Lightweight ... absolutely.
Usually from loss of blood.
A friend has bees on a farm where there are lots of raspberries in open fields
The bees are very welcome for their pollinating help and they do very well there as there is lots of other forage
A lot of soft fruit is in poly tunnels now though
Gavin is in the heart of the soft fruit growing area in Perthshire
The farmers round here are potatoes rape wheat rotation unfortunately
There has been quite an increase in black current in Angus, though Gavin tells me this is an early crop so good for early spring build up.
Also, noted a short article in "The Courier" about bumble bees being imported and bringing in with them parasites. Anyone read the details? Its turning out to be a great year in my garden for bumble bees but I do wonder which of them are imports to help pollination in the poly-tunnels of the Carse.
If any of those queen cells is sealed then it's likely a swarm has already left
Problem is if there are still lots of bees when the first virgin hatches she may leave with half whats left
A possible course of action is look for the queen in the hive
Look for sealed cells
What you don't want are queen cells that will hatch days apart otherwise you can lose a cast (more than one sometimes)
choose two open ones at the same stage of development and remove the rest
If there are sealed and ready to hatch cells they will be brown at the tip and a gentle test will often tear the papery end of the cell
If a virgin does emerge this way don't touch her remove the other cells and close up the hive till she is mated and laying about about 3 weeks
Last edited by The Drone Ranger; 18-07-2013 at 10:58 AM. Reason: alternatives complicate the issue
Yes, blackcurrant flowers about the same time as dandelion. Some current varieties are later than old varieties which reduces the risk of frost damage. Come down to Mennies every few Fridays and Rex can tell you all about it!
http://www.blackcurrantfoundation.co.uk/varieties.html
Unlike rasps I don't think that it ever gives a honey crop due to its early flowering, but you never know.
Catch that story about a paper on the diseases in imported bumble bee colonies here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23347867
I've no doubt that this is a real risk, but is there any evidence of sub-optimal bumble bee populations in areas where they are imported? Has anyone looked at the disease load in wild bumble bee nests, both in areas that import them and areas that don't? I think that you need that sort of study to provide balance - but I'm very much in favour of reducing imports and bringing in measures to bolster natural populations of bumble bees, including in soft fruit areas.
Thanks Fatshark for the Demaree suggestion. I think I will try that if they are Q+.
Unless advised against, those store combs that are brood free will go into the super for ripening and be replaced by empty foundation in the brood.
Drone Ranger, thanks also. You suggest that I select Q cells for retention that are open... this is because it is easier to judge and match their age compared with two Q cells that are closed, thus avoiding further casts, I think?
I am exploring the benefits of a one box for all things system i.e. no shallow supers, just standard national (poly) boxes for both brood and super. I know weight lifting will be an issue, but I like using cellotex to fill in extra volume and just swap bits of that for new foundation whenever the bees need more space.
This was working well until I got overtaken by the rate at which stores grow once the conditions inside and outside the hive converge.. now I am playing catchup.
I used to be able to sit next to the hive in its shed and admire the view of workers streaming out of the hive through a gap in the overhanging tree canopy while reading or working on my laptop. Now they won't tolerate me within 15 feet if I stay too long
This has been my best colony, so the new queen will have a lot to live up to.
Last edited by biggus; 18-07-2013 at 12:27 PM.
A great year for bumbles here: some 400miles south. And other beekeepers in our Association report the same.
There is no arable farming or large scale poly tunnel farming within a 5 mile radius of our house.
Lots and LOTS of tree bumbles - mainly in bird boxes and quite aggressive. A recent French invader. http://www.bwars.com/index.php?q=con...apping-project
Just collected my first swarm ever. GO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Need a bit of info. They were an easy catch, hanging on the bottom of a hanging flower basket about 2 foot of the ground, just just gently brushed them all into a brood box. Will check on them at 6 tonight to check if they have decided to stay.
now, when i move them, does the 3 mile rule apply? Or is it different as they are in swarm mode? They were collected from a friends house about a mile from us, which is where i keep my bees.
If I take a swarm on a tree on my apiary,even assuming it came from one of my hives, I put the hive in place at the apiary and that's it. The bees seem to know they've moved next door.If I catch a swarm in a bait hive, I close it up at nightfall, when everyone is inside, and then first thing in the morning move it to its new site; even if it's only a short distance away. I've never lost a swarm. Maybe a few bees have gone off, but I never count them all. Some people put a bit of QE to cover the entrance to keep the queen in until the bees have settled, but I never do that.
A first swarm is a great sensation.
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