Flooding in Manchester

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Joined
Aug 4, 2011
Messages
2,597
Reaction score
10
Location
Levenshulme, Manchester UK
Hive Type
14x12
Number of Hives
2 - and steward of 8 others.
Wow! That thunderstorm was fierce!
Lasted a couple of hours of the heaviest rain I can remember since being in the monsoons in the Philippines.

A veritable river ran through our garden, into the undercroft, knocking out our electrics. Past the hives - reaching within half an inch of one entrance.

Into the garage, where it's done a lot of damage.....

...including, worst of all, a full super of capped honey, which will have to be ditched.

Unless you know differently........

Dusty
 
Well, if you were sure it was only surface water, you might be able to wash the frames and feed the capped honey back to the bees but the chances are that in the flood water there were bits of soil, maybe some sewage from overflowing combined sewers, oil or other road debris - you just don't know (or do you?)

I'm not sure I'd risk it - annoying though, when honey is in short supply this summer.

CVB
 
Sorry to hear that Dusty.

Road run off will include heavy metals from exhaust deposits - and catalysts, rubber and oil, dog poo, horse poo and various other nasty ingredients...

(Our yard was flooded,, happens every 2-3 years - but drains safely into fields.Not as bad as we have seen in the past)
 
Hi ....if it was only a quick ducking and not sewerage & it is capped then id be tempted to make mead with it...... surely honeys anti bacterial & viral properties will do there job and what ever they miss if anything....will be taken care of with fermentation and alcohol..... shame to waste all that hard work ........
 
Very sorry to hear your news Dusty. Best give the honey back to the bees.
 
Best give the honey back to the bees.

Best thing to do... and perhaps fit some flow frames, so he can drain the fed back honey straight out into a bucket, then give the flow frames a good wash out.
 
Wow! That thunderstorm was fierce!
Lasted a couple of hours of the heaviest rain I can remember since being in the monsoons in the Philippines.

Maybe someone's trying to tell you something!?
Not too late to repent, turn your back on all that arcane smoke and mirrors heathen mumbo jumbo and and follow the true faith :D
 
Thanks, everyone - apart from JBM of course.
(Can't we send him on another safari? To Outer Mongolia, for example?)

Of course, you're all right.
I was just hoping someone on the Forum was doing a PhD in honey contamination, and was going to offer to buy it from me for research purposes.

So, back to the bees it is.

Trouble is, I'm off to St Petersburg early tomorrow - and there's a warning of repeat thunder and torrential rain, for tomorrow afternoon. Another 30-40cm is possible.

So the four hours I put into pressure washing the pathways and patios, may have to be repeated when I get back. But I've moved my honey and installed a temporary dam to reduce the flow. And given instructions to the lad about managing another power outage.

Still, compared to what others have suffered in the last couple of years, this is nothing.

Dusty
 

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