Page 173 of 414 FirstFirst ... 73123163171172173174175183223273 ... LastLast
Results 1,721 to 1,730 of 4137

Thread: todays news

  1. #1721
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Belfast, N. Ireland
    Posts
    5,122
    Blog Entries
    94

    Default

    I moved a couple of nucs housed in light correx boxes into Polyboxes last week.
    A minute to lift out frames from one box to the other does them no harm.
    Reading some posts, especially on biobees, you would think opening a box for a few seconds chills all the brood and kills it.

  2. #1722
    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Aberdeenshire, on top of a wind-swept and exposed hill.
    Posts
    1,190

    Default

    Might it help to work over a large roof or a sheet? It's just that if the bees fall off, they often can't fly back into the hive - they just stay there. If they fall in the roof or onto a sheet then you can just brush them back in.
    Kitta

  3. #1723

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by GRIZZLY View Post
    The thing is mbc I like my bee gear to be maintained in as perfect a condition as possible. As you are probably aware - I make or made the majority of my own equipment having just retired from a self employed bespoke furniture/cabinet making business. With the profit Thornes are making on their products , I consider their attitude penny pinching. I know they are only charging pennies for their scrapbox items but it doesn't change my opinion.
    £34 for a Snelgrove board is a a bit steep ,and by fitting rings into the doors they stick out you can't store the thing under the hive roof

  4. #1724
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Aberdeenshire
    Posts
    505

    Default

    Sun was out yesterday and so were a few hardy ivy collectors even though it barely got about 8'C. Dummied down the hive that needed it only to find they have actually drawn and filled 2 of the 4 frames I thought to remove over the past month. Stuffed some cellotex in there anyway and got a nice insulated roof on with room for fondant later on. Finally took the ashforths of the other 2 and got them nice and cosy for winter. They were both loosely clustered over about 6 lang frames and so fingers crossed something gets through this winter in decent nick.

    Bulbs starting to pop up over the garden already.

    Does anyone grow late flowering chrysanths by the way ? Mine never flowered and I'm guessing they wont be hardy enough outside ?

  5. #1725
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Belfast, N. Ireland
    Posts
    5,122
    Blog Entries
    94

    Default

    11c today. Bees very active with lots of ivy pollen coming in.

  6. #1726

    Default

    Much the same here it's still 10.3C at the moment
    I've been cleaning off the varroa floor inserts ready for mite counts
    This year though I have about half of the bees on solid floors

  7. #1727
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Aberdeenshire
    Posts
    505

    Default

    Bees extremely active on Saturday about 11am. The sun was right on the hives and they were going ballistic. Great to see ! One note of concern was a single drone that was doing orientation flights. I've been warned this could be a bad sign ?

  8. #1728
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Belfast, N. Ireland
    Posts
    5,122
    Blog Entries
    94

    Default

    I've been warned this could be a bad sign ?
    I have read that too and it's alleged that it could be a sign of a failing queen or a colony with an unmated queen.
    I am not sure there is any truth in that as I have had the odd colony overwinter with a few drones right through to spring.

  9. #1729

    Default

    I have one also, a hive with a couple of drones still flying, this year's queen, from brood half of AS. She mated/laid very quickly so I'd thought she would be OK, wondering now maybe not. Although Michael Palmer who is posting on the BKF has put up some pictures of his hives in the USA in winter snow and shows a drone entering a top entrance. Perhaps it is not that unusual?

  10. #1730
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Aberdeenshire
    Posts
    505

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by beejazz View Post
    I have one also, a hive with a couple of drones still flying, this year's queen, from brood half of AS. She mated/laid very quickly so I'd thought she would be OK, wondering now maybe not. Although Michael Palmer who is posting on the BKF has put up some pictures of his hives in the USA in winter snow and shows a drone entering a top entrance. Perhaps it is not that unusual?
    Did you see the post further down with the Serbian hives covered in snow ? That is a proper snowfall !

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •