Bees ignoring the rule book!

[FreeFall]

I had one of my hives robbing another earlier this year and could clearly see the traffic between the two. I got the hosepipe out and sprayed a fine mist all around both hives - bees thought it was raining, gave up and went home

I was expecting them to start again once the 'rain' stopped but strangely they didn't.

 

[oliver90owner]

Robbing in late November? Possible but improbable. Never seen it myself, so more than likely a figment of the imagination of a new beek, and a few other first year experts. Mbc is likely closest to the mark.

 

[Rosie gill]

Robbing in late November? Possible but improbable. Never seen it myself, so more than likely a figment of the imagination of a new beek, and a few other first year experts. Mbc is likely closest to the mark.

Ouch!!

 

[pargyle]

Ouch!!

It's OK ... It's RAB ... he's our resident tough love beek ... probably bang on the money - he usually is !

 

[Itchy]

Robbing in late November? Possible but improbable. Never seen it myself, so more than likely a figment of the imagination of a new beek, and a few other first year experts. Mbc is likely closest to the mark.

As a first year expert and new beek, I find it much more gratifying to come to the "sunnier" conclusions about what my bees are doing, even though I should know better. Luckily the experienced contributors of the forum can point us in a more likely (although sometimes less desirable) direction. Thanks

 

[farbee]

Its not really the time of year for robbing of extant colonies.
I hate to be the voice of doom but the scene I have in my minds eye from your description looks more like either your colony collapsing, or more likely considering the pollen loads coming back, a neighbouring colony collapsing and strange bees trying to gain entry. If this is the case then its a classic way for your hive to gain an unexpectedly high varroa load.

That makes sense and explains why there were bees around one of my hives that looked lost and trying to get in through the back of the hive.

 

[victor meldrew]

6 degrees but sunny !
The farm ducks are in my apiary again they're rooting under the mantle of fallen leaves right upto and under the landing boards . I watched them awhile , I thought they were gobbling slugs down but realised they were scoffing acorns !
The colony they were crowding round was my most feisty one but bees and ducks ignored each other ,each concentrating on job in hand, no time for hanky panky
Time of year, feisty bees, live stock . Yep books ignored wish I'd have had my vid with me .
VM


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[wood blewit]

"Ouch someones a bit tetchy. was just making lite conversation nothing so serious!"

my point is that this is a rather significant part of the biology of the honeybee colony which doesn't seem to be being communicated to newbies.

I would like to say in defence of the supposed dim newbie,, we understand a lot more about beekeeping than we are given credit after all we have entered the world of Bkeeping at a time when there is a lot more scientifically proven knowledge out there for us to glean, the internet and forums like this is an example and i feel this gives us much more available knowledge than some old time beek who learned his trade through folklore, second hand spoken knowledge and if theres a lot of berries on the hawthorn feed your bees well cos it gonna be harsh winter its only my second summer with my bees and i have certainly discovered that bees do what they want not what books say they should i feel you learn more reading your actual bees than any literature .

 

[mbc]

i feel you learn more reading your actual bees than any literature .

Spot on

 

[steve1958]

http://youtu.be/LB4HyndV78Y

November 2nd, and they are still collecting pollen

 

[VEG]

Did you mean Dec 2nd

 

[user 6228]

I would like to say in defence of the supposed dim newbie,, we understand a lot more about beekeeping than we are given credit after all we have entered the world of Bkeeping at a time when there is a lot more scientifically proven knowledge out there for us to glean, the internet and forums like this is an example and i feel this gives us much more available knowledge than some old time beek who learned his trade through folklore, second hand spoken knowledge and if theres a lot of berries on the hawthorn feed your bees well cos it gonna be harsh winter its only my second summer with my bees and i have certainly discovered that bees do what they want not what books say they should i feel you learn more reading your actual bees than any literature .

keep reading the literature with some science behind it, but always look closely at the bodytext not just the conclusions

 

[Finman]

and i have certainly discovered that bees do what they want not what books say they should i feel you learn more reading your actual bees than any literature .

After 50 years beekeeping I have noticed too, that bees cannot read books. - And same with other animals and plants, buildings, cars, kitchen, ....
However, written text is the source from where we learn.
20 years in school? And you have learned nothing from books???? Homeworks? What is that? Never heard!

Did you learn about experience in school. No, I did not repeated me classes in school.

To me the most important was to meet a splended menthor, who teached to me essential trick in beekeeping.

When Internet started to work properly in the year 1 and 2, I noticed that it was good time to update my beekeeping knowledge. And I have done it from original researches.

Beekeeping Magazines are good too to read.


Beekeeping starts so that you teach the bees read books....and the list of daily works....

Time to read something else than May the Bee - book

 

[Norfolk]

keep reading the literature with some science behind it, but always look closely at the bodytext not just the conclusions

Good advice Derek

By the way is that a poly hive you have made or a wooden hive with a poly covering ?

 

[user 6228]

Good advice Derek

By the way is that a poly hive you have made or a wooden hive with a poly covering ?

Its made out of 50mm Recticel, a foil faced PIR foam similar to kingspan. box to box edges are faced with 2mm correx to act as gaskets. It has folded aluminium rails and corner protection. Seams sealed internally and externally with ally foil tape. Glued with Mega grip plus outdoor grab adhesive, pinned with bamboo barbeque skewers. The only wood in it is the frames.

 

[Norfolk]

Its made out of 50mm Recticel, a foil faced PIR foam similar to kingspan. box to box edges are faced with 2mm correx to act as gaskets, folded aluminium rails and corner protection. Seams sealed internally and externally with ally foil tape. Glued with Mega grip plus outdoor grab adhesive, pinned with bamboo barbeque skewers. The only wood in it is the frames.

If I still lived in Henley OT I'd be trying to get a look at one.
Nice idea, can I ask you a couple of questions.

Do you have any pictures or plans ?
What do you estimate the cost to be ?
Do you use a hot wire to cut ?

Do you have a thread running in the hive section, you aught to I'd say

 

[Amari]

http://youtu.be/LB4HyndV78Y

November 2nd, and they are still collecting pollen

So were mine on that date, but not today

 

[steve1958]

So were mine on that date, but not today

December 2nd ... sorry Typo !