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Thread: todays news

  1. #4091

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  2. #4092

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    Hi Kitta
    This is the willow we used. Richard


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  3. #4093
    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Thanks Richard. I have a few of those - but looking at pictures of them, I think I should coppice or pollard them to become a bit more bushy.

  4. #4094
    Senior Member prakel's Avatar
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    ....
    If, six weeks ago, anyone had told me that I'd be grateful for more rain after such a wet winter I'd have thought them mad.....but the last two days have come as a real relief. Can't remember the colonies being so far forward as a group in April. Looks like the large stands of wild mustard we have access to will be a bit of a lifesaver this year (if it all comes through) as the colonies are easily two cycles ahead of last year and the stunted, beetle infested osr has already gone over.

  5. #4095
    Senior Member Adam's Avatar
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    My bees were small colonies towards the end of winter but are now on double brood boxes, with OSR flowering - it's got as little way to go before it finishes. There's a field of OSR right opposite my out apiary which was hammered by pigeons and rabbits, and that is now just starting to flower, although rather feebly. Welcome rain in the past few days - before that I was watering 150 metres of native hedging I had put in as it was so dry. Lots of dandelions in the grass too which is nice to see.

  6. #4096
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
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    Hi Kitta

    I've put about 50 goat willow 'whips' in (purchased @ 30cm or so high) and am in the process of putting in about the same number of sprouted sticks over the next week or so.

    All these are in Ardnamurchan. I've also planted lots of alder and hazel and hawthorn. All but the hawthorn are seemingly doing OK.

    Last winter I planted 100 willow whips around my Fife apiary and some of them are 5-6 feet tall now.

    Some aren't ... so I'll have to go back and fill some of the gaps in due course.

  7. #4097
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
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    I meant to add ... the weather in Ardnamurchan has been outrageous. 4-5 hours of videoconferencing a day with the sun beaming down outside ... it's killing me

  8. #4098
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    First swarm collection today. Was actually offered money to pick them up, that makes a change!

    Almost perfect swarm except they were determined to be on the tree trunk. "so you're just scooping them up in your hands and lobbing them at the skep?" was a pretty good question and description of events.

    They're in a Nuc (really? where's my prime swarm?) and we'll see. If they can do everything else as well as they did being a swarm they might be nice.

  9. #4099
    Senior Member Adam's Avatar
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    I've had a small swarm - from a chimney and a cut-out this year so far.
    The cut-out was very messy and sticky although the bees were thankfully very well-behaved. I taped some of the comb to empty frames with insulation tape which I can remove later when the bees have joined everything together. Note: Masking tape is better as the bees remove that themselves; unfortunately I didn't have any at the time.

  10. #4100
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    Second swarm. To my shame one of mine, going from a 14x12 only half drawn. Clipped queen so small pile of bees on the grass. Tried a skep, put them in a nuc. Came back following day, clearly she was still in the grass. Spotted her! Picked up, in the nuc. Straight back into the grass again. More poking about, found her again, CoT onto a frame of foundation to keep her in place, back into the nuc. Back in the evening, small number of bees now in place stragglers still outside.

    Feed on the nuc, either they last until the weekend or they don’t. If they do will decide if worth trying to boost them back up. I’ve seen at least as ‘hopeless’ hives come on when left to it but never on foundation. Have some scabby comb I might press back into service just to get some food to ‘em and take that pressure off them and I’m prepared to give them a go knowing full well they’ll supersede almost immediately.

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