And the number of mummies you have there Rosco wouldn't be a cause for concern for me. I have seen cases where there are frames of brood with just about every other cell with a mummified larva inside. Horrible to see! Requeening plus shook swarm the best recourse in those instances.
Thanks, folks. I will monitor the situation and take action if it becomes necessary. I do hope that it will sort itself out, as they have taken long enough to draw the comb they are on already!
In other news, I think today is the busiest I have seen that particular hive. More foragers going in and out than ever, hopefully this weather will help it build up well. My other hives are busy too. The brambles in my garden are being well worked by honey bees (not necessarily mine), bumbles, and the odd wasp and hoverfly. Saw one honey bee gathering pollen from the brambles and the rest look like they are taking nectar.
I have deliberately let such plants as brambles and rosebay willowherb take over areas of my garden, in order to help the bees as much as possible. Haven't seen any bees on the rosebay willowherb yet this year though. Perhaps conditions arent right, or they have an easier time working the brambles.
That's been my excuse as wellOriginally Posted by Rosco
Hi DR, I use the " wild flower meadow - beneficial to bees " line.That's been my excuse as well
Works a treat
Me too.
13 years at this address and have not cut the grass yet.
No way can I use the word lawn.
Today was a tough beekeeping task
Hive No10 the misery maker my worst behaved hive
In an earlier episode I ran the gauntlet and got them split over a Snelgrove
The top box had a queen cell from a much better hive introduced to replace their own
Queen hatched big nice black and is now laying
Today's tasks
Get into bottom box where the wild maniacs live
Fend off the upper box bees who are not yet daughters of the new queen
Take the supers from between the boxes for this its the full monty smoker, smock, bee trouse
Both boxes moved to new stands to get all flying bees back to home position
Bees brushed off supers stinging begins
The tally is both ankles, both wrists, both thumbs, both palms one ear and top of head
They are not nice at all they brought in the honey and now its requeening time
Was it worth the pain --absolutely not
They were a bit unruly in May now they are mental
That is pretty near the worst task in beekeeping.
Every now and then I get suckered into helping someone deal with a colony like that.
The scary thing is that some people end up with bees like that in a city garden
I bet you that is something local which hybridised with Carnica
The viciousness of the AMM * Carnica cross has been well documented.
You know Jon I always had it in mind to get them requeened
The upper box was no problem to do over the Snelgrove
But I was being greedy trying to use them for honey and leaving the old queen below
Next time its route1 the earliest possible requeen and take out the bad queen
It is a nightmare when you have a colony like that.
The queen needs to go under the thumb asap.
It is hard to enjoy your beekeeping when you are taking so many stings.
Nice one DR ... you're a brave man using a brush on psycho bees. A surefire to send them completely postal.
I guess from your account you didn't take the opportunity to go through the packed and, er, agitated bottom box to find the source of the problem ... and squash her. I do hope there is no drone brood in that box!
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