a weekly dose for about 12 weeks and then switched to a monthly one for 3 years. The staff refuse to give my wife any details of her progress and just stonewall her if she asks anything. I suspect their policy to keep quiet in case someone causes trouble for them if they are proved to be wrong.

[gavin]

Stonewalling is not good. My doctor was an ENT surgeon, and was very willing to discuss anything while we waited for the hour after the injection.

Maybe I should back-pedal. This guy seems to think that the effect builds over years:

http://www.spirehealthcare.com/cardiff/desensitisation-treatment-for-allergy/

... but I was told that I was reasonably safe after the 12 weeks.

[fatshark]

First talk of the winter season tonight. No live webcast offered :(. I talked at the same place last year and they didn't have a VGA cable for the projector. I handled the Q+A session - before the talk - while someone kindly scurried off home and found one. I'm taking a cable with me this time ;)

[HJBee]

Stonewalling is not good. My doctor was an ENT surgeon, and was very willing to discuss anything while we waited for the hour after the injection.

Maybe I should back-pedal. This guy seems to think that the effect builds over years:

http://www.spirehealthcare.com/cardiff/desensitisation-treatment-for-allergy/

... but I was told that I was reasonably safe after the 12 weeks.

That is what I've been told, my consultant is very well versed on beekeeping and the seasons and it is in the 12 week bi weekly injections that you are at risk, after then the bi monthly (for me) injections will continue and I will be back at the bees as usual.

[Jon]

Had a quick look in a colony which had a supersedure queen start to lay at the beginning of October.
Lots of emerged brood and fresh eggs.

I also noticed a queen had started to lay in an Apidea but that is odds on to be drone brood as the queen emerged on 13 September.

[HJBee]

Had a peek in a colony I was worried about, they had ate a full block of fondant in 1 month, hopefully a good sign they will survive! Too cold for a proper look.

[Jon]

It was yesterday I looked in and it was about 17c

[HJBee]

I was in at 8.30 this morning, wee but chillier than that! I e of my other site colonies were out and flying at 1, it was 15c then.

[prakel]

Later today I'll be looking for an online watermark system. It comes to something when you find your photo of a UK reared queen being used to advertise 'local reared Florida queens'! Tighter controls in future...

[Castor]

Bee stolen for illustration purposes only.

[prakel]

Bee stolen for illustration purposes only.

They don't actually state that as far as I can see, mind, neither do the Natural Beekeeping Trust on their website!! ;) Not too worried, maybe I could do a deal with one of these continental package dealers, my photos in exchange....

[Beefever]

Might be worth a cheeky ask Prakel. How did you find out they were using your picture?

[prakel]

I literally just stumbled on one site and thought 'I recognize that photo'(!) then did a google search and found it cropping up all over the place. No big deal in this instance -I can see why they'd think that a photo of one of my queens would increase their sales :) Likewise, I'm happy that the NBT plainly think that my heavily managed queens are a picture of health.....

But, the photos of the mating nuc system we've been putting together are going to stay on the hard drive at least for now.

I think I'll pass on the eu deal -I'd hate to sneak in and steal the infamy of bringing in some beetles when others are more deserving of that title.

[prakel]

Finishing the day on a cheerful note - I benefited from a last minute cancellation and got to attend an E O Wilson lecture -hero's rarely come to us so I'd have been truly gutted if I'd missed it.

[Little_John]

Later today I'll be looking for an online watermark system. It comes to something when you find your photo of a UK reared queen being used to advertise 'local reared Florida queens'! Tighter controls in future...

They're taking a helluva chance trying to flog bees using an English photo. Apparently somebody in the States has been drinking Red Bull for years and is now taking the firm to court for false advertising, 'cause he hasn't actually grown any wings yet. It could only happen over there ... :)

LJ

[Jon]

Finishing the day on a cheerful note - I benefited from a last minute cancellation and got to attend an E O Wilson lecture -hero's rarely come to us so I'd have been truly gutted if I'd missed it.

Read a lot of his stuff as part of my psychology degree. Managed to focus on the options to do with animal behaviour and genetics as opposed to the more waffely stuff. Bet he mentioned ants quite a bit.

[prakel]

Bet he mentioned ants quite a bit.

Not too much actually, but it was still a great opportunity. Made an otherwise normal Monday so much brighter.

[Jon]

He is 85 years old now according to wiki. How was the lecture?

[prakel]

Very good, he did make a point of reading from a script to make sure that we got exactly what he intended to say but that's fine, there was still room for a few diversions. I'd definitely go to see him again.

[greengumbo]

Sodding wasps !

Bees were busy on Saturday so had a quick peek under the kingspan to see if they have made a dent in the early fondant (long story). 2 hives doing really well but a third is much reduced and the three wasps that flew out during my peek may be the reason. The entrance is only a bee space but they obviously cant be arsed defending it. I watched wasps coming in and out every 30s or so.

Have put the hive into lockdown and this morning was rewarded with the first hard frost of the year so that might kill off the stripey wee buggers.

[GRIZZLY]

Bees really flying today and bringing in lots of pollen from the whins I think. Topped them up with fondant while they are active. The new black bees are making a good showing. Got to get rid of the Carnies in the spring so as to avoid bad crosses with the apis mellifera mellifera. Been making up lots of new frames - B----y Thornes have made the side bars a little wider this time with the result that whereas I could easily get 12 frames across a national b.box I can only get eleven with a wide extra space that is about 2 mm too narrow for the extra frame. I don't want to use dummy boards in every b.box. These frames are for some Rose hive boxes I have made based on standard National construction but just 190 mm deep. Thornes probably made them specially for me to pick up at the Nat Honey Show as they probably don't keep too many in stock. The quality of the frames is terrible - not what I would expect after paying nearly £200.00 for them. I'll have to set up and make my own in future.

[Jon]

Mine are flying strongly today as well and bringing in a lot of pollen. I think it is ivy as there is still a lot in flower around here.
I opened an Apidea I have in my front garden an hour ago and it is full of brood including fresh eggs.

[gavin]

Yesterday was the oxalic acid trickling day at my own apiary. Bad choice as the sleet came on.

However the bees were looking good. Four, five, six, and three at 8 or 9 seams of bees (that one at 9 was strong all summer and requeened in August with an Amm queen of Aberdeenshire origin). Far too early of course to be predicting winter survival but as I'm planning to scale up next year it was pleasing to see the strength of some of them.

[mbc]

Did you peek to see if there was any brood?

[Calum]

Sodding wasps !

Bees were busy on Saturday so had a quick peek under the kingspan to see if they have made a dent in the early fondant (long story). 2 hives doing really well but a third is much reduced and the three wasps that flew out during my peek may be the reason. The entrance is only a bee space but they obviously cant be arsed defending it. I watched wasps coming in and out every 30s or so.

Have put the hive into lockdown and this morning was rewarded with the first hard frost of the year so that might kill off the stripey wee buggers.
Hi
I read a great article on this in a german journal some weeks ago.
See my post below
The wasps will not forget the foraging site, and other colonies will also probably be robbing if the wasps are.
You could view the whole this as in this link as natural selection and strengthering of your stock... (http://pcela.rs/GrabezE.htm)
good luck
Calum

[Calum]

In a call at the minute, but here is the google translation of the article aforementioned at least for chuckles:
1. Robbery - often a consequence of hive design
Now Begins again the time of the robbery . Nature offers Not much , but the meteorological situation means that the bees are still active . Weaker colonies make the flight earlier on and pull themself together for warmth ball . as such they lose contact with the hive entrance and no longer guard it. The hive available yet equipped with A High Floor, increases the distance from ball to the entrance hole additionally. Then it doesn’t even help to reduce the entrance hole size. Seekers bees from stronger nations and even die much more active wasps can pass freely through the entrance hole and get to the box back wall the bees free part of the winter food . You mess also THEREFOR worry yourself did the bee fit directly located at the entrance hole . This means first : No weaklings einwintern ! Where possible change (frame) transept on longitudinal building . High soil(floors) is said on the circular saw to max. 4 cm height inside down . One possibility would be to appeal to the High Floor A false floor made of thin plywood and the entrance hole wedge 180 ° vertically turning ( entrance hole above). The nonsense with the high floors came on about 40 years ago , because with man Convenient wanted to feed from below. Today, hardly anyone has a food dishes behind the entrance hole , but die High floors are still many cases . This is pure waste of material and a invitation for robbing wasps and bees

[GRIZZLY]

I assume that the floors mentioned are as shown in the utube video "Beekeeping by the rotational method! ?.

[gavin]

Did you peek to see if there was any brood?

Nah, it was a foul afternoon once we got to the bees (OK leaving the car though) so we kept the disturbance to a minimum. I prefer to do the oxalic on a cool day and would only look at frames if it was a lot warmer. Yesterday I treated the 15 at the association apiary at lunchtime. Less strong but they're looking good all the same. One Apidea sitting atop a polystyrene hive and exposed to the elements looked OK too, if hungry. I had just left that one with a non-laying late queen from our mating site, assuming it to be doomed. I replaced two of the 5 Apidea combs with stores combs, and added fondant in the feeder on top. Who knows, maybe it will make it too. That queen came from a grand-daughter from the grafting session after a Saturday morning dash to Green Gumbo's apiary following his kind offer of a piece of comb from his Aberdeenshire Amm queen.

[Jon]

I found another apidea with a laying queen last week on a site I had not visited for 2 months. It was on the point of starvation but I took it home and gave it a few frames of stores. Fingers crossed.

[Castor]

When are the drones finally going to realise it's over?
4C yesterday + sun of sorts and they are all over the place......

[GRIZZLY]

I've had a bit of drone retention this year as well. Cold windy weather has stopped flying. Hoping for a settled spell so I can attend to the oxalic acid treatments.

[greengumbo]

When are the drones finally going to realise it's over?
4C yesterday + sun of sorts and they are all over the place......

I must have missed the drones being kicked out this year.....or they haven't been yet ! I did find a single cold one on the landing board last week so brought it indoors as an educational tool for the kids. It soon came round and was buzzing about the room :)

Oxalic just after Christmas I reckon. Before the long drive south to Somerset and the in-laws....ba humbug.

[Castor]

It soon came round and was buzzing about the room :)

They always look like nightclub bouncers to me - baldy heads, bug eyes and knuckles dragging......

[prakel]

They always look like nightclub bouncers to me - baldy heads, bug eyes and knuckles dragging......

.....interesting description.

[mbc]

They always look like nightclub bouncers to me - baldy heads, bug eyes and knuckles dragging......

Try a night out in swansea, you'll soon realise the bouncers have stings!

[Calum]

Talking to a beekeeper just now who made 200 queens this summer with 4 colonies.. As a preventative to swarming Wow, any takers in the method?


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[drumgerry]

I'd be interested to hear it but the question remains....why?!

[mbc]

Talking to a beekeeper just now who made 200 queens this summer with 4 colonies.. Wow, any takers in the method?


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Did he use a fish and a couple of loaves of bread?

[Calum]

No. He did noting difficult, I could write an explanation or invite you to a conference call (free phone) on Sunday - conf call would be better for questions what's the preference- pls include time.


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[Calum]

I'd be interested to hear it but the question remains....why?!

Why? Because he sells 140 colonies a year and requeens the rest yearly


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[drumgerry]

Sorry Calum I misinterpreted - I thought he only had 4 colonies whereas you meant he used 4 of his colonies to raise his queens. Can't manage the conference call but many thanks for the offer.

[Calum]

It's surprisingly simple, he makes 15-20 queens a shot by moving the colony position, just leaving the super in place with a graft frame and some additional pollen maybe. Once the queen cells are started (3days later) he reunites the colony and let's them finish the cells in the super.


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[mbc]

It's surprisingly simple, he makes 15-20 queens a shot by moving the colony position, just leaving the super in place with a graft frame and some additional pollen maybe. Once the queen cells are started (3days later) he reunites the colony and let's them finish the cells in the super.


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At the most critical stage of nutrition the larvae are being fed by older foraging age bees with atrophied hypopharangeal glands, I don't like this idea.

[Calum]

No, plenty of young bees should be in the super ripening nectar, you can shake bees of a frame of open brood to add further young bees. Like it or not, it works.


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[mbc]

Like it or not, it works.


Fair enough, but there are too many methods and variations out there to try all the ones I quite like, let alone trying things where obvious weaknesses immediately spring to mind.

[Duncan]

Talking to a beekeeper just now who made 200 queens this summer with 4 colonies.. As a preventative to swarming Wow, any takers in the method?
It is not a lot.

[Calum]

Not a lot of queens or takers? :) Aye the Scottish beekeepers and bees are hardy. They'll be just fine.


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[prakel]

An interesting little snippet regarding research into afb in Bee Culture's 'Catch the Buzz':

http://us9.campaign-archive2.com/?u=9296a3543dc631c8a50086511&id=d44f1568ea&e=250b34fe0f


Discovery aims to fight destructive bee disease

University of Guelph researchers hope their new discovery will help combat a disease killing honeybee populations around the world.

The researchers have found a toxin released by the pathogen that causes American foulbrood disease -- Paenibacillus larvae (P. larvae) -- and developed a lead-based inhibitor against it.

[Jon]

12c today and the bees are flying in light rain.
I have 12 Apideas in the garden and all are active.
I even saw some pollen going in.

[Castor]

Tenacious little devils aren't they? 13C here - wife reports our garden nuc is "busy-ish".

[Jon]

In a bad winter it is hard to overwinter any Apideas but this year it's looking good so far.
That can stand the odd night at minus temperatures but when you get several days below zero they usually just freeze.
I treated more than 40 colonies with Oxalic since the weekend and there are no losses yet.
There are a couple of weak nucs at the association apiary might not make it.

[mbc]

Looking good so far, but also it's far too early for chicken counting, March and April is when the majority fall.

[HJBee]

Merry Xmas or whatever, to all my fellow Beekeepers!
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/22/64cbfa21a83f20168f6a187df131449f.jpg

[Castor]

...and an excellent Yule to all here. Good luck for the New Year all!

[prakel]

Later than usual but finally managed to deliver the last of this year's 'winter rent' payments.

21612162

We also give an Easter themed 'spring rent' followed by casual jars/comb through the season.

[GRIZZLY]

Todays settled weather has finally allowed me to finish the oxalic aciding. All seem o.k. . Heres wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and a Honey Filled New Year.

[Bumble]

Merry Christmas everybody :)

[GRIZZLY]

Temperature minus 4 deg C this morning and up to zero deg C at lunchtime. The bees flying having cleansing flights - lured out by the strong sunshine. All colonies showing some activity.

[Jon]

No losses here yet either. Checked a few colonies yesterday and some had quite a drop of mites from Oxalic treatment the week before. One had about 250 mites on the board and that one had MAQS in August.

[Michael Palmer]

Later than usual but finally managed to deliver the last of this year's 'winter rent' payments.

Same here, but I like giving my apiary rents on Christmas eve. Of course I don't mind the cookies and maple syrup and other goodies. Everyone is in a good mood.

[prakel]

Got to say that it was a nice stop off for a Christmas eve, they're a great family and it is without doubt my favourite apiary.

[prakel]

lured out by the strong sunshine.

Much like that here this week but without the -4C temps. We did have a frost, the first as far as I can recall since the start of Nov '13, on Monday (in-land, beyond the ridgeway is a very different story of course). Oddly for these parts we haven't yet seen the start of the bitter winds which try so hard to suck the life out of everything.

[fatshark]

Just back from checking the Varroa boards after treatment yesterday. A reassuringly low fall of mites from most colonies suggesting that either the Apiguard worked in September :D or that they're all busily tucking into sealed brood :( … even the nucs (which didn't get Apiguard) only have ~25 mites after 24 hours. I'll check again in a few days.

Happy New Year

[HJBee]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/31/8f788667bb08daee0083bdc93fd39839.jpg

[gavin]

http://wallpaperssfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/happy-new-year-2015-hd-photos.jpg

[Neils]

Done my OA today and tidied up the mess that is my apiary, urban shelter to exposed rural setting, lessons learned. Bricks help a lot.

All hives alive but I think one will be lucky to make it through to spring.

Happy new year everyone.

[drumgerry]

Well it felt like the house was going to do a Wizard of Oz last night and fly up into the air! We've no power either (at someone else's house just now). A couple of roofs had flown off the hives but none had tipped over. The bees on a cursory glance seemed ok. Hopefully power back on and back to normal later today.

[gavin]

Hope that things are back to normal for you Gerry. Yesterday saw a flurry of activity at the Edinburgh and Midlothian BA apiary after this happened. Read more about it on their new Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/edinburghbeekeepers). This is it after a rescue operation that even included finding and re-hiving the queen and workers from the most damaged hive.

http://www.sbai.org.uk/images/EMBA2.jpg

http://www.sbai.org.uk/images/EMBA3.jpg

[mbc]

Hope that things are back to normal for you Gerry. Yesterday saw a flurry of activity at the Edinburgh and Midlothian BA apiary after this happened. Read more about it on their new Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/edinburghbeekeepers). This is it after a rescue operation that even included finding and re-hiving the queen and workers from the most damaged hive.

http://www.sbai.org.uk/images/EMBA2.jpg

http://www.sbai.org.uk/images/EMBA3.jpg

The evidence is plain to see, God doesn't like poly hives....

[drumgerry]

Bleedin hell Gavin that's terrible! Still no power at home. We have decamped to the inlaws - hopefully back on later today.

[HJBee]

Jeez - I'm amazed they were able to rescue anything from that! I checked up on my 2 sites today. Luckily they were all upright and unharmed. Good job as Desensitisation starts Monday - so they are a no go for me till Mid March at least.

[GRIZZLY]

That was some storm was it not Gavin. Luckily someone was on hand to sort out the mess. I'm very pleased you were able to rescue the queen and her colony - hope they make it thro the rest of the winter. So far so good here, my polyhives have come thro' o.k. but I have substituted deep wooden roofs for the swienty ones when I set them up for the winter. If the wind drops and the sun shines , the odd hive has been bringing in a bit of pollen. I think the up and down weather and temperatures are unsettling them and they're not clustering properly - the queens are being encouraged to lay more eggs ,I hope it all settles down soon.

[GRIZZLY]

Very strong winds this morning. I had one of the swienty plastic lids blow off despite having 3 very heavy bricks on top . the wind just got underneath the shallow rim, flipped the lid up and sliding the bricks off. I had to walk the length of my garden to retrieve it ( a couple of hundred yards). I have now replaced it with a standard metal roof plus bricks. the bees weren't affected as I watched it happen and re-roofed them immediately. The rotten sycamore tree from which I salvage my smoker fuel has finally blown flat so I'll have to store the whole lot now instead of just breaking off bits as I need them.

[Bridget]

Drumgerry and I have been having a discussion regarding clearing snow from hives in this weather. Even a bee house gets a build up of snow and ice round the entrances so I have been carefully clearing them. In photos you can see the entrances (with slates protecting the entrances from strong wind and against bright sun combined with snow) are well covered. On removal of the slates my two smaller colonies were completely covered with snow and some ice on the landing board. The strongest colony of the three has generated enough heat to keep the entrance clear although there was ice from the melted snow building up. Drumgerry says in the States hives can be completely covered in snow in winter for some time and still survive. I think we have to contend with wind driving the heavy wet snow into the entrances and I prefer to be safe than sorry. Any thoughts?
217421732172

[drumgerry]

I'm hoping from your post Bridget that your power's back on now?!

Yep I'd be interested to hear what other members think as well. From my own point of view I don't see the harm in clearing the snow but I've always thought snow coverage was ok for beehives. I may be wrong!

The US beekeeper I was thinking of re the complete burial of hives in snow was Mike Palmer. I'm sure I remember him using pics (in one of the talks of his that are online) of him walking around on snow under which are alive and healthy bee colonies.

[chris]

My experience with snowed in hives is the following: If the snow doesn't freeze, then just leave it, as air can pass through, and the bees will be clustered and not wanting to go out.
On the other hand, if the snow freezes, then there will be danger of eventual suffocation. In this case, I clear the snow at the entrance, but leave the slate in place. Like this, the snow "luminosity" doesn't disturb the bees.
2175 2176

[prakel]

Another winter's day here in the South

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[Bridget]

Thanks Chris I'll keep clearing as you can't tell here what's going on till you clear them. Today despite the slates shading the sun and snow glare some of the little blighters had decided to go for a spin with the inevitable results at -2 degrees[emoji25]


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