Advice needed - Liquid leaking out of hive

[Hivemaker.]

Just a thought here,but do you have a large overgrown garden,if so it could well be a case that you have an infestation of feral pixies,and these are well known for playing practical jokes like pulling funny faces at your dog or children when your not looking ect,and are also fond of urinating over beehives in the depths of winter.....i hear they are full of a funny brown coloured substance when broken open. More common in the south west,but what with global warming, perhaps they are migrating further east....just another thought and maybe they are culprits causing your brown oooz.

 

[Poly Hive]

Ah! Boggarts!!!!

You mean these?

"Boggarts:
Land Of Origin: Scotland
Other Names: Hobgoblins, Goblins, Goblins, the Boogey Man, Boogies, Padfoot, Boggans, Hobbers, Gobs, and Blobs.
Element: Earth
Appearance and Temperament: This faery is a male dwarf with a squat and
distorted form. He is a cousin of the friendly house Brownie, but his
intentions are very different. Whereas a Brownie will adopt a home for
the joy of offering his help and mutual support, a Boggart will adopt a
house just for the sheer delight of destroying things. They are very
ill-tempered and greedy.
Lore: In northern England
the Boggart is known as a Padfoot or Hobgoblin and enjoys frightening
travellers and disrupting households. He is also thought to be poisoness
to the touch. The following poem by Mark Shapiro entitled The Wee
Little Hobgoblin typiefies some of the havoc they can wreak on a happy
home:
“One wee little Hobgoblin All dressed up in red was spying on a farmhouse
with mischief in his head.
“This place” said the hobgoblin
“It could be lots of fun. Everything’s so clean and tidy and begging to be undone.”
So the wee little Hobgoblin, He went to work with glee He let the cattle out the gate and set the piglets free.
He spilled some milk in the kitchen, and overturned the butterchurn.
He yanked the laundry off the line and caused the soup to burn.
He pinched the baby, and scared the cat and had the mostes fun.
And when the spree was over
He said “That’s a job well done.”
Time most Active: At night
Where to find them: Unknown, unless one has invaded your home. If you
want to see one, then let your deep mind take you to an infested house
in the astral world. Just make sure he doesn’t follow you home!
How to Contact: CONTACT IS NOT ADVISED!"


And here you thought you had a problem with just the wee Varroas

Pah!

PH

 

[oliver90owner]

Lets get back to basics. Does this nuc with a solid floor have the floor screwed on?

If not it would be so much more sensible to remove the body from the floor to inspect it? Raise the body from the floor by ~4mm to improve ventilation and do away with all, or virtually all, the top ventilation. It will certainly need fondant (over the crownboard with present temperatures, but perhaps on the frame top bars if fed when warmer).

Opening any weak nuc in the present weather conditions is likely to hasten it's demise, so don't do it, unless you find water ingress, is my advice.

Regards, RAB

 

[victor meldrew]

You mean these?

"Boggarts:
Land Of Origin: Scotland
Other Names: Hobgoblins, Goblins, Goblins, the Boogey Man, Boogies, Padfoot, Boggans, Hobbers, Gobs, and Blobs.

Lore: In northern England
the Boggart is known as a Padfoot or Hobgoblin and enjoys frightening
travellers and disrupting households. He is also thought to be poisoness
to the touch. The following poem by Mark Shapiro entitled The Wee
Little Hobgoblin typiefies some of the havoc they can wreak on a happy
home:
“One wee little Hobgoblin All dressed up in red was spying on a farmhouse
with mischief in his head.
“This place” said the hobgoblin
“It could be lots of fun. Everything’s so clean and tidy and begging to be undone.”
So the wee little Hobgoblin, He went to work with glee He let the cattle out the gate and set the piglets free.
He spilled some milk in the kitchen, and overturned the butterchurn.
He yanked the laundry off the line and caused the soup to burn.
He pinched the baby, and scared the cat and had the mostes fun.
And when the spree was over
He said “That’s a job well done.”
Time most Active: At night
Where to find them: Unknown, unless one has invaded your home. If you
want to see one, then let your deep mind take you to an infested house
in the astral world. Just make sure he doesn’t follow you home!
How to Contact: CONTACT IS NOT ADVISED!"
And here you thought you had a problem with just the wee Varroas
Pah!
PH

Please keep you boggarts to your self
One of them (headless) rides down our lane on horse back.
Not far from me lies a 'boggart hole '.
Pity the headless one didn't stray into it

John Wilkinson

 

[Hivemaker.]

PH....yes i believe they are all very similar,perhaps even some hybrids....but often with the same characteristics,little buggers they are.

 

[jimbeekeeper]

I think there are a few on tis forum

Stop messing about or Teacher will be along soon.

 

[victor meldrew]

I think there are a few on tis forum

Stop messing about or Teacher will be along soon.

One is running around below your signature


John Wilkinson

 

[Mandeville]

Just a thought here,but do you have a large overgrown garden,if so it could well be a case that you have an infestation of feral pixies,and these are well known for playing practical jokes like pulling funny faces at your dog or children when your not looking ect,and are also fond of urinating over beehives in the depths of winter.....i hear they are full of a funny brown coloured substance when broken open. More common in the south west,but what with global warming, perhaps they are migrating further east....just another thought and maybe they are culprits causing your brown oooz.

Ah - you could be on to something here! We've just landscaped a very overgrown part of the garden, so maybe we've displaced some pixies/hobgolblins/boggarts who are now disgruntled and getting their own back. Is there a cure for this type of infestation?

 

[iball]

Ah - you could be on to something here! We've just landscaped a very overgrown part of the garden, so maybe we've displaced some pixies/hobgolblins/boggarts who are now disgruntled and getting their own back. Is there a cure for this type of infestation?

A very large whiskey, it doesn't get rid of the creatures but you stop worrying about them!!

Ian

 

[Mandeville]

Lets get back to basics. Does this nuc with a solid floor have the floor screwed on?

If not it would be so much more sensible to remove the body from the floor to inspect it? Raise the body from the floor by ~4mm to improve ventilation and do away with all, or virtually all, the top ventilation. It will certainly need fondant (over the crownboard with present temperatures, but perhaps on the frame top bars if fed when warmer).

Opening any weak nuc in the present weather conditions is likely to hasten it's demise, so don't do it, unless you find water ingress, is my advice.

Regards, RAB

I'm not sure how the floor is attached to the walls. The nuc is only on loan to us so we can't do anything destructive to it.

We haven't taken the roof off since the beginning of this cold snap, so I don't know whether they have finished all the fondant that I'd already given them.

I'm a bit confused now - is it OK to open it enough to put more food in for them over the crown board?

 

[Kev]

Hi Mandy,
May be worth checking to see if the nuc will fit inside the outer body of the WBC.
If it will then put the WBC in the place that the nuc is, remove the inner boxes from the wbc and stand the nuc on the floor of the wbc with something under the back to tip it forward a little to help any moisture run out of the front. Replace the outer sections and roof around the nuc. May help protect the nuc from some of the weather?
Dont know what others think of the idea, but sure someone will be along soon to tell you if it would cause a problem.

I would check under the roof to give more fondant, but wouldnt remove the crown board.

Kev

 

[Dishmop]

Just a thought, but I dont suppose it could be frozen fondant and now gooey and thawing?

 

[Mandeville]

Thanks Kev - that sounds like a good idea.

But if it will fit, does it matter that the bees will be able to get in between the WBC outer walls and the nuc? ( Is that a really stupid question ? )


Mandy

 

[Mandeville]

Just a thought, but I dont suppose it could be frozen fondant and now gooey and thawing fondant?

I don't think that's it - it's not sticky at all.

 

[Kev]

I would put the nuc entrance as close as you can to the wbc entrance and they should be ok as they will be able to see the light. only problem may be if they get 'lost' between the wbc outer and the nuc when returning. Think I would fill the gap around the entrance with some insulation to form a tunnel between the two entrance's to help them.

Kev

 

[Poly Hive]

Not a silly q at all

They will find their way home.

A wee nuc in a thin nuc box is very vulnerable so if you have the spare WBC then set it so the entrance is on the line where your nuc's entrance is (as it were) and pop the nuc inside. Pack the space with quilts or some such insulation and over the top of course.

Keep an eye on their food levels and with luck.......... they get through what is offering to be a savage winter.

PH

 

[Mandeville]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I'll be out first thing tomorrow with a tape measure and a camera and will report back.

I know it'll be a miracle if we manage to get them through the winter, but someone told us that if we did, they might take off like a rocket in the spring.

 

[Poly Hive]

Rocket?


Very unlikely. If they are poorly now why would they take off in the Spring?

Sorry to be cold water but it takes a good un to do that.


PH

 

[shonto]

i hope you get them through mandy.
i think they are having a christmas party and that is the dreggs they have thrown out . .

good luck :0)

 

[Mandeville]

Rocket?


Very unlikely. If they are poorly now why would they take off in the Spring?

Sorry to be cold water but it takes a good un to do that.


PH

It was a very experienced and knowledgeable beekeeper who said this - I thought it was a bit optimistic, but perhaps he was just being encouraging to us new anxious beekeepers!

I don't know if they're poorly exactly - just they are only a very small colony. I'm glad that no-one has suggested that our brown puddle is a sign of "London Bee-Melt Disease" or something!

i hope you get them through mandy.
i think they are having a christmas party and that is the dreggs they have thrown out . .

good luck :0)

Thanks! I'd hate to lose them - we've done so much worrying about them. And if they don't make it, I don't want it to be because of something I've done, or didn't do. Does that make sense?