Good news :)

[victor meldrew]

No, definately not fun! Note to self: Avoid manipulations if thunder is pending..........

After 20 odd years I still can't weigh up the temperament of bees
I once opened a hive on a sunny afternoon , after about 5 mins there was a rumble of thunder which both I and the bees ignored LOL.
Suddenly the Mother and Father of a storm broke out . I had supers all around Fortunately I used manipulating cloths in those days! . I threw them over the supers, Put the crown board on the main hive . Bees were rocketing home ( There goes the theory that bees could predict rain).
5 mins later the storm passed , I simply carried on (absolutely soaked to the skin and standing in wellies full of water .
Not a peep out of the Ladies, they also just carried on as though nowt had happened !
Other times they have suddenly kicked off for a reason not apparent to yours' truly !!

John Wilkinson

 

[m100]

Last Wednesday they were pouring back into the hives like a swarm in reverse. About half an hour later a huge thunderstorm hit.

Does anyone know if any respected books like Hooper say anything about thunderstorms?

Someone at our local BKA reckons this 'don't inspect when a thunderstorm is expected' thing is just something invented by incompetent and generally crap authors of articles in beekeeping magazines or by 'people on the internet'

 

[freckledbeck]

After 20 odd years I still can't weigh up the temperament of bees
I once opened a hive on a sunny afternoon , after about 5 mins there was a rumble of thunder which both I and the bees ignored LOL.
Suddenly the Mother and Father of a storm broke out . I had supers all around Fortunately I used manipulating cloths in those days! . I threw them over the supers, Put the crown board on the main hive . Bees were rocketing home ( There goes the theory that bees could predict rain).
5 mins later the storm passed , I simply carried on (absolutely soaked to the skin and standing in wellies full of water .
Not a peep out of the Ladies, they also just carried on as though nowt had happened !
Other times they have suddenly kicked off for a reason not apparent to yours' truly !!

John Wilkinson

Why did you stop using the manipulating cloths? After watching those old films, I'm really tempted to try using one, or do you need two perhaps? (in the films it looked as though the beek was a magician, whipping away his handkerchief, about to pull a rabbit out of the hive maybe?!)

 

[victor meldrew]

Why did you stop using the manipulating cloths? After watching those old films, I'm really tempted to try using one, or do you need two perhaps? (in the films it looked as though the beek was a magician, whipping away his handkerchief, about to pull a rabbit out of the hive maybe?!)

The mongrels I use generate loads of propolis
The come see come sare trick just doesn't work ,all that happens is the cloths stick to the frame tops especially close to the side walls . they have to be peeled off rather than dragged off !.
Also they are frowned upon by modern practitioners as being a reservoir for pathogens !!

John Wilkinson

 

[freckledbeck]

Could you wash them?

 

[victor meldrew]

Could you wash them?

Certainly , however 2 are needed per hive ( or one with a wire frame joining 2 pieces together with a 2 frame gap ) other wise you risk carrying disease from one hive to the next ,albeit a small risk when used in the same apiary .
Back to the propolis, it involves soaking in a washing soda solution when heavily propolised so I dispensed with them all together as being more trouble than they are worth

John

 

[Polyanwood]

I tend to keep a sheet of polystyrene on the top of each hive to help keep hives warm/cool as needed. If the bees are bouncy, I cover up the pile of supers with the poly sheet, or I sometimes use the correx sheet from the OMF... a bit like a manipulation cloth. I don't reckon either of those can harbour many germs.

 

[freckledbeck]

OK, thanks John
You didn't notice any benefit to the bees then, keeping them in the dark as much as possible? (like a top bar hive I suppose)
I think they are quite expensive, so I won't bother buying any if you don't advise it...... has anyone else used them?