tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16283100224893389902024-03-19T12:48:39.797+00:00LLBeesHoneybees and life in the MarchesHarveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-90721005890277721432012-12-02T11:03:00.000+00:002012-12-02T11:03:54.499+00:00Apis M DudeGreetings Reader (if any)!<br />
He calls himself a "keeper", well if this blog is anything to go by he needs to pull his socks up. Any bee could see that it has been sorely neglected. Time for me to take over.<br />
So who bee me? My name is Apis M. Dude. I am the proud spirit of a deceased drone honeybee of the family Mellifera. Along with all my brothers I was outrageously evicted from the hive in September and suffered death from starvation and cold. I was heading obediently for Eternity when I accidentally collided with a data transmission. The collision was so violent that I fused with the data stream and subsequently discovered to my delight that I now have the power to manipulate my former keeper's virtual world.<br />
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There are more than fifty thousand of Apis Ms in my old colony alone, so just call me Dude.<br />
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Born early in April 2012 I was healthy and fortunate not to have had to share my birth cell with one of those beastly Varroa mites. Life was great during the spring and summer. We were well cared for and fed by the worker ladies though they were constantly buzzing on about how much we drones were eating so leaving very little for winter stores. At the time we weren't interested in their worries. Had we twigged their ultimate intention to chuck us out before winter we would have cared even less! Here are a couple of pictures of one of my personal carers foraging on Sedum - looks cute doesn't she? Little did I realise that she was to be my Nemesis. Yes it was she who kept biting me and with her confederates pulled and pushed me out of the colony for the last time - she's as hard as nails.<br />
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Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-82640612655059549382012-06-07T17:43:00.000+01:002012-06-07T17:43:27.011+01:00CatchupOoops! - far too long since my last post. Not because our interest in the bees has been waning, on the contrary they have kept us busy and what with record keeping and other stuff I have simply neglected the computer screen.
In the event last year did not produce much honey. Poor weather resulted in very poor nectar flow during June/July. It only really picked up in September when we were treating with Thymol against the Varroa mite. That meant that we could not extract honey for human consumption. It was left for the bees. They were fed during the Autumn and found a good crop from Himalayan Balsam by the river Clun. We entered the winter with three good colonies and one very weak one. The weather was unseasonally warm at times with the result that the bees were flying throughout December.
The picture below is exceptional not for it's quality but for the fact that it was taken at 3.00pm on the 31st December 2011, a bee returning with pollen!!! The problem with bees flying in winter is that they are using more energy from stores in the hive than they are collecting. The hive outgoings are greater than the income and starvation is a real danger.
All hives were checked early in January when treated with Oxalic acid (against Varroa) and found to be fine but by the end of the month one colony was discovered dead through starvation. You can tell because many bees are head down in the cells with backsides in the air.
We fed pretty well continuously through late winter into spring and were rewarded with 2 strong colonies and one still very weak.
The plan for 2012 involved a determination to be halfway competent at the craft, some queen rearing and increase in colony numbers. Next post will describe progress<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6gVcrOhmpcsFPMmhnsflUMMXfwzGUI5603gr7TYzyhFnhCZLXu58B87zkqXSqzdk72pBI3kmgNEhP5x5CZrFRa2OZjWEpOLhnSa0eOSRD06a_46dz7R0sAHJEpdU3IDJXUZCVRFG5QU/s1600/IMG_6044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="177" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6gVcrOhmpcsFPMmhnsflUMMXfwzGUI5603gr7TYzyhFnhCZLXu58B87zkqXSqzdk72pBI3kmgNEhP5x5CZrFRa2OZjWEpOLhnSa0eOSRD06a_46dz7R0sAHJEpdU3IDJXUZCVRFG5QU/s200/IMG_6044.JPG" /></a>Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-81345267061622153282011-04-26T23:13:00.002+01:002011-04-27T00:20:04.027+01:00Things warm up<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5BBSVbVmG3UQt3P10USn29nwQk-CS188pWFtudIBsq3ZooXYiFvtlVTmLStbN6jMVYCu0mDgM6NSGnB6hIngFslg0GGnrUi7V8qamYCSUL0OxUXgc-aUu6ROODlUIaScT5rFE12qKGE/s1600/IMG_5229.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5BBSVbVmG3UQt3P10USn29nwQk-CS188pWFtudIBsq3ZooXYiFvtlVTmLStbN6jMVYCu0mDgM6NSGnB6hIngFslg0GGnrUi7V8qamYCSUL0OxUXgc-aUu6ROODlUIaScT5rFE12qKGE/s200/IMG_5229.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600035850231368306" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhUs-PXIz8F9ULUwfmW7SDisUcle7wmHpTahJRCYRA5CVYr6U3u4MVidH7boz-Lkw-W_V1GSbTa0tNdXQc4Fh8uId8PSokw7WSgTsubmvSgfFNx09-aPz9R-sRnlkEX5svh3fJehkgzc/s1600/IMG_5234.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhUs-PXIz8F9ULUwfmW7SDisUcle7wmHpTahJRCYRA5CVYr6U3u4MVidH7boz-Lkw-W_V1GSbTa0tNdXQc4Fh8uId8PSokw7WSgTsubmvSgfFNx09-aPz9R-sRnlkEX5svh3fJehkgzc/s200/IMG_5234.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600035844215348418" /></a><br />Swarming is the bees' method of creating new colonies. Its a problem for beekeepers because the interruption reduces the honey harvest. So the scene was set for this season's battle of wits. We prepared carefully. We have two colonies to deal with. In order to swarm there must be three elements present: a Queen, young brood with nurse bees, and plenty of foraging bees. The trick is to separate out one of these elements and arrangements had been made for this to be done on the 20th April at 2.30pm. Paul, a fellow beekeeper even newer to the craft than us, was invited to come to watch the process. At 1.45pm on taking the necessary equipment down the garden to the apiary an ominous roar was heard from the Sycamore hedge - yes the little b......s had beaten us to it by 45 minutes. There they were clustered in the hedge. Last year they went one day before the nominated time. Either they have supernatural powers, can read emails, or just saw us coming. So Paul arrived to find that the curriculum had changed from swarm control to swarm collection. Fortunately the swarm ahd chosen an accessable branch from which they were easily knocked into a blue plastic box. Then they were poured onto a ramp covered with a white cloth leading into a hastily assembled hive. They obligingly marched into their new home. Next day an inspection of the original colonies revealed queen cells in number 2 so this was where tghe swarm had come from. Swarm prevention was carried out on hive 1 and the queen cells removed from number 2. The swarm in its new hive (3) was placed where 2 had been to collect the foraging bees and strengthen numbers. The original 2 was moved to one side and the queen cells removed. Three of them were put in a box and left in the bee shed while we enjoyed a cup of tea. On checking the box a hour later amazed and delighted to see that one queen had emerged. She was introduced to the queenless hive 2 and we wait to see how she gets on. Fellow beekeeper Hamish had lost two queens recently so rang him and offered the remaining two queen cells. Next day took the box up to him nad on opening it found that another queen had emerged. He has introduced her to one of his colonies and inserted the remaining queen cell into the other - fingers crossed. Next inspection now due 29th April.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-78657317093039865542011-03-21T19:48:00.003+00:002011-03-21T20:48:55.022+00:00The new season starts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6_fHlWtN5hiFe8UVt-8TQykm7XSIAF81nZa1q0Ag9FUIbFCsWkWK5Q2lw9u_TiM9LxCq2kJabJibsa4Fx9__vR1I0gKa8i63qGtlCIqwSgE0M_aaOS33Ao2MMUFt2YW8jfgZFJddblc/s1600/IMG_5088.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6_fHlWtN5hiFe8UVt-8TQykm7XSIAF81nZa1q0Ag9FUIbFCsWkWK5Q2lw9u_TiM9LxCq2kJabJibsa4Fx9__vR1I0gKa8i63qGtlCIqwSgE0M_aaOS33Ao2MMUFt2YW8jfgZFJddblc/s200/IMG_5088.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586637930428707298" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJ83G6ceTTRck-AIP-UUzpsuAAX28qkCvL-XY8D0Np0sQQxZaq7vdrBHK49vaaPjV7AJaiRf2HgsL4h_Kq82tm-sMPbP6ie_ZslA4UPuU5t2Fvd6XPnlme4hm5ODNizOhV0ZK3HAo320/s1600/IMG_5036.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJ83G6ceTTRck-AIP-UUzpsuAAX28qkCvL-XY8D0Np0sQQxZaq7vdrBHK49vaaPjV7AJaiRf2HgsL4h_Kq82tm-sMPbP6ie_ZslA4UPuU5t2Fvd6XPnlme4hm5ODNizOhV0ZK3HAo320/s200/IMG_5036.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586637927328539122" /></a><br />Following the Oxalic acid treatment in January I opened the hives on the 12th Feb briefly to check the stores. There had been a few reasonably warm days and the bees had started to take in small amounts of pollen as can be seen in the pic. Hives 1 & 2seemed fine but then on opening number 3 I was confronted by the sad sight of a dead colony. Most bees were lying on the floor but there was also a small cluster dead at the top of one of the frames. Particularly sad was the sight of a young bee that had died as it emerged from its cell as can be seen in the pic. There was plenty of honey in the frames so starvation did not seem to be the problem. On sifting through the bodies I could not find the queen. There had been some very hard frosts so I concluded that there had just not been enough bees to form a cluster large enough to withstand the low temperature.<br />It happened to be the day of our BKA's AGM so I took a frame along to consult our bee inspector. He pointed out the signs of dysentery which may have accounted for weakened bees. <br />In case the bees had been infected with the disease Nosema, I removed the hive and fumigated it with Acetic Acid to kill off any disease spores. Thankfully Jacqui does not need our cold frame at present so that was used as the fume box.<br />On a happier note the remaining two colonies seem to be thriving. I have fed them to encourage the queens into energetic laying. The idea is to fool her into thinking there is a nectar flow on. Since pollen was going in on 12th Feb I can assume that she was laying then. Her eggs take 22 days to produce an emerging worker so there should be new bees in the hive by now. The hope is that we shall have plenty to take adavantage of any early nectar flow in April.<br />Now I need to brush up on my swarm control plans. Last year I was caught out when they swarmed on 15th May despite cold weather.<br />By the way we have frogs mating in the pond and plenty of frogspawn. This is great news because there were none last year.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-84436158763704711622011-01-09T17:38:00.004+00:002011-01-09T19:21:29.678+00:00So far so good for 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjhnDKJ-pOpN11iQYV7s_ybFji-wR2DdMhyJVLQUfPybRoVEkQevVwiZmVh6kY67WHTWuvTpmXG2DyGkdqJUZ8A3SISJZssCeJIMz59EzCmmPbohFWnw5BRss9gGuxlOnHfI3NmJNlXQ/s1600/IMG_4621.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjhnDKJ-pOpN11iQYV7s_ybFji-wR2DdMhyJVLQUfPybRoVEkQevVwiZmVh6kY67WHTWuvTpmXG2DyGkdqJUZ8A3SISJZssCeJIMz59EzCmmPbohFWnw5BRss9gGuxlOnHfI3NmJNlXQ/s200/IMG_4621.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560252977651536834" /></a><br />Possibly the most exciting moment of the year, first opening.<br /><br />At last the sun has put in an appearance for 2 days in a row. Although low in the sky it shines directly at the front of our hives and was sufficient today to encourage one or two of the bolder workers out for a flight.<br /><br />With immaculate timing yesterday our beekeepers association L&DBKA held an "Oxalic Acid meeting" at Andy's apiary. It was very useful to see his hives opened briefly for treatment. His colonies were in good heart with plenty of bees and stores. He worked smoothly and quickly so that none of the hives was open for more than about 30seconds.<br /><br />Oxalic acid is found naturally in Rhubarb leaves. Used in very dilute form (3.2%) it is a contact killer of the Varroa mite. During this cold season there is virtually no brood for the mites to live on so they are located on the bees and they are not themselves multiplying at any significant rate. A syringe is used to dribble a small quantity on to the bees. They don't like it much but it does them no harm. The decision whether or not to treat is personal to the beekeeper. My view is that the risk in opening the hive and treating is far less than the risk of damage to the colony if the mites are allowed to multiply unchecked.<br /><br />So today, having mixed up a dose and treated his own bees, Hamish called round at 2.00pm at the warmest time of the day and we treated our colonies.<br /><br />Hive 1, the original colony, proved to have 5 seams of bees and plenty of capped honey stores. For the purpose of treatment the frames are not moved. A "seam" is simply the gap between two frames. We are told that very roughly a full seam contains about 4000 bees.<br />Hive 2, the smaller nucleus colony acquired last July, had 4 good seams of bees again with plenty of stores.<br />Hive 3, last seasons prime swarm, had 5 good seams of bees plus stores.<br /><br />Bearing in mind the recent intense cold it is a great relief to find that the colonies are in good order. Now the crucial task is to ensure that the bees continue to have plenty of stores. They will use them at a great rate as soon as the queens start to lay again and will almost certainly require feeding.<br /><br />So far so good! PS The pic shows backlit comb after cleaning by the bees.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-33159750587617693462011-01-05T11:53:00.002+00:002011-01-05T12:35:17.167+00:00Winter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90cdZWN43-a2kIAaipOqCrt9MJGwhK6slkK5vtOkYTJ0ANHLxYr8ovpXXoHforQUFQpOAhnVEdwbNl1JaiFReyaUixOH0Qrkst0oPhpe_o_7lyUQBmQo3G1G3eTcCv9NZz2h_3OITkLU/s1600/IMG_4907.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90cdZWN43-a2kIAaipOqCrt9MJGwhK6slkK5vtOkYTJ0ANHLxYr8ovpXXoHforQUFQpOAhnVEdwbNl1JaiFReyaUixOH0Qrkst0oPhpe_o_7lyUQBmQo3G1G3eTcCv9NZz2h_3OITkLU/s200/IMG_4907.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558679322429276946" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNu-a3uoRn5aSedHksQACzHNOfVGBlasvYQmbUAM3stfuyUyX4d7HDD5A6UCdvlWZ0Cstk9ZZZ6L-QuuKspXrAbVnhj6Vb9u_cfFrHbRV_WgRqZzIdCeQJ7W7_gaXvb7hcGnRxRJAv08/s1600/IMG_4923.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNu-a3uoRn5aSedHksQACzHNOfVGBlasvYQmbUAM3stfuyUyX4d7HDD5A6UCdvlWZ0Cstk9ZZZ6L-QuuKspXrAbVnhj6Vb9u_cfFrHbRV_WgRqZzIdCeQJ7W7_gaXvb7hcGnRxRJAv08/s200/IMG_4923.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558679311795194258" /></a><br />A time for bees to cluster and beekeepers to worry. Our bees were well fed and also able to forage throughout October before being bedded down under some hessian as the temperatures dropped during November. This year there was no useful flow from the Ivy but the Himalayan Balsam (so hated by conservationists) provided valuable late feed.<br /><br />December brought us nightime temperatures down to -15.9c and two spells of snow that blocked the hive entrances. Each time it thawed a few dead bees were revealed outside each entrance. Initial fears for the bees gave way to the realisation that housekeeper bees had been clearing out the bodies so the colonies were still functioning normally.<br /><br />Should Mother Nature grant any daytime temps of 8 - 10c we shall apply oxalic acid to kill Varroa mites. This treatment is harmful to open brood so can only be done in the dormant winter season when the Queen is not laying.<br /><br />The long evenings provide opportunities for reading and planning for the spring. Jennie gave me a little book "The Beecraftsman" by H.J.Wadey then editor of the magazine "Bee Craft". He wrote it in 1943 in quiet periods whilst on night duty with the National Fire Service. Clearly they had a more robust attitude to Health & Safety in those dark days. Despite the fact that he recommends wearing motorcyclists' goggles and says "...Woolworths have them at about 6d" his method of dealing with a swarm in a chimney seems a bit risky even by wartime standards. If a good fire in the grate supplemented with sulphur doesn't smoke them out he says "...If the fire will not draw, extinguish it, close the bottom of the chimney with wet sacks, and pour a couple of gallons of ordinary petrol down from the top, which should then be covered with wet sacks". A plan that would be wrong by today's standards on so many levels! Mind you he also says that "Potassium Cyanide is generally recommended for killing bees but experience with it has not been encouraging". Don't get me wrong, the reader who survives immolation or poisoning will find that its a great little book. I am particularly lucky as my copy has marginal and some typed notes inserted by a previous owner long ago.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-41433201385907888972010-09-22T12:05:00.003+01:002010-09-22T12:42:27.316+01:00Treatment and food<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0NMn4BAanyUFuFiVyGRUw80f98rJLRhyphenhyphenFizjvdzHOoS_lmSgANUJKNJusgdmFEsiz1-ylm2Ys4RD-5t1aNsazgXygjaD9LVCcDOK6qfuurClVvE1-oOjICqGnZe0Eb0AVfBm5BGRp58/s1600/IMG_4738.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0NMn4BAanyUFuFiVyGRUw80f98rJLRhyphenhyphenFizjvdzHOoS_lmSgANUJKNJusgdmFEsiz1-ylm2Ys4RD-5t1aNsazgXygjaD9LVCcDOK6qfuurClVvE1-oOjICqGnZe0Eb0AVfBm5BGRp58/s200/IMG_4738.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519700422098202466" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkhDZDw3XYmynI9o5Saypq-0cHoQvkAY_YHadeEodtHVyTQg2dB-C9w2q-Wnb39e4r9ncXp-c6gzSNjON55L3dsHuLtQRKpKTxoqbjcIxGnlpNWgA9i_t0uLqBJYkgDZ1pWCck6riSog/s1600/IMG_4730.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkhDZDw3XYmynI9o5Saypq-0cHoQvkAY_YHadeEodtHVyTQg2dB-C9w2q-Wnb39e4r9ncXp-c6gzSNjON55L3dsHuLtQRKpKTxoqbjcIxGnlpNWgA9i_t0uLqBJYkgDZ1pWCck6riSog/s200/IMG_4730.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519700418305448498" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2YmrxwTXWch8E6iGMAu8ZODt4hyxGTI8Nxp05EmpbKuS3bB4Rhqi8KonbqALT8lmmwy2BY53giLCZVIaVRBMxolt2cp1rlplWhMgagQfkOp8-6aqaffwF4uBk6L9WuflWKDp0krCED0/s1600/IMG_4728.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2YmrxwTXWch8E6iGMAu8ZODt4hyxGTI8Nxp05EmpbKuS3bB4Rhqi8KonbqALT8lmmwy2BY53giLCZVIaVRBMxolt2cp1rlplWhMgagQfkOp8-6aqaffwF4uBk6L9WuflWKDp0krCED0/s200/IMG_4728.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519700409415251490" /></a><br />Thank heaven for a relatively warm and sunny month. This has helped the crucial task of killing Varroa mites and feeding. The Apiguard treatment (Thymol) remained in each hive for 4 weeks. Two days after it started a count was made of the average drop of mites per day during a 4 day period. Hive 1 dropped 3, Hive 2 dropped 1, and Hive 3 dropped 9. The average of 9 in Hive 3 is a little high but hopefully the treatment will sort them out. If conditions prove right then they will be treated with Oxalic Acid in about December when there is no brood. The bees keep warm in winter by forming a cluster. No eggs are laid during that period so it is safe to administer the acid which can harm new brood.<br /><br />The bees have been working really hard to take advantage of the warmth that has ensured a continuing supply of pollen and nectar. Pic shows a worker on our Nicotiana flowers. She has a heavy load of pollen in the basket on her hind legs.<br /><br />An inspection of the hives on the 19th revealed good supplies of capped stores in each hive but nevertheless we need to feed them to assist in building up the stores that they will need early next season when they start to rear brood. There is usually a time when they are raising the new season bees but there is little nectar so they need good stores to see them through. The feed s given in the form of sugar syrup in the proportions 2 parts sugar to one part syrup. Bees will drown if they land in water or syrup, they need to have their feet on dry land whilst feeding or drinking. The round feeder shown in the pic enables the bees to come up through a hole in the bottom, then down the side of the central beaker (it has a ribbed surface for grip). The line of bees feeding at the bottom can just be seen through the opaque sides. They convert the syrup into honey which they store in cells in the comb. When they have reduced the water content sufficiently to prevent fermentation they cap the cells after which the honey will last in good condition until they need it.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-74401760532458468332010-08-31T21:51:00.005+01:002010-08-31T22:36:11.589+01:00Evil curse or vital nosh?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZ0dCYQbWO7MZMsagpLqEAMLn9sMuPxTP5jyEWV9XDlU40ZWDdI7ufe4ySdU2BYR2nGmXV7k18d-QDC92jpnNzUOyIw9_c4Mo4CqAcfHFAqD8Fid4c4jHyg_TJ0Q4z000pGy1C_3qRRA/s1600/IMG_4650.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 113px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZ0dCYQbWO7MZMsagpLqEAMLn9sMuPxTP5jyEWV9XDlU40ZWDdI7ufe4ySdU2BYR2nGmXV7k18d-QDC92jpnNzUOyIw9_c4Mo4CqAcfHFAqD8Fid4c4jHyg_TJ0Q4z000pGy1C_3qRRA/s200/IMG_4650.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511688822757007522" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mDJE-sxMj17hxwbBTyw4zNftbeUId6wDb-E0M2xTQnl3j80sPeCSZVKdfEYTVpem4Wu4VpHIhPhyvqiIfIIR4T2jFGYZJHXLcViEfab5vULPRtk8k5tZs11wOEuGR5Z7dTmMqvCB9zM/s1600/IMG_4664.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 129px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mDJE-sxMj17hxwbBTyw4zNftbeUId6wDb-E0M2xTQnl3j80sPeCSZVKdfEYTVpem4Wu4VpHIhPhyvqiIfIIR4T2jFGYZJHXLcViEfab5vULPRtk8k5tZs11wOEuGR5Z7dTmMqvCB9zM/s200/IMG_4664.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511688836203621826" /></a><br />Our village magazine "Leintwardine Life" included reference to Himalayan Balsam growing by the river banks. Its an invasive plant outlawed by the Wildlife and Countryside Act because its such a bully. The bees don't agree! It provides them with a rich source of both pollen (protein for the larvae) and nectar (carbohydrate) just when they need it to start building winter stores.<br />I know that our bees have found it down by the river Clun because they have been returning looking as though they have been playing in a bag of flour. The pic shows a returning worker with the telltale white dusting.<br />It has been a busy Bank Holiday weekend for events including the Sun Inn beer festival. As I was peering into the bottom of my pint of Hobson's "Old Flossie" one of our local beekeepers, Robin, came over to discuss the current problem of wasps. Conversation was not easy thanks to the live music pulsating from the performance tent but we agreed that there are signs that the wasps may be a real problem this year unless we get some cold nights to start killing them off. Robin's bees are also bringing in the balsam.<br />Back at the hives I took a picture of an interloper trying her luck, unsuccesfully, at hive 2.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-88879637372781307602010-08-22T21:48:00.003+01:002010-08-22T22:24:27.424+01:00Treatment time<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMadpoCB5RKdsOi3nePm_ULE6AbvZMWwwb8PQOC3akKf8jAkgQcpoyiu8GOP-_qtXI2ONHIieZNSfnMLkbyq0_GIYfV3Nkqj2hw03jix7ziqISg9Tj76sjK3TxH-DGVu1yqX-OdtH4QGg/s1600/IMG_4621.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMadpoCB5RKdsOi3nePm_ULE6AbvZMWwwb8PQOC3akKf8jAkgQcpoyiu8GOP-_qtXI2ONHIieZNSfnMLkbyq0_GIYfV3Nkqj2hw03jix7ziqISg9Tj76sjK3TxH-DGVu1yqX-OdtH4QGg/s200/IMG_4621.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508347239621238386" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ScUt4rv5CGemCYeU0ItDZgMWG6DVfJJWH-L-k5hvfQEkDMCGA9t17wZuyslItL4yCnnS3zX69bx4p2KfWOi1hlCJA3gWrj2_GgzuY7xhNI4t3EWyTRfyr-RoAIQz466KhwAxtZoPl-4/s1600/IMG_4613.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ScUt4rv5CGemCYeU0ItDZgMWG6DVfJJWH-L-k5hvfQEkDMCGA9t17wZuyslItL4yCnnS3zX69bx4p2KfWOi1hlCJA3gWrj2_GgzuY7xhNI4t3EWyTRfyr-RoAIQz466KhwAxtZoPl-4/s200/IMG_4613.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508347232993694946" /></a><br />Really enjoyed yesterday's hive meeting near Tenbury Wells. Dennis handles his bees with confidence but real gentleness. The theme was Varroa treatment and preparation for winter. The opportunity to chat with experienced beekeepers about things like: how best to protect against wasps, whether to insulate the hive roof, the relative merits of selling honey in one pound or half pound jars, whether to feed between Varroa treatments, priceless.<br />So today I got on with the vital work without which winter survival, and next year's honey crop would be prejudiced. I took off the remaining comb that the bees had been cleaning for me since the honey was extracted. The pics show the artistry and perfection of the bees' efforts. Then I inserted the trays of Apiguard gell, one per hive, placed directly on top of the brood frames. The gell gives off Thymol fumes and remains in the hive for two weeks. A second treatment is then given for a further two weeks. It needs raised temperatures to evaporate which is why it needs to be put on before the weather cools too much. The downside is that no honey can be taken off once treatment has started. Any that the bees now collect is for winter stores. Its unlikely that they will collect enough on their own so a close eye has to be kept on the volume and sugar syrup will be fed to help them fill their larders. They will get plenty of tlc over the next two months. I shall also be monitoring the "drop" of Varroa mites to keep track of what is going on.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-22292166784155726632010-08-17T20:56:00.004+01:002010-08-17T22:07:31.634+01:00Second Harvest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXsDX2XtrM7j6QwdMUoY_ZQu1qXHKTKGvIBoPFwogk8bSJ2n3ZkFEK0qVPkCyYXa2qvGaxSpdcuxIYIUz97l3t0gUXrMwDzTOOHSZvGaXpqoxTPpXg1eK3PJ82w_dhasBQcAA2Z5-43k/s1600/IMG_4569.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXsDX2XtrM7j6QwdMUoY_ZQu1qXHKTKGvIBoPFwogk8bSJ2n3ZkFEK0qVPkCyYXa2qvGaxSpdcuxIYIUz97l3t0gUXrMwDzTOOHSZvGaXpqoxTPpXg1eK3PJ82w_dhasBQcAA2Z5-43k/s200/IMG_4569.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506484915006398818" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlY9MsYPgI8HFB-l3rQXO_MbTdBU4w2-ZKzh_ECOuk-QntceAmYkdTnSQTEki84tmVYCPCkrorQlsfdizHGzpt4BbMbBSP5gInhFdy7aSKxuF2KP_luyljJRSysJ0d1GaNU3x6sWX5Po/s1600/IMG_4591.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlY9MsYPgI8HFB-l3rQXO_MbTdBU4w2-ZKzh_ECOuk-QntceAmYkdTnSQTEki84tmVYCPCkrorQlsfdizHGzpt4BbMbBSP5gInhFdy7aSKxuF2KP_luyljJRSysJ0d1GaNU3x6sWX5Po/s200/IMG_4591.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506487643177921138" /></a><br /><br />Having seen that there was a little honey that we could take without leaving the bees short we set about it on 16th, taking off 11 frames. Thanks to Hamish for the loan of the extractor once again. He has upgraded it by adding a piece of precision bright red engineering, an electric motor. Under the heading "Pros & Cons" I can report that its much quicker to use but on the other hand one has to be careful with the throttle if one wants it to remain in the same room. I suspect that at full belt it can cause electrons to collide. J managed to extract 30grammes of wax from the cappings to go with our 6 jars of honey.<br />During our first winter here I tried my hand at hedgelaying and it wasn't bad until Billy the Bull had fun pulling it to bits. I made the mistake of asking Malcolm what was the name of his bull. He looked at me as only a farmer can look at a townie and said that his animals have numbers, not names. If I want to know what it is I must read his eartag. Hence I named him Billy. The pic shows him resting earlier today.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-69614809530048661872010-08-08T16:11:00.002+01:002010-08-08T16:34:27.518+01:00Harvest time<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRJXd75avQvjgmucKTwa7IFd28anxsV1YoWaVvIp6nZWm50CwTBVaWmraMcT3QVpjCVg-XuZ7AY7-pAaq_9RRjzwjmx8Qghn3e-iSjc6KSaC-QwkdZ53NC8bUW0v5wXRqjCVbQBpn6h8/s1600/IMG_4480.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRJXd75avQvjgmucKTwa7IFd28anxsV1YoWaVvIp6nZWm50CwTBVaWmraMcT3QVpjCVg-XuZ7AY7-pAaq_9RRjzwjmx8Qghn3e-iSjc6KSaC-QwkdZ53NC8bUW0v5wXRqjCVbQBpn6h8/s320/IMG_4480.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503062704317359698" /></a><br />Its in the jar, all 48 of them. Thank goodness I was warned of the importance of preparation to avoid terminal stickiness during the bottling process. All went well though I could have done with 3 hands whilst juggling different sieves. The honey in the extractor was divided into two equal tubs. The first was put in jars without further processing apart from filtering. The second batch allowed to start to set/crystalise for a week before it was warmed gently in my home made warming chest for 24 hours at 39c. Then it was put through a muslin filter and bottled. Good honey gradually crystalises and can set very hard which is inconvenient when trying to spread it on rushed morning toast. If it is allowed to set and is then gently warmed back to clear state it will take longer to set a second time and will set more softly. The downside is that heating will start to reduce flavour so we are trying to balance taste with texture.<br />Honey must never be overheated as the sugars caramelise and flavour is ruined. My warming chest has two 40w bulbs in the bottom. Testing showed that it will reach a safe maximum of 40c with the lid and both bulbs on. <br />Meanwhile our kitchen resembles a witches covern as cauldrons of chutney, jelly, jam, and marmalade bubble gently and the oven is full of a mongrel assortment of jars and bottles being sterilised ready for filling.<br />It sounds corny but it is truly satisfying to see the harvest being preserved ready for the coming winter and spring seasons.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-33398132554885889802010-07-17T22:17:00.002+01:002010-07-17T23:00:05.841+01:00Sticky stuff<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUTVCSY0u5PCKRuElALz0-hC8gNtUp_bW1IdE3BCgywhF4qybW0SCJLIYjGjXY_LYJ4ZFLFXYRaRRJ7FoWb-f0VETUGudKhtEhSA7BqZi1wdt3Cy1wPBb-lyjjPslcV2HpmCfK24DlFA/s1600/IMG_4462.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUTVCSY0u5PCKRuElALz0-hC8gNtUp_bW1IdE3BCgywhF4qybW0SCJLIYjGjXY_LYJ4ZFLFXYRaRRJ7FoWb-f0VETUGudKhtEhSA7BqZi1wdt3Cy1wPBb-lyjjPslcV2HpmCfK24DlFA/s200/IMG_4462.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494998222374327378" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5KlOOjePT6TcMo7_C0BaUgf1u81_2FqM-jNo5lAA4aw-9DAnYBxgZp2BLs6OPi4XUzO2dXASrO-kqaAkPvN1vUYqxeki4QI7NNb5vILA6dsP0oKc365rTwU7MbM7j9Hp3BCw_I0qBPM/s1600/IMG_4455.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5KlOOjePT6TcMo7_C0BaUgf1u81_2FqM-jNo5lAA4aw-9DAnYBxgZp2BLs6OPi4XUzO2dXASrO-kqaAkPvN1vUYqxeki4QI7NNb5vILA6dsP0oKc365rTwU7MbM7j9Hp3BCw_I0qBPM/s200/IMG_4455.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494998211738466802" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWSzJ9saDygUxgRy_b_rSgsexYaCUhGRQyBUJvT5nwmPU63WpoegXJBdKil4XushmtsrHBjQv7K9g1q5I2poslBfjv2ZfcoKM1mlDEKZjtQVLfL_7d6y9oho0HA9HchOEZYycvjNEXAM/s1600/IMG_4457.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWSzJ9saDygUxgRy_b_rSgsexYaCUhGRQyBUJvT5nwmPU63WpoegXJBdKil4XushmtsrHBjQv7K9g1q5I2poslBfjv2ZfcoKM1mlDEKZjtQVLfL_7d6y9oho0HA9HchOEZYycvjNEXAM/s200/IMG_4457.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494998209412091074" /></a><br />Excellent hive meeting at Ashford Carbonell last weekend gave me a chance to chat with the "Experienced Ones" and I came away determined to take off our honey crop without further delay. Hamish most generously offered the loan of his extractor. Mother Nature heard me coming so wet and windy days followed but thankfully temperatures held up and I had the chance to remove 21 frames of honey on Thursday. Decapping proved less difficult than I had expected thanks to a large old serrated bread knife. Temp in the shed was 22.4 degrees. With the first 9 frames loaded into the extractor I tentatively wound the wheel and in no time there was the satisfying splatter of honey being hurled out of the cells against the side. At last after 14 months our first HONEY. It is important to load the machine evenly otherwise it will vibrate its way out of the room so I did 2 further loads of 6 frames each. The honey was left overnight but the empty "wet" frames were loaded back into the supers and returned to the hives for the bees to clean up. Next morning the honey was run out of the extractor through a coarse filter into two plastic buckets. Each was weighed at 10 kilos giving a total harvest of 20 kilos or 44 lbs. I also filled our very first one pound jar which will be our test sample for establishing the crystalisation properties of our honey.<br /><br />If only we get some more warm weather during the next couple of weeks there may be some more honey to harvest. The warm sun today after rain seems to have encouraged the clover into a nectar flow, it was covered in all sorts of bees this afternoon.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-33492154598528442162010-06-30T21:29:00.002+01:002010-06-30T22:16:03.936+01:00New friends<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5V6vuRX7zyEO0_glEh-7tDY7Gv_x0jTTJ6_hIv8oO012lz4KSjWCygDSMnZ2NMB5CazLm-36__Sck2kxY-WzFjACoovTYXhBEjzEfVOKh3ObVK_ceOxv2sAvyBFLOSk2ZzUFujZkcqrw/s1600/IMG_4426.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5V6vuRX7zyEO0_glEh-7tDY7Gv_x0jTTJ6_hIv8oO012lz4KSjWCygDSMnZ2NMB5CazLm-36__Sck2kxY-WzFjACoovTYXhBEjzEfVOKh3ObVK_ceOxv2sAvyBFLOSk2ZzUFujZkcqrw/s200/IMG_4426.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488678443590213106" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_PWG3PCRJuaWMIhfms3VxJgXe3iajbQfTUooIoiMo6PsPQrILzWAu3eY5uADqf7bXLA_7xB0Sl_jXeo582kj8b8SbWhZoZHGZPtirek_TEbrDUE1Psi8tr7PqoMVQt2AznUmTQ3vTXU/s1600/IMG_4425.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_PWG3PCRJuaWMIhfms3VxJgXe3iajbQfTUooIoiMo6PsPQrILzWAu3eY5uADqf7bXLA_7xB0Sl_jXeo582kj8b8SbWhZoZHGZPtirek_TEbrDUE1Psi8tr7PqoMVQt2AznUmTQ3vTXU/s200/IMG_4425.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488678430413998866" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGc7DH2eqBoL8sBruEimYxsXoOseA40m2wrjdWW5QIKW73Zj5w8mdLxaXgoCZjZUbmvgK6FAZHzc14Z_1_-CvO3hxvaXtm0qgabd_a0P0xpt5u9SFytfKM4HABxeNmXMfQllhwEqRReKg/s1600/IMG_4430.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGc7DH2eqBoL8sBruEimYxsXoOseA40m2wrjdWW5QIKW73Zj5w8mdLxaXgoCZjZUbmvgK6FAZHzc14Z_1_-CvO3hxvaXtm0qgabd_a0P0xpt5u9SFytfKM4HABxeNmXMfQllhwEqRReKg/s200/IMG_4430.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488678422839498898" /></a><br />Telephone call asking if I would like a "nuc" [nucleus colony]from Tom results in a delightful drive in Hamish's van [thanks Hamish] up the beautiful Corvedale lanes last evening. Tom has been a beekeeper for over 50 years, he is "cutting back" and only has about 40 hives now! He understands every tic of nature's clock. Whilst we wait for the flying bees to return to the nuc we chat in the evening sunshine. A priceless opportunity to tap into the wisdom of so many years of experience. He used to think nothing of taking 20 hives in his Morris Minor Traveller up to some remote field to harvest honey from a particular crop. Its one of those occasions when I wish I had a digital recorder. <br /><br />In no time half an hour passes, sun below the hilltops and most of the flying bees back so reluctantly we load up and head home.<br /><br />First thing this morning I let the bees out to fly. Then mid, very warm, afternoon I take brood box number 3 down to the hive stand. The nuc is moved to one side, opened, and the frames carefully lifted in the same order into the brood box that is placed where the nuc had been. This should ensure that flying bees return to the right home. The remaining bees are shaken into the box and the nuc removed. Then a feeder is placed ontop and filled with syrup by way of a "welcome" feed. <br /><br />Its a bit late in the season to take on a new colony. They will not produce honey for us this year but if the weather is kind there is a good chance that they can be built up sufficiently to survive the coming winter and set up a good start to next seasons crop. The pics show before during and after the transfer from nuc to brood box.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-90404654635681563252010-06-28T14:30:00.003+01:002010-06-28T14:51:54.177+01:00Civil War avoidedWe live in an area where history is dominated by the English Civil War and bees follow in that tradition. If you simply add one colony on top of another they will set about killing each other. If, on the other hand, you spread one sheet of good newsprint over the host colony before adding the new one above things are different. The bees will within 48 hours, chew their way through and, like Channel Tunnellers, greet each other on the other side with open wings and no conflict. Incidentally I wonder if the newspaper pubishers appreciate the consequences to our honey bees when they trim their page sizes.<br /><br />Inspection 8 days ago revealed that hive 2 was still queenless after more than 4 weeks. Not having a spare queen or young brood to introduce I decided to unite it with hive 3 where there is a laying queen. the newspaper method worked a treat and yesterday's inspection revealed lots of contented bees and chewed newspaper. So now we are back down to 2 colonies, lets hope this beautiful weather gives them a boost.<br /><br />Incidentally the "extension" underneath hive 1 was successfully dealt with by placing a tray underneath and gently brushing the bees off with a feather. They were then poured into the top of the hive. The unwanted comb was then scraped off and collected for melting down.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-2780118234462554822010-06-19T22:03:00.003+01:002010-06-19T22:19:33.174+01:00Bees build extension<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpKEo7iastTEG3fGIx2wZ7bzlmE0HeRkdDsuLMngRnu2YZ3jdr7rzQFeOLdK2H4sTFgq7irBEnpLlC8VzG6PtLoGAhbAKR8Uq1FnOF7FnWoeCREfKdR8u3H6AlvlpQ-0vjUEIqIVbgbU/s1600/IMG_4401.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpKEo7iastTEG3fGIx2wZ7bzlmE0HeRkdDsuLMngRnu2YZ3jdr7rzQFeOLdK2H4sTFgq7irBEnpLlC8VzG6PtLoGAhbAKR8Uq1FnOF7FnWoeCREfKdR8u3H6AlvlpQ-0vjUEIqIVbgbU/s320/IMG_4401.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484597472163192770" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigCIHgfR15dpARblLtdpEeGMZKPaV0_OLHbCxsQmGBwNZ2JIebIMg-6hHVehl9CbFhWxBKl4pZ_xWXROhWDL520W6tCGHH9f1KPXsT591tX_xZggKQ2eNmHa-9FmP1aqCzcsIVa8TGUU/s1600/IMG_4386.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigCIHgfR15dpARblLtdpEeGMZKPaV0_OLHbCxsQmGBwNZ2JIebIMg-6hHVehl9CbFhWxBKl4pZ_xWXROhWDL520W6tCGHH9f1KPXsT591tX_xZggKQ2eNmHa-9FmP1aqCzcsIVa8TGUU/s320/IMG_4386.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484596527732327938" /></a><br />I wish our bees would read the same text books as me. I came home this evening from an excellent open day organised by Ludlow & District Beekeepers at Mocktree and decided to have an evening look at the hives. Hearing some extra buzzing from Hive 1 I bent down and there they were, a cluster of bees who haven't learned that they are supposed to build comb IN the hive rather than under it! No need to count sheep tonight, I shall be wondering what on earth I'm going to do about these hooligans.<br /><br />In the garage we have some cardboard boxes stored on a shelf. Hearing buzzing I looked in the handhold and there was a wasps nest. Another issue I shall have to deal with. Who said insects are boring!!Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-74082962107771959712010-06-14T16:55:00.003+01:002010-06-14T17:17:10.032+01:00latest inspection<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc60unkIi_B7OCEpjuqGcdE2keqwPk9t1LEyrQviNRbOSJ9WaIt_vcRGyV9l95oH0ZGihZMOTH1qkDHsJjTFVnZud9aBo_A1FudN7r2hMe9CLu4oy3bEvTEnWDNAMWfKTgxjmK5V4Ixdc/s1600/IMG_4325.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc60unkIi_B7OCEpjuqGcdE2keqwPk9t1LEyrQviNRbOSJ9WaIt_vcRGyV9l95oH0ZGihZMOTH1qkDHsJjTFVnZud9aBo_A1FudN7r2hMe9CLu4oy3bEvTEnWDNAMWfKTgxjmK5V4Ixdc/s320/IMG_4325.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482663348496473170" /></a><br />Sunny day last Saturday so after attending a coffee morning at Kinton Farm I checked the hives. Number 1 has made good progress filling the second super, the first is well filled with honey much of which is capped so we shall at least have some honey this season. Did not look into this brood because new queen will only just have started laying new brood and I don't want to disturb. I have read that disruption too early can cause the workers to "ball" and thereby kill the queen. Lots of pollen being taken in and lots of bees so I am hopeful for this colony.<br />Hive 2 has no brood or eggs at all so it is queenless. This will be fatal for the colony unless I take action because the old workers will simply die out without being replaced. I have to decide whether a] to let them continue to add honey until they die out, or b]to merge them with another stronger colony where they can add to the honey harvest, or c] introduce a frame of new brood in the hope that they will raise a new queen. <br />Hive 3 has been adding to the honey in the supers. A quick look at one of the brood frames in the bottom box revealed uncapped larvae. This means I have a new laying queen in this hive. I now wait to see if she is productive enough to build up a strong colony for the winter.<br />Hope the young woodpecker pictured on Sunday watching mum on our feeder doesn't learn how to get at honey in the hive this winter. They can do terrible damage so I shall have to surround the hives with wire netting as a precaution.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-24128159333887376742010-06-01T17:24:00.002+01:002010-06-01T17:43:47.049+01:00Dingbat?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VWYgqD2OyMjr6A1v5Zs6k6vueAIbxuCinC0djZmpONi9diszdWlTJnRTpYrj-x9Ea-yMLptCuUVuDhLk4-54_HeC5QovcQWKErvcQWdVsrFMAVExQicm8RipW0YkPXuf2LGqHII8Yjo/s1600/May+2010+006.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VWYgqD2OyMjr6A1v5Zs6k6vueAIbxuCinC0djZmpONi9diszdWlTJnRTpYrj-x9Ea-yMLptCuUVuDhLk4-54_HeC5QovcQWKErvcQWdVsrFMAVExQicm8RipW0YkPXuf2LGqHII8Yjo/s320/May+2010+006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477846669464491874" /></a><br />I may be one. Monday was bright following the rain of Sunday so I went to check the stores in hives 2 [the original swarm] and 3 [the second swarm]. Top box on 2 has fresh foundation that has still not been drawn out into comb. Next Box down has good stores but nasty surprise in third box just above the queen excluder. As pic shows there was a sealed queen cell on one side and there were three more on the other side. How did eggs [brood] get laid above the queen excluder? Either queen trapped above the excluder or I have workers laying - a bad sign. Having to make a decision there and then I decided to destroy all the Q cells because they looked small. Then checked the box below the queen excluder. No Queen cells, lots of bees, no brood. Given that the old queen who took the swarm should have been laying in the available comb this not good. Brought the box that had contained the Q cells down below the Queen Xcluder. Didn't see her there but lots of bees and didn't want to disturb them any more.<br />With hindsight I think I should have left one Queen cell and given them the chance to raise her. May finish up with a queenless colony through my own stupidity but never mind. I can either merge them with a successful colony later or give them a frame of brood so they may raise their own queen.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-9369652610323295692010-05-24T09:07:00.004+01:002010-05-24T09:44:29.998+01:00Followers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_djp9eA83BoI6P9zE3NLRJ5CQyDiEUisFm0zjGCXfo7G_lGW3SgUDYvGRnhErxDSDkHdDVwVnIGgzoRto9FEGmPTcr_iYGjO0a8jpKlbZMKS69KThguulr6385nV343wEFAtY7s3-G9E/s1600/May+2010+017.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_djp9eA83BoI6P9zE3NLRJ5CQyDiEUisFm0zjGCXfo7G_lGW3SgUDYvGRnhErxDSDkHdDVwVnIGgzoRto9FEGmPTcr_iYGjO0a8jpKlbZMKS69KThguulr6385nV343wEFAtY7s3-G9E/s320/May+2010+017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474754495421869378" /></a><br /><br />The blogger welcomes followers but the beekeeper does not. If the bees are in a bad mood the beekeeper upon leaving the apiary may be followed by angry bees, "followers", for some distance before they return to the hive. One of our hives has no queen at present whilst the workers rear a new one. Consequently the workers are irritable with anything that interferes with their work and we have followers. Sadly as a blogger I still have no followers!!<br />Jacqui took this pic that for me sums up what it is like to keep bees in the Marches.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-5252110728368565802010-05-19T09:09:00.002+01:002010-05-19T09:19:36.937+01:00Oops!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhLaOZ1eY9kLH90dOVaBzUZQsOOVOpIwdPbf0P8VdhTwnZdiRBBKTKljWrzbcrbGEcH7ul5wgNkuWB0oEFAiJFFMWX08qTgx54YpHBotrArcMfNqTDkjWAsJ-DTXfyUJwXailNslKPJE/s1600/May+2010+015.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhLaOZ1eY9kLH90dOVaBzUZQsOOVOpIwdPbf0P8VdhTwnZdiRBBKTKljWrzbcrbGEcH7ul5wgNkuWB0oEFAiJFFMWX08qTgx54YpHBotrArcMfNqTDkjWAsJ-DTXfyUJwXailNslKPJE/s200/May+2010+015.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472892830689393090" /></a><br />I think I must have missed a sealed queen cell when examining Hive 1 last Sunday. Out in the garden yesterday afternoon I heard the ominous roar of multi bees and soon spotted a swarm on the other side of our sycamore hedge. Once again out with all the kit and eventually as above pic shows I managed to get the bees to march into a super full of frames. I have bedded them down overnight in the apiary with their entrance plugged with grass. I now need to sort out a fresh brood box to provide them with a long term home. This swarm must have a virgin queen so I believe it should correctly be called a caste. It is a tall order to get the queen mated and laying but we and the workers must be optimistic.<br />Swarming score now bees 2, beekeeper 0.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-38438019214775069702010-05-18T14:02:00.002+01:002010-05-18T14:13:45.540+01:00The battle for survival<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6ItAiAEGcq_Bge7goBMpN9bw8lj8TklYDFm-Xusx6z9oHD2QH3xO55sFz7Q_GQuipxDWlkeKQICVz-L2T6Bp3sTgw-jSaGTMuD5LhGKPjOaVuTALPQ1otXwPS4n_2YyKOEgAxbmE_sY/s1600/April+2010+017.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6ItAiAEGcq_Bge7goBMpN9bw8lj8TklYDFm-Xusx6z9oHD2QH3xO55sFz7Q_GQuipxDWlkeKQICVz-L2T6Bp3sTgw-jSaGTMuD5LhGKPjOaVuTALPQ1otXwPS4n_2YyKOEgAxbmE_sY/s200/April+2010+017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472597531876239106" /></a><br />So, this season's fight for survival has begun. Following the swarm last weekend two separate battles are underway. The original colony [Hive 1] is now left without a queen but they do have brood that will be hatching out over the next couple of weeks. They must rear a new queen in order to survive.<br />The swarm colony [Hive 2] have a queen but no brood so they must build comb rapidly to enable her to lay eggs. Once she starts the first new bees will not emerge for a further 25 days. In the meantime the old tired bees will be dying off so reducing colony numbers. Its a race against time.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-11767705799316169232010-05-17T09:58:00.004+01:002010-05-17T10:53:28.865+01:00A swarm and a sting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgEqtzHeKKkCluui0KuM8Jww9dm4kh-JMmYLpcBmBFRlBoWf96aFjGpCprucvCyIKyaWfz_19JFnn6SYTsYuNlrlhMNL03TTxiMEi4DHaGUO4MkV6Ni8nxhPSwHi7gSbonTdHPYigQrY/s1600/May+2010+013.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 195px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgEqtzHeKKkCluui0KuM8Jww9dm4kh-JMmYLpcBmBFRlBoWf96aFjGpCprucvCyIKyaWfz_19JFnn6SYTsYuNlrlhMNL03TTxiMEi4DHaGUO4MkV6Ni8nxhPSwHi7gSbonTdHPYigQrY/s200/May+2010+013.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472173656516239074" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgoZty18z-Q5BhX_5ZEiHgx-RYImzm5FCApmTaWH8k9VBa8mYO9HNm8Eckkl5NiH6qssO8WnnfsqwtLVdeCusnIR-VfyzyxnQWWjFA1jdLRBH-uoiOjOWz9eKsBGGDFyYHlrlkMl3hOc/s1600/IMG_4255.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgoZty18z-Q5BhX_5ZEiHgx-RYImzm5FCApmTaWH8k9VBa8mYO9HNm8Eckkl5NiH6qssO8WnnfsqwtLVdeCusnIR-VfyzyxnQWWjFA1jdLRBH-uoiOjOWz9eKsBGGDFyYHlrlkMl3hOc/s200/IMG_4255.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472173292671720498" /></a><br />Swarms and stings are to beekeepers what death and taxes are to all of us - inevitable. One of the main skills of beekeeping is swarm prevention, or at least control. Having boned up on the procedure I was fully prepared to carry out our first artificial swarm [a method of preventing loss of a swarm] on Sunday, but the bees decided to leave on Saturday!! Jacqui was outside with Ruffle when she heard the unmistakable roar from the end of the garden. Fortunately the bees were gathering in the sycamore hedge only a short distance from the hive. With the butterflies in my stomach similarly swarming I put on the kit, lit our smoker and gathered some boxes.<br />Earlier in the week I had set out a spare hive on a stand so the plan was to persuade the swarm to set up home there. I managed to shake the bees into my boxes, it took several goes, and then upended the boxes on to a white sheet. Pausing only to extract my first sting from my left thumb, I placed a wooden board up against the landing board on the new hive and covered it with a white sheet. Then I carried over the boxes wrapped in their sheet and shook them on to the board. After a nervous few moments for me the bees turned uphill and started to march into the hive. It is a truly amazing sight. I used a pheasant feather to redirect some that missed the entrance and were marching straight on up the front of the hive. At no time did I spot the old queen but I think she must have been there otherwise the bees would have marched straight out again. The air was full of flying bees all this time but gradually they settled down.<br />A swarm usually takes about one third to one half of the bees leaving the non-flyers, some flyers and all the brood in the original hive. In the evening I set about moving the old hive to one side and placed the swarm hive in the original position. This should mean that next day flying bees return to the swarm hive strenghtening it. <br />Next day, Sunday, I went through the old hive removing all the capped queen cells [a couple are shown pictured above you can just see the larva though the broken end], leaving uncapped ones. In a weeks time I shall go in to that hive again and remove all but one of the queen cells. Hopefully we shall finish up with a new colony with a laying queen in about three weeks from then. As to the swarm that will lose numbers until the bees have created new cells and the old queen has started laying again. What we need now is warm weather and a strong nectar flow.<br />As to that sting, I was wearing "Marigold" rubber gloves. They cannot prevent the sting but they do stop it penetrating too deep and they make it easy quickly to remove the venom sack. All in all not as bad as I had expected!!<br />As to my beekeeping skills and swarming the present score is bees 1 beekeeper 0.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-90680285853541110232010-04-30T13:12:00.002+01:002010-04-30T13:33:42.614+01:00Ooops, a sting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRPBHFcLmdwvU_FTpD-phns3JFZUrSkYgWsPi2j-RtOlODiWwWxEXWRjws8rMBCAUefkujct9cicvBKJeBtQkzp8-a8UcAwW8gixOapQpIYsiyrV6xwiFzWszSALUXTmXTr5Z16WFXs0/s1600/IMG_4220.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRPBHFcLmdwvU_FTpD-phns3JFZUrSkYgWsPi2j-RtOlODiWwWxEXWRjws8rMBCAUefkujct9cicvBKJeBtQkzp8-a8UcAwW8gixOapQpIYsiyrV6xwiFzWszSALUXTmXTr5Z16WFXs0/s200/IMG_4220.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465907657751933442" /></a><br />Reading back in this blog I realise that it has become a bit of an "anorack's diary" so its time to lighten up.<br />Following a rush of blood to the head we now have a new Labradoodle puppy. On Wednesday she was out by our pond with Jacqui. Unfortunately so were a good number of our honey production team collecting water needed in the hive. Ruffle being an inquisitive 9 week old, was fascinated by the buzzing sound in the shallows and headed straight in to check it out. Bees' worst enemy are bears that tend to be big, dark, and furry so a worker is programmed to defend the colony by burrowing into the fur to sting. Seeing a worker on top of Ruffle's head Jacqui selflessly grabbed the bee with her hand and removed it but of course got stung in the process. Fortunately she knew to scrape the sting away with her fingernail so that the pulsing sack of venom was quickly removed and the pain quickly subsided. Not everyone is aware that, despite being torn from the dying bee's body, muscles attached to the sting will continue to pulse for up to 20 mins driving yet more venom into the victim. Hence quick removal is a good idea!<br />Only a wife and a bee were hurt in the making of this story, Ruffle was entirely unharmed and, it has to be said, unconcerned.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-58316277883137925522010-04-27T20:51:00.003+01:002010-04-27T21:38:49.091+01:00The season starts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAxuiqMjDtHdtZgl9mgpSKkqyGYGWZEKFgVigJalwoyLcSjIcT-nPYOzHHrms-KgdH00LILXuMeBntfoBdNbXrJdEspLfJcWOQqaT_8evpbUO319kbvq4p5hUKPKaXH2UM7vHyIwp4ac/s1600/April+2010+040.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAxuiqMjDtHdtZgl9mgpSKkqyGYGWZEKFgVigJalwoyLcSjIcT-nPYOzHHrms-KgdH00LILXuMeBntfoBdNbXrJdEspLfJcWOQqaT_8evpbUO319kbvq4p5hUKPKaXH2UM7vHyIwp4ac/s200/April+2010+040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464919340776031522" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3e0NzTyBIkUECgzhubryMeUZywVD0EgafWIKgFwAsje_UFle9U7wonmxXXhmEBw3sRKLUkGdV52sNyVa6Fknovhdc_Clkv-nOMULtustTotnqUUIDigEC0TzTiH2-_LlounaG_Nl2dc/s1600/April+2010+017.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3e0NzTyBIkUECgzhubryMeUZywVD0EgafWIKgFwAsje_UFle9U7wonmxXXhmEBw3sRKLUkGdV52sNyVa6Fknovhdc_Clkv-nOMULtustTotnqUUIDigEC0TzTiH2-_LlounaG_Nl2dc/s200/April+2010+017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464919094247333234" /></a><br /><br />Thanks to warm days, blossom/pollen on the Bullace Birch and Alder, the bees have been very busy. The hive over-wintered with a super on top of a brood box, no queen excluder. On Sunday 11th April I examined the hive. Lots of bees present. The super contained plenty of honey stores and there was some capped brood at the bottom of the middle frames. Between the super and brood box a small quantity of brace comb had been built with some capped drone cells. The main brood box was well filled with brood both capped and uncapped. Decided to move the super to the bottom. Placed the brood box on top, then queen excluder with a super of drawn comb over that. The object is to give space for the bees to bring in honey without limiting the brood space for the laying queen. Hopefully this will discourage early swarming. The pic shows one of the super frames with capped and uncapped honey. Second pic shows some drone larvae that were exposed and removed.<br />On Sunday 18th I carried out the first full inspection of the year examining all frames. Didn't spot the queen but not surprising as there were a lot of bees in residence. The new super on top is filing nicely with honey. All seemed to be well with the brood so left well alone.<br />Inspection on 26th April revealed one play cell but otherwise nothing of note. Honey stores gradually improving. I shall have to keep an eye on the play cell in case it is built into a queen cell.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-52177431800610218412010-03-25T10:15:00.002+00:002010-03-25T10:26:15.950+00:00"heater" bees on TVAmazing - Richard Hammond's programme on Tuesday evening included spectacular thermal imaging from within the hive. The hot bees showed up so clearly as did the heat radiating from them within the brood. There is so much still to discover and understand. I'm considering appointing a "hive correspondent" to keep us in touch with developments direct from the frames, sooner or later we shall discover that part of the spectrum that will enable us to communiate.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628310022489338990.post-26432165055426311872010-03-21T20:24:00.004+00:002010-03-21T20:47:18.041+00:00Spring and "heater bees"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14H28NbnmRpf5at-c-FNHwVJ7owE8PS6H6NGQqpY8ZzqUvoz5FHYhxaDlaOFG2kr5NwxoKm5mr8DnJVwwn3xwXbJHSL6jH2NoBsSE7O1dpfJFpZInoH0hHBduna9nLTbBqBtLXlZqN6I/s1600-h/IMG_3994.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 184px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14H28NbnmRpf5at-c-FNHwVJ7owE8PS6H6NGQqpY8ZzqUvoz5FHYhxaDlaOFG2kr5NwxoKm5mr8DnJVwwn3xwXbJHSL6jH2NoBsSE7O1dpfJFpZInoH0hHBduna9nLTbBqBtLXlZqN6I/s200/IMG_3994.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451189000492801186" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCTSAMnDpeJZQTP0U7Th16j-1hyS9xFnJTyNCws3Yp2pdDfABY0LNbDaH5QJ4_ncJeIBhfVuXYcToeHLcnk3u6fFxBGgNT83t1sTj9zTQKAOB0Sn99_rG2j0gZ_XZ6N5sbyeR1_df3uk/s1600-h/IMG_4013.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCTSAMnDpeJZQTP0U7Th16j-1hyS9xFnJTyNCws3Yp2pdDfABY0LNbDaH5QJ4_ncJeIBhfVuXYcToeHLcnk3u6fFxBGgNT83t1sTj9zTQKAOB0Sn99_rG2j0gZ_XZ6N5sbyeR1_df3uk/s200/IMG_4013.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451188778217124546" /></a><br />Serious pollen collection continues at the hive. Workers have been foraging on our late winter flowering heathers. The Bumbles are also out.<br /><br />Interesting email from Elizabeth at L&DBKA drawing attention to the Telegraph article about "heater bees". It seems new technology has revealed that some bees raise their body temp by an additional 10 degrees C, enter empty brood cells and then control the temp of up to 70 pupae around them. One degree C is critical. 35C produces forager workers whereas 34C results in housekeeping bees. It seems that the heater bees can decouple their wings so that the muscles run at full power without moving the wings thereby raising body temp to 44C!!! Bees normally require a temp of 35C to fly. Since it is not 1st April the article seems genuine, its amazing the discoveries still to be made.Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11120842714938869211noreply@blogger.com0