Temperature: 14C
Weather: Light wind, chilly but no cloud
Stings: None
Another quick visit to finishing sorting out the bees for winter. I took off the brood box which was empty of bees thanks to the Porter bee escapes. I put the wet combs in its place over the crown board with the bee escapes on. So the bees will slowly come out of that and into the chamber below where I put an empty super and the feeder. I'll go back at the weekend to take out the wet combs and then they will be all snug for the winter. I'll give them a good deal more food but they are pretty much ready to go.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Prep school
Temperature: 20C
Weather: Cloudy but bright
Stings: None
A longer visit today to start the process of closing down the hive for the winter.
I took out the Apiguard as that's been in for about a month. I consolidated the two brood boxes into one and put all the stores in the remaining box. They have about 4 frames of stores which is not going to be enough if, fingers crossed, we have another hard winter. I'll give them some syrup this week to help them prepare. I think they will need about 5-6 frames of stores to keep them ticking over.
I bumped and moved them around quite a lot and they weren't too annoyed by it. I got buzzed a few times but they left me alone when I was taking my veil off.
I also put in the super that I extracted the honey from last week so they can clear that up and get a little more in hand for the long winter days. Above that is the other brood box with porter bee escapes between so they can get out to the other brood box. I fee slightly guilty about taking that given how little I have left them but with the syrup they'll be okay. I hope.
In that upper brood box there are a few drawn frames so I should get them off to an okay start early next year. It will mean that I can get started replacing the older comb e
Image via Wikipediaarlier in the year with newer to stop disease spreading.I also checked the tray underneath the mesh and the Apiguard looks like it knocked down lots of mites. Not a huge amount. More than fell off when I was doing the count but not a huge number. Not enough to make me worried. I think they are fairly well set up. On Wednesday, I'll re-organise things again - it occurs to me that I might have trapped the queen above the excluder but I don't think I have. The frame I took out was not fully drawn so I can't see why she would be there. I'll find out on Wednesday.
Sunday, 5 September 2010
In and out
A very quick visit today to renew the Apiguard block.
They had not taken down all t
Image via Wikipediahe first one but it was pretty well used. I also put in an entrance block so they are a bit more protected in the next few months. They were very grumpy when I opened up and swapped over the Apiguard tray.
There did seem to be a lot of bees bringing in pollen too, more than I would have expected at this time of year. The pollen was bright orange and some of the bees had it all over them. I've no idea what flower it was. There are precious few plants flowering at this time of year. Ivy?
On the next visit I'll take out the tray of thymol and start consolidating the two boxes into one. They have laid down lots of stores so I think they are going to be okay. I'll keep back a few to help them early next year. It depends on how many they have.
They had not taken down all t
Image via Wikipediahe first one but it was pretty well used. I also put in an entrance block so they are a bit more protected in the next few months. They were very grumpy when I opened up and swapped over the Apiguard tray.There did seem to be a lot of bees bringing in pollen too, more than I would have expected at this time of year. The pollen was bright orange and some of the bees had it all over them. I've no idea what flower it was. There are precious few plants flowering at this time of year. Ivy?
On the next visit I'll take out the tray of thymol and start consolidating the two boxes into one. They have laid down lots of stores so I think they are going to be okay. I'll keep back a few to help them early next year. It depends on how many they have.
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Double feature
Temperature: 16C
Weather: Cloudy, threatening rain
Stings: One.
Image via Wikipedia
A post covering two visits because I forgot to write up the last visit before this one. I was convinced I had, but anyhoo.
Last time it was a quickish look to remove the supers and see how the rest of the colony was doing. I took along a trolley to move the super as it was very heavy. The colony is also at the bottom end of an allotment that is on the edge of a hill. Getting to it involves a winding path through a wood so the trolley made it much easier. I'm not sure how much honey I'll get out of it - a few pounds per frame so about 30 jars I'd guess. I'll try to extract in the next couple of weeks or the honey will be starting to crystallise.
The rest of the colony looks fine. Plenty of stores laid down to help them through the winter.
I also looked at the sheet beneath the mesh floor to see what the mite drop was like. Not bad. I counted about 15 of the little buggers which, according to the counter on BeeBase, means they need treating soonish.
The second visit was very quick as the weather was changing and rain was imminent. I opened them up, had a quick look, put on an eke and laid down some apiguard. It needs to be on for two weeks then replaced with a fresh batch so they are all ready for winter. I hope we have another hard winter as that will really help the bees. One thing I forgot to do was put on the entrance guard to help them fight off honey thieves. While I was there I saw a wasp nip in and I know there are loads of wasp nests around so they will need some help. When I took off the plastic sheet beneath the mesh floor there were lots of wasp body parts lying on it so they are obviously trying hard to get at it. I also did another mite count and saw about the same number.
Weather: Cloudy, threatening rain
Stings: One.
Image via WikipediaA post covering two visits because I forgot to write up the last visit before this one. I was convinced I had, but anyhoo.
Last time it was a quickish look to remove the supers and see how the rest of the colony was doing. I took along a trolley to move the super as it was very heavy. The colony is also at the bottom end of an allotment that is on the edge of a hill. Getting to it involves a winding path through a wood so the trolley made it much easier. I'm not sure how much honey I'll get out of it - a few pounds per frame so about 30 jars I'd guess. I'll try to extract in the next couple of weeks or the honey will be starting to crystallise.
The rest of the colony looks fine. Plenty of stores laid down to help them through the winter.
I also looked at the sheet beneath the mesh floor to see what the mite drop was like. Not bad. I counted about 15 of the little buggers which, according to the counter on BeeBase, means they need treating soonish.
The second visit was very quick as the weather was changing and rain was imminent. I opened them up, had a quick look, put on an eke and laid down some apiguard. It needs to be on for two weeks then replaced with a fresh batch so they are all ready for winter. I hope we have another hard winter as that will really help the bees. One thing I forgot to do was put on the entrance guard to help them fight off honey thieves. While I was there I saw a wasp nip in and I know there are loads of wasp nests around so they will need some help. When I took off the plastic sheet beneath the mesh floor there were lots of wasp body parts lying on it so they are obviously trying hard to get at it. I also did another mite count and saw about the same number.
Monday, 26 July 2010
Steady progress
Temperature: 23C
Weather: Windy, cloudy
Stings: None
It looks like everything is working out. Brood frames are being drawn and stores are being laid down. The bees have now got about five brood frames of stores prepared - though these are spread across more frames than that. I did see a couple of queen cups but neither was polished or had an egg in it. The bees seemed pretty happy though I didn't see any eggs.
Even better they are starting to draw out the brood frames in the upper brood box. Not all of them but two or three are being heavily worked. Fingers crossed that they keep it up.
This weekend I put Porter bee escapes on the crown board between the upper brood box and super. Over the next week or so that should remove the bees from that super and get them working the brood frames. Most, if not all, of the frames in the super are full of honey. A pretty good crop by the looks of it.
I went through the bottom brood box just to see what was happening and there is still loads of capped brood to emerge. About three or four frames of it. I did have a minor scare as there was one frame that had no brood/eggs or anything on it. Of course, it was the first one I looked at and I wondered if I had trapped the queen in the upper brood box. I hadn't as a look through the upper box showed only stores. I think it was a case, that I've seen before, of the queen just not getting round to that frame. Sometimes they won't get past another frame and I think the one next to it had lots of stores. I swapped them around so she can get at it much more easily.
I'll check them again on Wednesday to see how the evacuation is going. I should be able to take the super off next weekend and plan the extraction soon after. I also need another flagstone so I can start to put more of my equipment there. It's generally better to have it to hand.
I also stated my varroa checking regime by swapping their old floor for a mesh one. I'll take it out next week to see how many mites are on it and how much treatment I have to do. The colony is very strong but I've been caught out by that before.
Weather: Windy, cloudy
Stings: None
It looks like everything is working out. Brood frames are being drawn and stores are being laid down. The bees have now got about five brood frames of stores prepared - though these are spread across more frames than that. I did see a couple of queen cups but neither was polished or had an egg in it. The bees seemed pretty happy though I didn't see any eggs.
Even better they are starting to draw out the brood frames in the upper brood box. Not all of them but two or three are being heavily worked. Fingers crossed that they keep it up.
This weekend I put Porter bee escapes on the crown board between the upper brood box and super. Over the next week or so that should remove the bees from that super and get them working the brood frames. Most, if not all, of the frames in the super are full of honey. A pretty good crop by the looks of it.
I went through the bottom brood box just to see what was happening and there is still loads of capped brood to emerge. About three or four frames of it. I did have a minor scare as there was one frame that had no brood/eggs or anything on it. Of course, it was the first one I looked at and I wondered if I had trapped the queen in the upper brood box. I hadn't as a look through the upper box showed only stores. I think it was a case, that I've seen before, of the queen just not getting round to that frame. Sometimes they won't get past another frame and I think the one next to it had lots of stores. I swapped them around so she can get at it much more easily.
I'll check them again on Wednesday to see how the evacuation is going. I should be able to take the super off next weekend and plan the extraction soon after. I also need another flagstone so I can start to put more of my equipment there. It's generally better to have it to hand.
I also stated my varroa checking regime by swapping their old floor for a mesh one. I'll take it out next week to see how many mites are on it and how much treatment I have to do. The colony is very strong but I've been caught out by that before.
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Space race
Temperature: 19C
Stings: None
So far, my plans are going well. I swapped out some of the older frames in the brood box for undrawn ones to encourage the bees to, among other things, lay down some stores. The drawn comb I have got is pretty gnarly and I'll be better off replacing it as soon as I can. Of the three frames I put in that lower brood box all are being worked on. One is almost all stores (yay), one is almost completely drawn and what is drawn are full of nectar (double yay) and the other one is only just starting to be worked on.
I feel relieved about this. I was worried that the bees would simply concentrate their efforts on the honey in the super and ignore the others. That's not happened but I think I need to put on some Porter bee escapes to encourage them out of there.
I almost put the frame that was almost entirely drawn in the upper brood box but decided not to as they are already hurting for room so taking that away might have been a bit much. The bees have pretty much ignored the frames in that upper box.
In the brood box there is loads of capped brood. Lots and lots. And there are already loads of bees in there. If the good weather continues then this will be good as they will be very well prepared for the winter. If not then they might consume their own stores while all those bees look for something to do.
What did I not see? Drone cells. I did see one but no others. There are a few drones around but it doesn't look like there'll be any more born.
While checking through I did see a queen cup. Just one. I checked it with the hive tool but there was nothing in it. It doesn't seem like there is anything to worry about. The queen's wings are clipped so they can't swarm and they must be pretty happy with her as she is doing such a good job of laying and keeping the colony numbers up.
The bees were slightly grumpier than usual and a few bees bumped against my veil as I was working just to let me know they were there. I think this had more to do with the overcast weather than my ham-fistedness. The worst time I've had with bees was when they knew a storm was brewing and I didn't. They really didn't like me opening up the hive with rain threatening.
Action plan for next time. Put on the bee escapes. Tidy up old frames in the second brood box t get rid of the lumps and bumps. Move frames around to keep the bees drawing out the frames.
Despite the progress, I can't escape the feeling that I'm missing something.
Stings: None
So far, my plans are going well. I swapped out some of the older frames in the brood box for undrawn ones to encourage the bees to, among other things, lay down some stores. The drawn comb I have got is pretty gnarly and I'll be better off replacing it as soon as I can. Of the three frames I put in that lower brood box all are being worked on. One is almost all stores (yay), one is almost completely drawn and what is drawn are full of nectar (double yay) and the other one is only just starting to be worked on.
I feel relieved about this. I was worried that the bees would simply concentrate their efforts on the honey in the super and ignore the others. That's not happened but I think I need to put on some Porter bee escapes to encourage them out of there.
I almost put the frame that was almost entirely drawn in the upper brood box but decided not to as they are already hurting for room so taking that away might have been a bit much. The bees have pretty much ignored the frames in that upper box.
In the brood box there is loads of capped brood. Lots and lots. And there are already loads of bees in there. If the good weather continues then this will be good as they will be very well prepared for the winter. If not then they might consume their own stores while all those bees look for something to do.
What did I not see? Drone cells. I did see one but no others. There are a few drones around but it doesn't look like there'll be any more born.
While checking through I did see a queen cup. Just one. I checked it with the hive tool but there was nothing in it. It doesn't seem like there is anything to worry about. The queen's wings are clipped so they can't swarm and they must be pretty happy with her as she is doing such a good job of laying and keeping the colony numbers up.
The bees were slightly grumpier than usual and a few bees bumped against my veil as I was working just to let me know they were there. I think this had more to do with the overcast weather than my ham-fistedness. The worst time I've had with bees was when they knew a storm was brewing and I didn't. They really didn't like me opening up the hive with rain threatening.
Action plan for next time. Put on the bee escapes. Tidy up old frames in the second brood box t get rid of the lumps and bumps. Move frames around to keep the bees drawing out the frames.
Despite the progress, I can't escape the feeling that I'm missing something.
Sunday, 11 July 2010
A tight squeeze
Temperature: 27C
Weather: Bright and sunny
Stings: None
This was the first visit for about 10 days - perhaps a bit too long. I've a feeling that what I did today should have been done a while ago. Anyhoo, I gave them lots more space by adding another brood box with undrawn comb in it. There are only nine undrawn frames as two are in the bottom brood box and will hopefully be drawn out pretty quickly.
I also checked the super to see how that was going and it is pretty full. Unfortunately, not all the honey is capped so I can't really take it off yet or get the bees off it as the honey in it is likely just to ferment and be unusable if I do.
I did a quickish check of the lower brood box and it looks now like there is brood across all the frames, lots of it capped too so there are going to be lots more bees around soon and they will need something to do and somewhere to go at night.
The potential problem I have is that they spread themselves too thinly and I don't get many fully-drawn frames and none full enough of stores to see them through the winter. I can feed them to make it work but I'd rather avoid that if I can.
I need the brood frames drawn as the ones I inherited are really lumpy and bumpy. If I can swap them for ones that are better produced it will cut down on problems that would otherwise arise as I'm manipulating them.
I'm planning to go and see them again on Wednesday and give them a thorough look over. More soon.
Weather: Bright and sunny
Stings: None
This was the first visit for about 10 days - perhaps a bit too long. I've a feeling that what I did today should have been done a while ago. Anyhoo, I gave them lots more space by adding another brood box with undrawn comb in it. There are only nine undrawn frames as two are in the bottom brood box and will hopefully be drawn out pretty quickly.
I also checked the super to see how that was going and it is pretty full. Unfortunately, not all the honey is capped so I can't really take it off yet or get the bees off it as the honey in it is likely just to ferment and be unusable if I do.
I did a quickish check of the lower brood box and it looks now like there is brood across all the frames, lots of it capped too so there are going to be lots more bees around soon and they will need something to do and somewhere to go at night.
The potential problem I have is that they spread themselves too thinly and I don't get many fully-drawn frames and none full enough of stores to see them through the winter. I can feed them to make it work but I'd rather avoid that if I can.
I need the brood frames drawn as the ones I inherited are really lumpy and bumpy. If I can swap them for ones that are better produced it will cut down on problems that would otherwise arise as I'm manipulating them.
I'm planning to go and see them again on Wednesday and give them a thorough look over. More soon.
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Late post
Temperature: 20C
Stings: None
I'm writing this up a few days after I went to see the bees, so there might be some details I've forgotten.
Anyhoo, in this visit I started some of the changes I need to make to ensure they are okay for the winter. I swapped out a frame that was all stores for an undrawn brood frame. I'll need to do that a few more times to get enough to see them through but it's a start. The good thing is that I did it in the middle of the main flow and the good weather means it is likely to continue for a while. Though if it goes on too long then the nectar will start to dry up. A day of rain now would be perfect.
I also removed the super frame in the brood box that had lots of frame some of it drone, built underneath. I might put that back in on the next visit as its a good way to get rid of some varroa.
The super I have got on is pretty much full which means that I should get some honey this year. Not a huge amount and it does depend on whether they have raided it to build wax down below.
This visit I also noticed that there is still a lot of brood to emerge. I think when I next go I'll put on another brood box with mostly undrawn comb just to give them more space. If I don't they are really going to be squeezed in tight. They won't swarm, the queen has her wings clipped, but if they don't have enough space they might get a bit grumpy.
I also have a mesh floor to put on them so I can do a better job of monitoring varroa levels. I've not noticed any bees with bent wings or anything like that so I think they are okay at the moment. It'll pay to keep an eye on it though.
Stings: None
I'm writing this up a few days after I went to see the bees, so there might be some details I've forgotten.
Anyhoo, in this visit I started some of the changes I need to make to ensure they are okay for the winter. I swapped out a frame that was all stores for an undrawn brood frame. I'll need to do that a few more times to get enough to see them through but it's a start. The good thing is that I did it in the middle of the main flow and the good weather means it is likely to continue for a while. Though if it goes on too long then the nectar will start to dry up. A day of rain now would be perfect.
I also removed the super frame in the brood box that had lots of frame some of it drone, built underneath. I might put that back in on the next visit as its a good way to get rid of some varroa.
The super I have got on is pretty much full which means that I should get some honey this year. Not a huge amount and it does depend on whether they have raided it to build wax down below.
This visit I also noticed that there is still a lot of brood to emerge. I think when I next go I'll put on another brood box with mostly undrawn comb just to give them more space. If I don't they are really going to be squeezed in tight. They won't swarm, the queen has her wings clipped, but if they don't have enough space they might get a bit grumpy.
I also have a mesh floor to put on them so I can do a better job of monitoring varroa levels. I've not noticed any bees with bent wings or anything like that so I think they are okay at the moment. It'll pay to keep an eye on it though.
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Busy as a proverbial
Temperature: 20C
Weather: Sunny, blue skies
Stings: None
The colony is doing very well. Last time I looked a lot of brood was about to emerge. They have now done so and there are a lot of bees in the hive. One marker of that is the number of bees working the frames in the super. Before they have only been on one or two. Now they are on at least six of them.
Downstairs there is brood on eight of the eleven frames. Some of it capped but most of it is in the larval stage. Its pretty much at its strongest right now. Which makes me think I should use this fecundity to help them, and me, prepare for the winter and the start of next year. The problem I have is that I do not have any drawn combs or stores laid down thanks to losing my colony last year. So I need to build those up slowly. Storing honey in the super is all very well but I need to get them to build up some brood frames with it on too.
So, here is my thinking. I'll get some undrawn brood comb and start them drawing a few frames out and filling it with stores. The comb they have at the moment is a bit ratty and mis-shaped largely because of the way they have slowly moved in to it. If I can get a couple of frames of stores laid down I'll be a long way on to helping them survive next year. It might mean taking off the super, or moving it up, and putting another brood box in there for them to work on.
I'm aware, like many things with bees, that this could go wrong. They might not draw enough, they might draw a bit of a few frames and exhaust themselves to no great gain. I think it will work as they have drawn out the base of the super frame I put in last week in only a few days.
Other things I need are cloths to do the manipulations and brood frame wax.
Weather: Sunny, blue skies
Stings: None
The colony is doing very well. Last time I looked a lot of brood was about to emerge. They have now done so and there are a lot of bees in the hive. One marker of that is the number of bees working the frames in the super. Before they have only been on one or two. Now they are on at least six of them.
Downstairs there is brood on eight of the eleven frames. Some of it capped but most of it is in the larval stage. Its pretty much at its strongest right now. Which makes me think I should use this fecundity to help them, and me, prepare for the winter and the start of next year. The problem I have is that I do not have any drawn combs or stores laid down thanks to losing my colony last year. So I need to build those up slowly. Storing honey in the super is all very well but I need to get them to build up some brood frames with it on too.
So, here is my thinking. I'll get some undrawn brood comb and start them drawing a few frames out and filling it with stores. The comb they have at the moment is a bit ratty and mis-shaped largely because of the way they have slowly moved in to it. If I can get a couple of frames of stores laid down I'll be a long way on to helping them survive next year. It might mean taking off the super, or moving it up, and putting another brood box in there for them to work on.
I'm aware, like many things with bees, that this could go wrong. They might not draw enough, they might draw a bit of a few frames and exhaust themselves to no great gain. I think it will work as they have drawn out the base of the super frame I put in last week in only a few days.
Other things I need are cloths to do the manipulations and brood frame wax.
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Ready, steady, go
Temperature: 27c
Weather: Hot and sunny
Stings: None (Though they did get really grump at one point)
I had a much better look at them today. I went through the brood box frame-by-frame to see how they were doing. There was sealed brood on five frames, three others were pretty much all honey and the remainder were in the process of being drawn.
Once all the brood hatches it will be a very strong colony. Five frames is a lot. It was all laid out in the classic pattern of a crescent of honey around the brood. I'd guess there's about a week or so to go before they all emerge.
That will be just about in time for the main flow. I need to keep an eye on them to be sure they are okay. So far they have got enough space and are making more room. With all the honey they are producing they will be fine for making the wax they need.
Up above in the super one frame was full, but not sealed and two others were on the way to being full. The feeder was empty too. They have worked so hard over the last few days I'm slightly in awe. I hope its a combination of being in a good spot and a good brood.
Some things to remember for next time. They need a different queen excluder as the flat one I have now regularly gets pushed out of the way by the propolis and wax they are laying down. Plus the spacers I have aren't great. They seem to leave too much space so the bees are building lots of brace comb. Oh, I must also put in a super frame so they build drone brood and I can see how they are coping with varroa.
Weather: Hot and sunny
Stings: None (Though they did get really grump at one point)
I had a much better look at them today. I went through the brood box frame-by-frame to see how they were doing. There was sealed brood on five frames, three others were pretty much all honey and the remainder were in the process of being drawn.
Once all the brood hatches it will be a very strong colony. Five frames is a lot. It was all laid out in the classic pattern of a crescent of honey around the brood. I'd guess there's about a week or so to go before they all emerge.
That will be just about in time for the main flow. I need to keep an eye on them to be sure they are okay. So far they have got enough space and are making more room. With all the honey they are producing they will be fine for making the wax they need.
Up above in the super one frame was full, but not sealed and two others were on the way to being full. The feeder was empty too. They have worked so hard over the last few days I'm slightly in awe. I hope its a combination of being in a good spot and a good brood.
Some things to remember for next time. They need a different queen excluder as the flat one I have now regularly gets pushed out of the way by the propolis and wax they are laying down. Plus the spacers I have aren't great. They seem to leave too much space so the bees are building lots of brace comb. Oh, I must also put in a super frame so they build drone brood and I can see how they are coping with varroa.
Monday, 31 May 2010
Super store
Temperature: 16C
Weather: Sunny intervals
Just a quick visit again. I'll aim to do a more thorough inspection later this week. I just put on a super full of drawn comb to give them more room. I'm in two minds about doing this as it might mean they don't draw the comb in the brood frames and leave them short of space for a while. However, I also hope that it means they put the nectar they are collecting upstairs and clear room downstairs for brood.
I also topped up the sugar syrup as they had almost emptied that in four days. Pretty good going. That fills me with hope as it means they are busy and keen to use it. Fingers crossed.
Weather: Sunny intervals
Just a quick visit again. I'll aim to do a more thorough inspection later this week. I just put on a super full of drawn comb to give them more room. I'm in two minds about doing this as it might mean they don't draw the comb in the brood frames and leave them short of space for a while. However, I also hope that it means they put the nectar they are collecting upstairs and clear room downstairs for brood.
I also topped up the sugar syrup as they had almost emptied that in four days. Pretty good going. That fills me with hope as it means they are busy and keen to use it. Fingers crossed.
Friday, 28 May 2010
Space saving
Temperature 12c
Weather: Cool and overcast
Stings: none
I visited the bees again on 26 May to top up their feeder and do a more detailed inspection. They were much happier this time. A bit of smoke meant they stayed in the hive even though I had no cloths to cover the frames while I had a look.
I didn't see the queen but I did see eggs, brood and covered cells. Even some drone cells. I saw brood on 3 or four frames and the ones at the edges were not drawn yet.
There was also a lot of honey, so much so that I think I'm going to have to do something about it. We're getting into the main flow and they are bringing in as much as they can. To that end they have made extra comb between the brood frames. That's not great as it'll limit how I can re-use the comb.
I think what I will do this weekend is take out the feeder, put in a super full of drawn comb so they have somewhere to store their honey. I'm hoping this will mean they move some of the honey up to those empty cells and free up space down below for the queen to lay in. There is a problem in that not all of the brood comb is drawn yet so that might mean they just use the drawn stuff rather than anything else.
My worry is that they fill both and leave her with no room. She can't fly away as her wings are clipped but it might cause some tension. What is the alternative? More sugar syrup and no super. Which might cause the same problems. It looks like the colony is getting ready to grow and will need room as the flow comes on so probably better for them to have that space.
Weather: Cool and overcast
Stings: none
I visited the bees again on 26 May to top up their feeder and do a more detailed inspection. They were much happier this time. A bit of smoke meant they stayed in the hive even though I had no cloths to cover the frames while I had a look.
I didn't see the queen but I did see eggs, brood and covered cells. Even some drone cells. I saw brood on 3 or four frames and the ones at the edges were not drawn yet.
There was also a lot of honey, so much so that I think I'm going to have to do something about it. We're getting into the main flow and they are bringing in as much as they can. To that end they have made extra comb between the brood frames. That's not great as it'll limit how I can re-use the comb.
I think what I will do this weekend is take out the feeder, put in a super full of drawn comb so they have somewhere to store their honey. I'm hoping this will mean they move some of the honey up to those empty cells and free up space down below for the queen to lay in. There is a problem in that not all of the brood comb is drawn yet so that might mean they just use the drawn stuff rather than anything else.
My worry is that they fill both and leave her with no room. She can't fly away as her wings are clipped but it might cause some tension. What is the alternative? More sugar syrup and no super. Which might cause the same problems. It looks like the colony is getting ready to grow and will need room as the flow comes on so probably better for them to have that space.
Sunday, 23 May 2010
I have bees!
Temperature: 25C
Weather: Dry and sunny
The bees are back! I picked them up on 19 May from a friend who had been looking after them. The drive home, which took about an hour, was pretty hairy as lots of bees kept on finding their way out. It was a bit like The Wages of Fear. I didn't want to crash cos I was brushing away a bee. To stay safe, I stopped lots of times to brush away the escapees. There are not many laybys along the A3 where you won't find my footprints.
Anyway, I got them back and put them in their new location. I've moved out of the association apiary into an allotment on the edge of a big wood and lots of farmland. There are only two other hives there so I'm hoping it proves to be a good location for honey. Less chance of accidentally falling victim to disease too.
The bees were in a pretty bad mood when I first set them down in their new home. They let me know by boiling out the front of the hive when I eased the block out a bit and stinging me three times (two ankle and one hip) just to make the point.
For a while I wondered if this was because the queen had not travelled with them. There was a chance that she was still in the old hive because we had to move them off Langstroths to Nationals. Although they were starting to draw the brood comb there wasn't a huge amount and there was always the chance that she had strayed on to the Langstroth comb just before we did the up-and-away. Effectively, what I've got is half a colony. We moved it mid-morning so almost none of the foraging bees will be in it.
But it looks like she is there as I went down to inspect them today (23 May) and they were very happy, Bees flying in the front and they had built a lot of brace comb in the space (an empty super) above the brood box. They were even filling it with honey. So, I fired up the smoker, got them off the brace comb and down into the brood chamber. I've given them some sugar syrup as I want them to draw out the comb below before they think about making any honeycomb in the super.
I'll have another look this coming Wednesday and see if I can spot any eggs or Her Maj herself. It's so good to have some bees back again.
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