Accidental beekeeper in Sussex

[Robert Clark]

Hi Guys

Thanks for accepting me into the group.

Just joined after inheriting a hive of bees which had been abandoned by a beekeeper in our garden.

The beekeeper brought two hives to our garden a few years ago, however he didn’t appear for months on end and I became concerned for their welfare.
Apparently his personal circumstances changed and he no longer has time to take care of them.

I’ve decided to take care of them myself and expand to a maximum of three hives in ‘25. My first concern is getting the colony through the winter,

I’ve treated them for varroa today (sublimation) and will give them some fondant tomorrow when it’s forecast to be 16 deg.

We live in East Sussex in Ashdown Forest which has abundant heather, gorse and ivy, so I’m hoping the bees will have a productive life

Hopefully I won’t kill the colony and they’ll reward me with some honey next year!

Robert

 

[pargyle]

Welcome ... not the best time to be hands on learning but a winter of reading and asking question on here will stand you in good stead.

What sort of hives do you have ? Are they just brood boxes or are there supers on ? Presumably the colonies have not been inspected for some time and it's a bit late to be fiddling wth them now but hopefully if they have survived being left to their own devices they will get through winter.

Varroa treatment by sublimation is good today ...should have a good kill rate.

Check there are no holes in the crownboard and if there are, cover them. A slab of insulation under the roof will help them enormously to maintain the hive temperature.

 

[Robert Clark]

Welcome ... not the best time to be hands on learning but a winter of reading and asking question on here will stand you in good stead.

What sort of hives do you have ? Are they just brood boxes or are there supers on ? Presumably the colonies have not been inspected for some time and it's a bit late to be fiddling wth them now but hopefully if they have survived being left to their own devices they will get through winter.

Varroa treatment by sublimation is good today ...should have a good kill rate.

Check there are no holes in the crownboard and if there are, cover them. A slab of insulation under the roof will help them enormously to maintain the hive temperature.

Hello !
The hive is a standard national brood box with a single super on top. I’m not sure if there are any frames in the super.

My plan tomorrow when it’s warm is to check the super for reserves and remove if empty. I’ll also remove the queen excluder.

I’m then going to fit an upturned poly ashforth feeder onto the slab of fondant to improve insulation.

That’s about as far as I’m planning to go at this stage

Sadly the hive is in really bad condition and is held together with duct tape, so I’ve taken advantage of Abelos Black Friday sale and ordered some Poly hives, so I’m ready for next spring.

 

[Penninetrader]

Hi Guys

Thanks for accepting me into the group.

Just joined after inheriting a hive of bees which had been abandoned by a beekeeper in our garden.

The beekeeper brought two hives to our garden a few years ago, however he didn’t appear for months on end and I became concerned for their welfare.
Apparently his personal circumstances changed and he no longer has time to take care of them.

I’ve decided to take care of them myself and expand to a maximum of three hives in ‘25. My first concern is getting the colony through the winter,

I’ve treated them for varroa today (sublimation) and will give them some fondant tomorrow when it’s forecast to be 16 deg.

We live in East Sussex in Ashdown Forest which has abundant heather, gorse and ivy, so I’m hoping the bees will have a productive life

Hopefully I won’t kill the colony and they’ll reward me with some honey next year!

Robert

Best of luck, if they have not been attended to they may be well provisioned already. Have you tried hefting the box or boxes to gauge if they feel as heavy or heavier than you would expect ? What is the current set up in regards number of boxes etc. ?

 

[Robert Clark]

Best of luck, if they have not been attended to they may be well provisioned already. Have you tried hefting the box or boxes to gauge if they feel as heavy or heavier than you would expect ? What is the current set up in regards number of boxes etc. ?

Hello !
As a total newbie I’ve no idea how much the hive should weigh, though it certainly felt heavy. Well over 10kg, maybe as much as 15 or 20.

The set up is a single brood box (wooden National, pretty rotten) with a single super on top, plus a flat roof.

Hoping to find out exactly what’s happening tomorrow when it’s warm enough to take a look, when I plan to add the fondant.

 

[pargyle]

Hello !
The hive is a standard national brood box with a single super on top. I’m not sure if there are any frames in the super.

My plan tomorrow when it’s warm is to check the super for reserves and remove if empty. I’ll also remove the queen excluder.

I’m then going to fit an upturned poly ashforth feeder onto the slab of fondant to improve insulation.

That’s about as far as I’m planning to go at this stage

Sadly the hive is in really bad condition and is held together with duct tape, so I’ve taken advantage of Abelos Black Friday sale and ordered some Poly hives, so I’m ready for next spring.

If there are no frames in the super then the bees will have filled it with comb of their own making .. probably best left until spring if they have.

Insulation is good - if they need fondant it is best placed on top of the frames - if they have a super of stores - they don't need it.

Some photos will help if you can. Keep you look see to a minimum - less disturbance the better now as you can't achieve much. If there are gaps in the brood boxes - add more tape !

Hefting - if you can easily lift one side of the hive with one finger - very light - will need feeding. two fingers to lift - keep an eye on them, three fingers and it feels heavy - they won't need fondant. Save the fondant till nearer spring and keep hefting.

Remove the queen excluder.

 

[Penninetrader]

Hello !
As a total newbie I’ve no idea how much the hive should weigh, though it certainly felt heavy. Well over 10kg, maybe as much as 15 or 20.

The set up is a single brood box (wooden National, pretty rotten) with a single super on top, plus a flat roof.

Hoping to find out exactly what’s happening tomorrow when it’s warm enough to take a look, when I plan to add the fondant.

Go slowly and gently, have everything to hand you think you might need and if things get grumpy stay calm. The super, once QE is removed and that might be more of a task than you think due to being glued down with propolis., would be ideal for placing your fondant in. A fragile box could spell disaster so a little thought to strapping up might be in order. Insulating the roof is the best of advice, a simple piece of PIR with good overlap will do the trick and you could simply place that over the existing roof if needs be.

 

[Penninetrader]

If there are no frames in the super then the bees will have filled it with comb of their own making .. probably best left until spring if they have.

Insulation is good - if they need fondant it is best placed on top of the frames - if they have a super of stores - they don't need it.

Some photos will help if you can. Keep you look see to a minimum - less disturbance the better now as you can't achieve much. If there are gaps in the brood boxes - add more tape !

Hefting - if you can easily lift one side of the hive with one finger - very light - will need feeding. two fingers to lift - keep an eye on them, three fingers and it feels heavy - they won't need fondant. Save the fondant till nearer spring and keep hefting.

Remove the queen excluder.

That Queen excluder may be the Achilles heel if it is glued down, might best be left until spring

 

[Penninetrader]

We have not asked you whether you have ever had your head in a box and whether you are adequately suited and booted for this task, real caution is needed here

 

[Robert Clark]

We have not asked you whether you have ever had your head in a box and whether you are adequately suited and booted for this task, real caution is needed here

Never had my head in a hive before
Fully equipped with protective clothing

Spent the last two weeks glued to YouTube leaning as much as possible

 

[Penninetrader]

Never had my head in a hive before
Fully equipped with protective clothing

Spent the last two weeks glued to YouTube leaning as much as possible

Really not the same thing, one never knows how you may react. I think a quick peek under the roof would be more than enough and take in what you see. There will be othe opportunity to plonk a bit of fondant in or if there is space put a lump in any gap, the girls will generally sort it out. Until you report back tomorrow I will be wishing you well and keep safe.

 

[Swarm]

Welcome to the forum.
If the box is really that bad and considering they've been left alone this long, I would check the weight carefully and leave it at that. Chances are they have all the stores they need and everything will be well propolised so the last thing you want to do is test the integrity of a rotten hive, save that until Spring when you can transfer them into new.
Trust the bees, they are usually pretty good at looking after themselves.

 

[pargyle]

Never had my head in a hive before
Fully equipped with protective clothing

Spent the last two weeks glued to YouTube leaning as much as possible

Good advice is hard to come by on you tube - avoid USA channels - there's a lot of morons on there. If you are leaving the super in place you really do need to remove the queen excluder .. be prepared for the bees to be a bit upset about being disturbed. Check all your zips are well done up ... gloves under cuffs and some tape around your wrists is not a bad idea for an unknown colony, wellie boot with trousers tucked in - tape around again if you want to be really sure.

You will almost certainly need to prise the super off with a hive tool (or a screwdriver or chisel if you don't have one) . Go gently, if you have a smoker have it going and ready ... not too much smoke but a whiff will send them back down into the brood box.

Don't bother going into the brood box - nothing to gain there, If the super has frames or comb and it's full of honey just get the queen excluder out and put ther super back on without it - they won't need fondant.

Crown board and roof back on - jobs done. Breath .....

It could be very easy ... it could be very daunting ! If you are well protected you will be fine - above all, don't panic. Go slowly, do no more than you have to. Forget messing about with the brood box just make sure it's not going to collapse and leave it be. Lots to do in Spring but not now.

 

[Robert Clark]

Welcome to the forum.
If the box is really that bad and considering they've been left alone this long, I would check the weight carefully and leave it at that. Chances are they have all the stores they need and everything will be well propolised so the last thing you want to do is test the integrity of a rotten hive, save that until Spring when you can transfer them into new.
Trust the bees, they are usually pretty good at looking after themselves.

How do I check the weight carefully ?

 

[Robert Clark]

Good advice is hard to come by on you tube - avoid USA channels - there's a lot of morons on there. If you are leaving the super in place you really do need to remove the queen excluder .. be prepared for the bees to be a bit upset about being disturbed. Check all your zips are well done up ... gloves under cuffs and some tape around your wrists is not a bad idea for an unknown colony, wellie boot with trousers tucked in - tape around again if you want to be really sure.

You will almost certainly need to prise the super off with a hive tool (or a screwdriver or chisel if you don't have one) . Go gently, if you have a smoker have it going and ready ... not too much smoke but a whiff will send them back down into the brood box.

Don't bother going into the brood box - nothing to gain there, If the super has frames or comb and it's full of honey just get the queen excluder out and put ther super back on without it - they won't need fondant.

Crown board and roof back on - jobs done. Breath .....

It could be very easy ... it could be very daunting ! If you are well protected you will be fine - above all, don't panic. Go slowly, do no more than you have to. Forget messing about with the brood box just make sure it's not going to collapse and leave it be. Lots to do in Spring but not now.

I’ve been following Laurence Edwards of Black Montaim Honey. UK based and seems to have a straightforward approach and loads of video content.

Thanks for the suggestions re clothing.

Fingers crossed for a positive outcome.
Will report back

 

[Swarm]

Best not to take any yootoober advice as a beginner, when you gain experience you will know which ones to avoid.

To carefully check the weight, heft it by lifting each side. Do this by catching hold of the floor.

 

[Robert Clark]

Best not to take any yootoober advice as a beginner, when you gain experience you will know which ones to avoid.

To carefully check the weight, heft it by lifting each side. Do this by catching hold of the floor.

Please excuse my ignorance, but once I’ve lifted up my hive how will I know if it’s heavy, light, or just right ?

 

[Penninetrader]

Please excuse my ignorance, but once I’ve lifted up my hive how will I know if it’s heavy, light, or just right ?

In short you will not, it is a judgement thing, for now I would not get hung up on that. Your immediate concern will be the fragility of that brood box, some taping and strapping might be in order prior to opening. This colony, how much interaction have you had with it's inhabitants whilst in your garden, proximity, observations regularity of being in the presence. At what distance if any do the guard bees react etc.

 

[pargyle]

How do I check the weight carefully ?

Post #6 above:

"Hefting - if you can easily lift one side of the hive with one finger - very light - will need feeding. two fingers to lift - keep an eye on them, three fingers and it feels heavy - they won't need fondant. Save the fondant till nearer spring and keep hefting."

Next year get set up with some luggage scales and you can weigh your new hives empty, with drawn frames, with brood and then stuffed with stores for winter - at the same time Heft and then you will find, in time, you can dispense with the weighing and just heft.

Lawrence at BMH has some good content ... fairly safe with his videos.