discussion Swarm season!

[GerryW]

Just had to attend a swarm call, go back later to pick up the skep that should have the bees in.
Just glad that the people who had them turn up, checked the local bee association website for swarm collection :thumb2:

 

[CarolsHusband]

Bees, ya say ?

We finally moved ours down to the new homestead yesterday, they seem to have survived in our absence.

View attachment 422886

Came out for a bit of an orientation flight but it was pretty windy so they didn't bother.

All settled in now.

View attachment 422887

 

[GerryW]

Bees, ya say ?

We finally moved ours down to the new homestead yesterday, they seem to have survived in our absence.

View attachment 422886

Came out for a bit of an orientation flight but it was pretty windy so they didn't bother.

All settled in now.

View attachment 422887

Not much chance of those hives blowing away! The middle one a poly hive?
Most of the colonies here have had an extra super put on them in the past couple of weeks. At last the shed is slowly emptying!
The 4 hives in the garden (some of the spare equipment on the right of the first photo, there's another 5 on out-apiaries

 

[CarolsHusband]

Not much chance of those hives blowing away! The middle one a poly hive?
Most of the colonies here have had an extra super put on them in the past couple of weeks. At last the shed is slowly emptying!

Poly is only a nuc. We just let them be since we moved, but they're probably about ready to start building up.

Dunno what Cornish honey will taste like compared to the Wye Valley stuff, we shall see.

But yes, that corner is very windy, nothing between there and the Caribbean !

 

[GerryW]

Poly is only a nuc. We just let them be since we moved, but they're probably about ready to start building up.

Dunno what Cornish honey will taste like compared to the Wye Valley stuff, we shall see.

But yes, that corner is very windy, nothing between there and the Caribbean !

Hopefully not too windy - don't want them getting blown away! They'll have to build up the wing muscles!! :smiling5: :thumb2:
Just got this little lot home, happy little lot, sat in the skep quite nicely (might have left a few behind though)

 

[Guest]

Busy little bee then Gerry buzzing about the place. :rolling:

 

[Lee Drennen]

Nothing like fresh Honey. Always want to try raising bees but never was a Bee Charmer plus there sting makes me very sick.

 

[CarolsHusband]

Nothing like fresh Honey. Always want to try raising bees but never was a Bee Charmer plus there sting makes me very sick.

I only got into to help the Mrs hefting the supers of honey around. I seem to be part of the team now....

Yeah, the stings hurt me less as the years pass, I'm given understand you either get used to it or get in trouble like you, there's no middle ground.

I know one person who keeps bees but goes anaphylactic if she gets stung.. Carries an epipen with her at all times.

That's dedication, or madness.

 

[GerryW]

More like madness, I guess that I'm lucky, stings tend not to bother me much (never have), same as my son, but as to my wife, even a gnat bite will react with her.

 

[Lee Drennen]

Sounds good your part the team now. The Bee that helps make the Honey never lingers around the Hive.lol

 

[Jim R]

I've never kept bees although years ago I worked in a school where the deputy head kept bees. Very important creatures, half the crops we grow would suffer without them. They have had a hard time over the last few years - pesticides, varroa mite and habitat loss. We have insect houses around our garden and they are popular with solitary mason bees.
Jim

 

[GerryW]

I've never kept bees although years ago I worked in a school where the deputy head kept bees. Very important creatures, half the crops we grow would suffer without them. They have had a hard time over the last few years - pesticides, varroa mite and habitat loss. We have insect houses around our garden and they are popular with solitary mason bees.
Jim

A lot of insects are important to our whole world, and all are under threat, British bees have another threat in the future, which are the Asian hornets, which can wipe out a colony in a matter of days - not yet a huge problem, but daresay that they'll cross the channel in numbers at some point in the near future (already got a good foothold in the Channel Islands)

 

[Peter Gillson]

"I know one person who keeps bees but goes anaphylactic if she gets stung.. Carries an epipen with her at all times."

Tell me about it. My son was at uni studying biology, focussing in bumble bees. One Facetime call started with the words all parents hate; "i'm ok so don't worry, but ...". He was stung while in the lab and had a reaction. Strange thing is that we (my wife) keeps bees and he has never reacted to honey bee stings. When he is around our bees or in the lab he has to carry an epi-pen. He is now at a different uni doing a research based masters degree, you guessed it, working with bumble bees! The plan is that in September he returns to Magdalen to start a 4 year Phd, working with bees!

Peter

 

[GerryW]

Lost one of the out apiaries to the local badgers :angry: think that we'll have to tie all the 'outs hives' down to the stands, that's the second one they've had (different apiary though)

 

[Peter Gillson]

Gerry - bad news about the badgers. Fortunately the largest wild animal we have in Guernsey are rabbits, so no worries about wildlife, on the down side we are in the Asian Hornet area. Fortunately last year any nests were found and destroyed and we are hopeful that this year will be the same.

Peter

 

[GerryW]

Gerry - bad news about the badgers. Fortunately the largest wild animal we have in Guernsey are rabbits, so no worries about wildlife, on the down side we are in the Asian Hornet area. Fortunately last year any nests were found and destroyed and we are hopeful that this year will be the same.

Peter

At least we knew the badgers were in the area - should've took the preventative measures before, rather than after.
Been watching the reports & videos of the AH in your area, looks as though you've got their measure, just hope that not too many queens survived the Winter

 

[Peter Gillson]

Hi Gerry

fingers' crossed re the Hornets. fortunately out Government is very supportive, as is the local media. Two years ago we caught a queen in one of our traps (right by a camelia bush which they like in spring) - they are big, no mistaking them.
Peter

 

[GerryW]

Guess who's been caught out with the number of swarm call outs (another one this morning) :surprised: :upside: more frames needed!

 

[GerryW]

Now run out of nucs :surprised: either got to get some of the swarms built up and into hives, or build some more!

 

[Guest]

Good for you Gerry, bees need all the help they can get. We grow load of bee friendly plants, where I go gardening I leave a large amount of lawn uncut as it is full of clover and other wild flowers I have sown.