2016.... What will it bring?

[Tremyfro]

This year I have increased from 2 mature colonies and a over wintered nuc....to 2 mature colonies plus 5 Summer colonies and a nuc.....and I also let a new beekeeper have 2 nucs as well.
I hope I have prepared them so that they come through the winter well.
Now I ask myself.....where do I go from here?
Last winter I had a fairly clear idea of increase...so I would be able to be more flexible within the Bee Yard.
Now I have that flexibility.....I can support colonies which lose a queen during the winter or need extra bees to get them off to a good start next spring.
That is assuming I don't lose them all.....
Now I am thinking and planning for next year.
My aim is to have 6 long hives occupied. One will be a Dartington.
I have really enjoyed learning about my bees. They clearly have the upper hand when considering increase and sneered at my feeble efforts to make queen cells! I think they must have felt sorry for me because they made enough queen cells and bees for me to make the number of extra colonies I had hoped for.
The bees have been a joy to work alongside. At all times they excepted our intrusions. Each colony has its own character and we treat them accordingly.
My initial plan to move more of the colonies into the long hives has been delayed. The poor summer did slow down the growth of the colonies somewhat.....even though I have been feeding them. By the time their growth had caught up the weather was changing to autumn.....So it has been decided to leave them in the poly hives until the spring. Except for the nuc, all of the summer colonies are strong now.
So now they will be transferred into the long hives in the spring. So I only have 1 colony in a long hive for the winter. This may be a good thing as I will be able to see how this colony survives and observe its spring build up.
I have a feeling that this coming year will be...Swarm Year!!! So I will be spending lots of time reading about preemptive swarm control whilst keeping warm by the fire?
What is everyone else planning?

 

[enrico]

I hope my bees are planning to make honey next year! For once I am going into winter with the correct number of hives and hope to come into spring with the same number. I am going to try and get vertical swarm control sorted. I sort of play at it!
However..... If I get no honey again then I might plan a big bonfire......joking!
E

 

[Tremyfro]

I know how you are feeling! I was lucky and the bees gave me about 45 lbs....mostly spring honey which is now softset. It is enough for us to eke out over the winter. There wasn't any honey from the summer colonies....they had enough trouble trying to feed themselves!
I hope the farmers sow some OSR again....
I did some manipulation of frames this year...which seemed to prevent swarming in my 2 mature colonies and they were both on double national brood boxes. It was certainly a lot of bees! This coming year the swarm control will be mainly in the long hives...once the colonies are moved...so a slightly different manipulation.

 

[For want of a better word]

I hope my bees are planning to make honey next year! For once I am going into winter with the correct number of hives and hope to come into spring with the same number. I am going to try and get vertical swarm control sorted. I sort of play at it!
However..... If I get no honey again then I might plan a big bonfire......joking!
E

Tried horizontal swarm control... total disaster

Yeghes da

 

[Tremyfro]

Tried horizontal swarm control... total disaster

Yeghes da

Why was it a disaster?
What horizontal swarm control measures did you use?
Why do you think they failed?

 

[Eyeman]

Tried horizontal swarm control... total disaster

Horizontal swarm control: Lying down and just let it happen!!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I am in my 7th year of keeping bees. A mere beginner, but armed with a little knowledge.
Who said, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing"?
I thought I had it nailed.
I have tried to balance winter bee brood rearing and collection of Ivy stores (pollen and nectar) with feeding and got it totally wrong this year. The Ivy has largely failed and most of my hives are perilously light.
I have more varroa than bees....well a little hyperbole but you get the picture.
NEXT year I will get it right.

 

[Tremyfro]

I am in my 7th year of keeping bees. A mere beginner, but armed with a little knowledge.
Who said, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing"?
I thought I had it nailed.
I have tried to balance winter bee brood rearing and collection of Ivy stores (pollen and nectar) with feeding and got it totally wrong this year. The Ivy has largely failed and most of my hives are perilously light.
I have more varroa than bees....well a little hyperbole but you get the picture.
NEXT year I will get it right.

Well it's not easy to get it right! However much experience you have the weather conditions can catch you out. I have been feeding my bees since mid July. Not the mature colonies but the new summer colonies. They got knocked back by the terrible cold weather with no nectar to forage for. I was probably a bit slow to recognise how light the colonies were getting too...which didn't help. After I started feeding...they all bucked up and ended the summer strongly. I'm afraid that I ignored advice about not feeding and just carried on. I still haven't smelt ivy being brought into the hives. They have all gathered a lot more stores this last week or so. I haven't found a way of hefting the long hive and am loathe to check stores by looking in the hive. They are still taking the syrup...so I will continue till they stop.
Do you think that the varroa load affected the nectar gathering...if the bees were weaker?

 

[masterBK]

Hope your bees are processing the syrup sufficiently as it is becoming more of a challenge for them to do it at this time of year and they are risking dysentery later on.

 

[Fritillary]

Horizontal swarm control: Lying down and just let it happen!!!

Yes, that's what I'm thinking of for next year - with CCTV camera so I can run out to catch the swarms? - Would save a lot of messing about....

 

[Tremyfro]

Hope your bees are processing the syrup sufficiently as it is becoming more of a challenge for them to do it at this time of year and they are risking dysentery later on.

There are people on the forum who feed syrup until the end of October. The bees are in poly hives so should have a better chance of processing it.....so I am told. I have just topped up the last feeds...after this if more is required then I will feed fondant. The weather is still mild here...although it is drizzling a bit today. I hope they get it capped. It's a risk but they are still bringing in nectar when it isn't raining....so I guess they think they will get it capped.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Do you think that the varroa load affected the nectar gathering...if the bees were weaker?
Well, all colonies have been strong, flying well when weather permitted.
I have seen little evidence of varroa till I sublimated. This was the first year I left the drone grubs alone. I'll be back to putting in short frames next year
Three colonies still have syrup on which is warm when you put your finger in it but the bees are definitely taking it more slowly so fondant will be put on and topped up as needed.
I'm not concerned about it being capped as it's invert and thymolated so it shouldn't ferment....hopefully

 

[Tremyfro]

Yes, that's what I'm thinking of for next year - with CCTV camera so I can run out to catch the swarms? - Would save a lot of messing about....

Ha ha .....you made me think of the series of Utube videos of skep hives. That is just what the beekeepers did...they sat and waited for them to swarm. Then they put funnel nets over the entrances to catch the main swarms. Of course they missed many swarms and had to collect them from the nearby trees.
At the moment I have visions of seeing my bees disappear over the horizon! I suppose it depends on the spring build up and whether I can manage to preempt their swarming. Either way...it will be interesting...will keep me on my toes. Luckily I will be able to see my hives from the kitchen window......if I had neighbours...they will probably see me chasing across the fields in my jimjams and wellies after a prime swarm!

 

[madasafish]

2016 will be my seventh season.

After AFB destroyed all but one of my colonies (all now replaced) I am hoping for a normal year..
After 4 swarms - encouraged, I intend to have as few as possible.
After no honey I hope for some.


And after an accident with a circular saw last week, (one finger now two joints shorter), I shall build hives with greater care.

 

[Tremyfro]

2016 will be my seventh season.

After AFB destroyed all but one of my colonies (all now replaced) I am hoping for a normal year..
After 4 swarms - encouraged, I intend to have as few as possible.
After no honey I hope for some.


And after an accident with a circular saw last week, (one finger now two joints shorter), I shall build hives with greater care.

You have certainly had an eventful year...but how awful about your finger...is it healing well? Saws are so dangerous...I know beekeepers in general love to make their own hives etc....but it does make you wonder how many get caught up in serious accidents with circular saws!
I have had to go down the route of ready made...poly and plastic....as I have no skills in wood work. My OH could but he has a list of jobs to complete before starting any other DIY.....perhaps I should be grateful. Sincerely hope you make a good recovery and can manage with one less digit!

 

[Obee1]

2016 will be my seventh season.

After AFB destroyed all but one of my colonies (all now replaced) I am hoping for a normal year..
After 4 swarms - encouraged, I intend to have as few as possible.
After no honey I hope for some.


And after an accident with a circular saw last week, (one finger now two joints shorter), I shall build hives with greater care.

OMG. Sorry to hear about the finger. You haven't had a good year have you! Hope next year is better.

 

[Tremyfro]

Hi Obee1..... So what plans do you have for next year? Or perhaps I should ask what your bees are planning? Did you find an out apiary?

 

[For want of a better word]

And after an accident with a circular saw last week, (one finger now two joints shorter), I shall build hives with greater care.

Possibly one of the most painful things to do... i was lucky and the Navy surgeon microstiched mine back on... so I can at least give a sailor's farewell!

Yeghes da

 

[deanrpwaacs]

There are people on the forum who feed syrup until the end of October. The bees are in poly hives so should have a better chance of processing it.....so I am told. I have just topped up the last feeds...after this if more is required then I will feed fondant. The weather is still mild here...although it is drizzling a bit today. I hope they get it capped. It's a risk but they are still bringing in nectar when it isn't raining....so I guess they think they will get it capped.

There is a member on the SBAi that quoted this .

[quote name="The Drone Ranger" post=32737]Hi Gwizzie <br />
try and make sure that you leave them enough stores for winter <br />
It's a bit late for sugar syrup feeding now I would think[/quote]<br />
<br />
Hope not. Our second tankerload just arriving this evening.<br />
<br />
All depends on hive type and location however. Bees we fed in the middle of last week are pretty well all finished their 14Kg of invert, and as recently as this weekend were still drawing foundation. Still have ovewr 800 to feed, and actually not worried about them taking it. Want to finish the wooden hives this coming week,or 10 days, but the polys will take syrup fairly readily well through to late November unless particularly weak.<br />
<br />
Fed two large groups on Friday and Saturday, and peeked in on some of them this afternoon, and the best of them had already taken well over half the syrup.<br />
<br />
However, wooden hives and Ross-shire means it is getting late, though the forecast for the next ten days or so is generally favourable.

 

[Ely]

What's a bee yard?