I’m on my way!

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Re: diseases - I put it in the freezer for two days (she advised me to), would that help at all?

not really, but regardless, apart from the risk of spreading disease, and encouraging robbing and fighting,putting out food stores in a bait hive is not going to attract swarms (they are not looking for food)
Suggesting you spray the interior of the hive with sugar syrup was pretty daft as well.

 

[Antipodes]

Yes ... there is a well documented on near Gilbert White's house in Selborne, Hampshire - first documented by Gilbert White in the 1700's and still there today. I've come across another one in the New Forest to the South West of Brockenhurst. It's quite spectacular when you find one ..the noise and activity is extraordinary. Again, there is no commonality to be able to predict where Drones congregate .. they are not defined by topography, climate or proximity to anything obvious - they are just there (unless you accept that bees can define something that we cannot ?)

Brilliant!
According to the article you could perhaps see if you could locate one with your rods...like where numerous lines intersect?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Still available ...£5 a set plus postage ! Yew wood from trees in my garden and copper coated iron rods.

That’s nowhere near enough. Double that.

 

[Erichalfbee]

"People"? What "people"? "People" with a deep understanding of the natural world and plant biology? Or would these be the same sort of "people" who claimed that we were about to enter a new ice age in the 1970s when in fact there was absolutely no scientific consensus suggesting such a thing?

There are different people having varied beliefs. Why lump them altogether. Believing one thing doesn’t mean you subscribe to anything else.

 

[JamezF]

See, I am a complete sceptic about anything “woo” but I’d absolutely love a reason to believe any of it

I remember seeing a programme on dowsing. When - inevitably - they all failed when tested properly, one old boy reckoned it was God having a laugh

The Randi foundation had more claims from people who claimed that dowsing worked than any other "paranormal" claims as far as I recall. James Randi made a number of television programmes where he tested people who claimed it worked; some even made a living from it as far as I recall. But not once in tests that they agreed beforehand were fair tests and they would definitely be able to produce a positive result, could they actually produce anything that was better than random. When confronted with the results many of them were mystified as to why it didn't work.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

This is much more fun than Pollen Pirate

 

[pargyle]

That’s nowhere near enough. Double that.

Mates rates ...

 

[JamezF]

Great info. I’m curious about the old brood frame and lemongrass oil being optional. I’ve always thought they were the most important…at least to have one or the other. Have you had success when using neither?

I've done it without the old comb (because I ran out). I've not deliberately done it without the lemon grass oil, but I don't always remember

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

This is much more fun than Pollen Pirate

A handy place to stick your rods?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've done it without the old comb (because I ran out). I've not deliberately done it without the lemon grass oil, but I don't always remember

James

I think in the end both the old comb and lemongrass are more for our reassurance than an actual bee attractant, if there are bees in the area and they find a cavity that is suitable for their needs, then they will take that information back to the collective. Tom Seeley never used any gimmicks, just constructed suitable cavities for the bees to choose.

 

[pargyle]

The Randi foundation had more claims from people who claimed that dowsing worked than any other "paranormal" claims as far as I recall. James Randi made a number of television programmes where he tested people who claimed it worked; some even made a living from it as far as I recall. But not once in tests that they agreed beforehand were fair tests and they would definitely be able to produce a positive result, could they actually produce anything that was better than random. When confronted with the results many of them were mystified as to why it didn't work.

James

Welll .... I'm not a mystic, and I don't encourage anyone to believe, what I see as visual evidence, that is good enough for me. Clearly, there are people who would, perhaps, seek to exploit the gullible for monetary gain but the vast majority of people I see divining do it more for the fun and sense of achievement than for any financial motive. It is a very odd sensation when the rods move of their own volition ... some people tune in, some don't - and it does not follow that sceptics are the ones who the rods don't respond to ...You could not find a more objective beekeeper than Roger Patterson and even he admitted to being a total sceptic until he tried !

 

[Mint Bee]

whilst we are on the subject, I thought this quote apt.

'Homeopathic dilutions' and 'Memory of Water' are two expressions capable of turning a peaceful and intelligent person into a violently irrational one,'

 

[roche]

"Clearly, there are people who would, perhaps, seek to exploit the gullible for monetary gain"

Argyle Enterpises?

 

[pargyle]

whilst we are on the subject, I thought this quote apt.

'Homeopathic dilutions' and 'Memory of Water' are two expressions capable of turning a peaceful and intelligent person into a violently irrational one,'

Again ... homeopathy is something that I've witnessed working - one of our previous dogs had a skin complaint that all conventional treatments would not resolve - a course of homeopathic treatments fixed the problem - and as soon as we stopped the skin condition returned .. back on the homeopathic tabs and away the skin problem went. I've had the same experience with acupunture on a previous dog ...

 

[pargyle]

"Clearly, there are people who would, perhaps, seek to exploit the gullible for monetary gain"

Argyle Enterpises?

I haven't made my first million yet but there's always hope ...

 

[JamezF]

whilst we are on the subject, I thought this quote apt.

'Homeopathic dilutions' and 'Memory of Water' are two expressions capable of turning a peaceful and intelligent person into a violently irrational one,'

The father of one of my daughter's friends at primary school was heavily in to homeopathy. He used to insist his family took homeopathic remedies whenever they were ill. Oddly however, when he was ill he was straight off down to Superdrug to raid the shelves for drugs

James

 

[ericbeaumont]

Re: diseases - I put it in the freezer for two days (she advised me to), would that help at all?

Not in the least.

How persistent is the bacterium? How long will it remain dormant in unused brood frames or honey stores? We have data to suggest that Mp can survive at least 18 months in honey and there is evidence ... that it can survive 3 years + on used brood comb. (Mp is melissococcus plutonius, the spore-forming bacterium of EFB).

Couple of years ago a beekeeper's colonies in North London contracted AFB; turned out he'd fed them shop-bought honey; colonies were destroyed.

 

[Sutty]

If homeopathic remedies get "stronger" with dilution, and considering that water has been exposed to pretty much every substance on earth then well mixed over millennia, surely all water would be incredibly potent for all our ills!
Pretty much all water is also recycled dinosaur piss too!

 

[hemo]

So I’ve got a hive ready for bees to inhabit. I bought some swarm luring stuff from my hive supplier and a friend kindly gave me 3 frames with some old comb and a bit of capped honey on them, to hopefully convince passing bees that they’d be mad to pass up the chance of moving in.

I’m going to try to get something to put it up high on in the next couple of days. Is there anything else I can do to increase my chances?

The only thing one needs to attract a swarm is decent old comb . The wax in fused with nectar etc,etc will be enough to entice scout bees to take a looky.
Lemongrass or other attractants aren't needed nor capped honey from unknown sources.
Capped honey in an empty hive will only attract robber bees and honey of unknown provenance may carry disease spores of EFB/EFB or vica versa and simply cause mayhem in some one elses unsuspecting hives due to their bees robbing the honey.
Common sense is needed and unless feeding your own honey left over stores to your own bees , then feeding or leaving honey out is a NO NO.

 

[pargyle]

"People"? What "people"? "People" with a deep understanding of the natural world and plant biology? Or would these be the same sort of "people" who claimed that we were about to enter a new ice age in the 1970s when in fact there was absolutely no scientific consensus suggesting such a thing?



What happens (at least) in certain instances of companion planting is well understood as far as I'm aware. Planting in accordance with the phases of the Moon has been debunked frequently. I believe many fans claim it's to do with the way that water behaves under the influence of the Moon's gravity (like it does to create the tides, right?) whilst ignoring the fact that water in contained spaces such as plant cells will behave completely differently.



Perhaps dogs just like that spot. What have you done to discount any other plausible explanations? What other explanations have you even considered?



Without accurate and specific documentation of the test, that's really not an answerable question.



Which is therefore subject to whatever biases, prejudices and errors of judgement that affect you. As I've posted before, one of the most important parts of testing a hypothesis (that dowsing works, for instance, or that "energy lines exist) is eliminating the issues that humans unwittingly bring with them.

James

It's the atheist argument isn't it .. I can't prove there's an afterlife therefore it does not exist ? Some things that you witness just don't have a logical explanation - some things that happen may be the result of random coincidences - I accept all of that and sometimes things that you hae witnessed cannot be replicated on demand ... you either accept or deny that they existed at that moment in time. As I said, I don't seek converts to believe what I have witnessed - your beliefs are your beliefs ... any more than I seek converts to my way of keeping bees ... which usually promotes an equally interesting debate !