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Thread: How do your bees look at this time of year?

  1. #11
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    Mine are clustered against the front RHS junction of the side and front. Something I doubt to see in a timber hive.

    PH

  2. #12

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    I went into the winter with very heavy hives on a single national brood body per hive. Warm today in the sun. Two out of five hives seem light so added fondant. Bees active no sign of cluster and flying well, real risk of starvation I better buy some more fondant !!


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  3. #13
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fatshark View Post
    I'm not counting any chickens yet ... it's the next couple of months that matter.
    Told you so ... lovely day in the apiary today. All but one colony flying well and bringing in the pollen. One suspiciously quiet. Peaked under the lid and there's a just pathetic little cluster left. Didn't have time to do the full CSI analysis. Not starvation as they had ample. Varroa counts v. low after midwinter treatment ... but, importantly, this was the highest infestation of all my colonies mid-autumn.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by fatshark View Post
    Told you so ... lovely day in the apiary today. All but one colony flying well and bringing in the pollen. One suspiciously quiet. Peaked under the lid and there's a just pathetic little cluster left. Didn't have time to do the full CSI analysis. Not starvation as they had ample. Varroa counts v. low after midwinter treatment ... but, importantly, this was the highest infestation of all my colonies mid-autumn.
    Ditto one of mine yesterday. Still a small cluster but not much activity. The rest were flying very well.

    I was slow to react late summer with this one, in late August it had a few crippled wing workers. By then DWV levels would already be ridiculous and treatment in autumn probably too late.

  5. #15

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    Shame to hear that. I added fondant to another hive at the weekend as they are all flying well. The snowdrops and crocus are flowering well. I have overwintered a nuc in a payn es polynuc with a eke full of polystyrene in addition to the standard roof and they are doing fine. Planning to add some pollen patty at the end of march
    I don't think my bees have clustered much at all this year so far. Time yet for some cold weather in February and march before the common heatwave in april


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  6. #16
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    Hi all it’s been a very long time since I last posted but now I’m back.
    It was a cold frosty day here last Monday so it was a good day to heft hives and give candy. The biggest down side to this was removing and replacing all the heavy stones from the roofs of 10 hives. This photo will give you some idea what it was like but a least my hives don’t blow away. It was quite a mild end to the year up here so I expected the hives to be a lot lighter than normal, but I was pleasantly surprised to find them all ok. They were all given about a kilo of homemade candy and they can either take it or leave it. I’ve considered using proper bee fondant in the past but the carriage costs make it to prohibitive (anyway my cement like candy toughens up the bees for spring). My colonies then sparked into life when I checked the floors and entrance blocks for debris. So far things are going ok but I won’t count my chickens (sorry I mean bees) for a few months yet.
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  7. #17

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    Hi
    Those are big stones! I switched from breeze blocks to straps this year which are working well
    What recipe do you use for your fondant


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  8. #18
    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lindsay s View Post
    ... The biggest down side to this was removing and replacing all the heavy stones from the roofs of 10 hives. ...
    Spare your back, Lindsay. Strap the hives to their stands, and then weigh down the stands.
    Kitta

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by RDMW View Post
    Hi
    Those are big stones! I switched from breeze blocks to straps this year which are working well
    What recipe do you use for your fondant


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    This recipe was given to me a few years ago sorry but I will be using both metric and imperial
    6lb sugar
    1 pint water
    1 teaspoon of cream of tartar
    Boil water, add sugar + cream of tartar, stir until dissolved and continue to boil
    When it thickens test on a cold plate for a soft set remember you want it to be like tablet not toffee. (I use a sugar thermometer and bring it up to SOFT BALL about 115c I think it works better)
    Cool pot rapidly in a sink of cold water, keep stirring and when it turns white and stiff quickly pour into containers or trays of your choice, remember it might stick to the bottom so they might need to be lined.
    I don’t add cream of tartar because I can never find any and I don’t know what difference it makes to the finished candy but my bees still like it. Maybe you cooks out there can tell me why it’s added.
    This can be scaled up or down depending on the size of your pan but leave plenty of room for the boiling sugar.
    I pour mine into plastic takeaway trays and place over the feed hole in the crown board nearest the brood nest. Don’t believe the rubbish that it will be too far from the bees, when they’re active mine always find it. I will add more if needed and unused candy can made into syrup in the spring.
    My candy has never harmed bees but WARNING if you’re a bad cook like me it can make one hell of mess in the kitchen (she’s still waiting for a new jelly pan).

  10. #20

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    The cream of tartar (tartaric acid) was used to acid hydrolyse the sucrose to fructose and glucose. However this is not a good idea as also results in HMF which is toxic to bees. To get a fine crystal formation I suggest adding some glucose to the mix. I find adding half a pound of OSR honey works just as well as it has a high proportion of glucose in it.

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