What have you done today bee-related?

[AdamD]

Ewen,
You may be able to do a post-mortem on the colonies that (sadly) died. From the residue of bees on the hive floor or in a cluster on the frames, there may be bees with deformed wings which is a sure sign of varroa damage. You might also see deformed bees that are dead in their cells or where the bees have not been able to get out properly. (Some tweezers are useful for this). If there are bees that are dead in the cells but head-first, that indicates starvation. If there is food in the hive, then isolation starvation would be the problem where the colony has been unable to break cluster to get the food it needs to keep warm.

[AdamD]

It's varroa treatment time for me.
Yesterday was dry and mild at 11 degrees but a bit blowy at my main apiary as the hives are at the side of a field. However I took the opportunity to treated them all for varroa by dribbling. All colonies were alive which is a good thing (although I know of one that will have an unmated virgin inside).

Why an unmated queen. What will you do with it?

This was the result of an attempt to replace the original queen that the colony refused to accept - twice. I gave up after that and they started to produce queencells late in the season so I left them to it. I will probably move them in spring to lose the flyers to an adjacent colony and then find the queen and remove her and unite over another colony.

[NigelP]

Checked all apiaries, added fondant to a few light hives, just in case. Wind had blown one hive off it's stand leaving it upside down. I'd forgotten to secure the strap to the hive stand, DOH! Fortunately bees seem okay.
Most clusters are around the centre of the hives, suggesting brood rearing has started.
To date no obvious casualties, but expect to find the odd drone laying queen or queenless hive come first spring inspections.
The weather has caused one site to become very squelchy and it will turn into a mud bath when I start inspections, so ordered a load of plastic grass protection mats to lay down behind the hives.

[JoJo36]

Hello Nigel

Site seems to have been very quiet of late?!

I've been thinking about the asian hornet and wonder if you have thought of hive muzzles or do you think they will be a waste of time?! I expect Alfred has knocked out a few hundred handmade ones for the spring??!!

I've heard conflicting opinions (just for a change)!!!

Thinking of getting a cone trap although nothing much in it for the money??!!

[NigelP]

If you don't and aren't troubled by Asian hornets then anything you do is waste of money. They are not exactly prevalent at the moment and aprt from one beekeeper I've not heard of anyone elses hives being bothered by them. Lot of scaremongering going on.
I have some of the Veto Pharma Asian Hornet traps, which are tried and tested.
I'll be putting some out later this spring, but don't expect to catch any Asians.

[JoJo36]

Well Nigel, only last year about 2-3 miles from me an asian hornet was caught and identified and the nest destroyed
It was hawking around a new solar wax extractor only a short distance from somebody hives!!
I'm going to hang out my fizzy bottle with muck in it to try to trap and in addition buy a couple of proper ones!!
I did think of buying some muzzles but after reading a report from a beekeeper in France, they took them off as the bees were staying on the mesh and therefore making it easy for the hornets to munch!! It also said that the bees slowed down on approaching the hive muzzles and gave an opportunity for the hornets to catch the workers easier??!!
Hmmmmmm...............

[JoJo36]

Nigel
p.s If they are around then I want them caught alive so the AHAT team can trace where they flew from??!!
I'm definitely not going to mark them myself!!

[NigelP]

In the spring any caught will be overwintered queens that have yet to build a nest, so no track and trace at this time of year.

[JoJo36]

Good point!
Will the new nest be close by the winter hideout one I wonder

[NigelP]

Winter hideout?
Well last autumn I found a queen wasp had her winter hideout in one of my shoes. Wondered what the excruciating pain was on my big toe. Tore shoe off to find queen wasp firmly attached by stinger to big toe.....brought tears to my eyes.
Any Asian hornet queens overwintering will have just found any suitable place to survive.

However, those on Teesside will have underestimated the inclement weather and will soon be returning south