Catching bees for testing

[DianeJones]

Hi, I'm going over the questions for my assessment, and one of the items is collecting bees for testing. I've read about doing this - I know that it's the older foraging bees that should be collected and that they can be collected in a match box, bit it's never as easy as it sounds when you've got a hive full of bees to content with too. Does anyone have any tips or advice?
Thanks
Diane

 

[Hivemaker.]

Just collect the returning bee's at the entrance into a freezer bag,stick a bit of foam in for a few seconds.

 

[Adam]

Just collect the returning bee's at the entrance into a freezer bag,stick a bit of foam in for a few seconds.

You should find a frame where foragers are (i.e near the entrance). For my basic, I individually picked up the workers. Sounds scary, but once mastered it's a useful skill to have.

Adam

 

[DianeJones]

Sorry if this sound stupid - but why a piece of foam?

 

[DianeJones]

Yes, I've been told to pick them up individually - but how do you keep them in the box while you pick up the other 29?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Stops the returning foragers entering the hive........the foam,you can then shake them into the freezer bag.
Picking up bee's is scary.......don't be silly.

 

[DianeJones]

Oh yes, sorry - I was thinking of putting the foam in the freezer bag not in the hive entrance (think I had too much sun today )

 

[Poly Hive]

Why do they specify foraging bees?

PH

 

[DianeJones]

Because they are older so more likely to have acarine - I think

 

[Hivemaker.]

Or nosema.

 

[susbees]

And don't do as I did today....took two samples for morph-ing today to our monthly meeting so our morph-man could take them home. Mid-morning, bunged them in the freezer, early pm took them out and took them an hour down the road....

....by which time the dead bees were waggling their legs again. Luckily the village hall where we had microscopy demos etc after the apiary visit had a fridge-freezer!!!!

Up til now I've picked dead bees up from the hive. Today I learnt something...it really IS worth getting your karma points sorted by helping a few home on a winter's day .