I picked up another Bowthorpe swarm today. Again the bees were in a compost bin. This time in the garden next door to the one I took a swarm away from two days ago. A cast I imagine from the same hive.
I took the swarm to Postwick. The bees I took from the allotment to Postwick are still angry with me.
I inspected the other hives in Postwick. The one at the back is slowly coming along well with bees that are nice to work with. But the others are taking their time to get moving and are generally very dissapointing and don't seem to be progressing much. The 2008 Postwick swarm are moving up through their hive that has no queen excluder on.
Stripes was looking OK but not really exciting where as her mum (I am going to call her Willow) was looking extremely good. Honey Stripes seemed to be running out of steam so I changed her hive around. I moved the queen excluder up above the second brood box after taking some of the older frames out and replacing them with brand new deep frames and foundation. I spotted two bees with deformed wings so I gave the top brood box a liberal application of Thymol crystals as deformed bees must mean that the mite levels are getting too high in the hive. There were three supers on the hive but I took one off and gave it to Willow instead.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
A new colony for George. Sticky and Tina's girls.
George's hive died out over the winter for no real reason apart from maybe they had got themselves stuck in a corner of the hive without food in one of the cold spells we had at the start of the year. They had half eaten their fondant before dying and there was plenty of stores at the other end of the box and in the super above. It looked like they had eaten themsevles into a corner and only had areas of empty frame around them and had gotten themselves isolated from the stores in the hive. Or maybe it was just because the hive came from the Suffolk countryside and was suffering from insecticide spray. Anyway as part of his 'hire a hive' agreement I took George some new bees today. George has the queen from the hive at the centre of the allotment that have been making so much fuss about loosing her and stinging people. The bees were fine on normal inspections and not too cross.
I took Sticky out of her hive over a week so the hive was due an inspection for queen cells. Out of the frames in two brood boxes I made up three nucs. Perversely the best queen cells were on the frame of drone brood that was due for removal for mite control. I uncapped some of of it and there were one or two mites in what I uncapped. Anyway I put most of it back so I will breed quite a few more drones and some more mites. I will put a frame of drone brood in again when there is another laying queen in the brood box.
I made up two nuc boxes as well. Sticky's bees are nice gentle bees to work with so I hope I do get three new queens from her two brood boxes.
Tina's bees decided to put nearly all of their queen eggs on the one frame so I only made up one extra nuc with her bees.
Judging by the number of bees taking in pollen the hive on bricks and to one of the two nuc boxes I made with queen cells have two new laying queens. One nuc box was empty of bees and on inspection I could see that the queen cell had not hatched out. It was a very small nuc box and maybe too small for the early part of the year.
I must keep checking that the hives don't need supers putting on as a result of this run of fine weather we are having. I did put a super on Norman's bees in the allotment at the end of the day.
I took Sticky out of her hive over a week so the hive was due an inspection for queen cells. Out of the frames in two brood boxes I made up three nucs. Perversely the best queen cells were on the frame of drone brood that was due for removal for mite control. I uncapped some of of it and there were one or two mites in what I uncapped. Anyway I put most of it back so I will breed quite a few more drones and some more mites. I will put a frame of drone brood in again when there is another laying queen in the brood box.
I made up two nuc boxes as well. Sticky's bees are nice gentle bees to work with so I hope I do get three new queens from her two brood boxes.
Tina's bees decided to put nearly all of their queen eggs on the one frame so I only made up one extra nuc with her bees.
Judging by the number of bees taking in pollen the hive on bricks and to one of the two nuc boxes I made with queen cells have two new laying queens. One nuc box was empty of bees and on inspection I could see that the queen cell had not hatched out. It was a very small nuc box and maybe too small for the early part of the year.
I must keep checking that the hives don't need supers putting on as a result of this run of fine weather we are having. I did put a super on Norman's bees in the allotment at the end of the day.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
2nd swarm collected, stinging bees
I uncapped and washed the grubs out of the two frames of drone brood that I removed from the hives yesterday. I didn't see a lot of mites but there were some.
Yesterday after I had finished working on the hive with queen cells in, the swarm hive near the path and the hive next to the hive with the queen cells the bees were not happy and stung Lucy.
This morning they were still not happy and stung Ceril, Roy and Bernie and so this evening the two without queen cells had to be moved and are now in Postwick. The boxes with the queens in are still there and I will move those soon.
I moved them after I picked up my second swarm of the year and my second swarm from the same garden. It is the garden that Stripes mother came from two years ago. Apparently the bees do have patterns and can often swarm in the same place - although no one seems to know how or why so my expert Paul tells me.
These were in a holly bush and after cutting a couple of branches out with the loppers were easy enough to shake down into a cardboard box. They are yellow bees and have swarmed much earlier in the year than the others two years ago. They were on a Willow tree that gets heavily pruned each year and so far this year has only grown few inches.
I have taken them to Old Costessy where I had left a hive set up should a wandering swarm want to move into one. It's next to the hive on bricks. I will leave them to settle down for a few days before inspecting to see if they have a laying queen.
It was interesting to see that the bees in the hive on bricks and the bees in Sticky's hive were obviously quite aware of my activity when introducing the swarm to the brood box whereas the bees in the south facing hive could not be bothered to even come to the entrance to look. I guess that's the difference between having a laying queen and not having a laying queen.
Yesterday after I had finished working on the hive with queen cells in, the swarm hive near the path and the hive next to the hive with the queen cells the bees were not happy and stung Lucy.
This morning they were still not happy and stung Ceril, Roy and Bernie and so this evening the two without queen cells had to be moved and are now in Postwick. The boxes with the queens in are still there and I will move those soon.
I moved them after I picked up my second swarm of the year and my second swarm from the same garden. It is the garden that Stripes mother came from two years ago. Apparently the bees do have patterns and can often swarm in the same place - although no one seems to know how or why so my expert Paul tells me.
These were in a holly bush and after cutting a couple of branches out with the loppers were easy enough to shake down into a cardboard box. They are yellow bees and have swarmed much earlier in the year than the others two years ago. They were on a Willow tree that gets heavily pruned each year and so far this year has only grown few inches.
I have taken them to Old Costessy where I had left a hive set up should a wandering swarm want to move into one. It's next to the hive on bricks. I will leave them to settle down for a few days before inspecting to see if they have a laying queen.
It was interesting to see that the bees in the hive on bricks and the bees in Sticky's hive were obviously quite aware of my activity when introducing the swarm to the brood box whereas the bees in the south facing hive could not be bothered to even come to the entrance to look. I guess that's the difference between having a laying queen and not having a laying queen.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Queen cells, drone brood, swarms
The week is up for checking the first hive that I removed the queen from a week ago - the hive next to the WBC. Out of that hive I made up two nuc boxes and left a queen cell in the brood box too. I took out a frame of capped drone brood that on inspection with an uncapping fork didn't seem to be full of mites.
I put supers on both of Bills hives and marked the queen in the hive at the end that is next to Norman's hive.
I took the queen out of the hive next the first hive I opened -- the bees didn't like that - and took out a frame of drone brood. Found the queen and put her in a new box but as yet haven't marked as she dropped to the hive floor.
I took the queen out of the swarm hive next to the path near the small apple tree. I was about to take that nuc box of bees to Thorpe when the call came through that there was a swarm to pick up. The swarm had just moved into a compost bin that was covered with a sheet. The sheet was easy to pick up and shake into a box. Bowthorpe Compost bees - the first swarm I have picked up this year. I will leave them for a few days before checking for eggs to see if they have a laying queen.
In the end I didn't take last year's swarm queen to Thorpe.
I am due to open Sticky's hive tomorrow and see how many queen cells are there - but must go to Postwick first and pick up the queenless bees there who would I think welcome a queen cell to look after.
I put supers on both of Bills hives and marked the queen in the hive at the end that is next to Norman's hive.
I took the queen out of the hive next the first hive I opened -- the bees didn't like that - and took out a frame of drone brood. Found the queen and put her in a new box but as yet haven't marked as she dropped to the hive floor.
I took the queen out of the swarm hive next to the path near the small apple tree. I was about to take that nuc box of bees to Thorpe when the call came through that there was a swarm to pick up. The swarm had just moved into a compost bin that was covered with a sheet. The sheet was easy to pick up and shake into a box. Bowthorpe Compost bees - the first swarm I have picked up this year. I will leave them for a few days before checking for eggs to see if they have a laying queen.
In the end I didn't take last year's swarm queen to Thorpe.
I am due to open Sticky's hive tomorrow and see how many queen cells are there - but must go to Postwick first and pick up the queenless bees there who would I think welcome a queen cell to look after.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tina, 83 Bluebell Allotments. Norman's Old Costessy No1
I moved Tina to a new home in John's garden. She now lives in an old WBC hive.
I took the queen out of the hive at the far end of the allotment site (She was one of Tina's daughters) and put her in a new brood box ready to leave in the morning.
I checked the bees from the Thorpe in the hive in the top corner that I left with two queen excluders on (because I couldn't find the queen) on my last visit. There were only eggs in the brood box but I still couldn't find the queen. It's strong hive that's making honey. The bees were easy enough to handle without gloves and they didn't sting.
I checked the hive with the two new brood boxes under the greengage tree. They were drawing out the frames well but were also beginning to ignore the bottom box where the frame of drone brood is.
I have been thinking of the queen cell that I left in Norman's (No1) hive in Old Costesy. I was thinking that I should put it in a nuc box and let that hive produce their own queens. Too late the cell was empty. There was a frame with several queen cells in the making so I made a nuc up with those instead. I may graft a cell onto another frame in a day or so.
I took the queen out of the hive at the far end of the allotment site (She was one of Tina's daughters) and put her in a new brood box ready to leave in the morning.
I checked the bees from the Thorpe in the hive in the top corner that I left with two queen excluders on (because I couldn't find the queen) on my last visit. There were only eggs in the brood box but I still couldn't find the queen. It's strong hive that's making honey. The bees were easy enough to handle without gloves and they didn't sting.
I checked the hive with the two new brood boxes under the greengage tree. They were drawing out the frames well but were also beginning to ignore the bottom box where the frame of drone brood is.
I have been thinking of the queen cell that I left in Norman's (No1) hive in Old Costesy. I was thinking that I should put it in a nuc box and let that hive produce their own queens. Too late the cell was empty. There was a frame with several queen cells in the making so I made a nuc up with those instead. I may graft a cell onto another frame in a day or so.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Suffolk, Norman's Old Costessy (No. 3 hive)
My last visit to Suffolk was a month ago and my visit and inspection today has told me a little more. It seems that I may have a drone laying queen or the queen that was there today is a new queen that hasn't come fully into lay yet.
The larger colony did have a queen in the hive and it wasn't my old marked queen. So she is either a new queen raised from the few eggs I put in the hive on my last visit a month ago or she replaced my old marked queen last year. As I don't know which of those two she is I have taken her out of the hive with another frame of bees and a frame of stores and set her up in another box. If she can lay eggs then she will have by the time I visit next. If there are still only drone cells on my next visit then I will know that she is not going to make it. As there weren't patches of worker brood I fear the worst but I want to be sure.
Having taken the queen out of the hive I open the other hive that had a small colony with a laying queen on my last visit. It still had a small colony with a laying queen - or eggs at least- as I didn't see the queen. I took out one frame that the queen had just started to lay on where there was a small patch of eggs surrounded by fresh pollen which in turn was surrounded by old stores of honey. The recent warm weather had induced the queen to lay a few eggs. It seemed mean to steal them but I needed a few eggs to go in what was now a queenless hive.
I took a nuc box out to Old Costessy As I wanted to check Norman's number three hive and if there were two frames with queen cells on remove one into a nuc box. There was a frame with a queen cell and a frame with an uncompleted queen cell. I took out the frame with the queen cell plus a couple more frames and put them in a small nuc box. The bees in the original brood box can now finish making the last queen cell. I can now forget about opening that box until the 20th May.
I checked the little heap of dead bees again and in the ful light of day did find a marked red queen amounst them. I'm not sure how she got out of the hive. Did I remove a crown board with her on it?
The larger colony did have a queen in the hive and it wasn't my old marked queen. So she is either a new queen raised from the few eggs I put in the hive on my last visit a month ago or she replaced my old marked queen last year. As I don't know which of those two she is I have taken her out of the hive with another frame of bees and a frame of stores and set her up in another box. If she can lay eggs then she will have by the time I visit next. If there are still only drone cells on my next visit then I will know that she is not going to make it. As there weren't patches of worker brood I fear the worst but I want to be sure.
Having taken the queen out of the hive I open the other hive that had a small colony with a laying queen on my last visit. It still had a small colony with a laying queen - or eggs at least- as I didn't see the queen. I took out one frame that the queen had just started to lay on where there was a small patch of eggs surrounded by fresh pollen which in turn was surrounded by old stores of honey. The recent warm weather had induced the queen to lay a few eggs. It seemed mean to steal them but I needed a few eggs to go in what was now a queenless hive.
I took a nuc box out to Old Costessy As I wanted to check Norman's number three hive and if there were two frames with queen cells on remove one into a nuc box. There was a frame with a queen cell and a frame with an uncompleted queen cell. I took out the frame with the queen cell plus a couple more frames and put them in a small nuc box. The bees in the original brood box can now finish making the last queen cell. I can now forget about opening that box until the 20th May.
I checked the little heap of dead bees again and in the ful light of day did find a marked red queen amounst them. I'm not sure how she got out of the hive. Did I remove a crown board with her on it?
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