Bees wanted urgently!

[voytech104]

Hi,

I`m looking for a nuc. Preferably AMM.

Based in Glasgow but can travel a bit :)

regards

Voytech

[Beehive]

Hi,

we live in Ayrshire and have 5 frame nucs available. They are on National frames. Wing morphology carried out on a nuc from last year, from the same stock, was well within AMM. References can be given for the stock. If you want further info or we can help let me know. Regards

[Neonach]

Beehive [Ayrshire]

Where abouts in Ayrshire?

How many nucs can you supply? What about varroa/health generall? References?
Would need to be sent by courier direct to 'Orosay' or at minimum to staging addresson the mainland: can you fit with travel screens etc?
And of course the question of price?

[Trog]

JB, not a good idea to have bees stop off in Oban unless well-sealed. Though perhaps you weren't planning to let them out en route at all? Ayrshire has varroa; parts of the Oban area do not. Worth noting too that Ayrshire, IIRC, is gentle farming country; the Hebrides are a different kettle of fish altogether! You'll be wanting acclimatised bees, surely?

[Neonach]

JB, not a good idea to have bees stop off in Oban unless well-sealed. Though perhaps you weren't planning to let them out en route at all? Ayrshire has varroa; parts of the Oban area do not. Worth noting too that Ayrshire, IIRC, is gentle farming country; the Hebrides are a different kettle of fish altogether! You'll be wanting acclimatised bees, surely?

Thanks for asking Trog. Stop over at Oban would be at a friend's house - just a possible handover point before boarding ferry back to here!

I used to live in Ayrshire and also Galloway, and some of it is much harder environment than here! However I gather that these bees don't come from up in the hills!
My current bees are from Colonsay which is much gentler than either here or indeed much of Ayrshire. The bees adapted to here just fine. Main thing is that if they are Amm, clean and strong I'm confident they'll adapt.

[Beehive]

Hi Jonathan

Sorry, but we have no experience in using couriers to transport bees.

We have just sold our last “ready” nuc. We have 4 more that may be available in a few weeks. At least one is mated as we saw the queen with the endophallus still attached.

As has been pointed out, Ayrshire does have varroa. We did a sample on a deep drone brood frame – uncapping half of one side revealed 2 varroa, which is very low.

A reference can be obtained from Phil McAnespie who took one of our nucs last year.

“However I gather that these bees don't come from up in the hills!” Well they might not come from the highest point in Ayrshire, but the highest farm is just 50m above us at 270m and I am realiably informed by my neighbour that our bees are regular visitors when there is something good on the menu!

[Neonach]

Reminds me of the puzzle:
Q: What's the difference between two rabbits and two thousand rabbits
A: About a year!
No I'd better give that a miss, thanks - I must err on the side of caution.
But If you were out in the sticks and miles from other keepers and no record of varroa at all, I'd drop everyything and drive to Ayrshire myself!

[Beehive]

Fortunately I don't have rabbits in my hives.

That's certainly the sensible thing to do. No point in introducing varroa to an area that is free from it.