The thing is mbc I like my bee gear to be maintained in as perfect a condition as possible. As you are probably aware - I make or made the majority of my own equipment having just retired from a self employed bespoke furniture/cabinet making business. With the profit Thornes are making on their products , I consider their attitude penny pinching. I know they are only charging pennies for their scrapbox items but it doesn't change my opinion.
Two strong colonies and two much weaker nucs now prepared for winter, loaded down with rocks/bricks. Watching bees working ivy yesterday and noticed activity about 60 feet up a leylandii. Sure there is a swarm settled in there. DR - how long is your ladder? Alternative is to chop down the leylandii - I am tempted.
I'm going to have to try to get up there and have a look. Why leylandii when there are so many inviting chimneys and garages around tayside?
Now then, I might argue with that statement FD! The other option is to tell yourself the colony is unlikely to survive the winter where it is, or once transferred to a box. A hopeless case. Daft bees too if they've swarmed fairly recently.Originally Posted by Feckless Drone
60 ft FD that's too high
you might tempt them with a box and some comb a bit lower down say 10ft
if you can get them moving with a catpult and a flour bomb you might see which hive they go back to
Maybe they're not a recent swarm but have been there since the summer?
A leylandii that big is probably climbable - ladder for the first bit then branches (my better half does that with the huge blue spruces every Christmas to cut a top as a Christmas tree).
Near FD's home base there was a report of a full colony absconding earlier this summer. Could be that one. If you really really really want to have a look, I'll help hold the ladder - but I'll be trying up the last minute to talk you out of it!
Hi - I don't think this is a recent swarm, and the branches up high are so close together it would be difficult to climb through with any kind of veil on. I am going to let them go - they are unlikely even to survive today's weather. But lesson is - might keep my bait hive out longer next year.
Heavy frost again this morning.
Question - I've not dummied down one colony in an old WBC. I've cut out kingspan to the correct dimensions ready to go but since its struggled to get over 4'C last few days I'm reluctant to go in. Its not forecast to get much above 7 or 8 for the next week or two. If I am quick is it okay to go in / remove the 4 frames to the side of the brood nest, whack in the kingspan and retreat ? Ditto for removing an ashforth feeder from another hive and replacing with an insulated eke for fondant later on.
Colder the better as the bees will be in a tight cluster.
You should be done in a couple of minutes.
I'm with Jon. I wouldn't hesitate to open mine for that but not all colonies are the same. If you have a big loose Italian cluster the bees could be all over the shop. I think I would do it fairly early in the day though so the bees can adjust to the new conditions before evening.
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