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British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • Isolation/Quarantine So Far

  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #6010  by Japey Edge
 21 Mar 2020, 20:34
Hey everybody!

What have you been up to in your quarantine/self-isolation so far?

We improved the garden apiary. Also because of the 3 foot rule I stuck some foliage in front of the entrances when I reopened them. I shut them in late last night.

From this:

Image


To this:


Image




And the entrances:

Image
 #6011  by Chrisbarlow
 21 Mar 2020, 22:27
looking good Jazz, happy bee keeping this Summer.
 #6016  by AdamD
 22 Mar 2020, 10:04
They are quite close together .......
Are you planning to put hives all along the decking? You could have 10 there!
 #6017  by NigelP
 22 Mar 2020, 17:28
Looks good Jazz....

Self isolation is really boring...I even weeded the strawberry patch today and got in trouble as better half was saving that job for when she got too bored.

However, out into the dangerous world tomorrow, what little hand sanitizer I have will be packed in pocket...about 10mls left.. Honey to deliver to Teesside and local town, package to post at hopefully safe distance apart queue at post office and suppose will have to check local supermarkets to see if they have any stocks...this panic buying is really stupid.
We are almost out of bog rolls and no idea of where I'll get any....seriously......and if I can find any....I'm going to be looked at as though I'm a panic buyer. No win situation here.... Ebay can't help either with the racketeers profiteering with sky high prices for paracetamol and bog rolls. I'm seeing 10 rolls for £16....
Barstewards ...hope they all get Wuhanflue.
 #6019  by AdamD
 22 Mar 2020, 19:30
Nigel,
Put up a nail in the outhouse. Rip up old copies of the BBKA magazine and hang them on the nail. Ready for emergencies. You KNEW they would come in handy. :)

"this panic buying is really stupid". Yes, local Tescos had a queue of closely spaced people this morning apparently. You need to take a 2 metre stick with you when you go out.
 #6020  by nealh
 23 Mar 2020, 08:49
Water authorities are complaining of block sewers because of flushing of improper items down the loo,
kitchen towel, hand wipes & newspaper etc don/t break up like bog roll.
 #6023  by Japey Edge
 23 Mar 2020, 09:00
So.. Bees were flying in a way that told me they knew something had changed. I ended up taking the twigs and stuff out early on and nothing really changed. There were some bees landing on the fence near the old hive location and also on the old hive stands (If I can call them that) that they had. I saw so much pollen going into the hives yesterday so the foragers clearly knew where they were going.

Thanks goes to Nigel for being on hand to offer advice again. (He doesn't know it but he's my e-mentor :lol:)

And @Adam - I have seen a few setups where beekeepers have had them closer. I had this top frame set up for a while it just didn't have legs. Not sure why I didn't make the spacing uniform. That will definitely bother me in the long run though :lol:
10 hives would be a dream. I have a spare hive except for a roof, as well as a poly nuc. I'd say I'm under-equipped but I need to tread lightly and buy in small amounts before I get banned from beekeeping purchases!!! Ha!

Really happy with the outcome here. A side-note, if anyone needs a tonne of wood chip I over-ordered by a lot and it's free to a good home - providing you're happy to travel to the South side of Durham.
 #6024  by Japey Edge
 23 Mar 2020, 09:01
Oh and I finally got my cameras wired in properly! We're going to get a lot of DIY jobs done I think!!!
 #6030  by Chrisbarlow
 23 Mar 2020, 10:33
Japey Edge wrote:
23 Mar 2020, 09:01
Oh and I finally got my cameras wired in properly! We're going to get a lot of DIY jobs done I think!!!
Lol. Yep, untill we run out of materials!
 #6039  by AndrewLD
 24 Mar 2020, 08:36
AdamD wrote:
22 Mar 2020, 10:04
They are quite close together .......
Are you planning to put hives all along the decking? You could have 10 there!
I think that was pointed out when he asked for views on his proposals. Be interested to see how it works in practice :|
Just to play Devil's Advocate here - what's the view on 10 hives in a garden that small and in such close proximity to neighbours. I'd certainly make sure they are on board because I could easily see that number being viewed as a nuisance by the local authority if someone complained........
I was puzzled by the two tracks in the grass leading to the new platform. I concluded that the hives are likely a blind and that the whole thing slides back - new outpost for Thunderbirds / survival bunker perhaps :D