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Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:15 Jan 2020, 23:25
by nealh
Hello Alfred,
My current set up uses OMF's with small 9mm high front entrance/block with pins spaced at 9mm centres no issue with mortality on floors or blocking the entrance so don't see UFE's being much different with a 8-9 mm long slot, the use of a radiator roller handle would easily dislodge any blockage should one ever occur.

Basically I adopted & adapted the BKF design in the DIY section for BS size.

2 x sides 462mm x 90 38 cls (ex4x2) with 2mm groove 375mm in from the back end 8mm down.
1 x 386 x 90x38cls for the front horizontal rail.
1x 386 x 63 x38 cls (ex3x2) rear rail with 2mm groove along it's length 8mm down.
1 x386 x 63 x 38 cls , intermediate inner rail set so the top is level with the bottom of the side grooves. This inter rail is set 8.5 - 9mm back form the horizontal front rail to form the UFE, the bees enter at about the third seam.
If need be a small recessed landing board 50mm- 70mm deep can be added to the UFE if required for returning bees.
Mesh I utilise from spare current useable OMF's and resize it with wire cutters to 404mm x 334mm.
I utilised the plastic insert runners again for the inserts.
Now with uniform floor size and rear entrance height size, I have made up a couple of ply inserts so I can use my vape pans for treatment. I have used some thin strip timber (old bottom frame bars) glued to the ply and a bit of thin ali to form a jig to prevent them from tipping and moving about.

If I could add an image /pic I would but I can't see any way of doing so ,so can't just download from my PC pics files.

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:16 Jan 2020, 07:16
by Alfred
Try Imgbbb I can sometimes ge it to work

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:20 Jan 2020, 16:48
by MickBBKA
Checked on varroa drop after vape at the weekend and virtually nothing dropping now. Colonies still not clustered even after last 2 nights frosts and some looking big for the time of year.
Image

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:20 Jan 2020, 17:37
by NigelP
Yup, that is one big colony.....

Just finished about 7 mind numbing hours scraping clean all last seasons heather supers frames ready for new foundation when it warms up. Wax is nice and fragile in these temps and comes out a treat.

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:21 Jan 2020, 21:42
by Cable_Fairy
A quite nice day this afternoon so decided to check if the hives needed more feed. Unfortunately it looks like one colony has died. There was no movement, and all the bees are huddled in a large ball over 4 frames all dead, there was plenty of food left.

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:21 Jan 2020, 23:31
by Patrick
Bad luck CB, you won't be the first and you won't be the last.

As the old farming saying goes " if you have livestock you will get dead stock". Still a gutter when you find it.

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:22 Jan 2020, 09:26
by AdamD
That's such a disappointment I know. :( Was the colony in a poly hive or wood and was there any insulation on top of the colony? Isolation starvation would probably cause some of the bees to die with their heads in the comb? Any other signs - such as deformed wings?

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:22 Jan 2020, 16:55
by Chrisbarlow
MickBBKA wrote:
20 Jan 2020, 16:48
Checked on varroa drop after vape at the weekend and virtually nothing dropping now. Colonies still not clustered even after last 2 nights frosts and some looking big for the time of year.
Image
That's a grand looking colony

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:22 Jan 2020, 17:30
by Cable_Fairy
AdamD wrote:
22 Jan 2020, 09:26
That's such a disappointment I know. :( Was the colony in a poly hive or wood and was there any insulation on top of the colony? Isolation starvation would probably cause some of the bees to die with their heads in the comb? Any other signs - such as deformed wings?
Adam, The colony was in a WBC, it had a glass quilt with a fibre cover, around the Brood box was a double layer of bubble wrap silvered insulation which is folded on the top of the box. Inside the roof is another thick layer of bubble wrap. I checked on the 5th and added some more feed which they have eaten approx. three quarters, I will have a look at the bees, I was going to do it today but the other have was a "hive" of activity and did not want to disturb them.

Re: What have you done today bee-related?

PostPosted:22 Jan 2020, 20:16
by Alfred
Cable_Fairy wrote:
21 Jan 2020, 21:42
A quite nice day this afternoon so decided to check if the hives needed more feed. Unfortunately it looks like one colony has died. There was no movement, and all the bees are huddled in a large ball over 4 frames all dead, there was plenty of food left.
Bad luck CF- as the yanks say" I feel your pain"
It was a year ago this week I took over stewardship of my first colony- within a few weeks they would be dead
The previous owner didn't do them any favours but think I've done al I can with my replacements
Still very twitchy though :shock:
Slipped them some pollen subs today and reset the last hive to frame top feeding instead of over the CB.