bees avoiding the super

[menteth]

Hi everyone. Sorry no contact. I've been getting all olympicy (throwing beer cans at the telly).
I thought that I should give you all an update on my haunted super. Sorry for any delay, for I can sense that anyone not gripped by the olympics (that'll be 4.2 people), must be more gripped by the state of my super.

Well, I confiscated the super and frames from my bees. I was going to try the hairdryer thing, just so I could harp on to finman about its blistering success, but alas did not try it. And this was for 2 reasons: Firstly, I'm bald, and I'm not extravagant enough to want a hairdryer ,(for the sole purpose of blow drying my nasal hair). Secondly, I don't have a better reason than the firstly.

However, I did scrutinise the wax foundation that they've been avoiding all summer. Going head to head in a wrestle, was a brand new wax foundation from Great Britain, against my bee repellent wax (from China). The wax from here was thicker, darker, and much more honey smelling. Everyone sniffed the 2 types of wax foundation. The whole family, including wife, children, dog, rabbits and chicken (the other chickens could not give their opinion as they're inside the fox): All agreed that the wax foundation that came with the hive did not smell of much at all. The brand new wax smelt glorious. So the British wax won the wrestle, and thence the gold medal

So I put it in the hive today and the bees seem to be all over it. Wether they draw it out or not remains to be seen.
I'll let you know (so you can finally get on with your lives).
Thanks all

PS Finman, where are you, this forum needs you

 

[tonybloke]

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?

sadders, remove the lower super, you're creating too much 'vain space' as finman calls it

 

[Into the lions den]

Nobody thought to ask about the excluder itself yet?

There HAVE been a few dud batches of those on the market in the recent past, that bees as they are found in this country will not pass through. Particular issue with plastic ones, and although some of them are actually excellent, there have been batches only fit for being withdrawn from market.

However, still favourite is that at t his time they just have no need to go up, and once they DO need they will do the business..

 

[Andy Duff]

Try a feeder above the hole in the crown board with1:1 sugar water, if they still won't go up there might be some contamination in the foundation that they are wary of. Keep the Q excluder off while you try this.

You were saying Finman............
Something about o holy ship?

 

[Finman]

Hi everyone. Sorry no contact. I've been getting all olympicy (throwing

However, I did scrutinise the wax foundation that they've been avoiding all summer.

PS Finman, where are you, this forum needs you

sorry my belly is sick because I have laughed too much.


Bees have avoided to grow to second box. Truly the whole summer?
Reason is that the queen is a miserable layer.

Time to bye a new queen.

 

[Andy Duff]

Well done Menteth on followig the sensible advice and sticking with it

 

[itma]

...
It's a new super with new frames and foundation. Surely this new super can't be haunted.

Could it be the foundation? OR are my bees just being a bit snobby about the decor of their new larder. ...

It occurred to me that the all-newness is going to count against you.
The trouble is probably not just the foundation being undrawn.

Bees like previously-occupied spaces. For a bait hive, an old used box is likely to be more successful than a brand new one.
Similarly, I suspect, the bees will much more happily "go up" into an old super, with old frames and undrawn foundation than into an all-new space.

Making 'sections' is difficult, and they are (OK, smaller) all-new foundation in all-new frames ...


I think that all-newness (box frames and undrawn foundation) likely has something to do with this common problem - even if there isn't anything actually bee-repellant in the (chinese?) wax or the (chinese?) wood.
And nice-smelling foundation can only help overcome the newness problem.

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

From 2 to 9 in a year OH!

I was a 2 hive person until I put my self forward for swarm collecting I now have 9 hives 3 bumblebee nests 2 in bird boxes one in a compost bin Called out last Thurs about twh thirds on a skep full nice bees and called out again this morning to a nice cottage where the old man informed me the bees have been in the roof for 2/3 months only our Son has just had a little boy GeRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR and may get stung.

 

[meidel]

R & J - it's alright if you have the space for them

menteth, we tried smearing the wax with the stores from the brood frames and it worked, but as I said, there's a flow on at the moment so the bees may have gone up anyway, tricks or no tricks

 

[Finman]

It occurred to me that the all-newness is going to count against you.
The trouble is probably not just the foundation being undrawn.

Bees like previously-occupied spaces. For a bait hive, an old used box is likely to be more successful than a brand new one.
Similarly, I suspect, the bees will much more happily "go up" into an old super, with old frames and undrawn foundation than into an all-new space.

bees go up only for the reason that heat rises up. If you put on bottom 15 W electrict heating,
the queen comes down to lay.

In nature bees expand mostly down and in some cases combs grow to sides.
It depends on the form of cavity.

.

 

[Finman]

It occurred to me that the all-newness is going to count against you.
The trouble is probably not
[
And nice-smelling foundation can only help overcome the newness problem.

good idea but pure nonsense. Bees do nothing for fun and for nice odor.

Can only overcome....rubbish. That really makes me angry.

If bees have not flow, I can take the same foundations off from the hive which I put thre a month ago.

If bees have a good flow, one hive draws 4 boxes foundations in one month and fill cells with honey.

This is so clear as it can bee.

 

[itma]

good idea but pure nonsense. Bees do nothing for fun and for nice odor.
...

Sorry, but I'm sure you know bees are VERY sensitive to odours, aromatic chemicals in the air - much more so than humans.
If the wax doesn't smell like nice beeswax to humans, it certainly won't seem 'right' to bees.

 

[Finman]

Sorry, but I'm sure you know bees are VERY sensitive to odours, aromatic chemicals in the air - much more so than humans.
If the wax doesn't smell like nice beeswax to humans, it certainly won't seem 'right' to bees.

yes, but you write rubbish.
Bees draw combs in clear air. Tey do not need nice beewax with sensitive odors.
Can't you undertand that bees make comb if they need them for
1) expanding brood
2) store food.

Otherwise they live in saving mode.

During my 50 years beekeeping bees have drawn every single foundation to combs.
And if i give them on inch wide empty space, they draw a combs there too.

 

[Finman]

.

lets look my my friends style to nurse hives. He is a farmer.

In April, when there is no flowers in nature, he givea box of fountadions under the 2-brood boxes.
He is in a hurry in May and do not touch the hives.

When yield start to come from fruit trees and dandelions, he may see that bees have expanded the hive , foundation box has been drawn an he has some honey in upper box and on sides.

This happens a month later when willow started to bloom.

My style is that I give old combs. I have some foundation in hives, and I may see, when they are willing to draw new combs. Bees' free willing desire to make new combs arises quite late.
My friend forces bees to draw foundations. I wait when they want to draw.

Why I do that? Dandelion honey is very valuable and I do not want thay they make combs from valuable honey.

Rape honey is good for comb making. I may give 2 foundation box in a good nectar flow ad bees make 20 combs in one week. But this summer rape blooming time was rainy and they made onlymhalf of combs.

Bees draw foundation fast. It is very important to many bekeepers. Why fast because they draw comb only when they need them.

The whole idea that they "draw fast", it is stupid and shows that a beekeeper does not understand the issue.

 

[Andy Duff]

Sorry, but I'm sure you know bees are VERY sensitive to odours, aromatic chemicals in the air - much more so than humans.
If the wax doesn't smell like nice beeswax to humans, it certainly won't seem 'right' to bees.

Bees being used to detect drugs and explosives, unless it's so cold in Finland that the poor little bees noses are frozen.

Finman I think your bees may have hayfever and their noses are bunged up

 

[Finman]

Bees being used to detect drugs and explosives, unless it's so cold in Finland that the poor little bees noses are frozen.

Finman I think your bees may have hayfever and their noses are bunged up

for stupid head the whole body will suffer...
Haha hah and hahaaaa

 

[Finman]

:iagree


Finman I think your bees may have hayfever and their noses are bunged up

belief is not worth of knowledge

you know, those things in bees head are antennae, not noses.

 

[Andy Duff]

for stupid head the whole body will suffer...
Haha hah and hahaaaa

Get well soon

 

[Andy Duff]

Parane pian

 

[Finman]

Parane pian

shortest fairytale in the world:
Once upon a time was a king who has that long that.

Duff, you are too smart to play this game.
But first, change your shildish avatar.



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