What colour are you painting them Gavin ??.Mine are a nice shade of green which blends nicely in with the garden.The assembly of mine take a little longer as you have to add top and bottom reinforceing strips but, like yous they simply push together-add glue if you must but not really neccessary.Going to house some neucs into a couple more tomorrow.
Fishing, did you say fishing?!! Ahh (wistful look as I haven't been out enough this year ...).
As far as I can tell the outside dimensions are the same as a cedar National but I'll check when I'm next there. I've been told that you can park wooden wire excluders (you know what I mean), supers and the like on top. The walls are thick so you can only get 10 frames in a box.
I should really post some pictures, so look out for that ESBA Apiarist fellow's blog.
The real reason for going poly was the stark difference in survival in the 2009-2010 winter of colonies in wood and colonies in polystyrene. However, the low cost, the lighter weight (for lugging to the heather) and the ease of assembly are all plusses too.
Getting the bees away from people who may get stung changes your beekeeping. I'm more relaxed now. And the woodpeckers (greater spotted and green), treecreepers, buzzards, roe deer and more just add to the pleasure.
Murray suggested painting the rims with polyurethane varnish (hardens them for protection from hive tools and stops bees chewing them) so that is one more thing to do. I'm using B&Q acrylic exterior masonary paint in two shades, a sandy one and a pale grey one. I'll post pictures another day.
Also have Paynes 6-frame nuc boxes and they are also getting the same paint. Nuc boxes and full poly Nationals are having their feeders painted internally with sand-laced paint to protect the polystyrene from mould and to make the surface rough for the bees to climb out.
Well the guy is one of 4 or 5 full time state employees that is only concerned with bees for our region.Originally Posted by gavin
I wonder how the guys from our ministry would rate me?!
Seriously though, well done. This illustrates very well the differing attitudes to beekeeping in different EU member states. It would be wonderful if our officials got involved with breeding and selection. As it is, that is down to a small number of enthusiasts, most of whom are too busy on other things to spend the time required to get it right.
they run training courses in the two beekeeper schools in Bavaria and come to clubs to give courses (next one I'll attend is queen breeding -for the third time but it is THAT good). He says breeding clement bees is doable in 4 generations if you start with 5 colonies. The rate of improvement (regardless of charecteristic) is always diminishing as the generations progress as delta from the potentioal optimum is getting smaller.
So if your bees are clement healthy and bringing in plenty of honey dont worry about it too much.
Germany does not support beekeepers as much for the sake of the aparists or bees but for the job bees do for agriculture and nature. They appreciate that the honey bee can no longer survive in the wild in the numbers required to satisfy agriculture and natures needs, thus the need for plenty of good quality beekeepers.
I think it is called joined up thinking in the uk...
Yesterday I went to prepare the last hive that needs to be moved. It needed reducing down to a single brood which I managed only just- and that was because I'd taken 4 frames out to produce a nuc about 10 days earlier. Of course as I'm trying to do this, it keeps trying to rain but the job had to be done before the schools finished.
The hive was all ready to go when we went down to collect it late last night, however despite the very cold wind there was no threat of rain. After successfully blocking the entrance my husband lifted the hive off the stand it was on to place on the hive carrier but he caught the floor board which swiveled enough to let a lot of highly irritated bees come flooding out. We managed to get everything back into place, but not before they discovered how to find their way down my wellies!! We decided that it would be best not to continue in our efforts that night and will try again on Saturday when thy've hopefully forgiven us.
How long do bees hold a grudge for?
Just found out I've passed my Module 1
Last edited by EmsE; 19-05-2011 at 10:20 PM.
Ah the joys of moving bees!
After several difficult flits to the heather I discovered ratchet straps (and within about 4 years of that worked out how to use them properly!).
They forgive you by lunchtime the next day, but don't do it on a regular basis or they'll get the message.
Well done on passing module 1. You're now well ahead of me in formal beekeeping qualifications.
Grats on the module 1 Emse!
What to do today? Visit Thornes for the last of the big order for the association apiary before it shuts at 12? Go straight to my apiary without passing Go or Collecting £200 to get on with my first attempt at filling Apideas? I was going to use some of my bees to fill 4 for spare Q cells of a good strain at the association apiary. Planning to demonstrate queen-raising at the next association summer meeting in mid June, so I'd best try it out.
There is a huge rain cloud over N Ireland and the west of Scotland with our name on it though, and tomorrow looks very chilly and showery. Best get on with all of it then ...
It's a bit more than a huge rain cloud, Gavin! Chucking it down, windy and cold. Rather glad I'm not camping at Scone this evening!
Enough of the rain! Does Thorne's sell waterproof beesuits?
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