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Thread: todays news

  1. #2801
    Member Wmfd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gavin View Post
    Keep reading SBAi?
    Of course, if it's like last winter, then I'll read lots and plan all manner of things for next year that in reality will be overtaken by life, work etc!

    I think I need to retire

    Quote Originally Posted by gavin View Post
    The virus work in the video cited by Prakel has been published here:

    http://www.nature.com/ismej/journal/...j2015186a.html

    Very interesting. The mechanism favoured by the authors seems to be direct exclusion of one (the virulent) form by the other (a non-virulent form) at the cellular level. However there could be other explanations based on population dynamics in this three-way relationship of bee-mite-virus.

    Maybe I should wait until a *real* virologist comments?!

    Good on Chris Packham for saving Ron's blushes by saying that his work is still valid. Keeping mite numbers down by these hygienic and grooming traits may be part of the story, perhaps allowing colonies to get by which then permits changes in viral populations.

    I wonder whether the Scottish Ron is still maintaining non-treated colonies? Heard he'd been poorly.
    Thanks Gavin, there is certainly a lot of detail in there, one for a proper read.

    I agree, Chris Packham was very balanced on the mechanisms involved, and it could well be that the pulling out of infected larvae etc is contributing to the mix. I thought that Ron had selected for evidence of varroa damage and larvae removal, so presumably those are still occuring.

    What I couldn't tell from a quick skim was whether the type A/B split was the cause of the varroa resistance or a result. Especially given the comment that Type B dominance on Big Island came before what was expected to be a die off as a result of varroa.

    All very confusing, we need someone who understands these sort of analyses to help us through it, someone who has written scientific papers perhaps ....!

    David

  2. #2802
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    Can it be that instead of a queen from Ron we need some of his varroa to inoculate our bees strange turn, enjoyed the programme thanks P

  3. #2803

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    Took a chicken to the vet (green poo digestive infection) and he gave the bird a treatment administered orally
    Not designed to kill the bad bacteria but to displace it with healthy bacteria in the gut

    p.s. Not the same as pro-biotic yoghurt which is just a marketing scam to sell you poo extract mixed with yoghurt in a tiny bottle and a high price

  4. #2804

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    Well, yesterday's news. 1 Nov was a better forage day than anything in June. Checked out some eucalyptus - covered with bees. Pollen, tad more yellow than Ivy. Both going into my hives. Although the gum trees in Dundee always flower in autumn this is the first time I've actually seen bees working them.

    IMG_0287.JPG

  5. #2805
    Senior Member Kate Atchley's Avatar
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    Glorious day yesterday and pollen being taken into the hives, lots of bees flying. There's eucalyptus and ivy for them down at Glenborrodale. Such a relief to see the colonies strong again after *those months* of running on empty.

  6. #2806
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Most of my colonies are full of brood again.
    I pulled a frame from a colony yesterday and it had been laid up with eggs.
    It will be great to have those young bees going into winter but will need to keep an eye on the stores.
    If the weather turns colder and they stop foraging shortly there will be a lot of mouths to feed.

  7. #2807

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    Most of my colonies are full of brood again.
    I pulled a frame from a colony yesterday and it had been laid up with eggs.
    It will be great to have those young bees going into winter but will need to keep an eye on the stores.
    If the weather turns colder and they stop foraging shortly there will be a lot of mouths to feed.
    Not seen brood in any quantity in the main hives for weeks now, though we had it in the nucs that had never been on the high ground.

    A lot of brood now would, superficially at least, give good young bees to help the colony through to spring, but I would also find it worrying, both for the stores consumption reason you give, and for the implications regarding the varroa population going into winter. I have seen them just tear out and dump really late brood when weather turns against them, so it can also end up just wasted effort that actually sets them back a bit.

    Bees carrying quite a lot of pollen yesterday, and all that are in the position of still getting their winter feed are taking it down fine unless they are undersize in which case it is getting a bit late now. Still got about 600 to bring in off the hill (all cleared now, so its just bring and feed) but hope to be done by weekend. They look generally in better condition than I feared in September, but it is not yet clear how much 'age' the late heather flow has put onto the wintering bees. Still quite concerned.

    Should have all the winter feeding completed in wooden hives (with a poly feeder for warmth) by Wednesday, and the poly hives by the end of next week. from past experience its only the likely duds that fai8l to take surup in a poly hive before mid Nov. so we should still be fine.


    Also, been asked for a resume of the heather season by a few people. We are still extracting and will be for some time yet but we have a good idea of performance by area.
    Deeside and adjacent glens were very poor east of Ballater. West of Ballater it got gradually better on Ling sites but remained poor on the high bell locations. First two weeks 0f September brought honey in the range between Ballater and Braemar but side glens remained very patchy.
    Up the A9 it was ok really north of Newtonmore, but very poor south of that down to Dalwhinnie. Some places off the main valley did quite well in the context of the season and brought a near normal crop albeit every scrap of it after 27th August and mostly from 5th to 20th September.
    West Perthshire stayed poor with only two locations from 7 getting much at all, again all was in September. This area was seriously hurt by the dearth in July and August and the colonies declined terribly so our experience there may not match that of others who kept their bees on the low ground and fed them, only bringing them up once flowering began.

    No Bell heather honey at all this year, its all ling of a very high purity. Overall crop on the heather is going to end up at 60 to 65% of long term average, varying from 25% of normal around Dinnet and Amulree to about 80% of normal around Braemar, Kingussie and Aviemore.
    Last edited by Calluna4u; 02-11-2015 at 01:04 PM.

  8. #2808

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    Most of my colonies are full of brood again.
    I pulled a frame from a colony yesterday and it had been laid up with eggs.
    It will be great to have those young bees going into winter but will need to keep an eye on the stores.
    If the weather turns colder and they stop foraging shortly there will be a lot of mouths to feed.
    You need bees to reduce the water content in stores though so it might be a good thing
    When they get all the feed at the same time and end up with no broodnest that might be worse

  9. #2809
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Mine were largely broodless in September but the ivy and the mild weather has kick started them again.
    I have a dozen or so queens in apideas and those ones are still laying as well.
    The mites levels are always a worry but I got shot of most of them in August and September with Apiguard treatment.
    Mite levels in some of my colonies were dangerously high when I sampled in July.

  10. #2810

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    Quote Originally Posted by Calluna4u View Post
    Should have all the winter feeding completed in wooden hives (with a poly feeder for warmth) by Wednesday, and the poly hives by the end of next week. and resume of the heather season
    C4U - interesting for many reasons. You are feeding much later than I am, I completed that by end Sept for some, start of Oct for the rest. My feeding is carried out over 2-3 weeks, not all in one go but with a small quantity followed by a couple of large feeds, but I still suspect I run the risk of clogging up the hive and maybe not leaving enough room for late brood rearing.

    I took my bees up to the heather later then you do, but did not feed. The forage for them was pretty good in early Aug- and I had supers on so frames just got moved over to other colonies and thin foundation put on for the heather-bound hives. Because the forage was good the Qs had picked up laying but I thought a bit late to get lots of bees of a foraging age but they seemed to do OK towards the end of the heather. The heather flow was later than I expected, in one of the Angus glens it came in during the middle of Sept (thankfully - cause I thought I was going to get nada, and once more lose credibility - DR's "hey this is science" line not going to work with gamekeepers). But, I brought mine down and harvested earlier than you do - wanting to get on with feeding and varroa treatments. I might need to rethink my timings and be willing to leave them up in the hills a bit longer.

    What is your regime for varroa at this point?

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