New site coming to your screen soon

[fatshark]

I wonder why we accept such high winter losses as normal. I don't see why it should be any more than, say 10 to 15% throughout the country as a whole and it's usually double that.
Generally you need the following and the bees will get through

*Decent hive
*Decent Queen
*Enough food
*Little varroa

The main issue beyond our control is the queen - you do get the odd duff one.

I think your bullet points have pretty-much answered your own question though it's rare to see a hive that isn't good enough to get a colony through the winter. You certainly get the odd duff queen, but certainly not 10% if they come from reasonable stock and have headed a colony going into the autumn. I suspect the main reasons are lack of attention to the last two.

I've lost one colony through isolation starvation this winter. A small colony that I should have united in the autumn. Mea culpa. Big colonies certainly starve, but that's almost always just insufficient stores going into the winter.

Low Varroa, and more importantly low virus levels, are critical. I think it's really important to get the Varroa treatment (which often stops the queen from laying) finished and still have warm enough weather for another round or so of brood rearing. I prefer to take the summer crop off early, slap the Apiguard on, add fondant - which doesn't stuff the brood box out too fast - and let them use the balsam and ivy for themselves.

Actually, I might go so far as to say that winter losses in excess of the 10-15% you suggest are largely due to poor bee husbandry (perhaps other than the odd marauding black bear that Michael Palmer has to cope with).

One local "beekeeper" asked me for a 12kg block of fondant in mid/late November last year and - at the same time - asked whether it was too late to treat with Apiguard I don't known if his colony has made it through the winter.

[busybeephilip]

Here is a new (new for me) site

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/devon-b...k-bee-project/

[Adam]

Here is a new (new for me) site

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/devon-b...k-bee-project/

Spend £xx and you get a packet of seeds....

There was an old man from Leeds
Who swallowed a packet of seeds
From out of his bum
A geranium come
And from out of his ears came weeds.

[Pete L]

The project has just been closed due to lack of interest.

Many thanks to those who have backed this project, but we have reluctantly decided to close it, after our initial promotion effort failed to achieve our expectations. Rather than wasting time pushing it harder and risking over-exposure, we have decided to re-launch at a later date with a more modest proposal, which we hope you will still support.

Meanwhile, we will be continuing with our work with the Black Bees and you are more than welcome to make a contribution to Friends of the Bees to help us, once your funds have been released from Crowdfunder.
Thank you again for your willingness to support Friends of the Bees.

Phil Chandler

[Calum]

I've lost one colony through isolation starvation this winter. A small colony that I should have united in the autumn. Mea culpa. Big colonies certainly starve, but that's almost always just insufficient stores going into the winter.

I never unite - you are uniting more troubles with a good colony often enough. - you also unite the varroa!
Better wright size the hive (4-6 frames can make it through - even a mini plus will make it) I have 4 & 6 frame hives, or you can just insert a wooden dummy to take up the space.

[fatshark]

You do unite the Varroa, but if they've been treated and are low on brood and have no obvious DWV (or other disease) I don't think there's an issue with uniting. It's straightforward to overwinter 5 frame nucs and - with quite a bit more care - mini-nucs like Kielers. However, in all cases I think it's easier and preferable to overwinter a colony that's building up going into the winter, rather than one that's dwindling.

In my experience weak colonies going into the winter - if they survive - start the spring weak and build up, if at all, slowly. I'd prefer to use the bees in the autumn.

[busybeephilip]

Wonder if people get their money back, there was at least £2000 raised according to the web site. Not sure how topbar hives fit into a high turnover queen rearing operation and I somehow thought somerset area was big into buckfast.

[Wmfd]

Wonder if people get their money back, there was at least £2000 raised according to the web site.

I think it depends on how the project was set up. If it was 'all or nothing' then I think the platform returns the pledges, but if it was 'flexible' then they wouldn't.

I assume from the blurb that it is all or nothing but it isn't that obvious.

David

[madasafish]

Wonder if people get their money back, there was at least £2000 raised according to the web site. Not sure how topbar hives fit into a high turnover queen rearing operation and I somehow thought somerset area was big into buckfast.

I read the biobees thread on the rearing system.

He was going to use mininucs and the Nicot system. No topbar hives used at all.

A number of the regulars were quite upset at that. I think the word is "hypocrisy".

I no longer frequent the site having had a dose of Mr Chandlers ire for comparing topbar hives unfavourably with Langstroths and poly hives. He was rather rude..

[Jon]

You would be a long time propagating a good number of queens without the use of some kind of Mini nuc.
I support PC's initiative re. the native bee and I always thought it was crazy that you could buy a package of Carnica, throw it in a top bar hive and call yourself a natural beekeeper.
The focus on the native bee seemed to make a lot of the regulars very uncomfortable as it has never got much of an airing.
The traditional focus on the shape of the bee container is very much a side issue as far as I am concerned.
It was interesting to see the complete lack of traction for any pro conservation argument.