Bee Colony Cut-out/Free Bees - Essex!!!

[m100]

hivemaker

I cut out a 'feral' colony a few months back, a bit off my usual patch, the last time this building had any maintenance was 30 years ago and the records say no one had trouble with bees then, no one would notice them day to day as they were a hundred feet in the air, buried in a cavity with just a tiny opening to the outside. No one nearby would see any issued swarms as there was plenty of nearby tree cover and no property is overlooking the site

I saw evidence of two differing comb orientations (one lot tore down) so I would guess at least two colonies have been in there over the years.

The queen was huge, probably the second biggest I've seen and black, but was it a true feral? Given the surroundings, varroa, the past and maybe current presence of beekeepers in the area I doubt it. Still I'm trying to keep them varroa free and chemical free just to see if it can be done in close proximity to other colonies.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Sounds good,wish you all the best Martin......nothing like that round here,used to be loads in holes in tree's.....old folk that could go on about bee's being in them tree's for as far back as living memory.....then varroa....dead.

 

[beebreeder]

If you are keeping them in close proximity to other colonies and they have a heavy varroa load the drones will spread it to your other colonies as drones seem to be acepted in any hive, just a thought
kev

 

[m100]

Probably the big issue together with drifting, but there are papers around that claim that transfer by drones is not that significant. I'll possibly frame trap in the next month (confine the queen to one frame, let the cells be sealed and then dispose of the brood, repeat three times) Got to weigh this up against the loss of foragers and leaving enough time for raising winter bees (although I get a large amount of nectar from balsam and ivy)

 

[Chris Luck]

Could we define what we mean by "Feral" in this instance?

My understanding as a naturalist is that all bees are "wild" all a keeper does in the first instance is to provide a home for them, for some of us that's more or less all we do. Some bees of course are not native, have been imported at some time or another and can be considered as introduced species, but "wild" non the less.

Just as a starter, I'll give you "Feral cat", this is simply a "Domestic cat" or its offspring that live independently from human beings, (although they will accept food from them). Logically it follows that any swarm that establishes itself in the wild is Feral regardless of specific genetics.

Chris

 

[PaleoPerson]

Update!

Colony removed on Tuesday, On Wednesday a swarm tried to move in.

Swarm now collected and due to be hived later on today.

This is now a big bait hive!!!

 

[m100]

In terms of being feral or wild, its probably what commonly existed before pesticides or to a lesser extent the period up to when varroa come to the UK. Masses of flora in field margins, fields of clover, maybe one or more colonies per square mile across much of the UK, these colonies have been undisturbed for generations and are located in a derelict building or a hollow tree. Massive prime swarms are issued every year and are so big you'd 'need to get a bigger hive'

The derelict buildings have long since been knocked down or converted into yuppie housing, the hollow trees are too dangerous so must be cut down, houses occupy the fields once covered in clover. So the habitat has been removed and the bees really struggle to survive.

Essentially it boils down to unmanaged permanent colonies that are self sustaining. While bees have been shown to adapt to varroa, in some surroundings, in an environment with nearby managed colonies treated with acaricides then its almost an impossibility to expect a 'feral' colony to survive.