Are your bee's still flying ?

[steve1958]

High winds, rain, and a drop in temperature.

and they are still flying!

 

[BKF Admin]

Thats what happens when you buy local stock instead of that imported queen rubbish

 

[m100]

Thats what happens when you buy local stock instead of that imported queen rubbish

An 'Italian like' swarm that moved into one of my bait hives earlier this year continues to fly very actively... it's about 1700 years since the Romans were last in Yorkshire...although there are a few pizza places nearby.

 

[grizzly]

Thats what happens when you buy local stock instead of that imported queen rubbish

All my imported queen rubbish are still flying too, they have obviously had a few good tokes on the weed and thought F**k it, lets fly anways.
Bless em.

 

[Heather]

All busy on Mahonia Charity -thats the bright yellow pollen I was unsure of!
Just worried that they are piling into stock feed -they still heavy to heft, but getting a little lighter. Am loathe to open up to look.Will add fondant and monitor that.

 

[Stiffy]

All busy on Mahonia Charity -thats the bright yellow pollen I was unsure of!
Just worried that they are piling into stock feed -they still heavy to heft, but getting a little lighter. Am loathe to open up to look.Will add fondant and monitor that.

Thanks Heather, I wondered what the bright yellow pollen was! All five hives are coming in with lead boots of the stuff, even the hive of imported queen rubbish.

On a seperate note, two weeks ago I put on some homemade fondant and bought bakers on all hives. The homemade stuff went first and very quickly and they are now taking the bakers. My partner reckons they dont prefer my recipe and are just carrying outside but I think they must like it! Will keep making it and see if a pile develops close to the landing boards

 

[Heather]

I have some bakers fondant, but it has gone a bit hard as i didn't seal it totally - any clues how to make it a bit more bee friendly

 

[VEG]

Dunk it in a bowl of water then take it out and kneed it. Its a sticky job but it works. It is easier to make sure all the air is out of the bag before you seal it. I spray my fondant with water then suck the air out of the bag then seal it.

 

[Frisbee]

I have some bakers fondant, but it has gone a bit hard as i didn't seal it totally - any clues how to make it a bit more bee friendly

2 ways depending on how hard the hard bits are:-

Cut it into handleable sized pieces maybe a couple of lbs in weight and warm carefully in the microwave.

When I say carefully.............I mean exactly that. As you know microwaves produce hot spots and a hot area within the piece will burn your hand because if you get in hot inside it will go runny, so 30 seconds at a time and keep feeling it by putting your hand on the piece, when it feels slightly warm bring it out and knead it, using icing sugar to pevent it sticking to the work surface and have a blunt knife at the ready to remove anything hot from the palm of your hand. Use the microwave for another 30 second blast or more again if necessary. When it is warm it will knead nicely.

Now depending on how hard it is, which I am of course only hearing you say. If it's very hard you may need to add water to it, if it's just a bit "crusty" the microwave warming will probably do the trick.

For very hard you need lots of patience and for best results a double boiler, you know a saucepan within a saucepan which has water in it. If you have such a thing cut the hard lumps up and about 2 thirds fill the inside of the double boiler, cover with water and put on to heat, keep the water in the outer pan simmering and keep stirring the contents until eventually the lumps will dissolve in the water and you will have a hot thick solution, pour that into a bowl and leave to cool. You will find when cold it is perfectly maleable and you will be able to knead it using icing sugar and make whatever shape or size you want. Wrap well after this.

If you haven't a double boiler then cut off the hard bits. You will find inside is fine unless it's thin piece. Put the hard bits into a saucepan and cover with water. Heat and stir BUT never let it boil.........warm it to hot then turn off the heat give a good stir and then go away and do something else. Repeat until mixed as above. Don't ever let the mixture boil or you will change it and it won't go to soft fondant again.

It's not as complicated as it sounds..........I removed all mine off my hives in spring and stuffed them in a bucket which got covered with something else and forgotten. I resurrected it all, but have a double boiler which makes it easier as you can leave it simmering and go away and do something useful. It does take quite a long time...........think warming a bucket of set honey, perhaps not as long as that but long enough.

The fondant Queen................

Frisbee

 

[m100]

More or less as VEG says.....

It's relatively easy to soften fondant that has dried out a bit without resorting to heating in a pan or in the microwave (the latter, if it goes wrong could easily result in some pretty serious burns)

Break it into fist sized bits, dunk it in a bowl of hot water at around 50 deg C for a few seconds, remove and knead for a few seconds. Break pieces in half and redunk if they don't go soft.

Obviously a PITA if it's a huge lump of fondant but for 5kg or less it's pretty quick exercise. Next time any unused fondant will go in a sealed bucket

 

[Heather]

cheers all - I did seal in a bag- but it was too hard to be useful. Now sorted

 

[blueboy]

Bees Still flying - straight at me! Hefted hive but lowered it a bit too quickly. Out they came looking for the intruder in a very aggressive manner and found a very careless bee keeper with no veil on......
Now I know I should have been more careful but can somebody explain why normally quiet bees become so aggressive at this time of the year

 

[SER]

My main hives were still flying during the sunny spells on Friday, not many but a constant flow of a few.

The small nuc which is tucked up in a shed is not flying very much at all but are still active in the box no sign of a cluster yet.

 

[VEG]

Blueboy as you said you put the hive down quickly. They see you as a threat to their hive they are doing what comes naturally.

 

[grizzly]

Now I know I should have been more careful but can somebody explain why normally quiet bees become so aggressive at this time of the year

As Veg mentioned to the bees you are the cause of the disturbance, also what they have in the store cupboard means life of death particularly at this time of year, so they are more protective, and quite possibly even more aggressive than harvest time.