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Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:07 Jul 2020, 21:17
by Steve 1972
I can help with both problems Nigel.. ;)

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:07 Jul 2020, 22:17
by Patrick
That’s a bummer Nigel. Unfortunate rather than malicious, but sorting out stirred up bees when there is little choice about it is less than pleasant.

Let’s just be grateful we don’t have bears to contend with as well..

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:08 Jul 2020, 07:56
by NigelP
Aye, twas not fun in the slightest. Only good thing was getting the mole and setting up a level hive stand.
Amazing how placid bees can turn into ravid killers with the right incentive.

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:09 Jul 2020, 11:34
by AdamD
Last night near dusk, I saw my first ever live badger - near my out apiary. It was picking raspberries, like me. (Well I think it was). Now do I need to consider whether I need to fence the apiary off?

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:09 Jul 2020, 14:16
by AndrewLD
I guess there are a number of issues here:
Too many hive stands have a too narrow base so the whole thing is easily toppled. Squat and wide reduces the risk and mine are heavy too with the cross bars a good foot off the ground. Then strap the hives with ratchet straps.......
If you fence the apiary will they not just burrow underneath? I think an electric fence would be my next step

I too had a slowly tilting hive stand and ended up putting a 2.5 tonne hydraulic jack under the side that was collapsing. I slowly pumped it up watching a spirit level and then excavated under the legs to find solid earth again. a brick and the odd tile - sorted. All done with bees flying and out.....
Next time I might seal them in first :o

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:09 Jul 2020, 15:34
by Chrisbarlow
I like the hydraulic jack to lift a stand with hive still in situ. Great idea.

As for the badger issue, will bees defend against them? Ie sting em. If so, might be a non issue

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:09 Jul 2020, 18:25
by NigelP
I have badgers an another out apiary (trail camera) ....not a problem. Just the one time in my garden apiary when one got caught in the loose hive strap.

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:11 Jul 2020, 13:55
by NigelP
The Ying and Yang of bee temper was quite obvious today. I requeened 2 "bad" hives bees into 2 hives with excellent quiet new queens. One hive still has a lot of attitude and will have for the next 4-5 weeks until all the "bad" bees have died off. In the other hive the queens influence has turned them all into instant pussycats.....
Fascinating this bee keeping lark, very few definitives...

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:11 Jul 2020, 18:50
by Steve 1972
Not been on here through work and not touched the hives for a fortnight through cars issues.. :( ..i will be of the play with them tomorrow and hopefully i find eggs and brood in three colonies other wise the lot are getting shook out..it has been 7/8 weeks now since Queens emerged and if nothing looks positive it is pointless wasting equipment on dud colonies..

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:12 Jul 2020, 09:35
by AdamD
NigelP wrote:
11 Jul 2020, 13:55
The Ying and Yang of bee temper was quite obvious today. I requeened 2 "bad" hives bees into 2 hives with excellent quiet new queens. One hive still has a lot of attitude and will have for the next 4-5 weeks until all the "bad" bees have died off. In the other hive the queens influence has turned them all into instant pussycats.....
Fascinating this bee keeping lark, very few definitives...
I guess, that's the fun of it.
It might be 8 weeks though - depending on whether you had eggs/open brood in the re-queened stocks. I united some poorly behaved bees to a decent stock in April this year. It was June before they started to behave themselves. As you point out, sometimes it takes ages and some times instant; I pulled out a queen from a follower-colony last week and put in a frame with a couple of supercedure cells on it. I was expecting to go in every day or two to remove emergency queencells until the S/C cells emerged - not knowing how old they were. As by luck (it doesn't always happen so well) the next day, one supercedure cell was open. The other had been broken down from the back. The behaviour of the girls was much better. If luck continues, the queen will mate this week and will be laying before the old brood has emerged.