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  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #2428  by NigelP
 22 Mar 2019, 09:30
MickBBKA wrote:
21 Mar 2019, 23:13
18C today....OMG !!!
Found one colony with about 7 emergency looking QC's, no brood or eggs, no visible queen and fanning like a VQ was out of the hive. No drones at all in this apiary. Looks doomed.
At my other apiary I found my very first Marie Celest colony. I have been expecting this to fail as I am sure the queen never mated as I had not seen brood since Sept last year. Its strange, not a single bee dead or alive, 6 frames of mixed pollen and capped honey. Mouse guard so the bees have not been eaten and no sign of robbing although there are 6 other colonies feet away. Not seen this in the module exams..LOL

Cheers, Mick.
Had a few of those over the years. Not found a believable explanation yet....and some of mine where definitely queen right.
 #2430  by AdamD
 22 Mar 2019, 12:53
Mick, I didn't think it EVER got to 18 degrees where you live!
Nigel, I wondered where you were! Glad you're feeling better.
 #2431  by Patrick
 22 Mar 2019, 13:12
No way have I been inside any hives yet. Shivering in a damp breeze at 11 degrees in overcast Somerset, I too am envious of the Tees Riviera.

I am assuming between inspections you are snacking on Tapas and sipping your ale out of coconut shells? 😃
 #2432  by Chrisbarlow
 22 Mar 2019, 13:14
NigelP wrote:
22 Mar 2019, 09:29
Lucky sods been laid up in bed with "man flue" watching the first real opportunity to examine disappear from me.
Hopefully next week can start getting to grips with the new season.
Glad your on the mend NP
 #2437  by Chrisbarlow
 22 Mar 2019, 20:38
popped up to see a new beekeeper this morning to have a quick look at his bees as he was a little concerned at going in earlier this week and not seeing any grubs or eggs. It was fine, grubs and eggs everywhere. Finished making some transport boxes this evening. Thinking about what beekeeping I can be doing over the weekend.
 #2444  by NigelP
 23 Mar 2019, 09:35
Chrisbarlow wrote:
22 Mar 2019, 20:38
Thinking about what beekeeping I can be doing over the weekend.
My beekeeping this weekend is aimed at selling more honey ...a new trial Farmers Market venue at Shincliffe Garden Center outside of Durham on Sunday. Just about to bottle some more honey for it.
I'm going to slowly take all my Payne's poly hives out of the apiaries and have all Abelo. Not that there is anything wrong with the Paynes, just a different footprint and I feel it's the year to standardise.
If anyone is interested in any second hand Paynes poly with feeders etc etc PM me I have several going spare.
 #2452  by Chrisbarlow
 23 Mar 2019, 11:59
Good luck NP with the new market.

Got some roofs and brood boxess made up then got some nucs moved into brood boxes. They were a little crammed to say the least.
 #2461  by MickBBKA
 23 Mar 2019, 22:00
Nothing in the apiary today, but sat Module 3 this morning. Bee pests and disease. I couldn't believe there wasn't one single question on Asian Hornet.
Hope to check my other apiary on Monday which has 6 nice colonies hopefully doing well now.

looking at my garden colony I am a bit concerned about varroa already. I found 2 dead drones on the grass, both with deformed wings. But, one had 2 live varroa wedged deep behind the bees head, one was invisible until I pried the head away under my stereo microscope. I have never seen varroa in that position before but would be almost impossible to see on a live active bee.
Vape in the morning !!
 #2466  by NigelP
 24 Mar 2019, 05:48
MickBBKA wrote:
23 Mar 2019, 22:00
Nothing in the apiary today, but sat Module 3 this morning. Bee pests and disease. I couldn't believe there wasn't one single question on Asian Hornet.
That's yer typical BBKA paper. If something is likely to be topical and relevant there won't be a question on it. Be one on something obscure.
Hope you did well.
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