Cappings

[Brewer24]

I vaped my hives a few days ago and checked the bottom board (OMF) today for mites. Tremendous drop especially in my TB hive so it was worth doing and I’ll repeat in 10 days or so.
The query is my TB hive also had quite a bit of cappings along the OMF. Obviously from brood. But also further away from the cluster, so I am wondering/thinking that this may also be a sign of their stores being uncapped and used. Haven’t seen this amount of capping on the OMF before, and assume with this very mild weather in the South of England the bees are very lively inside the hive. If this correct, I will have to ensure that stores are closely monitored?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I vaped my hives a few days ago and I’ll repeat in 10 days or so.

Why vape a second time? and regardless, it's pointless waiting ten days for the next dose
If the bees are going into the stores, then that is where the cluster will also be; any brown brood cappings or just clean stores cappings?

 

[Brewer24]

Why vape a second time? and regardless, it's pointless waiting ten days for the next dose
If the bees are going into the stores, then that is where the cluster will also be; any brown brood cappings or just clean stores cappings?

1) Well they have some capped brood so I was going treat once these have matured as the drop was pretty big?
My TB has a viewing panel and the cluster is on the right hand side and cappings are heavy on the right with them spreading out to the left. Definitely no brood on the left because no bees have been seen clustering here. So I presume it has to be capped stores.
This extremely mild spell has brought with it a whole host of new experiences with it. My understanding is that mild winter temperatures = active bees = more consumption of stores. And most of their stores was brought in from Ivy and very little during the summer months, hence my concern over stores. Yes I have hefted my hives!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well they have some capped brood so I was going treat once these have matured as the drop was pretty big?

But by that time, any mites which emerged a few days after the initial vaping will have tucked themselves back in brood sealed before you zap them again, so either just do one hit in a period when there is no sealed brood or vape them three times - five days apart.

 

[Finman]

If this correct, I will have to ensure that stores are closely monitored?

Let the bees be alone. Do not disturb them during winter. You do not need to know about their cappings. Vaping is necessary
, but not too much.

Spring is coming soon.

 

[Brewer24]

Let the bees be alone. Do not disturb them during winter. You do not need to know about their cappings. Vaping is necessary
, but not too much.

Spring is coming soon.

Calm down. The only disturbance is vaping!

 

[Finman]

Calm down. The only disturbance is vaping!

Say it to bees. It does not harm me what ever you do.

 

[Brewer24]

But by that time, any mites which emerged a few days after the initial vaping will have tucked themselves back in brood sealed before you zap them again, so either just do one hit in a period when there is no sealed brood or vape them three times - five days apart.

Ok 3 times 5 days apart it will be.

Say it to bees. It does not harm me what ever you do.
[/QUOTE

Say it to bees. It does not harm me what ever you do.

I presume your bees don’t suffer from varroa mite. Lucky you?

 

[Finman]

I presume your bees don’t suffer from varroa mite. Lucky you?

Such is life

 

[pargyle]

1) Well they have some capped brood so I was going treat once these have matured as the drop was pretty big?
My TB has a viewing panel and the cluster is on the right hand side and cappings are heavy on the right with them spreading out to the left. Definitely no brood on the left because no bees have been seen clustering here. So I presume it has to be capped stores.
This extremely mild spell has brought with it a whole host of new experiences with it. My understanding is that mild winter temperatures = active bees = more consumption of stores. And most of their stores was brought in from Ivy and very little during the summer months, hence my concern over stores. Yes I have hefted my hives!

In well insulated hives the bees remain active but use LESS stores as they don't waste energy heating the cluster. Top bar hives that are not insulated have a reputation for colonies starving ... they get to one end of the hive and even though there are stores at the other end they are unable or unwilling to move to where the stores are. So two questions:

1. What insulation have you got on your top bar hives ?

2. Did you manipulate the brood nest going into winter so that they were not in the middle of combs of stores but were sited to one side of all the stores ?

If not then you really need to get as much insulation on and around those hives as you can - slabs of kingspan or celotex on both side walls and on top of the top bars and a draught skirt round the bottom to stop any draughts through the mesh floor for a start.. You don't need to disturb the bees to do this but later on you may need to feed them ... do you have a means of getting fondant next to the cluster when/if they need it ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Top bar hives that are not insulated have a reputation for colonies starving ... they get to one end of the hive and even though there are stores at the other end they are unable or unwilling to move to where the stores are.

That's why I prefer entrances on African Top Bar hives to be at one 'gable' end not slap bang in the middle of one of the sides

 

[pargyle]

That's why I prefer entrances on African Top Bar hives to be at one 'gable' end not slap bang in the middle of one of the sides

My LDH has an entrance in the middle for the season (I found they built bigger colonies expanding out from the centre of the hive than starting at one end), But it also has alternative entrances at the end and I opened one of them up at the start of winter after adjusting the stores and brood nest - then closed up the central entrance with corks.

 

[Brewer24]

In well insulated hives the bees remain active but use LESS stores as they don't waste energy heating the cluster. Top bar hives that are not insulated have a reputation for colonies starving ... they get to one end of the hive and even though there are stores at the other end they are unable or unwilling to move to where the stores are. So two questions:

1. What insulation have you got on your top bar hives ?

2. Did you manipulate the brood nest going into winter so that they were not in the middle of combs of stores but were sited to one side of all the stores ?

If not then you really need to get as much insulation on and around those hives as you can - slabs of kingspan or celotex on both side walls and on top of the top bars and a draught skirt round the bottom to stop any draughts through the mesh floor for a start.. You don't need to disturb the bees to do this but later on you may need to feed them ... do you have a means of getting fondant next to the cluster when/if they need it ?

Yes, yes & yes.
I am based very far south and have 3 x nationals and 2x TBH. I haven’t lost a colony through winter cold or starvation. TB’s are closed up with wool blankets over the top and a bar set up that allows top feeding syrup and fondant if needed. So all good.
Thanks for answering my query. I was concerned I might not ever get one -

“ in well insulated hives the bees remain active but use LESS stores as they don't waste energy heating the cluster”

 

[Erichalfbee]

“ in well insulated hives the bees remain active but use LESS stores as they don't waste energy heating the cluster”

It's something all of us with poly hives understand but it's difficult convincing some folk still.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Even youngsters or as you said some folk think they are active with warm weather so they are using more food.
Combo of more brood rearing and usually cooler weather in Jan/Feb stores can be consumed.
From October to December colonys are almost at a stand still with weight, I'm almost thinking there's know point weighing untill January.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you mean new beekeepers when you say youngsters its because that is what they are taught. Keep your bees cold in the winter and they will cluster and use less food.
If you have fed to winter weight then you are right. Not much point in weighing till the tail end of winter. I don't bother till the end of January

 

[Curly green finger's]

If you mean new beekeepers when you say youngsters its because that is what they are taught. Keep your bees cold in the winter and they will cluster and use less food.
If you have fed to winter weight then you are right. Not much point in weighing till the tail end of winter. I don't bother till the end of January

Exactly dani, I weighed some yesterday gave up after half a dozen, just hefted the rest.

 

[oliver90owner]

“Tremendous” is a rather subjective rem. Many are prone to exaggeration.

‘Closing the door after the horse has bolted’ comes to mind. IF the drop is tremendous, the winter bees have already been compromised. Fingers crossed (can’t do anything more) that they survive the winter, let alone as (what I call) a strong colony in the spring.

As we are not really aware of the actual situation, this thread is a bit of a non-topic , in my book. Nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[Bumbling Keeper]

If you mean new beekeepers when you say youngsters its because that is what they are taught. Keep your bees cold in the winter and they will cluster and use less food.
If you have fed to winter weight then you are right. Not much point in weighing till the tail end of winter. I don't bother till the end of January

I've never understood the logic behind 'keeping the bees cold'; to me, clustering and heating the cluster are survival strategies. We are told that their natural homes - hollows in trees - are much better insulated than the thin wooden walls we give them. We hear a lot about starved colonies dying over winter despite having plenty of stores - especially from the Northern Americans. If they're too cold to move then, to me and given that they don't hibernate, they're too cold, full stop.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've never understood the logic behind 'keeping the bees cold'

It's all down to a piece of poorly written fiction by Wedmore called 'the ventilation of beehives' published at the end of the war