First Hive opening

[Psycad]

Hi all,

I am the new guy from Middle East

After two weeks I opened my hive for the first time.
Yes its scary.

Looked very healthy with tons of bees but what do I know. I added 5 frames to the 5 ones I bought

There were no beetles and could not see varao.

But there were ants inside the hive

Any advice ?

I will probably have to have a steel frame welded for the hive (where I can put the legs in water) It will however take time and I dont know how much damage ants can do in 2 weeks or so

 

[B+.]

But there were ants inside the hive

Any advice ?

I will probably have to have a steel frame welded for the hive (where I can put the legs in water) It will however take time and I dont know how much damage ants can do in 2 weeks or so

I believe that they use that approach in parts of Africa, except they use oil/grease of some kind instead of water.
A full size colony is usually strong enough to deter any serious incursion by ants (or other interloper). I gather that you have a 5-frame nucleus. You may think there are a lot of bees now, but, they do get a LOT bigger!

 

[Psycad]

Thank B+
Yes its a 5 frame nucleus
So I should do nothing and bees will take care ?

 

[B+.]

Thank B+
Yes its a 5 frame nucleus
So I should do nothing and bees will take care ?

Its hard to say Psycad. My experience is limited to the UK where a full colony should easily handle a few ants. I don't know anything about your local conditions though. Is there anyone you can ask with local experience?

 

[Psycad]

Its hard to say Psycad. My experience is limited to the UK where a full colony should easily handle a few ants. I don't know anything about your local conditions though. Is there anyone you can ask with local experience?

Not really

Hives in mountain are placed on steel frames and these frames legs are kept in an old tin with oil (water evaporates too fast)

My cam at hive entrance shows bees chasing away flies and ants so I was surprised to see ants in the hive.

Thanks for help anyway.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Not really

Hives in mountain are placed on steel frames and these frames legs are kept in an old tin with oil (water evaporates too fast)

My cam at hive entrance shows bees chasing away flies and ants so I was surprised to see ants in the hive.

Thanks for help anyway.

If it's common practice to stand hive legs in ant barriers in your part of the world it suggests a need has been established and a solution found. I'd suggest you quickly follow the example. Your conditions are very different to what the UK beekeepers encounter.
P.S. You might consider a two hive stand while you're building. It will be useful for expanding.

 

[REDWOOD]

Cinnamon is supposed to get rid of ants although I have never used it

 

[Psycad]

Hi John

Great tip for a two hive stand John. Will cost me roughly the same

Dont know about two hives though. I am in industrial area surrounded by dessert so I hope I can have one colony surviving the summer.

 

[colinc]

Hi John

Great tip for a two hive stand John. Will cost me roughly the same

Dont know about two hives though. I am in industrial area surrounded by dessert so I hope I can have one colony surviving the summer.

Love the inverse here. We are all talking about first checks and surviving the winter and OP has the opposite concern of surviving the summer. This will be an interesting thread I feel.

Double stand also gives you somewhere to put supers when inspecting a single hive so it is all good.

Good luck mate.


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[Gilberdyke John]

Love the inverse here. We are all talking about first checks and surviving the winter and OP has the opposite concern of surviving the summer. This will be an interesting thread I feel.

Double stand also gives you somewhere to put supers when inspecting a single hive so it is all good.

Good luck mate.


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Actually I find a two hive stand works best if it has room for an inverted roof with hand space between the two hives.

 

[Psycad]

Love the inverse here. We are all talking about first checks and surviving the winter and OP has the opposite concern of surviving the summer. This will be an interesting thread I feel.

Double stand also gives you somewhere to put supers when inspecting a single hive so it is all good.

Good luck mate.


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Salaam Colin

Bees here dont need to survive winter but summer. In winter temperatures are mild while in summer its way too hot. With 50 degrees Celsius I hope wax will not melt. But I understand your point I think.

Thanks for raising it.

My aim is to rise awareness about being part of the ecosystem. Here, people make artificial everything and believe they control the environment. Its creating lots of issues.

As I have mentioned previously, people buy bees, bring them through flowering season of the two acacia trees (which flower intermittent), rob 100 percent of the honey, buy new bees. I believe in Warre it was called a l etoufage and practiced commonly in Europe.

Obviously the bees die but then selling the honey and buying yearly colonies (brought by plane from Egypt) is a profitable business here.

This is in total contrast to the traditional beekeeping with the local bees.

Compare it with Europeans introducing bees in the new world. Called by the locals : the white mans fly.

Anyway, I hope to be able, with your help, to detect that my colony is in trouble due to food. If this happens that is. If so, I move the colony to one of our other locations in center Dubai or around one of the many landscaped compounds. Or I feed the bees.

Cheers

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Thanks for the description of methods commonly used in your area. It sounds very much like a job for heavily insulated hives. Insulation works both ways and will keep heat out as well as in. A continuously available source of water that the bees can access will be required so they can evaporate it in the hive for cooling purposes.
Dare I suggest this may be a situation where top ventilation could actually be useful?
No doubt Derek M will have some advice on hive thermodynamics which in your area are significant.

 

[colinc]

If the wax melts the bees will be long past caring that it has melted. They will manage to cool the hive as above, or will have vacated or died first I think.




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[psafloyd]

I will probably have to have a steel frame welded for the hive (where I can put the legs in water) It will however take time and I dont know how much damage ants can do in 2 weeks or so

Wouldn't it be better to stand the feet in oil –-even old motor oil –-rather than water?

After all, in your temperatures, water will rapidly evaporate and whe it is there, will encourage the legs to rust.

 

[psafloyd]

Not really

Hives in mountain are placed on steel frames and these frames legs are kept in an old tin with oil (water evaporates too fast)

Sorry, hadn't read all posts when I posted mine.

 

[birdsandbees]

I'd agree with the heavily insulated hive idea, in the last few years I've been working with an organisation is Spain setting up a Cavity wall insulation company, initially in Northern Spain for heat retention but when I discussed with them that it works both ways, it has now opened their eyes to a market in the south where it would be to keep heat out and save money on Air conditioning bills.
would it be possible to construct some form of canopy to provide shade during the hottest part of the day?

 

[Psycad]

Thanks for the description of methods commonly used in your area. It sounds very much like a job for heavily insulated hives. Insulation works both ways and will keep heat out as well as in. A continuously available source of water that the bees can access will be required so they can evaporate it in the hive for cooling purposes.
Dare I suggest this may be a situation where top ventilation could actually be useful?
No doubt Derek M will have some advice on hive thermodynamics which in your area are significant.

Hi John

If you mean insulated as in polysterene hives etc : they are not

Standard hives are 500 x 400 mm wooden (or plywood) boxes with a galvanized metal over the wooden roof top There are however 40 mm opening in front and back of the hive. So there is ventilation. (there is steel mesh over the openings)

There is no ventilation on the top.

One should place the hive in the shadow I am told.

Now its a cool 30 degrees but still I see bees at the opening ventilating. I presume its for evaporating water from nectar ? So I guess they still find food. They come home with less pollen though. Male date palm flowers dont flower long.

Cheers and thanks for feedback

 

[Beefriendly]

One should place the hive in the shadow I am told.

Perhaps a construction of some sorts?

 

[Psycad]

Great !

Are the side panels for the wind ?

North and West side ?

I like the gravel beneath.

 

[Psycad]

If it's common practice to stand hive legs in ant barriers in your part of the world it suggests a need has been established and a solution found. I'd suggest you quickly follow the example.

Done
Hive is on steel legs and they are in tins filled with water.
Next : how to kill existing ants in the hive

(I bought a second empty box and might just swap the frames to the new box and torch the ants in the old one)

I use water in the tins.
Motoroil is so polluting and vegetable oil might be eaten by the ants :-(