Comb storage

[jenkinsbrynmair]

One can think of controlling everything and still there are propagation vectors outside of management. It is a cost/risk decision and where I decide to put the emphasis (money).
If I carry out analyzes to prevent diseases and transfer the diseased colonies to another apiary, why would I have to consider a management that causes me an additional cost?
In life, not everything is black or white, nor is the vision of all beekeepers about their work the same.

I'll just emphasise again for our beginners out there.
Open feeding is not good practice, there is no cost/risk factor, you are risking the spread of disease, robbing in your colonies from both bees and wasps and, if you have neighbours, can cause distress, inconvenience and even anaphylaxia through bee stings, it's just sheer laziness, in any situation, to promote it is at be best foolish, at the worse reckless

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's not just that it can potentially sperad disease ... I accidentally (some years ago now) once left a part filled super on top of an adjacent hive when I was doing an inspection .. I got called away so I just put the crown board back on the hive I was inspecting and didn't think to cover the super. Unfortunately, what I thought was a 2 minute intervention turned into half an hour. Never again, by the time I returned .. the carnage was unbelievable, with virtually every bee in my apiary trying to get at whatever honey was in there - I suspect there were bees from other colonies there as well as there was fighting goiing on. I could not do anything about it, thousands of bees covering the super and frames - no amount of smoke would clear things up ... I tried moving the super away from the apiary ... no hope - so I put it back where it had been. Bees can smell honey from miles away and they wiil track it down in no time at all.

When it finally got dark and the bees, mostly, had returned home there were scores of dead bees around the super. It was stripped dry but at what cost ?

Schoolboy error ... avoid at all costs and certainly don't do it deliberately.

had an incident quite a few years ago now, during a busy extraction session I had a dozen wet supers stacked up, sealed and cinched up, but on the lawn near the back door not in the storage shelter as I planned to move them up there when I had a bit more time later in the evening, unfortunately, the lawn being uneven, the stack toppled and the supers shifted allowing the bees access, by the time I'd noticed, the back garden was a black cloud of frantic bees, it wasn't safe to go outside and even a neighbour three doors up (who had a baby and two pre school children at home) was afraid to leave the house or open any windows until late evening.
It's a daft thing to do, or to advise.

 

[user 819]

Open feeding of supers will attract bees and wasps from colonies that may not be nearby, risk of disease or parasite transfer increases as does robbing attraction.
Any feeding /cleaning up of wet honey boxes should be done secure on a hive where they can't be accessed by others.

Open feeding is just a bad idea.

I have to be careful cleaning frames and supers/broods at home and choose the time, otheerwise in minutes I have an effected free for all melley of 1000's of bees or wasps wanting a free lunch.

 

[fian]

had an incident quite a few years ago now, during a busy extraction session I had a dozen wet supers stacked up, sealed and cinched up, but on the lawn near the back door not in the storage shelter as I planned to move them up there when I had a bit more time later in the evening, unfortunately, the lawn being uneven, the stack toppled and the supers shifted allowing the bees access, by the time I'd noticed, the back garden was a black cloud of frantic bees, it wasn't safe to go outside and even a neighbour three doors up (who had a baby and two pre school children at home) was afraid to leave the house or open any windows until late evening.
It's a daft thing to do, or to advise.

In Galicia the situation of an apiary is regulated, the location of hives in the backyard of a house is not allowed. The distance to a population center is 400 m and can only be reduced if its enclosure is greater than 2 m.
On the other hand, there is talk of empty supers after extraction, in which a moist residue remains that the bees are able to take advantage of.
The feeding, only if necessary, is carried out individually and even so in weak colonies it can suffer pillaging; they are usually the first to succumb despite the precautions you take.

 

[Mabee]

even so in weak colonies it can suffer pillaging; they are usually the first to succumb despite the precautions you take.

I think the difference here is that you are actively encouraging robbing behaviour and disease spread by leaving them out for open feeding.

It’s strongly discouraged here and this is advised by the bee inspectors for disease control.

 

[Beesnaturally]

I accidentally (some years ago now) once left a part filled super on top of an adjacent hive when I was doing an inspection .. I got called away so I just put the crown board back on the hive I was inspecting and didn't think to cover the super. Unfortunately, what I thought was a 2 minute intervention turned into half an hour. Never again, by the time I returned .. the carnage was unbelievable, with virtually every bee in my apiary trying to get at whatever honey was in there - [...]
Schoolboy error ... avoid at all costs and certainly don't do it deliberately.

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!

My best fixes are, outside, close the boxes, bees inside, throw a sheet over them and don't take it off/open the boxes till just before nightfall.

In the car; drive around with all the windows open, then park, somewhere else, in the shade and leave them closed. The bees inside come to the (best lit) window to be let out at nightfall. And/or you can take them on another trip.

In the kitchen, use lights and double doors to encourage them out without letting them back in.

There is something comical about working at your computer with the thought 'there's a lot of hum in the kitchen' trying to edge it's way into your attention space, till eventually...

 

[Erichalfbee]

How about a Porter escape in the window?

 

[BeeBird]

Like your thinking

 

[North End Bees]

In the car; drive around with all the windows open, then park, somewhere else, in the shade and leave them closed. The bees inside come to the (best lit) window to be let out at nightfall. And/or you can take them on another trip.

Don't need to leave them in the car till nightfall. Drive a few hundred yards away and then open the windows/tailgate. They'll leave as soon as they're fueled up. Then drive off before they come back!

 

[pargyle]

t

Don't need to leave them in the car till nightfall. Drive a few hundred yards away and then open the windows/tailgate. They'll leave as soon as they're fueled up. Then drive off before they come back!

Or return with thousands of their mates !!

 

[Beesnaturally]

Don't need to leave them in the car till nightfall. Drive a few hundred yards away and then open the windows/tailgate. They'll leave as soon as they're fueled up. Then drive off before they come back!

The trouble is you have to watch them to get the timing right, perhaps move a few times. The busy beekeeper likes a hands off solution.

 

[Beesnaturally]

How about a Porter escape in the window?

I think you'd want more than one. A proper bee barn with proper bee barn windows would probably be best.

 

[North End Bees]

t

Or return with thousands of their mates !!

Yes, move off sharpish!

 

[North End Bees]

The trouble is you have to watch them to get the timing right, perhaps move a few times. The busy beekeeper likes a hands off solution.

I like a hands off solution too!

Whenever I've had bees in the car I've literally parked up down the road and opened the windows. They're more than keen to get out and away when they've filled up. No timing involved.

 

[fian]

I think the difference here is that you are actively encouraging robbing behaviour and disease spread by leaving them out for open feeding.

It’s strongly discouraged here and this is advised by the bee inspectors for disease control.

Cutting the paragraph and putting only what is convenient for you to criticize says a lot about you and your attitude.

 

[Mabee]

Cutting the paragraph and putting only what is convenient for you to criticize says a lot about you and your attitude.

No need to be rude! I cut the section of the paragraph as that is the part I was responding to.

 

[pargyle]

Cutting the paragraph and putting only what is convenient for you to criticize says a lot about you and your attitude.

I'm afraid that, if you post suggestions that are not considered good practice, you can expect to face criticism. If the issue is wrapped up in a larger post there is nothing wrong with drawing attention to a specific paragraph.

Your English is very good if this is not your first language and you are very welcome on here but it is a predominantly a British beekeeping forum and it may be that the beekeeping practice in Galicia is different, in some respects, from what is considered good practice in the UK.

 

[fian]

No need to be rude! I cut the section of the paragraph as that is the part I was responding to.

"The feeding, only if necessary, is carried out individually and even so in weak colonies it can suffer pillaging; they are usually the first to succumb despite the precautions you take"
This is the complete paragraph, a practice different from that carried out for cleaning harvest boxes.
Let me tell you that you are the one who maintains that I encourage open eating in a general way. Nothing is further from the truth, it is about different management in two next seasons (harvest in August and winter reinforcement in October).

 

[North End Bees]

"The feeding, only if necessary, is carried out individually and even so in weak colonies it can suffer pillaging; they are usually the first to succumb despite the precautions you take"
This is the complete paragraph, a practice different from that carried out for cleaning harvest boxes.
Let me tell you that you are the one who maintains that I encourage open eating in a general way. Nothing is further from the truth, it is about different management in two next seasons (harvest in August and winter reinforcement in October).

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

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

"The feeding, only if necessary, is carried out individually and even so in weak colonies it can suffer pillaging; they are usually the first to succumb despite the precautions you take"
This is the complete paragraph, a practice different from that carried out for cleaning harvest boxes.
Let me tell you that you are the one who maintains that I encourage open eating in a general way. Nothing is further from the truth, it is about different management in two next seasons (harvest in August and winter reinforcement in October).

any open feeding is reckless and irresponsible
your initial 'advice' was to leave newly extracted supers out in the open for colonies to clean out.
stupid advice which needed challenging.
stop trying to twist the truth and backtrack now