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Thread: todays news

  1. #2931
    Member Wmfd's Avatar
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    Worrying day today.

    I spotted a dustbin lorry with a number of Correx signs in it. Then spent a good bit of time trying to work out whether I could get them home, and how many nuc hives I could knock up from them.

    Luckily it drove away before I could disgrace myself.

    What have you done to me! 😉

  2. #2932

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    Quote Originally Posted by Calluna4u View Post
    Oh there was plenty................sold over 50 queens to people in a panic about their bees being queenless
    Well that was a short lived poll of 2 queen breeders
    Seems things are still the same

  3. #2933

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    I use the German miniplus, I have about 600 of them. I made my own floors and frames for them as the manufacturers designs are lacking. They work well and I overwinter them with 2 or 3 bodies -these can be built up early in the spring and from each overwintered unit I can make 12 to 15 mating units. So really I only need to overwinter 50 or so. The smaller mating nucs are very efficient, but I prefer the larger miniplus and even more the 5 frame Langstroth nucs as I think the queens produced from them are better.
    There are a number of things that make a small difference to queen quality, maybe each of them is only an improvement of 4 or 5% and not easy to measure, but when added up they could mean the difference is a 25 to 30% better quality queen.

  4. #2934
    Senior Member Greengage's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    I use a system of coloured pins in my apideas to let me know what is going on without having to open them every time. yellow pin means it has a queen cell, green pin, has a virgin, white pin, has a mated queen, red pin, has a problem of some sort, blue pin means wrong number of bees. This saves a lot of time when you have checking to do or queens to remove for posting. With a twin stock they will often be out of sync.
    Thats a good idea think ill adapt this next year, I keep telling people its the simplle ideas that will make you money never mind the big international web companies. ( Whats that got to do with beekeeping I dont know but it sound good in my head )

  5. #2935
    Senior Member prakel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Duncan View Post
    I use the German miniplus, I have about 600 of them. I made my own floors and frames for them as the manufacturers designs are lacking.
    I imagine that on a small hobby scale some relatively simple tooling and the time to use it would bring those particular boxes below the cost of an apidea... although the time involved would obviously be the biggest factor for some.

  6. #2936

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    With a twin stock they will often be out of sync.
    Yes indeed. My main reason for not going down the multi unit box route, despite having seen some really excellent and creative gear in Europe.

    Often a nuc will need refilling with bees if it failed or was too small to recell it and still be a viable unit by the time the next queen lays. If only one part of a multi hive unit needs that, and the day or two in the dark, do you take the other one in too or miss out the unity establishing spell in the dark? Singles keeps it a lot more simple.

    On the recommendation of someone else on here we will have an experimental lot of mini plus...the German ones, not the Polish, next year. However the 6 frame BS nucs are pretty good and I am rather reluctant to increase the complexity and range of different things. Uniformity is efficient and cost effective. Diversity and individualism costs (unless you have a VERY good reason for it).

    ps...I really loved some three unit boxes I saw in Italy, each unit of the three being a three comb one third of a full frame size Langstroth. The three little frames were in a hinged arrangement that, when you needed it, unfolded out into a full standard frame albeit with three panels that you then just placed in a full size box. They were great and worked out at about 15 pounds for the three box unit, including all the frames etc assembled and prewired, painted too ready for use. However, the guy selling them was also a queen breeder on a relatively modest (for Italy) scale. Surprise surprise...he didn't use them..he used single units. Same issue, not all at the same stage, and awkwardness of refilling filed or inadequate units while others carried on fine, and apparently he sometimes ended up with only one of the three doing the business and the others empty.
    Last edited by Calluna4u; 19-11-2015 at 10:47 AM.

  7. #2937
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    The Paynes nuc box closed down to 2 frames with an insulated dummy makes a great mating nuc but they are really bulky compared to apideas.
    I use a few of these as well as the apideas and they have usually built up enough by the end of the summer to let the last queen overwinter.
    In UK conditions I think the target should be 3 queens per unit. Obviously not realistic this year with the summer we just had.

  8. #2938
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Calluna4u View Post
    do you take the other one in too or miss out the unity establishing spell in the dark? Singles keeps it a lot more simple.
    That's not as critical as some would have you believe.
    If I start an apidea with a ripe queen cell I open it as soon as the queen has emerged from the cell. That could be just a few hours as long as the apidea in not on the site where it has been filled.
    If I fill the apidea and add a virgin queen at the same time I open it the following evening as I find a lot of bees will abscond if opened any sooner than that.
    With the queen cell, I find the 3 days in the dark recommended by most sources is just not necessary.
    If opened before the queen is out of the cell, a lot will abscond. If she is out, they stick with her.

  9. #2939
    Senior Member busybeephilip's Avatar
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    Jon, Just if you could clarify for everyone your method.

    You fill an apidea,

    1) add a cell then keep in the dark 3 days then release on the same site as the original bees
    2) Add a virgin at the same time, keep in dark then release at the same site
    3)Add cell or virgin then release on same site 24 hours later at same site
    4) add cell, wait till hatched then release at same site
    5) Add cell or virgin and release at different site

  10. #2940
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    There are 3 main methods:
    1. fill an apidea and add the virgin at the same time. The virgin is added first and a scoop of wet bees is placed on top. Apideas are filled via the sliding floor.
    You can open this one the following evening, ie closed about 36 hours.
    2. fill an apidea and add a ripe queen cell.
    This is kept closed until the queen has emerged from the cell.
    Check the cell for emergence by removing it and open the door if the queen is out.
    3. add a ripe cell to an apidea from which a mated queen has just been removed.
    Just add the cell right away. No need for cell protectors. It is very rare for a cell to get torn down.
    This one will already be open with free flying bees. You don't get absconding as it has brood present.
    You can close it up and move to another site if you want.

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