Quick question....
I cut comb heather honey from about 40 super frames last year by hand and realised last weekend I still have the frames with the remainder of the comb / honey in the freezer.
Do you recommend I remove the remaining comb and melt the wax / scrape frames and replace with new foundation ? Or if I give the bees back the frames as they are with big gaping holes in - will they fill the holes with new comb in Spring ?
I'd alternate them with drawn comb and would expect them to fill in the holes. It would be similar to alternating foundationless frames with ones primed with foundation ...
Of course, they probably wouldn't
Thanks all. I went back today and found the last colony about a kilometre downstream washed up on a bank with its stand (and gravel bag) buried in the flood debris - and the bees are alive and well! I dug the hive out and got it standing upright, and gave the bees some candy. The farmer will help me to move this hive and the other three still on his land when the soil is drier. Both I and my bees were extraordinarily lucky.
Perhaps the reason you didn't hear about the Deveron flooding, Greengumbo, might be that it was a a fairly local problem near the gorge by Alvah bridge. There was just too much water to get through the gorge and it caused a backwash.
Kitta
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So sorry to hear of your flooding Mellifera. Hope your bees survive OK..
I was brought up in Macduff and know the Alvah bridge well - my uncle lived in Alvah village...
Thanks, Madasafish. As I said, I was so lucky to have found them all alive and well. So, as a local lad, you know how lovely the Alvah bridge area is - also in terms of forage for the bees. I'll have to find a new, secure site for them nearby.
Kitta
Some nice (expensive) houses on the Alvah side of the bridge when I was there last.. Lots of pasture for horses IIRC.. High enough up to be free of flooding!Originally Posted by Mellifera Crofter
I used to cycle there as a kid - from Macduff - and watch the salmon from the bridge . Idyllic spot - on a warm sunny day.
Glad you got them all back Kitta and good luck that they come through OK
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Thanks Bridget. Yes, I'm relieved and impressed by their survival.
Kitta
First peek at some of mine for a while last weekend to top up the fondant. 2 of the 3 are still going, one was touch and go as a Nuc to begin with, inevitably they were quite nice bees and it's the buggers that are still going. One more site to check, but that was a combined hive packed with food so less worried about that one.
Not managed to do the OA yet as too warm before Christmas and when we came back at the beginning of Jan it's been too cold or wet. One of the disadvantages of a bee house it that they have a bit further to fly home when disturbed so raining is not good. However meant to be warmer and dryer today so was thinking of doing a trickle today. Any advice to what you do when you have got brood and a half? Do you just trickle both boxes if there are two clusters?
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