BBKA Forum

British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • What have you done today bee-related?

  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #10972  by NigelP
 22 May 2021, 08:30
Been using entrance feeders for some of mine like the one below. Unobtrusive and work well.
Best price is from bee equipment at around £1.60 each.
Whilst I wouldn't recommend using entrance feeders later in the year in this atypical year they are working fine.
Note I also fill frames with sugar solution and use frame feeders, which ever is most appropriate at the time.

Image
 #10976  by JoJo36
 22 May 2021, 11:19
They look good Nigel and a cheap way of getting food into them!
I've got plenty of sugar filled frames I took off a couple of months ago which I can keep adding, I suppose my question is, could they starve without food in brood area even though they still have syrup in frames above?!
I thought they may take down syrup and transfer to brood area but I think more like other way around which I don't want when weather picks up?!
 #10979  by NigelP
 22 May 2021, 13:02
Probably not starve at this time of year with syrup filled super frames above. Despite the temts being cool they should access (when they wish) all areas of a hive. Super frames will be used, if you are unsure what happens just check what a few days after you add them. Learn by practical experience.
I usually find with brood frames filled with syrup that most has disappeared within 48 hours. Mainly into bees were it is turned into energy.
 #10981  by JoJo36
 22 May 2021, 17:53
Yes they had scoffed the frames I put in only 2 days ago as weather so bad!!

I've topped up both hives with heavy full frames of sugar syrup (marked) which hopefully by Tuesday will be empty and then re-marked again!! I didn't bother checking rest of hive as did this earlier in week and all looked okay I think!!
Famous last words......:)
 #10986  by Patrick
 23 May 2021, 11:55
Unfortunately just when our spring blossom is coming to an end around here.

Did my first association practical session in two year yesterday on swarm control. Ironically of the two hives available to inspect one was - swarming. Was on double brood with supers but enforced mass confinement had prompted them to go.

I think a lot of the swarming at the moment is due to the prolonged congestion at home and reduced flying meaning normal natural summer mortality due to overwork is just not happening, leading to some large but underworked colonies. Just a thought.
 #10987  by JoJo36
 23 May 2021, 16:43
I suppose the weather has kept the bees in their hives for much longer than normal so they are now desperate to escape due to overcrowding with more elderly bees living longer??!!

I suppose its just like covid restrictions on people, desperate to get out and about as fed up being caged in for a long time:)
 #11025  by Steve 1972
 29 May 2021, 10:18
Although four colonies have been piling the nectar in somehow this is my poorest year to date..another four colonies have drone laying Queens one of which on a positive has what looks like a new mated Queen..my 3yr old buckfast Queen colony has charged Queen cells not through the Queen but lack of space..the colony is on five supers and rammed solid with bees..the Queen is now in a nuc so fingers crossed the new Virgin in the big colony gets mated when she is ready..
So to conclude..who ever said no two years are the same with beekeeping they are 100% correct.. :D
 #11032  by AdamD
 30 May 2021, 10:39
With the improving weather, my colonies are bringing in the nectar so supers are finally going on. With inspections yesterday morning, frames were dripping as I tipped them to inspect. What a difference a week makes!
No queencells yet apart from the colony that's superceding. One stock decided to convert a frame of worker comb to mostly drone brood - I thought that the queen might be on the way out, but nope, subsequent frames of brood are good.

It never ceases to amaze me how different colonies deal with their honey. You can see one that has zero stores in the brood box and everything upstairs. Another is reluctant to use the supers and has a crammed brood box. Last year, I was loading one WBC with supers (on top of existing ones) as the top super was full, only to find that the bees were moving honey from the lower supers as high up as they could, so I was disappointed to find that the lowermost super was pretty much empty when I assumed it was full!
 #11033  by NigelP
 30 May 2021, 17:09
I hope (and suspect) similar is happening around me with this current good weather...inspections tomorrow. It's been a mad week.....I was feeding colonies with no stores on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Really pleased I took a few colonies over to some OSR where my mate assures me it's now "flow time"!
  • 1
  • 166
  • 167
  • 168
  • 169
  • 170
  • 301