Hi there everyone

[busybeephilip]

Gavin, the wooden wedges is an awesome idea. I've never thought of that, so simple.

works even better if you screw in an eye hook to each wedge and tie a bit of string to them, dont get lost so easy. I tried wedges but now its just twist and lift.

[gavin]

Good tip, Philip. You may have just encouraged me to try wooden wedges after all these years.

I'm now doing a lot of propping brood boxes on their front edge having been shown that in a demo for the Smartbee project at Sand Hutton earlier this summer. You can lift the back of the top box, slide the upper box backwards a few inches (few more centimetres) then tip it up at quite an angle to assess lower frame coverage or to look for charged queen cells along the bottom of the upper box. A useful quick check for queen cells in those colonies of killer bees.

When I'm putting boxes back after lifting one off I try to overlap them in both directions by the thickness of the walls, making contact with just the edges of the rims. Then slide them back to make them properly aligned without crushing a bee. Usually.

[The Drone Ranger]

Hi Gavin
Laminate flooring spacers are plastic wedges and they just about do the job
You lose a lot of them (well I have anyway)
Like the ones in this pic

ae235.jpg

[Bridget]

I'm now doing a lot of propping brood boxes on their front edge having been shown that in a demo for the Smartbee project at Sand Hutton earlier this summer. You can lift the back of the top box, slide the upper box backwards a few inches (few more centimetres) then tip it up at quite an angle to assess lower frame coverage or to look for charged queen cells along the bottom of the upper box. A useful quick check for queen cells in those colonies of killer bees.

Gavin
I have 2 brood boxes and 2 supers on a couple of hives of very aggressive bees which are all over the place and a bit intimidating. Do you reckon that lifting as suggested is good enough or is it something to do if you have lots of colonies and don't mind loosing the odd on or two? I only have the 2.
I am hoping to re queen these with a couple of queens originating from Drumgerrys calm quiet bees but not just yet. On the plus side these aggressive bees have built up beautifully and I've never had 2 bb's AND 2 supers before.




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[gavin]

Great set of posts, thanks everyone. I usually go and get a cup of tea and settle in the sofa when C4U has posted one of his highly informative ones.

Do you reckon that lifting as suggested is good enough or is it something to do if you have lots of colonies and don't mind loosing the odd on or two? I only have the 2.

If it fails perhaps 1 time in 10 then it should be good enough for you now .

I've only turned to it recently when forced to, when frisky colonies and sub-optimal weather conspire to intimidate me. The other option is to shift the entire colony aside and leave for a while a BB, floor and roof on the original site.

However it is reassuring to see a row of perhaps 10 queen cups and determine that there isn't as much as an egg in one. That ought to give you a week's reassurance in most circumstances. With a clipped queen in residence I'm happy with that. Bear in mind that backwards sliding of the top box resting on its forward edge only works for boxes with frames at right angles to the entrance.

One bee farmer (not C4U) mentioned to me recently that he was happy if he'd stopped 80% of swarms.

[gwizzie]

Well guys, some good news for me anyway I have found the queen in the swarm hive and marked her today, it was just a very quick inspection to see if I could find her and see if there was any eggs. NO eggs so far but have noticed that they have a good deal of the comb drawn out now and the bees are taking in some amount of pollen good signs I believe, I will not check this hive now for another 3 week just to leave the queen alone to get on with it.

I will be checking on the hive No: 1 tomorrow weather permitting and checking to see if they have got more queen cells and if so do a artificial swarm, will keep you all posted on the outcome.

Hive No: 4 I am picking up from a member on Monday night

This is what I have decided to do for the marking of the queens, I am going to stick to a 2 colour system White and Yellow! reson easier to see Yellow for odd years and White even years ect, ect.

regards Graham

[fatshark]

This is what I have decided to do for the marking of the queens, I am going to stick to a 2 colour system White and Yellow! reson easier to see Yellow for odd years and White even years ect, ect.

You can get away with one colour and good records, so saving a whopping £3 or so for the pen. Once marked (and clipped) the queen should stay put and your records should tell you when you marked her. Good records are actually more important than marking queens (and I'm afraid this is a case of Don't do as I do, but do as I say ). I'm colourblind and really struggle with the red and green marking of queens.

[gwizzie]

You can get away with one colour and good records, so saving a whopping £3 or so for the pen. Once marked (and clipped) the queen should stay put and your records should tell you when you marked her. Good records are actually more important than marking queens (and I'm afraid this is a case of Don't do as I do, but do as I say ). I'm colourblind and really struggle with the red and green marking of queens.

Hi thanks for the input, its not to save on money but that does help as I have said it for easy seeing of the colours, but I do intend on keeping good records I am also going to put a marker on the outside of the hive plastic pins to show at a glance what colour queen should be in the hive.