Yikes ... 54. Two today, which is what I consider bolshy*
They're often tetchy when the OSR goes over, but it's got a while to go yet.
* maybe I'm not man-enough for beekeeping
Yikes ... 54. Two today, which is what I consider bolshy*
They're often tetchy when the OSR goes over, but it's got a while to go yet.
* maybe I'm not man-enough for beekeeping
Didn't open any hives today because of weather
It's switched to much cooler
I find if you p them off they take a while to forgive that
Yesterday I gave up with my queen rearing hive and stuck a Snelgrove board on instead
They of course have had a bit of messing about lately so with the cool weather they weren't too happy
Good thing is with the Snelgrove I don't need do inspections on them for a while
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I'm doing side-by-side comparisons with a Snelgrove (following your instructions carefully DR - logic dictates that your gate numbering has odd numbers on the top of the board) and a bog-standard split board on a couple of colonies.
Grafting last Sunday appears to have been OK with ~80% take. I'm using a Cloake board this year.
The stings were from a bulging double brooded colony (in my shed - so they got a flying start) which has just received it's fourth super (though two are nearly sealed and will be removed at the w/e).
54 is my Year to date figure. Six on the date referred to..Originally Posted by fatshark
Yikes ... 54. Two today, which is what I consider bolshy*
They're often tetchy when the OSR goes over, but it's got a while to go yet.
* maybe I'm not man-enough for beekeeping
One hive is just mental...but very full so requeening is going to be carefully planned.. Don't fancy them Q- for any length of time...
hi fatshark yes the traditional numbering runs as door 1 above door 2 on one side
door 3 above door 4 on the opposite side
then door 5 above door 6 on the rear
best of luck with it
John
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Over on the beekeeping forum some folk are trying out Snelgrove No2 method
They are calling it the Wally Shaw method
I'm not a fan of the method No2 myself
I have used it but when it doesn't work the results are a massive swarm
But if you find queen cells and you have a board there are plenty people who have used that method satisfactorily pl
I must count stings madasafish usually the fingers get them so I try to lift the offenders before they pull out their rear end
They can just come back more determined but I find if I fling them back in the top of the hive they just stay put 😃
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I'm just plodding along with my standard swarm control. It uses a lot of Paynes nucs (other makes are available) but it has several advantages. All queens clipped of course.
1. A few queen cups with eggs or proper charged queen cells? Go for it. Don't leave any eggs in queen cups if you are not going to split.
2. Queen comes out on a frame which is checked for queen cells, and into a Paynes nuc nearby, leaving the main box in place. Add a second frame of bees and stores to the nuc. Shake in young bees if you want it to grow quickly, otherwise leave as is. Feeding helps it build.
3. Two frames of foundation into the original box which is still on site.
4. If there are open and sealed queen cells in the main box remove the sealed ones. Otherwise leave alone for one week. If you've been visiting frequently you'll not have only sealed cells.
5. After the week, quickly check the old queen. In its weakened state the nuc doesn't usually make additional cells but it might.
6. Go through the powerful big box and leave only one good-looking queen cell.
7. Relax, that one's done for the year (or two).
It is simple and straightforward and uses a weekly schedule. Accounts for the additional queen cells made after the split. Gives a stonking set of boxes of bees for the summer and autumn flows. The new queen often lays up a whole box within a week of her starting laying. Foolproof as long as you inspect properly. And it leaves you with a nuc which can build to be a strong unit by the end of the season.
That, or a close approximation, is also described in Adrian & Claire Waring's Teach Yourself Beekeeping*, which I consider one of the best books for beginners. The method is so straightforward and uses so little equipment I don't know why it isn't more often used as the recommended method on new beekeeping courses. Instead they usually get Pagden with stacks of boxes and someone facing the audience getting their right and lefts mixed up! Even the need to invest in a nuc box could be regarded as "a good thing" for a new beekeeper. Other than missing a QC in the nuc box - where you only have to check 2 frames - it's also pretty foolproof. Which is why I often use it
* this book now has a different title but a largely unchanged content
I'll look out for the book. Steve Rose on here was also championing putting the queen-right part to the side.
Later today the beginners at the association apiary will see the modification to generate lots of nuclei. The mature queen cells at the end of the week in the box(es) without the queen can be used to split into many nucs and if you arrange them in a semi-circle (or even a circle) you distribute the flyers amongst them. The small box remaining with the old queen is left at the side or behind. If you do this with a double brood colony (20 or even 24 frames of bees) you can generate up to 12 splits though 8 might be more likely.
Last year I started the season with 22 colonies. Five were used to generate nucs, the rest kept strong. Roughly ....
5 colonies x 8 nucs = 40 Paynes nucs plus 5 original queens
17 remaining colonies = 17 colonies + 17 nucs
Potential increase 22 to 79 while leaving 17 colonies to produce honey or to be used for queen rearing and mininuc production. Many splits with virgins failed last year in the poor summer so I went into winter with 65 stocks and came out with 59 (I think). In a better year I'd have had maybe 70 ... or in a harsher winter I may have been down to 50 or fewer.
As mbc pointed out there is a temptation to split your strongest stocks. If you can avoid that there is a better chance of a decent honey crop.
I'm doing one of those circle splits tomorrow. A double brood into however many nucs I've got queen cells for plus the original Q (9 in total tomorrow I think). I've used the double brood colony as the cell raiser with a Cloake board.
I use my least pleasant (which is a positive way to say worst behaved) colony for this, whatever the strength, just to get rid of them. Finally, I get a bit paranoid about the bees in the split preferentially going back to the old queen so take her nuc to another apiary. Probably unnecessary from what you say.
And it looks like it's going to be sunny and warm
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