Comb storage

[fian]

So are you saying that you reserve the open feeding of honey boxes until after the harvest at the end of the season?

The topic of the thread is about what to do with the harvest boxes, that is, those that are left clean after extracting the honey.
I do the following. Once the honey is extracted, a remainder persists that the bees are able to clean, leaving them completely dry for storage. These frames in their supers are taken close to the apiary and in one or two days they are completely clean.
Isn't this generalized open feeding? It is also different from the wintering reinforcement process, which is carried out in an individual feeder housed above the lid of the nest box.
As I said above 2 different practices for two different times.

 

[Newbeeneil]

The topic of the thread is about what to do with the harvest boxes, that is, those that are left clean after extracting the honey.
I do the following. Once the honey is extracted, a remainder persists that the bees are able to clean, leaving them completely dry for storage. These frames in their supers are taken close to the apiary and in one or two days they are completely clean.
Isn't this generalized open feeding? It is also different from the wintering reinforcement process, which is carried out in an individual feeder housed above the lid of the nest box.
As I said above 2 different practices for two different times.

Fian,
In the U.K. It is generally frowned upon to open feed as you describe due to the possibility of deseases being transferred during activity.
What I and many others here do is to return the supers to the hive and put a sheet of plastic with a small hole (10-15mm) in it between the brood box and the supers. The bees see this as being outside their nest and rob it out and store it in the brood box. This takes 2-3days in my experience.

 

[North End Bees]

I do the following. Once the honey is extracted, a remainder persists that the bees are able to clean, leaving them completely dry for storage. These frames in their supers are taken close to the apiary and in one or two days they are completely clean.
Isn't this generalized open feeding?

Yes, this is generalized open feeding. Strictly frowned upon in the UK but actually prohibited by law in some other countries and some US states.

 

[fian]

Fian,
In the U.K. It is generally frowned upon to open feed as you describe due to the possibility of deseases being transferred during activity.
What I and many others here do is to return the supers to the hive and put a sheet of plastic with a small hole (10-15mm) in it between the brood box and the supers. The bees see this as being outside their nest and rob it out and store it in the brood box. This takes 2-3days in my experience.

So, are you totally sure that the squares corresponding to super in hive No. 5 are exactly those and not others that have been incorrectly located during the extraction process? Does that mean that the frames and heights of each hive are marked to avoid mistakes?

 

[Newbeeneil]

So, are you totally sure that the squares corresponding to super in hive No. 5 are exactly those and not others that have been incorrectly located during the extraction process? Does that mean that the frames and heights of each hive are marked to avoid mistakes?

Personally I run my apiaries, but not my hives, as "biosecure" which means I will transfer combs between hives in that apiary if required. During extraction all my supers are marked with the apiary name and the frames are returned to the supers from that apiary.
The problem with open feeding is you can't be sure if bees from other local colonies are feeding as well.

 

[North End Bees]

The big problem with open feeding is the frenzy which ensues.
When you put a wet super under the roof on top of a hive, the bees will clean it out in a thorough but controlled manner.
In the open, the combs are ripped apart in the robbing. The chaos not only spreads disease but also kills many bees.

 

[fian]

Yes, this is generalized open feeding. Strictly frowned upon in the UK but actually prohibited by law in some other countries and some US states.

It provides water, during the time of higher ambient temperature, to its bees?, does it have an individual signature?. Is this practice just as harmful (disease vector) as open feeding?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The topic of the thread is about what to do with the harvest boxes, that is, those that are left clean after extracting the honey.
I do the following. Once the honey is extracted, a remainder persists that the bees are able to clean, leaving them completely dry for storage. These frames in their supers are taken close to the apiary and in one or two days they are completely clean.
Isn't this generalized open feeding? It is also different from the wintering reinforcement process, which is carried out in an individual feeder housed above the lid of the nest box.
As I said above 2 different practices for two different times.

leaving 'harvest' boxes out in the open for the bees to clean/open feeding, it's the same thing, irresponsible behaviour and bad practice.

Many of us don't waste our time fiddling around with cleaning them after extraction (pretty pointless exercise) but stack them up 'wet', ensure the bees can't access them and store them like that until the next season

 

[North End Bees]

It provides water, during the time of higher ambient temperature, to its bees?, does it have an individual signature?. Is this practice just as harmful (disease vector) as open feeding?

You don't usually see bees fighting over water!

 

[fian]

You don't usually see bees fighting over water!

Not fighting, but it can be a source of spread just like wet honey boxes. My question is addressed to those who consider one practice bad but tolerate the other.

 

[fian]

Personalmente manejo mis colmenares, pero no mis colmenas, como "bioseguros", lo que significa que transferiré panales entre colmenas en ese colmenar si es necesario. Durante la extracción, todas mis alzas se marcan con el nombre del apiario y los marcos se devuelven a las alzas de ese apiario.
El problema con la alimentación abierta es que no puedes estar seguro de si las abejas de otras colonias locales también se están alimentando.

So, faced with a weak colony in your apiary that could suffer looting, your solution is:
A. Decommissioning.
B. Reinforcement with bees and combs from a strong colony.
C. Another option?
On the other hand, in the case of water management, is there a control mechanism to prevent bees/insects from outside your apiary?

 

[fian]

leaving 'harvest' boxes out in the open for the bees to clean/open feeding, it's the same thing, irresponsible behaviour and bad practice.

Many of us don't waste our time fiddling around with cleaning them after extraction (pretty pointless exercise) but stack them up 'wet', ensure the bees can't access them and store them like that until the next season

If the supers are wet,
It has no problems with wax moths (butterfly food) or yeasts (fermentation and mold propagation).
Also, how do you make sure in spring that when you reposition the supers for the next harvest, it corresponds to the same as last year?

 

[Mabee]

Not fighting, but it can be a source of spread just like wet honey boxes. My question is addressed to those who consider one practice bad but tolerate the other.

Bees will go for the closest suitable water source, it’s unlikely my bees are sharing the same water source as bees a mile down the road, unlike a free honey source, they will come from all over at the first whiff.

 

[Newbeeneil]

So, faced with a weak colony in your apiary that could suffer looting, your solution is:
A. Decommissioning.
B. Reinforcement with bees and combs from a strong colony.
C. Another option?
On the other hand, in the case of water management, is there a control mechanism to prevent bees/insects from outside your apiary?

If I have a weak colony and have brood frames available from a neighbouring hive I may reinforce but if no frames were available I would close the hive entrance down to a single beespace.
If that failed to revive the colony I would either remove the colony to my isolation apiary or combine with another colony within the apiary.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Also, how do you make sure in spring that when you reposition the supers for the next harvest, it corresponds to the same as last year?

what has that got to do with encouraging robbing and cross contamination with bees attracted from elsewhere (not from one's own colonies which you know are healthy)?
Just accept the fact that your advice was bad advice and the practice of leaving equipment out in the open 'for the bees to clean' is bad practice, and stop trying to deflect.

 

[user 819]

I've had it, outside, inside the kitchen and in the car. Oddly I've never seen fighting/dead bees; just very eager feeding accompanied by lots of hum!

I have .
Having once scraped and cleaned supers and broods on the patio I had 1000's of bees , wasps etc and the noise and traffic akin to a swarm. I stopped my work.

 

[user 819]

Moving brood and honey boxes between ones own colonies that are known to be desease /virus free is acceptable, doing so from or to some one elses colonies is not acceptable unless one knows the colonies very well.
The open feedind is not acceptable , their is no way one can be 100% sure that deseased or virus infected bees feeding from colonies (managed or wild ) are not your own.

 

[fian]

Bees will go for the closest suitable water source, it’s unlikely my bees are sharing the same water source as bees a mile down the road, unlike a free honey source, they will come from all over at the first whiff.

The radius of action of a hive is around 3 km (roughly 2 miles) so for the purposes of maintenance sources, the bees are indifferent to nectar, honey, water or pollen, after all, the tasks and groups are specific and in the absence of a nearby source they will resort to a more distant one. That without taking into account other insect populations.
On the other hand, the fact that there is contact does not mean that there is transmission, because for that there must be an infection at source. What I mean by this is that varying degrees of "probable" is a subjective state of reliability. A certain handling can be classified as safe depending on the degree of "probable" assigned to it.

 

[fian]

If I have a weak colony and have brood frames available from a neighbouring hive I may reinforce but if no frames were available I would close the hive entrance down to a single beespace.
If that failed to revive the colony I would either remove the colony to my isolation apiary or combine with another colony within the apiary.

And yet, while making the decision to "revive" or not, this colony may suffer looting; It may even be that when he realizes his weakness, the looting has already taken place.

 

[Beesnaturally]

The radius of action of a hive is around 3 km (roughly 2 miles) so for the purposes of maintenance sources, the bees are indifferent to nectar, honey, water or pollen, after all, the tasks and groups are specific and in the absence of a nearby source they will resort to a more distant one. That without taking into account other insect populations.
On the other hand, the fact that there is contact does not mean that there is transmission, because for that there must be an infection at source. What I mean by this is that varying degrees of "probable" is a subjective state of reliability. A certain handling can be classified as safe depending on the degree of "probable" assigned to it.

I agree with this. Top of at least some of the disease avenues by a long shot must be robbing out and clearing out, taking both live bees and bee food from the brood area back to the nest. Its for this reason that I think hives should be attended through the autumn, winter and spring months, and any dead ones sealed and/or bought in.

I suspect open feeding of sticky frames from _above_ the nest is a way lower risk; but its still one I don't take. All sticky frames in their original boxes go back on the same hives for cleaning. I don't feed any other honey to my bees.

That leaves robbing of other peoples' and wild nests being the larger risk.

Picking up something nasty from floral sources is to my mind a relatively very remote possibility. With the exception of varroa mites - I can easily see that happening. These are justmy own thoughts.