Clearing bees

[the beehive lodge]

One of my bee buddy's leave's his supers on till winter he calls it self clearing as soon as the cold spells set in and the bees cluster its then that he removes them must be less stress for them what your thought
Thanks in advance Alan

 

[blackcavebees]

What about thymol based varroa treatment and feeding 2:1 syrup if needed. I assume he is taking honey from supers, can't thymol treat or will taint honey, once bees cluster they are winter bees and you've lost the opportunity for late summer bees to do some work for you before they peg

 

[itma]

No. Just no.

Does he treat for varroa before removing the super(s)? Or wait until after all the winter bees have been brooded with maximum varroa and the weather is cold? Or just not treat at all?
Does he use a queen excluder?
How does he ensure that there's adequate stores down in the brood box?
Does he want Ivy honey?
...

No. Just no.



If he has had problems with Porter escapes, he should try a Rhombus escape - no adjustment, quick, simple (and cheap).

 

[the beehive lodge]

he treats for varroa in Jan oxic acid q ex yes double bb seems no problem with varroa he has been keeping bees for 40 + years
he also finds it to heavy to remove full super so this way he can take frames out of super and do it at his pace i think and open mind on this one. pros and cons old school is best some time. Do you think we interfear to much and let them get on with it

 

[itma]

Double brood should increase his chances of having enough stores.

But ... there was no varroa here 40 years ago. Times change. Beekeepers should!
Once yearly, calendar-based treatment, doesn't sound as though he is responding to his varroa situation.
How does he monitor it? I wonder if I could make a guess?

If he finds lifting supers too hard, inspecting double brood is going to be even harder, isn't it? Or, go on, let me guess, he doesn't actually need to inspect either?

 

[BeeJayBee]

One of my bee buddy's leave's his supers on till winter he calls it self clearing as soon as the cold spells set in and the bees cluster its then that he removes them must be less stress for them what your thought

If it works for him, then why not?

 

[REDWOOD]

Varroa is at it's biggest threat to bees when the colony clusters in cold temps, that's why lots of beekeepers don't treat until mid winter with oxalic acid and brood is down to a minimum. not all beekeepers treat varroa and seem to have healthy colonies, I don't know why this is it could be the strain of bees they keep or the environment they keep their bees who knows

 

[Swarm]

Maybe it's worth looking at, Chris Luck doesn't treat. If we just keep following the set in stone docterine , perhaps we will never know. If this guy has healthy colonies, who are we to tell him he's wrong?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Maybe it's worth looking at, Chris Luck doesn't treat. If we just keep following the set in stone docterine , perhaps we will never know. If this guy has healthy colonies, who are we to tell him he's wrong?

I agree, you may never know, the best thing would be to simply stop treating your bees full stop, then you will find out for yourself.

 

[Finman]

Maybe it's worth looking at, Chris Luck doesn't treat. If we just keep following the set in stone docterine , perhaps we will never know. If this guy has healthy colonies, who are we to tell him he's wrong?

BUT do you know, how many beekeepers have lost their hives totally. Do you know how many bees vanish annually by varroa?



.

 

[the beehive lodge]

Thanks for the positive feedback my original thread was mainly about the bees clearing themselves which got me thinking after all its like a few threads
the bees know best

 

[Finman]

Thanks for the positive feedback my original thread was mainly about the bees clearing themselves which got me thinking after all its like a few threads
the bees know best

They do not clear themselves if we speak about varroa.

the bees know best.. once upon a time three bears lived in woods...

.

 

[richardbees]

how many beekeepers have lost their hives totally ?

this is a good question.

Also, I know of two feral honeybee colonies nearby in a tree/roofspace that are minimum four years old.

 

[Finman]

how many beekeepers have lost their hives totally ?

this is a good question.

Also, i know of two feral honeybee colonies nearby in a tree/roofspace that are minimum four years old.

huh huh. Are you adult or what. This stupid discussion all the time. "I know a living beehive. Yes, I know too"

feral in your counytry means that a swarm has escaped and inhabited an old place where old combs atracts swarms. So simple.

They are not feral. They are escaped swarms.

Varroa killed you ferals 20 years ago, if they never have been there.

Is this the way how you teach beginners to protect his hives from diseases and pests????

.

.

 

[Dishmop]

I agree, you may never know, the best thing would be to simply stop treating your bees full stop, then you will find out for yourself.

Worked for me and I seem to have far less problems than a lot of others.

I have two outside colonies, one of which is a split from the other one who were illegal immigrants 3 years ago, and a healthy nuc from one of those, although the nuc has a bought in queen because it was getting a bit late in the year.