Advice needed - Liquid leaking out of hive

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oh yes,
it makes sense to me as i am taking my swarm i collectad last sumer, through my first winter.

every night i think to myself,
is there anything more i can do ?
and i worry a lot . :0)



shonto
 
Hello Mandeville,
I don't suppose that you have considered tasting the ooze? Big spit ready of course and double spit if it's really vile?

Dip your finger and lick, no point in licking it direct and getting the neighbours talking about you.

If the shade/hue/colour is not so disimilar to the colour that the nuc is painted, then it is probably a tainted runoff from a freeze/melt cycle. If all else failed, you could find a big beefy cardboard box to put over the nuc to give it a degree of shelter during the dry cold weather if the WBC idea isn't practical.
 
If all else failed, you could try contacting your local BKA. An experienced beek might be willing to come and take a look...
 
hive leaks

perhaps admin could set up a separate Beekileaks website!!!

I'm sure he'd love to take up the recently vacant post of sinister "bond villain".
 
Mandeville, the winter is great for planning the next season (there is a thread elsewhere with various peoples 'outlines' of their objectives for next season you could look at elsewhere on this forum).

Your gifted late nuc was perhaps a shot to nothing. Hopefully they will pull through winter and give you a platform to expand both colonies and experience from next season, but I don't think they should be your only strategy element.

What are your plans if they dont pull through, buy a nuc, bait hives, swarm donation?
What if they get through but are weak, how will you build / supplement them?
If they do go like a rocket what is your intention then? split them, take a late small honey yield?

Now is the time to be mapping out options and put in place the supports / equipment, not forgetting the knowledge you'll need.

The good, bad and ugly on here will happily support, build on, tune (or rip apart) your ideas of course, but better those strengths/weaknesses are discussed and resolved here in cyber space than played out in real life at your apiary (to the cost of your enjoyment, bees welfare and pocket)

Your best chance of constructive support on here is to think through and research your proposals, in my experience the rottweillers are less likely to bite yer arse if they see some self help and effort rather than just taking their 'wisdom'

Plan A looks a bit flaky on current evidence, what you going to do then?
 
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Hi Rosti Thanks for your very helpful comments.

I know the chances of a late small swarm making it through the winter are slight. When we were offered it, we were grateful for the opportunity of having our own bees to handle and gain experience with.

If they make it through the winter, I would transfer them into a proper hive in the Spring, (March? - I'd ask for advice from locals about the timing of this) and then see what happens.

When you ask how I would help them if they are weak - does "weak" mean not expanding? (Another silly question?) What would be the timescale to determine this? If they are weak - is the best option to merge them into the other colony?

If they don't make it, then our local BKA is talking about supplying bees for beginners - but the details of this is a bit hazy. I was going to talk to someone about this at the last apiary meeting but it got snowed off! If this doesn't materialise, then I'll buy a nuc - waiting for a swarm is rather uncertain.

And I'm enrolled on a winter course of evening classes - I know I should have done this first! :eek:
 
Update

The puddle has dried up this morning.

The nuc is tilted forwards, not backwards.

Had a quick look to check the feed - saw a couple of bees wandering about, so some are still alive :).

There is still a little bit of fondant left, so no need to give them more at the moment ??

Here's some pix ...

Nuc1.jpg


Nuc2.jpg


Nuc3.jpg


Does it look like Hombre's (et al) suggestion of coloured melted run-off is the most likely?

Hello Mandeville,
I don't suppose that you have considered tasting the ooze? Big spit ready of course and double spit if it's really vile?

Dip your finger and lick, no point in licking it direct and getting the neighbours talking about you.

I'm going to be really girly about this - I don't think I could do this
:ack2:
 
is that not just the colour of wet ply???? and so probably just water.

No - when it was a puddle, the liquid was definitely a very dark reddy-brown colour.

FURTHER UPDATE!!

A couple of bees have come out of the entrance and are flying about. That must be good ??
 
Two bees or not two bees? That is the question.

Let's see if they come home.
 
Lots of ideas so far, from the picture I would say it is condensation that has now thawed and run out of the front.

As Polyhive and others have said insulation on top of the crown board is the way to go because warm moist air rises from the cluster, as long as the crown board is warm the air will convect to the sides of the hive/nuc. They are not insulated and the condensation will form there and run harmlessly down the sides and out the front.

Without insulation the condensation forms on the crown board and then drips down onto the cluster - bad news - cold does not kill but damp most certainly does.

Keep them dry, as warm as possible and keep them supplied with fondant - it is OK to quietly remove the roof and add fondant on top of the feed hole. Then keep all appendages crossed and pray for an early Spring.:seeya:
 
Whilst on the subject of condensation,

do bees use any of it during the winter?
 
Thanks MJ.

I'm just so relieved that this leakage is probably nothing more ominous than water.

It looks like putting them into a WBC might just be possible, so we should be able to keep them a bit warmer from now on - hope it's not already too late. And as you suggest - keep everything crossed :)
 
Whilst on the subject of condensation,

do bees use any of it during the winter?

They certainly do, it is a valuable source of water in early spring and means the workers do not have to risk life and limb going out in dodgy weather to get water
 
It seems therefore then that as my observation hive doesnt have any condensation, that I ought to be giving them some water.... yes?
 

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