There are four hives in the Ringland apiary. Laburnham, Midnight, Greengage83 (brood box 3), and a 2009 daughter of Tina and today I gave them all a treatment of thymol and put a mouse guard over the entrance to each hive. I put a block of fondant on both Midnight and Greengage's crown board. The other two hives had a block put on some weeks ago.
In Old Costessy I gave the hive on bricks a block of fondant.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Suffolk bees Autum
The last time I visited the three hives in Suffolk was in June
Today I gave them each a block of fondant, a mouse guard and a sprinkling of Thymol crystals.
Today I gave them each a block of fondant, a mouse guard and a sprinkling of Thymol crystals.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Midnight,, Old Costessy, Tina
I moved Midnight to Ringland to join the laburnham swarm (now on double brood box) Greengage83 and one of Tina's 2009 queens.
I have given two more hives thymol and fondant in Old Costessy. One of them was a colony from the permaculture society allotment site. A 2009 queen bred at the Bluebell Road allotments. Grandmother the UEA swarm queen. 2006
The hive facing south had completly filled the brood box (thatI put on a few weeks back) with honey. I took out three frames and gave them to Tina and put in three frames of undrawn foundation back in their place.
Tina continues on albeit with very little yellow marking left on her. I'm goin to move her back to allotment 83 and hopefully keep her through another winter as she is a great queen to breed from.
I have given two more hives thymol and fondant in Old Costessy. One of them was a colony from the permaculture society allotment site. A 2009 queen bred at the Bluebell Road allotments. Grandmother the UEA swarm queen. 2006
The hive facing south had completly filled the brood box (thatI put on a few weeks back) with honey. I took out three frames and gave them to Tina and put in three frames of undrawn foundation back in their place.
Tina continues on albeit with very little yellow marking left on her. I'm goin to move her back to allotment 83 and hopefully keep her through another winter as she is a great queen to breed from.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
George's bees
I put fondant on George's bees today. They hadn't made any honey at all.
Unlike the hive facing south at Old Costessy that has not only filled a super with honey but a complete extra brood box as well.
I took another fifteen frames of honey from the hives at Old Costessy and there is still more to collect.
Unlike the hive facing south at Old Costessy that has not only filled a super with honey but a complete extra brood box as well.
I took another fifteen frames of honey from the hives at Old Costessy and there is still more to collect.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Old Costessy late honey
I have started taking the last crop of honey from the hives in Old Costessy. 12 frames from three hives and several half filled frames moved onto another hive.
It has started to rain.
It has started to rain.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Old Costessy
I paid a visit to Old Costessy today although there wasn't much to do there as the sun is still shining and the bees that don't have feed on are making honey and best left alone.
There was the colony that was queenless that had one of George's nucs to unite with to check out. The bees had torn a lot of the newspaper away so I put the two lots of bees together in the bottom brood box. I didn't see the queen.
That gave me a spare brood box so I put Norman's allotment queen into that. I now have just one lot of bees left in a nuc box that need to go into a brood box.
There is one small colony at the allotment that seem to be queenless all of sudden. I will need to unite those with another colony soon and that will free up another box.
The bees that were on the outside of their brood box have all moved inside and are taking the feed from the box feeder. I am going to leave them for a while before checking them for a laying queen.
There was the colony that was queenless that had one of George's nucs to unite with to check out. The bees had torn a lot of the newspaper away so I put the two lots of bees together in the bottom brood box. I didn't see the queen.
That gave me a spare brood box so I put Norman's allotment queen into that. I now have just one lot of bees left in a nuc box that need to go into a brood box.
There is one small colony at the allotment that seem to be queenless all of sudden. I will need to unite those with another colony soon and that will free up another box.
The bees that were on the outside of their brood box have all moved inside and are taking the feed from the box feeder. I am going to leave them for a while before checking them for a laying queen.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thorpe and Poswick
I put another bucket of feed on two of the hives in Thorpe.
In Postwick most of the hives have some fondant on. One of the three that hasn't is supposed to be uniting two brood boxes together but as yet the bees in the bottom box don't seem to be interested in the bees with a queen in the box above.
The hive that has a daughter of one of the two stinging hives that I moved from the allotment at the start of the year I have been leaving to make honey this year. On my last visit I moved the queen excluder down between the super and brood box as they were on a brood and a half. Gamgling that the queen is in the super at this time of the year (I did the same with the Bowthorpe queen today - nice brood pattern there with no chalkbrood) .
The queen was in the brood box and the bees were making honey in the super. I took three frames of honey out and put the super back with a brood box of old frames on top. We have had a sustained spell of hot sunny weather in the last few weeks and if this weather continues I will take some more honey before feeding the box and possibly leaving it with two brood boxes of bees and stores.
I have a lot of undrawn brood frames an fear not enough bees to get them all drawn out before the winter.
In Postwick most of the hives have some fondant on. One of the three that hasn't is supposed to be uniting two brood boxes together but as yet the bees in the bottom box don't seem to be interested in the bees with a queen in the box above.
The hive that has a daughter of one of the two stinging hives that I moved from the allotment at the start of the year I have been leaving to make honey this year. On my last visit I moved the queen excluder down between the super and brood box as they were on a brood and a half. Gamgling that the queen is in the super at this time of the year (I did the same with the Bowthorpe queen today - nice brood pattern there with no chalkbrood) .
The queen was in the brood box and the bees were making honey in the super. I took three frames of honey out and put the super back with a brood box of old frames on top. We have had a sustained spell of hot sunny weather in the last few weeks and if this weather continues I will take some more honey before feeding the box and possibly leaving it with two brood boxes of bees and stores.
I have a lot of undrawn brood frames an fear not enough bees to get them all drawn out before the winter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
