I’ve got BEEEEEES!!

[FidoDido]

I am very excited

I bought a nuc in the end. A Nice man delivered them for me and installed them. They were very very calm despite having been in a car for an hour.

They’ve been very busy - I’ve been very very NOT busy due to being glued to a chair a few feet away with my binoculars trained on the entrance. They’re on a par with puppies in terms of being time wasters. They seem to be bringing lots of very red/orange pollen home, waddling up the landing board like me coming home after a big shop.

I’m now taking an even more obsessive interest in the weather than I was previously.

Question - is having forage nearby a bonus? What I mean is, there’s a nice lush bramble patch right in front of the hive. Is that a good thing? I figure that if it’s too windy/wet to venture far from the hive, they might be happy to take short trips? Or does it not work like that?

 

[pargyle]

I am very excited

I bought a nuc in the end. A Nice man delivered them for me and installed them. They were very very calm despite having been in a car for an hour.

They’ve been very busy - I’ve been very very NOT busy due to being glued to a chair a few feet away with my binoculars trained on the entrance. They’re on a par with puppies in terms of being time wasters. They seem to be bringing lots of very red/orange pollen home, waddling up the landing board like me coming home after a big shop.

I’m now taking an even more obsessive interest in the weather than I was previously.

Question - is having forage nearby a bonus? What I mean is, there’s a nice lush bramble patch right in front of the hive. Is that a good thing? I figure that if it’s too windy/wet to venture far from the hive, they might be happy to take short trips? Or does it not work like that?

They won't usually forage in the immediate vicinity of the hive (except for water) but for forage they will normally forage at least 50 metres or so away and will fly up to 4 miles for a rich source (OIl seed rape for instance) - it's all about energy expended against the value of the pollen/nectar connected.

The 'theory' about them not foraging in the immediate vicinity of the hive is that they are not seeking to draw attention to the hive location - but who knows. My bees forage on the lavender in my front garden which is about 30 metres away from my apiary but there is a high wall and a hedge in between.

They do become a time waste - it's hard not to stand and watch when they are in the garden. Anyway, nice to hear you have bees - the fun begins !

 

[FidoDido]

That’s interesting! Makes perfect sense that they don’t want to draw attention to their hive.
Well there’s plenty of all sorts of stuff around so hopefully even with the absolutely dismal weather they’ll find something worth venturing out for. There are flowers, plants, trees etc in all directions. By rights they should be the happiest bees in the county. I still haven’t given up hope of catching a swarm. My other hive looks really sad and empty compared to the inhabited one.
I’ve ordered some of that Swarm Commander stuff and I’ve found a spot on top of a pony trailer that should be high enough to attract bees but not so high that I risk breaking my neck getting it back down.

 

[Sutty]

I am very excited

I bought a nuc in the end. A Nice man delivered them for me and installed them. They were very very calm despite having been in a car for an hour.

They’ve been very busy - I’ve been very very NOT busy due to being glued to a chair a few feet away with my binoculars trained on the entrance. They’re on a par with puppies in terms of being time wasters. They seem to be bringing lots of very red/orange pollen home, waddling up the landing board like me coming home after a big shop.

I’m now taking an even more obsessive interest in the weather than I was previously.

Question - is having forage nearby a bonus? What I mean is, there’s a nice lush bramble patch right in front of the hive. Is that a good thing? I figure that if it’s too windy/wet to venture far from the hive, they might be happy to take short trips? Or does it not work like that?

Congratulations!

I suspect the not foraging close to the hive is related to the limitations of the waggle dance - why search around for a close source when you know where one is not much further away?!

 

[masterBK]

They won't usually forage in the immediate vicinity of the hive

Really ? I wonder if the bees in the two hives I keep in the back garden know that . They certainly work the Hellabores, crocuses, raspberries, golden rod, cotoneaster, for -get-me knot, apple and pear tree and many more bee plants in my intensely planted but not very large garden and I have a large collection of photos I have taken of them doing so.

 

[pargyle]

Really ? I wonder if the bees in the two hives I keep in the back garden know that . They certainly work the Hellabores, crocuses, raspberries, golden rod, cotoneaster, for -get-me knot, apple and pear tree and many more bee plants in my intensely planted but not very large garden and I have a large collection of photos I have taken of them doing so.

Usually ... as I said - mine forage on the lavender in my front garden about 30 metres away ... I've never seen honey bees from my hives on the raspberries that are almost next to my apiary ... those on my allotment were always covered in honey bees ... but they do find the crocuses and hellabores in the spring - about 30 metres away again. The OP was talking about brambles in front of the hive ..

But, I will bow to your obvious knowledge ....

 

[Sutty]

As I recall Sealey's evidence was that the waggle dance works for over about 6m

 

[Swarm]

I regularly see bees on the bramble just a few feet from their front door.

 

[JamezF]

I'm sure I've read somewhere that they use a different method for locating "items of interest" that are close to the hive rather than the waggle dance.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

They won't usually forage in the immediate vicinity of the hive

I'm sure they do but I think I read in Seeley? that the waggle dance doesn't work for forage close to the hive so that the bees you see are the ones that find the source on their own without being directed to it

 

[enrico]

remember a few flowers even on a large bramble patch wont make a huge difference, that is why trees are so important because they have thousands of flowers in one spot. whilst the brambles will help if they are a small patch you need many many patches to make a difference and the bigger the patch (an acre) would be so much more beneficial but.... fun to watch them on your local flowers in any case.

 

[Amari]

I am very excited

I bought a nuc in the end.

Where are you in Suffolk, Fido?
If possible, it would be good to get a second colony - you learn twice as fast and if anything goes wrong with one eg. queen failure, you can use the other to donate brood.

 

[FidoDido]

Where are you in Suffolk, Fido?
If possible, it would be good to get a second colony - you learn twice as fast and if anything goes wrong with one eg. queen failure, you can use the other to donate brood.

Hadleigh! I’d love a second batch as it were - I’ve got another hive. Just can’t stretch to another nuc until I’ve saved a few more pennies.

 

[FidoDido]

GO BEES!!

Did my first check today. Tbh even before going in I knew they were ok - twice as many zooming around and going in and out than when I saw the hive last about 4 days ago

Saw the Queen. Didn’t see any eggs because I’m useless at seeing them (must buy a magnifying glass) but loads of capped brood and pollen, nectar and capped honey.

I put a wedge of fondant on in the end (did that about 4 days ago - literally lid off, put fondant in and straight out) because I was fretting about them going hungry and they were clustered on it but also seem to be bringing in loads of good stuff. Should I take it off? They’re about 3 sides of drawn comb away from filing the box. Beek that sold me the nuc says once they’ve drawn all the frames I can put a super on

So proud of my girls!

 

[Sutty]

You don't mention seeing uncapped brood - I assume there was some?
I'd wait until you have a decent number of frames (6-8) mostly covered with brood before adding a super, don't rush it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Beek that sold me the nuc says once they’ve drawn all the frames I can put a super on

No. Super when you have 7 frames wall to wall brood.

 

[FidoDido]

Okey doke. I’m in no rush for honey anyway.

They’re VERY good bees

ETA - I squashed one. I feel awful.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Saw the Queen. Didn’t see any eggs

Wrong way round: must see eggs, no need to see the queen. Get ready-readers or a way to see eggs, because they're the first thing to check when opening a colony.

 

[Sutty]

I find a bright led hand torch as well as my readers invaluable for seeing eggs.

 

[Paulypaul]

No one told my bees, they can't forage on nearby flowrs.who forage each day on alcanet flowers, leaning against the hive.