Swarms or bees

[hypostatic]

Anyone in the West Lothian area (particulary Bathgate) catching any swarms they don't want or have some bees they can spare?

Were looking to purchase a NUC or two or maybe get a swarm or find someone willing to split a hive.

Dave

[Dark Bee]

Anyone in the West Lothian area (particulary Bathgate) catching any swarms they don't want or have some bees they can spare?

Were looking to purchase a NUC or two or maybe get a swarm or find someone willing to split a hive.

Dave

If you are bringing bees from here there and everywhere, it would be wise to have some sort of isolation / quarantine apiary where they can be checked for foulbrood.

[hypostatic]

If you are bringing bees from here there and everywhere, it would be wise to have some sort of isolation / quarantine apiary where they can be checked for foulbrood.

Hi DB, I do know this and I always make sure that some sort of inspection has taken place.

Although you should notice that the post is for people who can supply me with what im looking for to reply too, not for debates on disease, disease, disease.

If you would like to advise people on these things then send them private messages instead of spamming their posts.

Dave

[Dark Bee]

Hi DB, I do know this and I always make sure that some sort of inspection has taken place.

Although you should notice that the post is for people who can supply me with what im looking for to reply too, not for debates on disease, disease, disease.

If you would like to advise people on these things then send them private messages instead of spamming their posts.

Dave

Sorry if I offended you. One should have allowed for you being a rapid learner now effectively with many years of experience. However if I may, I will say that AFB can often take more than "some sort of inspection" to find.
Good luck with your beekeeping and I hope you are not taught wisdom by disaster.

[The Drone Ranger]

Hi Dark Bee
A lot of years ago I bought a box of bees from a varroa free area
The chap confidently said "never had varrooa wouldn't want them neither"
The clue was in the pronunciation of varoooa, course I missed that
Anyway got them home stuck some Apistan strips in (there was no brood)
At the time strips were very effective and dropped out enough varroa to completely fill a matchbox with dead mites (no debris)
Caveat Emptor ? is that what they say ?
I had been keeping bees and living with varroa for a while so knew what they were unlike the vendor LOL!

[Jon]

There are still regular posts on most of the internet forums where people claim their bees have no mites. (because they have never seen one)

[Dark Bee]

Hi Dark Bee
.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ......
Anyway got them home stuck some Apistan strips in (there was no brood)
At the time strips were very effective and dropped out enough varroa to completely fill a matchbox with dead mites (no debris)
Caveat Emptor ? is that what they say ?
I had been keeping bees and living with varroa for a while so knew what they were unlike the vendor LOL!

Thank you for relaying your experience D.R.. Varroa was introduced into this general area by another infernal self appoined expert, who had kept bees for less than two years.
He decided to become a commercial beekeeper and collected swarms and colonies from where ever they could be found. None survived very long and varroa was introduced - whether it had a triple "O" rating or not I am unable to say
My own beekeeping needs and knowledge are modest, but I find the instant expert rather irritating and often feel these people should really have taken up sky diving, which would seem to be just for them.

[gavin]

Asking for local bees is hardly bring them from here there and everywhere DB.

In West Lothian there have been foulbrood cases of both types but at a low frequency. It is worth getting bees from someone who knows these diseases and can be fairly sure his/her bees are clean.

Best follow the usual advice for swarms. As fatshark mentioned very recently, foundation not comb, and delaying feeding for a couple of days helps. Always safer to put swarms away from your main apiary, but it is not always possible.

Sent from my BlackBerry 8520 using Tapatalk

[drumgerry]

For a minute there I thought I was on the other forum. One of the huge strengths of this forum is that people generally don't indulge in strops. Long may that continue! Dark bee clearly has a lot of experience to share and he's been a great addition to the forum. Surely we can manage to disagree with each other without getting all het up. It's not life and death after all just a couple of forum posts.

[snimmo243]

Anyway HAS anyone got bees in Bathgate??????