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General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #8357  by NigelP
 30 Jul 2020, 10:22
You certainly need less stores in a poly hive (with varroa tray inserted) overwinter. Big note to myself this spring was feed less as fed up of removing three or four unused brood frames full of sugar syrup come spring.
The use of pollen substitutes can be a vexing question, some (like me) are in a very pollen rich area, some aren't. Each beekeeper really needs to determine for themselves whether there is sufficient pollen going into their hives when flying weather begins in spring.
This winter I'm going to freeze several pollen clogged brood frames and place back into the hives early Feb when there is no natural pollen around. I know from some early (and very rapid) inspections there little to no pollen remaining in my hives come Feb.
 #8367  by Bobbysbees
 30 Jul 2020, 19:29
Thanks for all the advise guys and girls. Seems like im on the right track with what im doing. May see about purchasing another nuc before the season ends and tuck them up in a 6 over 6 poly nuc for winter and see how they fair. Im considering going for 10 frame polys over my home made wooden brood boxes next year but it will be interesting to see which winters better first and make a decision based on that.
 #8369  by AdamD
 31 Jul 2020, 09:07
Queen introductions.
I have had a few drone laying queens this year, all in large colonies where I let them make their own queen - leaving a queencell. So far introductions of new queens has gone without a hitch. Even one where there was drone brood in the super - so I feared the worst and that the introduced queen would be killed by laying workers after I had removed a scrub queen from the brood box. (I've seen it before where bees start to produce drone brood on super frames when the queen is gone or faulty for a long while).

Yesterday was another introduction where I let the queen out. A few days before I had removed a drone laying queen plus a couple of queencells made from drone brood which told me that they were desperate for a new queen and had no other available. I had very hard candy in the cage and the plastic tab had been removed. It was 3 days after introduction that I checked she was out. The daft thing is they sealed up the candy plug with propolis, so there was no way for the queen to get out. She was alive, lively and apparently happy, so I let her out; she wandered down between frames without any fuss. With luck, she will be accepted too.
 #8371  by Chrisbarlow
 01 Aug 2020, 12:47
Been buying sugar to feed nucs that are not on balsam ready for winter... Will be making up Shortly...
 #8373  by Steve 1972
 02 Aug 2020, 09:41
Chrisbarlow wrote:
01 Aug 2020, 12:47
Been buying sugar to feed nucs that are not on balsam ready for winter... Will be making up Shortly...
From past experiences i am not to keen about feeding my nucs sugar syrup through bad robbing issues in the past..i have loads of drawn comb spare so i prefare to give them fondant on the top bars instead..
 #8374  by Steve 1972
 02 Aug 2020, 10:02
I went through the hives yesterday and the production of honey has slowed down quite a lot..it must be the weather as the bees still have loads of available forage right on there doorstep..
Much to my surprise my suspected 3rd laying worker colony has worker brood in all stages and eggs so if all goes to plan i will be going into winter yet again with eight hives if the Queen in the nuc i made up yesterday is accepted..
 #8375  by AndrewLD
 02 Aug 2020, 17:08
After all this fine weather with little rain it comes as no surprise that the flow is ending and we are into consolidation phase.
One hive was failing, queenless, broodless, and due for shake-out; but today something really odd happened. A large group of flying bees were in front of the hive and I was convinced they were robbers queuing to get in. When I closed off the entrance the landing board filled with bees and I gave up -if they wanted it and had found it -OK
Then I saw that they were all fanning with their nasanov glands exposed, the crush reduced and now bees are defending the entrance.............
I have put off the shake-out. They will be the luckiest bees in the world if they have taken over this hive :D
 #8377  by Steve 1972
 02 Aug 2020, 19:31
Checked the nuc i made yesterday and the marked bought in Queen is out of the comercial cage within 24hrs..the bees had also started making Queen cells in that 24hrs.. all have been knocked down and i will keep doing that till i see eggs and new brood from the new Queen..
 #8378  by Steve 1972
 02 Aug 2020, 19:38
AndrewLD wrote:
02 Aug 2020, 17:08
After all this fine weather with little rain it comes as no surprise that the flow is ending and we are into consolidation phase.
One hive was failing, queenless, broodless, and due for shake-out; but today something really odd happened. A large group of flying bees were in front of the hive and I was convinced they were robbers queuing to get in. When I closed off the entrance the landing board filled with bees and I gave up -if they wanted it and had found it -OK
Then I saw that they were all fanning with their nasanov glands exposed, the crush reduced and now bees are defending the entrance.............
I have put off the shake-out. They will be the luckiest bees in the world if they have taken over this hive :D
I have found that the Nasonav gland being fanned is not a sure sign that the little darlings have a team leader..lol
 #8402  by Cable_Fairy
 05 Aug 2020, 20:38
Saw a report this afternoon along with photographs of a large swarm 50 yards down the valley from me, rushed out to check my hives, but mine all appear to be at home.
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