A mighty wind

[gavin]

Reports from the association site suggest that the stones on the roofs of the polyhives were not sufficient. I'll have a look at lunchtime. The Swienty poly National roofs do have a big rim around the edge.

Must be wonderful living in a place with a view of the loch from Rosneath. Helensburgh featured prominently in the TV coverage with the seafront getting a bit of a battering. Did you really cross using the ferry yesterday Jim?

[Jimbo]

Used the military road to get home. The MOD know how to construct roads. No floods or trees etc. They should give lessons to the council on road construction but then they have to transport the odd nuke along them.(I also transport the odd nuc along this road)
Gavin, should have used a few concrete blocks on the poly hives in the club apairy. Our club has a system that has a concrete slab base with a thick wire running underneath with 2 loops that ropes are attached to to hold down the hives

[Trog]

Hope you and the military don't get the two sorts of nucs muddled, Jimbo

One brick was sufficient for my hives. All fine, which is more than I can say for our roof Only minor damage, thankfully, but work required before the next storm.

[gavin]

I need find something heavier or adopt the Helensburgh system or something like it for the association's polyhives. We have the slabs under the hives, but no wire as yet. I think that Murray just sticks a weight on top - must ask him. I had one decent stone or two smaller ones on top. One lid, and one lid plus the feeder had blown off but D had it in hand and they were back on. The bees had retreated down the way a little. Not sure if the small clusters are going to make it.

At my own apiary I had assumed that the shelter might mean that they were no-brick (wooden) colonies. Not so. Two had been blown right off their stands and were upside down with the clusters exposed. Righting a brood box with frames out of place and a strong cluster objecting to the disturbance wasn't easy, but I didn't get stung. The second was a lot weaker and didn't complain.

The orchard has lost another old tree and there was a mature oak down in the garden of a cottage nearby. Forgot to take a camera.

[chris]

Hope they'll come through alright Gavin. A no-brick colony? I have a heavy stone on every hive in all weather and all locations.. So does everyone else down here. Even though it's rarely needed, it gives some peace of mind. And I don't have to sit up in bed in the night in a cold sweat wondering if I'd added a brick or not.

[lindsay s]

It’s a very busy time of year for me so I only got to check my hives this morning (before anyone asks I’m not Santa). Thursdays storm was severe even by Orkney’s standards. At it’s peak a low-lying wind turbine nearby recorded 100mph sustained wind speeds and a gust of 138mph. Having suffered storm damage in the past I make sure my hives are well prepared for winter, so up here it’s not a 3 brick colony but a 3 stone colony. Luckily my apiary was unscathed as you can see in the attached photos.
Nice photo on the front of this months Scottish Beekeeper but I think a few more bricks are needed.
Attachment 872Attachment 873Attachment 874

[Trog]

Ah! That lovely Orkney stone which lends itself to everything from building neolithic villages to battening down hives! The apiary on the cover would have had an extra brick each, or even a stone, had the hives not been so waterlogged. If we get a stretch of dry weather (stop laughing, Gavin; it does happen!) I'll go round with extra weights. They are pretty well sheltered, though; the biggest danger is falling trees!