ESBA Apiarist

A new apiary for the association

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ESBA Apiarist
, 13-08-2012 at 01:00 AM (14204 Views)
This summer we focussed on increasing the stocks at the apiary, so have ended up with 13 stocks, one of them a drone layer. Of those 13 I loaded 11 into the car and picked up another two at my own apiary. One of these is a strong-ish colony of my own - to show an attempt at cut comb production at the meeting we're having there on Saturday - and another is a cast of mine which went into an association box and is being donated to the club. There is also an empty Swienty hive in the car as one of the Paynes nucs is full and needs moved on. The car this morning:



... and the bees settling in to one of the most scenic spots in the Universe:

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  1. Jon's Avatar
    The Mournes have a similar look. Lots of stone walls there as well.

    How far of a drive is that?
  2. gavin's Avatar
    Too far! More than an hour and a half's drive for me to Glen Clova, but it is a popular glen for local association folk to the east of Dundee. Unlike my site in Glen Isla it has bell heather and clover upland pasture, but the heather seems to have mostly retreated up the hill in recent years (you can see the muirburn patterns on the hillside now covered in grass) so I'm not sure how good it will be. The stone wall is around an old sheep enclosure.
  3. gavin's Avatar
    At the association meeting yesterday we found that many of these stocks are too weak. A touch of deja vu is hitting me now. Last year we had too many weak splits and they didn't winter well, so the time has come for feeding to get them up to strength (should have left them where they were to save the long trip!) and combining. There is little sign that the trip to the hills is providing them with the forage that would give them that boost. The stronger colonies are gathering nectar perhaps from clover and some game cover brassicas along the road, but there was no sign of bell heather or ling nectar.

    The first queen we found was in a plunger cage and about to be interfered with, when I realised that the lack of eggs, little unsealed brood, small size of the queen and single opened queen cell was telling us something. OK, a supersedure. Let's leave her in peace.
  4. Jon's Avatar
    Some people mark and clip every queen they come across and supersedure is one good reason why you need to be careful before taking half the wing off a virgin queen.
    I have not done any this year so will have about 30 to do in March and April.
    I suppose I could start marking and clipping the queens in my nucs as they are easy enough to find.