comments

[ferret]

(yesterday)I noticed that my hive was leaning badly,so i decided to put down a slab next to it and transfer it when it was almost dark,not to disturb the bees.while i was doing this i also turned the entrance to face South East because it was facing west.When i checked in the morning all seemed fine,bees coming and going through entrance all seemed good except for a few crashing onto the slab but getting back up and flying to the entrance.Went back in evening and it seemed that there was quite a lot on the slab. I looked underneath the hive at the mesh and there were about 300 bees climbing over each other.So brushed the bees onto a piece of cardboard and placed them on the landing board so they can get back into the hive.most did.So i put the hive back as it was and watched for about one hour,now all seems fine.slab now covered with grass.But will the white slab put them off or is it because i moved the entrance?

 

[Dishmop]

But will the white slab put them off or is it because i moved the entrance?

Probably a bit of both but they'll get over it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

So did you get someone to help you look at the bees? or did you just ignore all the advice and offers of help and just bought them?

 

[ferret]

Hi jbm.I have to say that i just went and bought them.but to be honest i'm loving learning about them and watching them.

 

[Jimy Dee]

well done ferret. Life is for living, not for thinking about living. Studying the hive is the best bee education you will get.

 

[REDWOOD]

Ask yourself how do bees find their entrance and you have your answer

 

[pargyle]

well done ferret. Life is for living, not for thinking about living. Studying the hive is the best bee education you will get.

WELL ... I'm not sure that follows in beekeeping .. strikes me that, of late, there have been a lot of 'jump in and hope for the best' beekeepers with some real problems (mostly of their own making) crying for help on here from some pretty good natured and experienced beeks. It rather grips me that a lot of them actually IGNORE the good advice they are given and the results, I fear, will be dead colonies over the coming winter.

Time some people hit the books rather than relying on watching their bees.

 

[joctcl]

Have to 100% agree, bees are not something you get from the pet store like a rabbit, you have to do your homework and read up what you are getting into. My first year of beekeeping over 10 years ago now was spent in the books, a course and shadowing a mentor.
"Studying someone elses hive is the best bee education you will get."
I still made mistakes in my second year where I actually had bees, but those were small and manageable.

 

[joctcl]

(yesterday)I noticed that my hive was leaning badly,so i decided to put down a slab next to it and transfer it when it was almost dark,not to disturb the bees.while i was doing this i also turned the entrance to face South East because it was facing west.When i checked in the morning all seemed fine,bees coming and going through entrance all seemed good except for a few crashing onto the slab but getting back up and flying to the entrance.Went back in evening and it seemed that there was quite a lot on the slab. I looked underneath the hive at the mesh and there were about 300 bees climbing over each other.So brushed the bees onto a piece of cardboard and placed them on the landing board so they can get back into the hive.most did.So i put the hive back as it was and watched for about one hour,now all seems fine.slab now covered with grass.But will the white slab put them off or is it because i moved the entrance?

Did you also rotate the BB 140 odd degrees, bees are sensitive to magnetic lines so you would have confused them inside as well.

They think the slab is the sky and naturally fly what they think is up towards it, change it or paint it or cover in grass.

After a move a small amount of long grass also put at the front of the hive entrance for 24hrs also has the bees delaying the flight straight out first thing inthe morning and they double check their orientation before finally doing first run of the day.

 

[BeeJayBee]

.. strikes me that, of late, there have been a lot of 'jump in and hope for the best' beekeepers with some real problems (mostly of their own making) crying for help on here from some pretty good natured and experienced beeks.

I know it can be annoying, but I'd rather new beekeepers ask for help than try too hard to go it alone, keep their problems to themselves and then make a complete hash of it all, and have their bees die. I admire you and JBM for the lengthy support you've offered, you've been willing to try to untangle a mess or two and get everything sorted which will help the beekeepers and their bees. It will probably help others who are in a muddle too.

A lot of clubs run their courses well before the season starts, practical sessions come a lot later in the year when the course content has been forgotten and enthusiasm has waned because the suppliers are nowhere near actually supplying colonies that were ordered, so they don't turn up at apiary sessions in case they make a fool of themselves. Then, when the bees eventually arrive organisation is so poor that mentoring is minimal, and in some cases calls for help are ignored because the club mentor is too busy to handle it all, and too proud or arrogant to admit they need more bodies to join in.

Some BKAs do the same year after year. New beekeepers leave or abandon beekeeping because they find it all too hard, and their bees suffer too. I think threads like those you mention should be a wake up call to BKAs to get their acts together and actually train new beekeepers to be beekeepers, and continue to offer training after the first few weeks rather than just taking their beginners course money and virtually abandoning them when they need real help. Suppliers could do the same - get their acts together. If bees are ordered and a deposit is paid in February, nobody should still be waiting in July or August!

Sorry!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I think threads like those you mention should be a wake up call to BKAs to get their acts together and actually train new beekeepers to be beekeepers, and continue to offer training after the first few weeks

All well and good your rant but BKA's can't be blamed when people don't bother joining them in the first place or not taking up the help if offered

 

[pargyle]

I know it can be annoying, but I'd rather new beekeepers ask for help than try too hard to go it alone, keep their problems to themselves and then make a complete hash !

I don't think annoying is quite the right word ... I think disappointing and frustrating is nearer ... Whilst I agree with a lot of your rant as I said in another place ... You would not buy a field of cows and then ask the farmer next door what to do with them ... It's been clear that some new beeks on here have never opened a bee book let alone read one and you really can't get away without knowing some real basics ... More so in the swarmy, high nectar flow year we are still having. It's much harder for a new beekeeper when things are happening at such a fast rate and there simply is not the time to learn as you go in these type of circumstances.

This year has taught me so much ... Whilst I've been around the bees for a few years its the first year for some time where we have been struggling to contain them rather than finding ways to get them going !!

Pretty steep learning curve for those of us with a little experience ... Hell for those who have no knowledge at all to fall back on ...

 

[Nige.Coll]

This is my first year and a baptism of fire.
I did a course and joined an association, I was appointed a mentor and if needed she will come and help. I think she has been to my bees twice this year, once to help me split a large nasty colony ( confidence failure ) and second time was to help me move some hives.

Having a mentor on the end of the phone is great but if you bother her with silly problems then you get the sharp side of her tongue. She will tell you to read a bloody book lol.
A group of us meet up at a local pub once a month and as new members join the association we all offer help dependant on our skills.
I'm going to be building a flat pack hive for a new lady member when she gets it.
I feel quite lucky really after seeing what others are going through but i'm surprised how little some have looked into their new hobby.
I suppose for some this forum is their only way of getting help.

back to topic
Moving the entrance will confuse them a little but they will be ok.

 

[ferret]

Thanks all for your comments,but the bees are doing fine now as covered the slab with grass,seems it was putting them off so ill have to paint it or replace it with a darker coloured one.its a steep learning curve but i'm enjoying it.Thanks again ferret