Beekeeping Xmas Presents!!!

[jenkinsbrynmair]

the one we usually have at Royal Welsh events (smallholder's fair and the show itself) is a traditional four frame display (two brood, two super) supplied by the one and only Fred Eckton and the bees are fine in it as long as you keep an eye on them and have a water bottle in place, they are always indoors so direct sun isn't a problem and the only time we had an issue was spring 2014 which was an exceptionally hot claggy day so Fred took them home mid afternoon.
Last year we had two displays in the Royal Welsh - Fred had his in the honey hall and they were fine for the full four days. The Ulster was with us at the Coed Cadw marquee and the whole week was not hot but rather threatening rain the whole time - the only way to give water was to squirt a bit in with a syringe through a narrow gap at the top of the glass, but even with regular watering they very quickly got stressed out and the queen was very torpid for the whole time, surprising really, especially as the Ulster was taken away each evening and the bees left to fly for a few hours

 

[Firefly]

A porcelain teapot with a bumblebee on it - very nice

A jar of pine honey from Eastern France - an acquired taste...maybe

'The Bees' by Laline Paull - see my mini review on the bee books thread

Seven colonies still surviving in seven hives - thank you to Melisseus, Brigid or any other supreme being that comes up on a thread about badger culling

 

[pargyle]

... The Ulster was with us at the Coed Cadw marquee and the whole week was not hot but rather threatening rain the whole time - the only way to give water was to squirt a bit in with a syringe through a narrow gap at the top of the glass, but even with regular watering they very quickly got stressed out and the queen was very torpid for the whole time, surprising really, especially as the Ulster was taken away each evening and the bees left to fly for a few hours

Well .. that's bees for you innit ? Never do what they are supposed to do when you want them to do it ...it could have just been the weather - mine get very stressed when it's thundery - it's the only time that I've ever really had to shut them up and walk away - and it didn't even look like rain when I started !! But they knew !

 

[Finman]

it's the only time that I've ever really had to shut them up and walk away - and it didn't even look like rain when I started !! But they knew !

3-4 hours before sunset is a bad time to start hive nursing. They give stings a lot, and in the morning nothing. But when if day temp is 30C, it is impossible to me to go work into full sunshine.

Sometimes I had obliged to leave hive open over night and continue in the morning. I have covered boxes with news paper or with something what I have with me.

 

[Tremyfro]

Whoop...Whoop...my Xmas present arrives tomorrow.

 

[Teemore]

Joe Thompson is the chap who came up with the "Ulster" obs nuc. He will only have the bees on display for a day at a time. His personal version has a mesh vent in the floor and a circular mesh vent at the top of the display section (approx. 30mm diameter). A water mister can then be used to spray through the vent to cool things down as and when required. Joe has made an insulated cover which drops down over the display section to exclude light and help the bees moderate the temperature in the Nuc.

 

[einsteinagogo]

an electric stainless steel smoker! - umm!

I may actually, remove the electric smoker part, and put bellows on it!

and out the electric smoker, on my old cheap galvanised ones!

 

[Finno]

A framed copy of a print entitled "The reality of life on 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree'".
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172053