|Here's a lesson for the over-confident

[ShinySideUp]

Just watched that video of the guy with no gloves and a defensive hive, most amusing indeed; I can also add that my bees are better behaved than his. And may I also reiterate that when I went back to fixed the badly-placed entrance block they were fine with it.

 

[JWF]

Just watched that video of the guy with no gloves and a defensive hive, most amusing indeed; I can also add that my bees are better behaved than his. And may I also reiterate that when I went back to fixed the badly-placed entrance block they were fine with it.

He seems to have a preconceived idea about what he should wear, and amazingly doesn't seem to be willing to adjust his expectations in light of the very grumpy bees that he has. Brave, foolhardy or stupid? I'm not sure which!

 

[Beefriendly]

Brave, foolhardy or stupid? I'm not sure which!

Remove the brave and you have it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

and exchange or for and

 

[mike99]

Today I put my in newly-crafted tunnel entrances as per Millets design as there is a lot of wasp activity.

Only be a few seconds methinks so no need to go stupid on the dressing up front. So there I am, wearing my bee suit and a thin pair of gloves and precious little else. Went first to my grumpiest hive and pulled out the old entrance block with new entrance block in hand. 'Out then in' think I. Old one out ...and the bees storm out like there was a sale at Harrods except the sale is my feet. I was wearing thin trainers, 'hey, they hardly ever get your feet, do they'. Wrong, oh so wrong. My feet get stung about 10 times through my trainers, they get up my legs both outside and inside so I get stung on my legs too. I run for the greenhouse to escape and they come with me -- those wasps must have really wound them up. A couple more stings and I am clear of them.
So there, lesson learned. Don't get complacent when it comes to bees and dress appropriately every single time as you can never be sure what they are going to do.

I did a very stupid thing today and tried to add a plywood board on top of the OMF. I didn't think it would be a big deal as I had done it at our association Apiary for several hives and they were fine. I was wrong. I got the board in but then had very irate bees that chased me all over the garden. I was suited and booted but hadn't lit a smoker as I thought I would be in and out. how wrong I was. I had stings all over the suit and took a couple in the calves where they went down the boot.
I won't be doing that again in a hurry but I need to get the hive closed up so I can add the Apiguard so I will give them a couple of days to calm down.

 

[Millet]

I did a very stupid thing today and tried to add a plywood board on top of the OMF. I didn't think it would be a big deal as I had done it at our association Apiary for several hives and they were fine. I was wrong. I got the board in but then had very irate bees that chased me all over the garden. I was suited and booted but hadn't lit a smoker as I thought I would be in and out. how wrong I was. I had stings all over the suit and took a couple in the calves where they went down the boot.
I won't be doing that again in a hurry but I need to get the hive closed up so I can add the Apiguard so I will give them a couple of days to calm down.

Why do that Mike.. just push your inspection tray in underneath the OMF and block the gap at the back up with some sponge or a piece of wood.

 

[mike99]

Hi Steve. That would have been the sensible option but thought that the board on the OMF would be better. Putting the board in at first was fine but I became aware that I was squashing bees the further I pushed the board in so I was wanting to minimise the losses but in fact by removing the BB made it much worse.
I realise now that I should have pushed it in a bit, left it for a while and then pushed again. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and so much less painful for the bees and me. The fact we had done that at the Apiary last weekend made it seem like the correct thing to do.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hi Steve. I did it because I became aware that I was squashing bees the further I pushed the board in so I was wanting to minimise the losses but in fact by removing the BB made it much worse.
In actual fact, I realise now that I should have pushed it in a bit, left it for a while and then pushed again. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and so much less painful for the bees and me. The fact we had done that at the Apiary last weekend made it seem like the correct thing to do.

I don’t understand what you’re doing
Are you lifting up the brood box and putting a board on the floor?

 

[mike99]

I don’t understand what you’re doing
Are you lifting up the brood box and putting a board on the floor?

That is exactly what I was doing. That is what I did under instruction at my association Apiary last week and it went absolutely fine.
They are more or less settled now but I won't be doing anything else with them for a few days so they have a chance to really settle down. I have an EKE to put under the CB so I can put the Apiguard trays in.
I should have just done what Millet said. That is what I will do next year if I am lucky enough to get this colony to survive the winter.

 

[Erichalfbee]

That is exactly what I was doing. That is what I did under instruction at my association Apiary last week and it went absolutely fine.
They are more or less settled now but I won't be doing anything else with them for a few days so they have a chance to really settle down. I have an EKE to put under the CB so I can put the Apiguard trays in.
I should have just done what Millet said. That is what I will do next year if I am lucky enough to get this colony to survive the winter.

Thanks.
I wondered.
Never heard of anybody doing that... ever!
Inspection tray in.... Millet’s right. He is sometimes

 

[mike99]

Thanks.
I wondered.
Never heard of anybody doing that... ever!
Inspection tray in.... Millet’s right. He is sometimes

He is right. My only defence is that I was trying to follow what we did at the Association Apiary but that is in the middle of a field in Northumberland so I guess it was right for that location. We did this for at least 5 hives that day.
You live and learn but I am ashamed that my mistake took out some nice bees in the process of learning that mistake.

 

[Millet]

Thanks.
I wondered.
Never heard of anybody doing that... ever!
Inspection tray in.... Millet’s right. He is sometimes

...

 

[Millet]

Hi Steve. That would have been the sensible option but thought that the board on the OMF would be better. Putting the board in at first was fine but I became aware that I was squashing bees the further I pushed the board in so I was wanting to minimise the losses but in fact by removing the BB made it much worse.
I realise now that I should have pushed it in a bit, left it for a while and then pushed again. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and so much less painful for the bees and me. The fact we had done that at the Apiary last weekend made it seem like the correct thing to do.

By the sound of thing's i am glad i am not a member of that association otherwise i would end up barred..

 

[Beefriendly]

They sound quite advanced although overthinking a problem compared to some.
I was talking to lady last who has just taken up the fine hobby and she was astounded that I didn't have a nice through draft through the hive all winter as her local association had advised to prevent dampness.
After quite a long chat she is now out shopping for a poly hive.

 

[Millet]

They sound quite advanced although overthinking a problem compared to some.
I was talking to lady last who has just taken up the fine hobby and she was astounded that I didn't have a nice through draft through the hive all winter as her local association had advised to prevent dampness.
After quite a long chat she is now out shopping for a poly hive.

I is sure i mentioned a poly Hive to a fellow member but ceder was bought instead.. we will see the outcome... i have another three poly roofs and five brood boxes on stand by for the next onslaught.. lets get it onnnn.

 

[Beefriendly]

The problem I find when people start out beekeeping is they are given lots of conflicting advice .......in their attempts to please everybody they attempt a hybrid of all the advice and cock it up totally.
It's damn frustrating...
If your local association is advocating wood and others are saying poly...it's hard to be confident enough when you are just starting out to go against what they are saying.
I resigned from my local association as they tried to prevent me from talking to their beginners about methods of varroa control "they" didn't approve of.

 

[madasafish]

That is exactly what I was doing. That is what I did under instruction at my association Apiary last week and it went absolutely fine.
They are more or less settled now but I won't be doing anything else with them for a few days so they have a chance to really settle down. I have an EKE to put under the CB so I can put the Apiguard trays in.
I should have just done what Millet said. That is what I will do next year if I am lucky enough to get this colony to survive the winter.

That is called making work for yourself And unnecessary work as well. I am a lazy sod and try to do things with the minimum of hard work..And hassle. And stings.

Your Association appear to believe in revisiting the Dark Ages.

 

[ShinySideUp]

I'm lost, what is the purpose of putting a plywood board under the brood box. If a solid floor was required why not buy a hive with one, otherwise what's wrong with an OMF and a varroa tray?

 

[itsbruce]

He is right. My only defence is that I was trying to follow what we did at the Association Apiary but that is in the middle of a field in Northumberland so I guess it was right for that location. We did this for at least 5 hives that day.
You live and learn but I am ashamed that my mistake took out some nice bees in the process of learning that mistake.

How were those hives designed? On the typical National/Commercial with a standard mesh floor it's never the right thing to do.

Have you ever looked under the base of a mesh-floor hive? Bee legs poking out on a regular basis as bees misstep and put a foot through a hole, occasionally one falls over and a wing pokes through before they right themselves etc. Some of the sound from a busy hive is made by them dropping from a frame and landing on the mesh - a constant noise when thousands of them are busy.

Either the association apiary hives are designed differently to yours or your association is potty.

 

[mike99]

Thanks for all the comments. I have had a sleepless night trying to come to terms with the stupid mess I have created and now need to figure out how to rectify it. As was mentioned, I over thought it and need to get the board back out without creating the angry swarm I got yesterday. Probably smoking the entrance to get them off the board. ��