bees avoiding the super

[menteth]

hi miniegg,
I just did a trial run: I smeared honey all over the walls on the top floor of my home, and my kids were up there in a flash working away. So I see no reason why it shouldn't work with insects. Gonna try tomorrow.
PS my wife hit the roof. Result.

 

[menteth]

Hi enrico,
Thanks very much for the tutorial. Brilliant. Have been wondering about the swarm thing for ages.
Will keep eyes wide open.
I thought bee keeping was supposed to be a relaxing pass time. They've ruined every holiday, as I spend all the time worrying about them. Is this universal, or is it just me, or have i inadvertently joined a cult?

Anyway, I rang my neighbour and he's gone out and told the bees, that if they're determined to swarm, they've got to head up the hard shoulder of the M5 to you.

I hope they don't ruin your life too.

 

[enrico]

I do hope your life isn't really ruined. The first couple of years are a bit like having children or a new puppy! You need to understand each other and know just how far you can push each other. I have many years under my belt but still spend evenings in deep thought as to my next move! I find it helps to inspect your bees as regularly as possible to avoid swarms but only when you have a plan of action as to what you are doing. Eg I need to know if I have a queen, I find eggs, that's it, close hive. And then write down what I need to do next time I look in, eg, look for queen cells. If I find one what I'll I do?
It really is no good just looking through a hive with no plan. You suddenly find a queen cell but have nothing ready to do an AS.
The most important thing to remember is that your bees want to survive. If you blow it and they swarm you will still have bees left! If you are lucky you will keep the swarm, if not you just start again with what you have left, some years will be good and easy and others, like this year, will be hard! Keep smiling, if you don't enjoy your bees then they will become a chore. Take time to be amazed at what they achieve, with your help, in a year and enjoy your honey even if it is only a few drips from one frame! One year it will be pounds!!
Keep smiling
E

 

[Andy Duff]

Holy ship!!! This shain is again full of stupid advices.

The colony will occuphye the super when it is ready to that.

no sugar, no hair dryer no anything.

When the hive is cold, the empty box makes the hive just colder. Heat rises up. One box hive is small.

Every hive has sometimes one box full of bees and brood and no one invite with syrup or with hair dryer to next box

Are you really mad in your suggestions!!!

Here a beginners makes fault observations from his hive and other goes on walls like ping pong ball.

.

Cheers for that Fman, I was merely trying to see if the bees would move over the super to obtain the syrup, NOT to feed them, this was obviously lost in translation some where along the line. The weather here is very hot and the bees probably do not need feeding at all.

 

[Finman]

Cheers for that Fman, I was merely trying to see if the bees would move over the super to obtain the syrup, .

yes but that is not a way how bees occupy foundation box. Truly.
Enlargening a hive is really normal procedure and hairdryer is the last tool what is needed. Second last is syrup.

 

[Finman]

Enlargening a hive and adding boxes is the most normal procedure in beekeeping. It does not need any tricks or "encouragements". You just do it in proper time.

And if bees do not act like you want, the problem is not in bees.

 

[Finman]

Hi Finman. Brilliant idea of yours. Drop a cruising missile into my hive, that'll get the bees up into the super.

Also, is this a debate?
How about turning the hive upside down?
Beat that for an idea

what about changing medication?

 

[menteth]

what about changing medication?

Hi Finman, you're back, brilliant.
Good advice all round. I'll be enlarging my hive today. It seems Finman, that lots of people use their own tricks for bee keeping, and that is what This site is all about. And for me, being a beginner, its great to get as much help as possible. I can offer at this stage, little (to the forum) in return, except the occasional poor quality joke. One day, maybe I'll be in the position to give advice to young sapling. You clearly have lots of experience. Thank you.

On the issue of changing medication, I'm afraid I cannot help you. I'm a welder not a doctor.

 

[menteth]

I do hope your life isn't really ruined. The first couple of years are a bit like having children or a new puppy! You need to understand each other and know just how far you can push each other. I have many years under my belt but still spend evenings in deep thought as to my next move! I find it helps to inspect your bees as regularly as possible to avoid swarms but only when you have a plan of action as to what you are doing. Eg I need to know if I have a queen, I find eggs, that's it, close hive. And then write down what I need to do next time I look in, eg, look for queen cells. If I find one what I'll I do?
It really is no good just looking through a hive with no plan. You suddenly find a queen cell but have nothing ready to do an AS.
The most important thing to remember is that your bees want to survive. If you blow it and they swarm you will still have bees left! If you are lucky you will keep the swarm, if not you just start again with what you have left, some years will be good and easy and others, like this year, will be hard! Keep smiling, if you don't enjoy your bees then they will become a chore. Take time to be amazed at what they achieve, with your help, in a year and enjoy your honey even if it is only a few drips from one frame! One year it will be pounds!!
Keep smiling
E

Hi Enrico, Life not really ruined. Though I do worry about the bees, mostly as I'm a site welder and sometimes spend 2 weeks away from home. So cannot get the time to take a look in the hive. Especially in this hot weather.
Last year (our first year) the hive gave us 40lb. Though it looks like everyone has has a low year this year due to the weather. I was originally concerned with the bees lack of interest in honey storage, but this debate has alerted me to my lack of brood space. Thanks v much.

 

[meidel]

the occasional poor quality joke. ...

On the issue of changing medication, I'm afraid I cannot help you. I'm a welder not a doctor.

keep them coming i enjoy reading them and your banter with Fin

 

[itma]

... no one invite with syrup or with hair dryer to next box

Are you really mad in your suggestions!!!
...

There may be a language problem.

With old "stale" foundation, 'freshening' it back to smelling and feeling nicer, by means of a gentle waft with a warm hairdryer doesn't seem unusual, judging by the number of times it has been recommended on this forum.
But this is only about dealing with old foundation - not directly about encouraging the bees up into a second box consisting of no drawn comb. If the foundation is not the problem, then yes it is completely unnecessary -- but I can't determine the state of it from here!
As long as you don't melt the stuff, no harm should come of this "madness".

 

[victor meldrew]

I invariably mix drawn and foundation in my supers . Pre use attracts the bees !!
Heather men ,going for sections (notoriously difficult to get properly filled and capped ) use well used supers + division boards to reduce the number of racks . This seems to do the trick , theory being , smaller quantity of perfect sections is better than having more but unsaleable amounts .
VM

 

[Finman]

There may be a language problem.

With old "stale" foundation, 'freshening' it back to smelling and feeling nicer, by means of a gentle waft with a warm hairdryer doesn't seem unusual, judging by the number of times it has been recommended on this forum.
But this is only about dealing with old foundation - not directly about encouraging the bees up into a second box consisting of no drawn comb. If the foundation is not the problem, then yes it is completely unnecessary -- but I can't determine the state of it from here!
As long as you don't melt the stuff, no harm should come of this "madness".

during my 50 y beekeeping I have never hair dryer to refress foundations. Even if they are 7 years old, bees draw them. My brother kept bees in Sweden and then stopped beekeeping. After year, perhaps 10 y, he brought his last 30 sheet foundationd and I used them without tricks.

If bees do not like wax, they bite it down and draw new cells.

If i encourage bees to foundation box, i take combs from downstairs or I put a dark comb into the box. And then question is about bridge between brood box and honey boxes when I put foundations over brood.


But as you see, problem was a cold hive and not hair dryer.

If bees do not rise to super, problem is allways too small colony and they do not leave brood unheated.

90% of tricks which have presented in this forum is closer to phychiatry than to entomology.


.b

 

[alldigging]

So for a newbie with no access to done comb, would putting a super frame in the brood for a day or two be worth doing? That way it'd get some comb on it .. Maybe a week and as part of the expanding the brood frames slowly?

 

[Poly Hive]

If your colony is strong then giving a super of foundation will be fine.

It's how my first nuc progressed.

As I say it's how all my colonies get theirs.. not an issue provided they are strong enough, and I class that at at least 8 frames of brood.

PH

 

[Finman]

.
Look now

the main point in this chain was

- it is end of July
- hive is still small, one box
- bees were clustered around brood because hive had too much ventilation

this has nothing to do with question,how to make bees to draw foundations. They do it when they are ready and need new combs.


Drawing foundations

- bees draw when they need combs to brood
- they draw when it is flow going and they need combs for honey
- they go into saving mode when weathers are bad and there is no flow
- it is not wise to force bees to draw foundations if they themselves do not want
- colony in swarming fever often denie to draw combs

.

 

[Sadders]

Mine are not ignoring the supers as such but not putting much in.

I have 2 on a 14x12 national. The top one has 2 frames almost full, 2 pulled but not filled and the others yet to pull. The bottom one, which I put on in anticipation of good weather, has not been touched.

The top super has plenty of bees in, the bottom has not.

Why are they not putting down stores. The BB has 4 frames stores and 7 brood = full.

Is it just too late now for a flow after the bad weather?

 

[Poly Hive]

It all depends on the flow.

Just because there is forage available and seemingly good weather does not repeat not equate to flow conditions.

Too hot and the nectar dries off and we all know about too cold. Humid and warm weather with little breeze is about the best combination.

PH

 

[Hachi]

Crates of hi strength alcohol, send to him CIF and duty paid?

You mean DDP Delivered Duty Paid

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

On the issue of changing medication, I'm afraid I cannot help you. I'm a welder not a doctor.