Temperature: 16C
Weather: Cool, cloudy, threatening rain
Stings: half
A bee in my shirt! A bee in my shirt! That was a tense few moments. And where did it sting me? On my hand. I thought I was guaranteed to get a sting on the back given it was buzzing around in my shirt but it only stung me when I was batting it away afterwards. And even then it was only a semi-sting. It barely hurts today.
Anyhoo, today was probably the last inspection/manipulation of the year. I gave the bees some stores to see them through and tidied up the hive in preparation for them going more dormant as the temperature falls. They really were not happy about me adding those frames of stores, especially as I had to make room for them by moving frames with lots of bees on them. Quite a few boiled out and began buzzing me with one in particular that would not leave me alone. This was the one that ended up diving down my collar when I'd taken off the veil.
Fingers crossed that the bees make it through. They should be okay. They have stores. Good numbers and are in a sheltered area. I'll go back and check on them regularly as I start to tidy up the plot in the allotment. I want to get it to a situation where I can swap the hives around and do swarm prep more easily than at the moment. For historical reasons the hives are on one edge of the plot and there is lots more of it that is completely unused.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Friday, 30 September 2011
No entry
Temperature: 22C
Weather: Warm and sunny
Stings: None
D'oh. Last visit I put in the Porter bee escape to get all the bees in the top brood box into the lower box so they could build up their stores for the winter. When I turned up this week the bees all looked busy and angry. When I cracked the cover board on the top brood box they boiled out and I wondered what was making them so grumpy. I soon found out. It turned out that I had put the bee escape in upside down. Well, I had put the crown board in upside down and the escape was taped to it so that's how it got messed up.
Image via Wikipedia
There were lots of dead bees on the crown board and I was lucky in that the escape had got so clogged with dead bodies that other ones could not get through. It could have been much worse as, without that, all the foragers could have been trapped in that upper box. On the upside all the frames in that upper brood box are now very well drawn and empty so will be a good store for next year.
I re-arranged the crown board so the bees could get out and into the lower box. I need to get some sugar to feed the bees too as it does not look like they have enough stored to see them through.
Weather: Warm and sunny
Stings: None
D'oh. Last visit I put in the Porter bee escape to get all the bees in the top brood box into the lower box so they could build up their stores for the winter. When I turned up this week the bees all looked busy and angry. When I cracked the cover board on the top brood box they boiled out and I wondered what was making them so grumpy. I soon found out. It turned out that I had put the bee escape in upside down. Well, I had put the crown board in upside down and the escape was taped to it so that's how it got messed up.
Image via WikipediaThere were lots of dead bees on the crown board and I was lucky in that the escape had got so clogged with dead bodies that other ones could not get through. It could have been much worse as, without that, all the foragers could have been trapped in that upper box. On the upside all the frames in that upper brood box are now very well drawn and empty so will be a good store for next year.
I re-arranged the crown board so the bees could get out and into the lower box. I need to get some sugar to feed the bees too as it does not look like they have enough stored to see them through.
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Box clever
Temperature: 18C
Weather: Warm, windy
Stings: None
I took a bit of time with the bees today to see how their winter preparation is going. They were in two brood boxes but I realised that having them so spread out was only going to mean their stores were spread very thinly. So, I've got them consolidating into one brood box so they can get all their stores into the place where they will be spending the winter. I saw lots of bees coming in bringing in pollen so they are obviously getting ready.
I did check through the brood box below and there are only a few frames with capped brood and larvae on them. I was a bit worried that there were so few but they are at least there so with the consolidation they should be able to build up a bit quicker.
Image via Wikipedia
Image via WikipediaThe final thing I did was to put on the varroa treatment. Earlier in the year I saw a few bees with bent wings but it was at the height of the season so the colony could carry those losses. Soon after I did the swarm preparation and that should have seen off quite a few of the mites. I'll keep an eye on them and if they need feeding will give them some syrup or feed them their own honey.
The upside of having bees from two colonies is all the spare and clean drawn comb I have. That will make things easier next year as the bees will not have to build up from zero early in the year.
Thursday, 8 September 2011
All hail the new queen
Temperature: 13C
Weather: Windy, cloudy and wet
Stings: None (though one bee tried really hard)
It looks like the grand unification has worked. I could only have a quick look yesterday thanks to imminent showers but I now have one hive of bees working together. I didn't have time to look for the new queen and re-assure myself that she is laying but the bees seemed pretty happy so I'd guess that she is doing a good job.
I tidied up the hive, put on a clearer board to start cramming them into fewer brood boxes. This weekend I'll put on an eke and treat them for varroa. I might take the chance to get all the frames with lots of stores on in one box too so they are well set up for next year. I also should have some spare frames that I can use early next year instead of sugar syrup to give them a good start.
Weather: Windy, cloudy and wet
Stings: None (though one bee tried really hard)
It looks like the grand unification has worked. I could only have a quick look yesterday thanks to imminent showers but I now have one hive of bees working together. I didn't have time to look for the new queen and re-assure myself that she is laying but the bees seemed pretty happy so I'd guess that she is doing a good job.
I tidied up the hive, put on a clearer board to start cramming them into fewer brood boxes. This weekend I'll put on an eke and treat them for varroa. I might take the chance to get all the frames with lots of stores on in one box too so they are well set up for next year. I also should have some spare frames that I can use early next year instead of sugar syrup to give them a good start.
Monday, 5 September 2011
You have selected regicide
Image via WikipediaIn the last visit to the bees before I went on holiday I took the bold step of starting the unification process for the two hives. Early that day I found the old queen in the bigger colony and put her in a jar with a couple of other bees that came along for the ride. I then left those bees to get all worried for a good few hours because their queen had gone missing.
I'm such a softy that I couldn't bear to squish the queen so decided to give her a less painful death by putting her in the freezer. That means she died more slowly but it seemed less cruel.
Later in the day I went back and put the two colonies together, separating them only by a sheet of newspaper. The idea is that they chew their way through and in that process mingle smells and become one happy colony under a new queen. As I went on holiday almost straight after I have no idea if it worked. When I go back this week I will find out.
Other things I need to do this week is get the tidied up supers off and put them in the freezer for a bit to kill the wax moth. Then they need fumigating and storing properly. The other big job is to put the bees into a couple of brood boxes to start shrinking numbers ready for the winter. Plus I can go through and pick the best frames so they have enough stores to tide them over winter. I'm nervous about seeing what has happened. If it has all gone horribly wrong I could be left without any bees at all.
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Slowing down
Temperature: 20C
Weather: Sunny and warm
Stings: None
A fairly quick visit today to look through the two hives and see how they are getting on. There's no doubt that the bigger colony has slowed down in its honey gathering. One super is pretty
Image via Wikipediamuch full and the other is about half full. That's not as much as I thought I would get. In their defence I have worked them fairly hard this year as they have effectively drawn two brood boxes of comb. That'll help next year as I'll have the resources ready for them when I move them to fresh comb in the year and when I do the swarm prevention. I think I need to get the bees out of the filled super and get them working on the emptier one. Time to get out the porter bee escapes.
The newer colony is going along fine. I put some almost undrawn comb in last week and that has been drawn out now. I shifted the frames about a bit to get them working on the newer frames. They seem fine. I'm slightly worried about their numbers but they have got a entrance block in so they are safe(ish) from robbing by other bees or wasps.
The big problem I have to deal with is the other hives in the same plot. One is quite strong and fine. The other has been robbed out by wasps. They are going in and out with impunity. My fear is that they are setting up a nest there and, once they are strong, will rob all the colonies of their stores. It needs dealing with. But I'm not sure how. I can swap out the brood box for a solid one that has no hole in the side that they can use. Or I can block up the hole with a piece of wood. Either way it needs sorting.
Weather: Sunny and warm
Stings: None
A fairly quick visit today to look through the two hives and see how they are getting on. There's no doubt that the bigger colony has slowed down in its honey gathering. One super is pretty
Image via Wikipediamuch full and the other is about half full. That's not as much as I thought I would get. In their defence I have worked them fairly hard this year as they have effectively drawn two brood boxes of comb. That'll help next year as I'll have the resources ready for them when I move them to fresh comb in the year and when I do the swarm prevention. I think I need to get the bees out of the filled super and get them working on the emptier one. Time to get out the porter bee escapes.The newer colony is going along fine. I put some almost undrawn comb in last week and that has been drawn out now. I shifted the frames about a bit to get them working on the newer frames. They seem fine. I'm slightly worried about their numbers but they have got a entrance block in so they are safe(ish) from robbing by other bees or wasps.
The big problem I have to deal with is the other hives in the same plot. One is quite strong and fine. The other has been robbed out by wasps. They are going in and out with impunity. My fear is that they are setting up a nest there and, once they are strong, will rob all the colonies of their stores. It needs dealing with. But I'm not sure how. I can swap out the brood box for a solid one that has no hole in the side that they can use. Or I can block up the hole with a piece of wood. Either way it needs sorting.
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Errr
Temperature: 18C
Weather: Warm and windy
Stings: None
Hmm.
Image via Wikipedia
Old hive - going very well. They have filled an entire super (pretty much) in about 10 days. So I added another one to give them some more room. Now I have to consider what to do if/when they have filled that. I'm tempted to give them more brood comb to draw so I can build up my stocks but am also torn about getting a good crop from them. Two supers will be about 30 pounds or so of honey, maybe more which is plenty. I've got more customers than before but I could struggle to get rid of/sell more than 40 pounds.
New hive. Is fine. But I'm not sure why. I went this week all ready to give them some brood from the other hive as I thought there numbers would be dwindling. I opened it up and there were a lot of bees. I looked at the frames and there were eggs in lots of the cells. Plus larvae and capped brood, including drone brood.
I split them at the start of the month but that seems very quick for it all to have happened. Too quick. If all things happened exactly as they should then she could have been laying early last week. But brood is capped on day nine and that means 28 days is too short. I'm not complaining, I don't think. But if it is not the queen they raised where has it come from? There is a tiny chance that the bees in the hive are from the swarm on the tree. But that's so unlikely that I don't think it's a real possibility. Plus I checked the colony at that time and they were all there so there wasn't much chance that they'd be ousted by that other lot. Maybe they were getting on with it earlier than I thought. There's only a day or so in it. Hmm.
Anyway, it means that the next problem I have to confront is whether and when to unite them. I could keep them separate and see how they do but that does mean buying lots more equipment.
Weather: Warm and windy
Stings: None
Hmm.
Image via WikipediaOld hive - going very well. They have filled an entire super (pretty much) in about 10 days. So I added another one to give them some more room. Now I have to consider what to do if/when they have filled that. I'm tempted to give them more brood comb to draw so I can build up my stocks but am also torn about getting a good crop from them. Two supers will be about 30 pounds or so of honey, maybe more which is plenty. I've got more customers than before but I could struggle to get rid of/sell more than 40 pounds.
New hive. Is fine. But I'm not sure why. I went this week all ready to give them some brood from the other hive as I thought there numbers would be dwindling. I opened it up and there were a lot of bees. I looked at the frames and there were eggs in lots of the cells. Plus larvae and capped brood, including drone brood.
I split them at the start of the month but that seems very quick for it all to have happened. Too quick. If all things happened exactly as they should then she could have been laying early last week. But brood is capped on day nine and that means 28 days is too short. I'm not complaining, I don't think. But if it is not the queen they raised where has it come from? There is a tiny chance that the bees in the hive are from the swarm on the tree. But that's so unlikely that I don't think it's a real possibility. Plus I checked the colony at that time and they were all there so there wasn't much chance that they'd be ousted by that other lot. Maybe they were getting on with it earlier than I thought. There's only a day or so in it. Hmm.
Anyway, it means that the next problem I have to confront is whether and when to unite them. I could keep them separate and see how they do but that does mean buying lots more equipment.
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Rain check
Temperature: 17C
Weather: Muggy, threatening rain
Stings: None
A quick check as it was about to rain very heavily and the bees were really hacked off th
Image by photogirl7.1 via Flickrat I was having a look. I did want to have a spin through the super but it was thick with bees that I hoped would be foraging so I nixed that idea. Plus as soon as I cracked open the crown board the guard bees were in my face and more turned up as I started to look through the frames. So, I left them to it. The super had only been on a few days so I don't think there would be much to see even if I'd kept on.
I also checked the smaller colony that's raising the queen. I was wondering if they would need some brood from the bigger colony but it looked pretty healthy. I'll keep an eye on it as it could go south pretty quickly. I might move some over anyway as by the time I realise there is a problem it will probably be too late. I also fed the bees so they have enough to keep them going.
Weather: Muggy, threatening rain
Stings: None
A quick check as it was about to rain very heavily and the bees were really hacked off th
Image by photogirl7.1 via Flickrat I was having a look. I did want to have a spin through the super but it was thick with bees that I hoped would be foraging so I nixed that idea. Plus as soon as I cracked open the crown board the guard bees were in my face and more turned up as I started to look through the frames. So, I left them to it. The super had only been on a few days so I don't think there would be much to see even if I'd kept on.I also checked the smaller colony that's raising the queen. I was wondering if they would need some brood from the bigger colony but it looked pretty healthy. I'll keep an eye on it as it could go south pretty quickly. I might move some over anyway as by the time I realise there is a problem it will probably be too late. I also fed the bees so they have enough to keep them going.
Friday, 17 June 2011
Get set...
Temperature: 15C
Weather: Cloudy, showery
Stings: None
It looks like all the swarm preparations have worked out pretty well. The colony with the old queen is now very healthy. I took down a super of drawn comb for them to start filling as the next couple of weeks (Wimbledon fortnight) are peak flow season. When I took off the crown board to put in a queen excluder I saw that the bees were already building comb above the frames to store honey. I scraped off the excess, set down the super and hopefully they'll make good use of it in the next few weeks.
The colony raising the new queen is doing fine too. I reduced the number of frames they were on to reduce their workload as there are not many bees to keep the colony ticking along. I've not had chance to check the frames and see where the queen cell us but I did notice what looks like some queen cells that have been torn down. I'll have a better look next week. I've also given them a bit of food to keep them going as their numbers are dwindling and the weather isn't great. It takes about six weeks for a colony to start building up again with a new queen so they might need quite a bit of help to survive.
Friday, 10 June 2011
Splitsville
Temperature: 16C
Weather: Cloudy, windy, threatening rain.
Stings: None
A visit this week to finish off the swarm measures. The colony with the old queen was shifted along a bit and the other colony was moved to its other side. This means the flying bees will return to the colony with the old queen. And it further depletes the numbers in the colony raising the queen. I should have done this last week but the panic over the swarm meant I didn't have time.
When I next go I'll sort out the smaller colony and shrink it down to a few frames. If I had a nuc I would put it in that so they can get on with raising the queen and sorting themselves out. It'll mean I have brood comb with stores in to extract and will make it easier for them to raise a queen.
What I'll also do is sort out the flagstones I use as sites for the colonies. With three in place it'll be easier to do these kinds of swaps in the future.
Weather: Cloudy, windy, threatening rain.
Stings: None
A visit this week to finish off the swarm measures. The colony with the old queen was shifted along a bit and the other colony was moved to its other side. This means the flying bees will return to the colony with the old queen. And it further depletes the numbers in the colony raising the queen. I should have done this last week but the panic over the swarm meant I didn't have time.
When I next go I'll sort out the smaller colony and shrink it down to a few frames. If I had a nuc I would put it in that so they can get on with raising the queen and sorting themselves out. It'll mean I have brood comb with stores in to extract and will make it easier for them to raise a queen.
What I'll also do is sort out the flagstones I use as sites for the colonies. With three in place it'll be easier to do these kinds of swaps in the future.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Swarm spotted
So my bees are now all set. I found the queen and put her in a fresh hive and started feeding her. The other hive is also now getting on with raising a new queen. All I've got to do now is decide if I unite the two colonies and when I do it or do I raise a new queen and let her take over. The downside of the new queen is that it'll take time for her to mature, go on a mating flight and start laying.
Standard estimates suggest it will take at least three weeks to go from egg to emergence to mating flight and laying. I need to add on to that another three weeks for new workers to emerge and get going. So I'm facing a six week fallow period while the new queen settles in. Hmm.
Alternatively I can establish her in a nuke and get the other bees into the other hive so they are building up as the other one is coming along. Lots to ponder.
But, the day after I did the swapping and was back tidying up the plot I noticed a swarm settled in a cherry tree nearby. I didn't think it could be mine as I'd only just swapped them around and my queen has her wings clipped so can't fly off. So I left them to it.
I came back this week and that swarm was still there. I panicked and wondered if it was mine so, against my better judgement, cracked open the queen-raising colony to see if it was them. No, it wasn't. There were loads of bees in that colony. Far more than would be left if lots were in a cluster on a nearby tree.
It's also not the other one as there are loads of bees flying in and out of that colony so they are happily getting on with being in their new home. Hmm. There's not much I can do about it as I do not have enough equipment to house them. I suspect next time I go down they will have flown away.
Standard estimates suggest it will take at least three weeks to go from egg to emergence to mating flight and laying. I need to add on to that another three weeks for new workers to emerge and get going. So I'm facing a six week fallow period while the new queen settles in. Hmm.
Alternatively I can establish her in a nuke and get the other bees into the other hive so they are building up as the other one is coming along. Lots to ponder.
But, the day after I did the swapping and was back tidying up the plot I noticed a swarm settled in a cherry tree nearby. I didn't think it could be mine as I'd only just swapped them around and my queen has her wings clipped so can't fly off. So I left them to it.
I came back this week and that swarm was still there. I panicked and wondered if it was mine so, against my better judgement, cracked open the queen-raising colony to see if it was them. No, it wasn't. There were loads of bees in that colony. Far more than would be left if lots were in a cluster on a nearby tree.
It's also not the other one as there are loads of bees flying in and out of that colony so they are happily getting on with being in their new home. Hmm. There's not much I can do about it as I do not have enough equipment to house them. I suspect next time I go down they will have flown away.
Thursday, 19 May 2011
close but...
Temperature: 16C
Weather: Muggy, threatening rain.
Stings: None.
I was intending for this to be the day that I did the swarm prep. I had the frames ready, along with brood box, floor, crown board and roof. But the weather got in the way. The muggy weather and heavy cloud had kept pretty much all the bees in the hive. So, when I opened up loads started flying and they were really unhappy about being disturbed. I had a good look through but couldn't find the queen, the clouds were getting heavier and the bees were getting more and more upset. So, in all I decided to try again next week. My decision was influenced by the fact that I didn't see any queen cups while I was looking through that lower brood box.
What I did see, and which did worry me, was quite a few bees with deformed or bent wings. Not a huge number but enough to make me ponder. Other beekeepers I have talked to are worried that this year might be a bad one for varroa. They might be right. It is very early in the year to be seeing bees in that condition. I saw some drone brood here and there plus a few drones stumbling around. Not much brood and not many drones. However, I might have a closer look at those cells next week. A good time to change the brood comb, methinks. A time for action.
Weather: Muggy, threatening rain.
Stings: None.
I was intending for this to be the day that I did the swarm prep. I had the frames ready, along with brood box, floor, crown board and roof. But the weather got in the way. The muggy weather and heavy cloud had kept pretty much all the bees in the hive. So, when I opened up loads started flying and they were really unhappy about being disturbed. I had a good look through but couldn't find the queen, the clouds were getting heavier and the bees were getting more and more upset. So, in all I decided to try again next week. My decision was influenced by the fact that I didn't see any queen cups while I was looking through that lower brood box.
What I did see, and which did worry me, was quite a few bees with deformed or bent wings. Not a huge number but enough to make me ponder. Other beekeepers I have talked to are worried that this year might be a bad one for varroa. They might be right. It is very early in the year to be seeing bees in that condition. I saw some drone brood here and there plus a few drones stumbling around. Not much brood and not many drones. However, I might have a closer look at those cells next week. A good time to change the brood comb, methinks. A time for action.
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Face time
Temperature: 17c
Weather: Cloudy, threatening rain
Stings: One
A bee in my veil! A bee in my veil! Next time I'll remember not to lean over the hive as I put lean frames I've taken out against the body of it. I think one flew up the bee suit and then was in my veil and buzzing round my face. That was a tense moment. I squished it and got on with my inspection. The sting was on my back and it got in my suit when I opened them us as a few were flying.
Image via WikipediaI think I semi-squished it when I stood up and it stung me in anger.
And the bees are fine. They have drawn another couple of frames and I put some more in that they could get on with. No signs of swarming yet but there is drone brood and they are very busy. I'll get the frames ready and do the swarm prep this weekend, weather permitting. I was worried when I turned up as there were not many bees flying but when I went to inspect there were loads on the frames so all the others must have been out foraging. I've taken a few frames off so I ill get some early honey from them as I can't use what they have drawn as stores for next year. Too risky.
I also learned this week that I was wrong about the queen. I thought they went on mating flights every year. But they only go on one and after that never leave the hive except to swarm. So that makes my planning a bit easier as I don't have to worry about her mating just absconding with half the bees. But that happens every year.
Weather: Cloudy, threatening rain
Stings: One
A bee in my veil! A bee in my veil! Next time I'll remember not to lean over the hive as I put lean frames I've taken out against the body of it. I think one flew up the bee suit and then was in my veil and buzzing round my face. That was a tense moment. I squished it and got on with my inspection. The sting was on my back and it got in my suit when I opened them us as a few were flying.
Image via WikipediaI think I semi-squished it when I stood up and it stung me in anger.And the bees are fine. They have drawn another couple of frames and I put some more in that they could get on with. No signs of swarming yet but there is drone brood and they are very busy. I'll get the frames ready and do the swarm prep this weekend, weather permitting. I was worried when I turned up as there were not many bees flying but when I went to inspect there were loads on the frames so all the others must have been out foraging. I've taken a few frames off so I ill get some early honey from them as I can't use what they have drawn as stores for next year. Too risky.
I also learned this week that I was wrong about the queen. I thought they went on mating flights every year. But they only go on one and after that never leave the hive except to swarm. So that makes my planning a bit easier as I don't have to worry about her mating just absconding with half the bees. But that happens every year.
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Busy bees
Temperature: 17C
Weather: Warm
Stings: None (but it was a close-run thing)
Four days ago I put a couple of undrawn frames into the top brood box and today they had been pretty much fully drawn. Strangely enough some frames in the lower brood box remain undrawn. So I swapped them over as that will give the queen down below a lot more space in which to lay. I'm hoping that the frames I put upstairs will be drawn by next week as that will give me a good base on which to do my swarm preparation. I'll go the usual route of moving and re-uniting as its worked very well in the past.
Image by steveburt1947 via Flickr
I'm not sure why but the bees were a bit restive and lots started flying once I began doing the manipulations. They did soon settle and there was only one that was really annoyed and followed me around a bit. By and large they were as well tempered as ever. They were also annoyed by me having to swap the floor. I realised that I'd put it in the wrong way up.
I saw quite a few drones here and there with a bit of brood too. Nothing too excessive so I don't think I have to worry about anything just yet. I do need to think about changing the queen as her wings are clipped and she's not going to be able to go on a mating flight. I don't want to do it before the main flow (approx 20 June - 3 July) gets under way because their recovery from a change in management could harm their preparation and mean they don't get much out of it.
One way round that is to let the bees raise their new queen during swarm prevention. Then I could use that one as the queen for the whole colony when I re-unite. It's risky though and given the troubles I had with bees for the last few years I'm tempted to avoid it.
Weather: Warm
Stings: None (but it was a close-run thing)
Four days ago I put a couple of undrawn frames into the top brood box and today they had been pretty much fully drawn. Strangely enough some frames in the lower brood box remain undrawn. So I swapped them over as that will give the queen down below a lot more space in which to lay. I'm hoping that the frames I put upstairs will be drawn by next week as that will give me a good base on which to do my swarm preparation. I'll go the usual route of moving and re-uniting as its worked very well in the past.
Image by steveburt1947 via FlickrI'm not sure why but the bees were a bit restive and lots started flying once I began doing the manipulations. They did soon settle and there was only one that was really annoyed and followed me around a bit. By and large they were as well tempered as ever. They were also annoyed by me having to swap the floor. I realised that I'd put it in the wrong way up.
I saw quite a few drones here and there with a bit of brood too. Nothing too excessive so I don't think I have to worry about anything just yet. I do need to think about changing the queen as her wings are clipped and she's not going to be able to go on a mating flight. I don't want to do it before the main flow (approx 20 June - 3 July) gets under way because their recovery from a change in management could harm their preparation and mean they don't get much out of it.
One way round that is to let the bees raise their new queen during swarm prevention. Then I could use that one as the queen for the whole colony when I re-unite. It's risky though and given the troubles I had with bees for the last few years I'm tempted to avoid it.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Stores aboard
Temperature: 19C
Weather: Warm and windy
Stings: None
Just a quick check as there is not much I can do until I've got the extra bee bits (frames and foundation) that I need. But from what I saw they are doing very well. All the brood in the top brood box has emerged and the entire box is now pretty much full of stores. The foundation that they have draw is a bit gnarly and they got really irritated when I inspected it as a few bees got rolled as it pulled it upwards. Once I've got some fresh undrawn frames made up I'll start swapping out the old stuff. I'm tempted to do a spring extraction as the old frames probably need retiring. I'm not sure I should store them this year to use next.
Image via Wikipedia
Downstairs, all is well. There is lots of frame being drawn and brood in all stages. I saw the queen! She is pretty slim but was marching around looking for places to lay. I need to be careful about how much foundation I give them to draw as they could get exhausted if I work them too hard or they may be drawing it in the wrong places.
These feel like good problems to have though as it is about coping with growth not struggling to get them started.
Weather: Warm and windy
Stings: None
Just a quick check as there is not much I can do until I've got the extra bee bits (frames and foundation) that I need. But from what I saw they are doing very well. All the brood in the top brood box has emerged and the entire box is now pretty much full of stores. The foundation that they have draw is a bit gnarly and they got really irritated when I inspected it as a few bees got rolled as it pulled it upwards. Once I've got some fresh undrawn frames made up I'll start swapping out the old stuff. I'm tempted to do a spring extraction as the old frames probably need retiring. I'm not sure I should store them this year to use next.
Image via WikipediaDownstairs, all is well. There is lots of frame being drawn and brood in all stages. I saw the queen! She is pretty slim but was marching around looking for places to lay. I need to be careful about how much foundation I give them to draw as they could get exhausted if I work them too hard or they may be drawing it in the wrong places.
These feel like good problems to have though as it is about coping with growth not struggling to get them started.
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Going strong
Temperature: 25C
Weather: Hot and sunny
Stings: None
This was the first visit for two weeks and I was worried about what I would find as I made some big changes last time. Thankfully it kind of looks like what I did worked. Essentially I swapped the two brood boxes around to start the process of getting the bees onto fresh comb. My worry was that the queen would not have enough room to lay as not all the comb I gave them was drawn.
Image via Wikipedia
I'm still a bit worried as the comb is starting to be drawn but it is by no means all done yet. They do have lots of stores though so it shouldn't be too much of a problem for them to draw it. I did see bees in all stages of development, everything from eggs to sealed brood and lots of it. It is going to be a very strong colony very soon.
Upstairs there is not much brood left to emerge and much of the rest has been given over to stores. I have fallen victim to one problem which is that the bees will only use the space they need. They don't draw comb on a whim. I'll keep an eye on them though as I want to get them drawing more comb so they can build up some for next year. I'm down on stores and stocks thanks to a couple of poor years with my bees.
Weather: Hot and sunny
Stings: None
This was the first visit for two weeks and I was worried about what I would find as I made some big changes last time. Thankfully it kind of looks like what I did worked. Essentially I swapped the two brood boxes around to start the process of getting the bees onto fresh comb. My worry was that the queen would not have enough room to lay as not all the comb I gave them was drawn.
Image via WikipediaI'm still a bit worried as the comb is starting to be drawn but it is by no means all done yet. They do have lots of stores though so it shouldn't be too much of a problem for them to draw it. I did see bees in all stages of development, everything from eggs to sealed brood and lots of it. It is going to be a very strong colony very soon.
Upstairs there is not much brood left to emerge and much of the rest has been given over to stores. I have fallen victim to one problem which is that the bees will only use the space they need. They don't draw comb on a whim. I'll keep an eye on them though as I want to get them drawing more comb so they can build up some for next year. I'm down on stores and stocks thanks to a couple of poor years with my bees.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Swapsies
Temperature: 24C
Weather: Hot and sunny
Stings: None
Today I did the first full inspection of the year and was quite pleased with what I found. There is brood on six combs and stores on at least as many more. Brood in all stages too. I did
Image via Wikipedian't see the queen but I did see eggs and lots of larva. Plus there was lots of capped brood and even a little bit of drone comb here and there. No queen cells though.
So the bees are doing well. They have more than enough stores to keep them going, the weather is good and they are bringing in nectar and pollen. They are pretty well set. It is going to be a very strong colony very soon.
What I also did today was start the process of moving them on to fresh comb. I'll admit now that this is a gamble. Not all the comb they are moving to is drawn and they will have to work hard to get that done. I don't think that's going to be a problem because they are making wax for brood. I had to mash a few larva in comb that had been built on top of the frames. I'm worried though because I'm not sure they have enough room in which to expand.
What is true now that the fresh comb, queen and other bees are in the bottom brood box is that they do have more room. And the queen has places to put eggs. Will it be enough? Not sure. I'd guess that they are happier to build comb where the queen wants to lay than in places to put stores. And some of those stores will be consumed as they produce wax. This is all by way of re-assuring myself that I've not made a stupid mistake.
If I have messed up then there is not much I can do about it. I do not have any more drawn comb for them to use. I can feed them so they have more stores to use but I don't think that will be the problem as there is plenty of forage for them. It's more a question of whether they can drawn the comb quick enough to satisfy the queen.
I was convinced that I'd get stung today as I messed the bees around a lot. I smoked them, moved all the frames around, peered at them and shook them up a lot. But apart from the odd bee bothering me to see what I was doing they were pretty docile. I'll miss this queen when she is gone.
Weather: Hot and sunny
Stings: None
Today I did the first full inspection of the year and was quite pleased with what I found. There is brood on six combs and stores on at least as many more. Brood in all stages too. I did
Image via Wikipedian't see the queen but I did see eggs and lots of larva. Plus there was lots of capped brood and even a little bit of drone comb here and there. No queen cells though.So the bees are doing well. They have more than enough stores to keep them going, the weather is good and they are bringing in nectar and pollen. They are pretty well set. It is going to be a very strong colony very soon.
What I also did today was start the process of moving them on to fresh comb. I'll admit now that this is a gamble. Not all the comb they are moving to is drawn and they will have to work hard to get that done. I don't think that's going to be a problem because they are making wax for brood. I had to mash a few larva in comb that had been built on top of the frames. I'm worried though because I'm not sure they have enough room in which to expand.
What is true now that the fresh comb, queen and other bees are in the bottom brood box is that they do have more room. And the queen has places to put eggs. Will it be enough? Not sure. I'd guess that they are happier to build comb where the queen wants to lay than in places to put stores. And some of those stores will be consumed as they produce wax. This is all by way of re-assuring myself that I've not made a stupid mistake.
If I have messed up then there is not much I can do about it. I do not have any more drawn comb for them to use. I can feed them so they have more stores to use but I don't think that will be the problem as there is plenty of forage for them. It's more a question of whether they can drawn the comb quick enough to satisfy the queen.
I was convinced that I'd get stung today as I messed the bees around a lot. I smoked them, moved all the frames around, peered at them and shook them up a lot. But apart from the odd bee bothering me to see what I was doing they were pretty docile. I'll miss this queen when she is gone.
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
A rush job
Temperature: 15C
Weather: Warm and sunny
Stings: None
For the first time in months some proper beekeeping. I went along today thinking that all I would do was remove the feeder and have a quick look to see how they were doing. But it didn't quite go like that.
I took off the feeder and underneath the
Image via Wikipedia bees were building out some comb. I cracked the crown board and wax was built on the top of the frames inside too. I'd bumped some of the cells while taking off the feeder and inside was nectar or sugar syrup. Not what I was expecting.
The warmer weather and blossom that has flowered everywhere looks like it has encouraged the to build up quickly this year. I was expecting that I would have another week before I started moving them to fresh comb. But I didn't.
So I rushed off to get a brood box full of foundation and semi-drawn comb that I'd got ready. I went back and put it on the colony to give them some room and something to do with all the wax they are creating.
I was worried about disturbing then so much but they were very well behaved, perhaps because the weather was so good lots of them were out foraging - when I turned up I saw loads of scouts hovering out the front on orientation flights. Even those that took off when I opened up the brood box happily went back in with a bit of smoke. A good day.
I'll admit now that this is a risk. If the weather turns bad then I'll have a colony with lots of work to do and nothing to do it with. And I'll have to return to using sugar syrup to get them going. Looking at the forecast I think I've got a week or so of good weather which, with all the forage there is around, should get them well set up. I just hope they've got no other surprises in store for me.
Weather: Warm and sunny
Stings: None
For the first time in months some proper beekeeping. I went along today thinking that all I would do was remove the feeder and have a quick look to see how they were doing. But it didn't quite go like that.
I took off the feeder and underneath the
Image via Wikipedia bees were building out some comb. I cracked the crown board and wax was built on the top of the frames inside too. I'd bumped some of the cells while taking off the feeder and inside was nectar or sugar syrup. Not what I was expecting.The warmer weather and blossom that has flowered everywhere looks like it has encouraged the to build up quickly this year. I was expecting that I would have another week before I started moving them to fresh comb. But I didn't.
So I rushed off to get a brood box full of foundation and semi-drawn comb that I'd got ready. I went back and put it on the colony to give them some room and something to do with all the wax they are creating.
I was worried about disturbing then so much but they were very well behaved, perhaps because the weather was so good lots of them were out foraging - when I turned up I saw loads of scouts hovering out the front on orientation flights. Even those that took off when I opened up the brood box happily went back in with a bit of smoke. A good day.
I'll admit now that this is a risk. If the weather turns bad then I'll have a colony with lots of work to do and nothing to do it with. And I'll have to return to using sugar syrup to get them going. Looking at the forecast I think I've got a week or so of good weather which, with all the forage there is around, should get them well set up. I just hope they've got no other surprises in store for me.
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Clear cutting
Temperature: 9C
Weather: Grey cloud. Threatening rain.
Stings: None (but it was a near thing)
The weather got in the way of my plans today. I was going to start to move them around and get them drawing out fresh brood comb. But the weather was suddenly a lot colder and cloudier today and moving them around might not have gone well. I think I made a good choice because there were hardly any flying either. They were all tucked up in the hive. I did get in the way of a couple as I was cutting some weeds and brambles down and they were not happy about it. If the weather's better next week I'll start moving them around once I've had a good look at them.
Weather: Grey cloud. Threatening rain.
Stings: None (but it was a near thing)
The weather got in the way of my plans today. I was going to start to move them around and get them drawing out fresh brood comb. But the weather was suddenly a lot colder and cloudier today and moving them around might not have gone well. I think I made a good choice because there were hardly any flying either. They were all tucked up in the hive. I did get in the way of a couple as I was cutting some weeds and brambles down and they were not happy about it. If the weather's better next week I'll start moving them around once I've had a good look at them.
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Building up
Temperature: 10C
Weather: Warm! Sunny!
Stings: None
I went along today worried what I might find when cracked open the crown board. Its been a month since I fed the bees and since then the weather has been unremittingly cold. I was worried that the syrup would have spurred them to build up their numbers which would then crash as they could not get out and forage for food for all the baby bees. This is because the rate at which the queen lays is dependent on the amount of food coming in.
It doesn't look like that has happened. I counted bees on about 5 frames when I looked in, albeit quickly as the temperature was only just warm enough to support an inspection. I fed them again and that should keep them ticking along as the weather improves. Next week, depending on the weather, I might go for a full inspection. Then, or soon after, I'll start to get them on to fresh comb.
If I can this year I want to build up a reserve of honey-filled brood comb. That will make building up next year easier as they will be able to move to use that much more easily than it is to use syrup. I still don't know how good a spot they are in for honey but it has got to be pretty good as there are almost no other bees around to compete with.
Weather: Warm! Sunny!
Stings: None
I went along today worried what I might find when cracked open the crown board. Its been a month since I fed the bees and since then the weather has been unremittingly cold. I was worried that the syrup would have spurred them to build up their numbers which would then crash as they could not get out and forage for food for all the baby bees. This is because the rate at which the queen lays is dependent on the amount of food coming in.
It doesn't look like that has happened. I counted bees on about 5 frames when I looked in, albeit quickly as the temperature was only just warm enough to support an inspection. I fed them again and that should keep them ticking along as the weather improves. Next week, depending on the weather, I might go for a full inspection. Then, or soon after, I'll start to get them on to fresh comb.
If I can this year I want to build up a reserve of honey-filled brood comb. That will make building up next year easier as they will be able to move to use that much more easily than it is to use syrup. I still don't know how good a spot they are in for honey but it has got to be pretty good as there are almost no other bees around to compete with.
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Feeding time
Temperature: 11C
Weather: Sunny but chilly out of the sun
Stings: None
A quick visit to start the spring feeding regime. I had to work fast putting the feeder on as almost no bees were flying when I arrived. The weather has been changeable with frosty days followed by warmer ones and the threat of rain ever present. Not the kind of weather that bees like.
Image by BeesinFrance via Flickr
It looks like the bees have been busy in the last few weeks as there were a lot of corpses out the front. So many that when I turned up and saw no bees flying, and only a dead bee hanging by one leg from the front entrance, that I thought they were all gone.
When I cracked open the top and peeped inside there were quite a few bees at work. Enough to make me believe they will make it. A few frames towards one side looked like they were in use. I'm not sure how many as its still too cold to do a thorough inspection. I satisfied myself with putting on the feeder and I think they'll be keen to use it.
Next step is to swap the old frames for fresh. The weather will have to be much better though for them to build up stores, produce wax and draw comb.
Weather: Sunny but chilly out of the sun
Stings: None
A quick visit to start the spring feeding regime. I had to work fast putting the feeder on as almost no bees were flying when I arrived. The weather has been changeable with frosty days followed by warmer ones and the threat of rain ever present. Not the kind of weather that bees like.
Image by BeesinFrance via FlickrIt looks like the bees have been busy in the last few weeks as there were a lot of corpses out the front. So many that when I turned up and saw no bees flying, and only a dead bee hanging by one leg from the front entrance, that I thought they were all gone.
When I cracked open the top and peeped inside there were quite a few bees at work. Enough to make me believe they will make it. A few frames towards one side looked like they were in use. I'm not sure how many as its still too cold to do a thorough inspection. I satisfied myself with putting on the feeder and I think they'll be keen to use it.
Next step is to swap the old frames for fresh. The weather will have to be much better though for them to build up stores, produce wax and draw comb.
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
An early start
Temperature: 10C
Weather: Cool, light rain, light wind
Stings: None
My worries about my bees compelled me to visit them much earlier than I ever have. Usually I leave it to February or March before I make a visit. I went earlier because this is a tricky time of year if the weather is mild. It might encourage the queen to start laying and if there is another cold snap then there'll be lots of new mouths to feed and nothing to give them as the stores will be used up and there'll be no forage.
So, I went along today to try and remedy that. On the recommendation of a much wiser beekeeper than me I lightly soaked some sugar and left it in the top of the hive. That was the intention when I set out. Everything changed when I got there as the mild day - about 10 degrees - had encouraged lots of bees to fly. About 50 - 60 of them were hovering in front of the hive. It looked like they were scouts orienting themselves and they were making a loud buzz. It was spitting so I guess they were annoyed at being caught out in the rain plus the woodpecker guard (see below) was making it tricky for them to approach.
As I had no gloves with me I didn't want to open them up and risk annoying them even more and getting stung a lot for trying to do them a favour. I went away again, got some gloves and went back. I opened them up and was pleased to see bees on four or five frames. I didn't look long though as they boiled up as soon as the light hit them. I put down the sugar and closed up but still had four angry bees trying to sting me through my jumper sleeves. I did get the sugar down though so they do have something to get them going. I'll keep an eye on the weather and have a look again when it warms up.
Reports that the snow around Christmas had blocked hive entrances led me to take a visit in late December. It's a good job I did. Two of the three hives in the allotment had been attacked by woodpeckers. On one hive there was a small hole and on the other a much bigger one. There were a few bees around that one wondering why there was a hole in the side of their hive. I rushed away, got some chicken wire, then went back and wrapped two of them up.
When I visited today it didn't look like they woodpeckers had done any more damage on the one that was worst attacked. The damage was no worse on the other one too and, thankfully, my hive escaped completely. Woodpecker damage is usually attributed to green woodpeckers and I've not seen any of those hereabouts - just the black and white ones.
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