todays news

[prakel]

No valid reason not to leave them... Probably a worthwhile thing to do actually. You could always cut the cells open shortly before expected emergence to see what's in them so as to save tying up mating nucs.

edit: Egg-laying, egg-removal, and ovary development by workers in queenright honey bee colonies by Ratnieks.

The study investigates whether worker policing via the selective removal of worker-laid male eggs occurs in normal honey bee colonies with a queen. Queenright honey bee colonies were set up with the queen below a queen excluder. Frames of worker brood and drone comb were placed above the queen excluder. Daily inspections of the drone frames revealed the presence of a few eggs, presumably laid by workers, at a rate of 1 egg per 16000 drone cells. 85% of these eggs were removed within 1 day and only 2% hatched. Dissections of workers revealed that about 1 worker in 10000 had a fully developed egg in her body. These data show that worker egg-laying and worker policing are both normal, though rare, in queenright honey bee colonies, and provide further confirmation of the worker policing hypothesis.

[Feckless Drone]

Swarm of bees on the goalpost at Oldham Athletic footy ground … cue a series of rubbish jokes

Definitely not mine! Unlike the small swarm that landed 6 feet away from my garden bait hive. I was able to check the possible source at the weekend and there was the cell I left, empty, then nearby a missed Q-cell. I promise you, looked like drone cell, apart from being bit dimpled at the end now. I opened and out waddled VQ. Guess I'll take the super off that one now. I'll try to bring on the two colonies now and see if I can get them up to strength to winter as nucs. Only crumb of comfort is that they are not the A. m. chuckii that DR is raising up in darkest Angus.

[gavin]

In case it helps, supers seem pretty much optional this season anyway!

[busybeephilip]

In case it helps, supers seem pretty much optional this season anyway!

need to give the bees somewhere to shelter from the wet, wet and more wet

[fatshark]

No consolation I'm sure but it's also utter rubbish in the Midlands as well ... I've just moved my final colony down here. It's now only drizzling after 4 days with more rain than anything else. The fields are heavy clay. My boots and the wheelbarrow are covered in cloying mud. The hive was big and very heavy, but my boots were heavier.

Horrible.

[lindsay s]

When will they invent a beesuit that stops them getting through Gavin thats what I wan't to know
Most of them are just a cheap boiler suit with a hood on

This not so cheap boiler suit should do the trick. I'm asking Santa for one this Christmas.
http://www.bjsherriff.co.uk/product/beepro-khaki/

[lindsay s]

It is going to be 12C tops tomorrow, 12C!! And that is at midnight. It goes downhill from there, staying at 10C or 11C for the rest of the 24 hours. And there will be a stiff NE breeze.

Welcome to the realities of Orkney’s beekeeping. That was our weather for most of May and June. We are having a good spell up here at the moment, 14c sunny and the bees are working flat out. I dealt with a swarm today and the house holder even offered to pay me for taking it away. I’ didn’t have the cheek to accept it because unknown to him the swarm had come from my apiary.

[The Drone Ranger]

This not so cheap boiler suit should do the trick. I'm asking Santa for one this Christmas.
http://www.bjsherriff.co.uk/product/beepro-khaki/

Looks ok but what about that price ouch!
it still says
"General clothing should be worn under this suit which should not be worn on bare skin."

Tell you what Lindsay because its so wet and the grass is long I bought a pair of Lidl waterproof trousers
I have never been stung through them ( I have jeans on as well I suppose)

My theory is if the surface is slick bees can't get a grip
To sting they cling on and curve the business end round
Anything that gives them a grip like denim etc is a guarantee you will get stung
The mesh idea is good though

http://ultrabreezesuits.com/suit/order_2011.htm

[gavin]

I bought a Sherriff this spring at the Ulster Beekeepers Convention (I'll be back next year to see Tom Seeley!). It was £105 rather than >£350 and is my favourite bee suit so far by far. With a flimsier one earlier this summer I sometimes needed to put on a jumper to keep them from stinging me through suit and T-shirt. The Sherriff is just great, and the mesh much more substantial than others so I'm not worried about the odd spark from the smoker making it leaky.

[gavin]

The hive was big and very heavy, but my boots were heavier.

Sounds like you are bringing them north with plenty of stores. Wise move .