Introduction and a question

[Millet]

I'm a lost cause then.........sigh!

Lets see what state i am in after this season then we will be able too judge lost causes , i maybe in the last three ..percentage wise.

 

[Tremyfro]

I started with a carniolan colony and a local nuc. I really enjoyed the Carniolans but the locals were much more buzzy. They didn't actually do anything but were more runny on the comb, crawled all over your hands and there were more in the air whilst you inspected. Of course, that may have been down to my inexperience with beekeeping but it was enough to make up my mind about the type of bees I wanted. So now when I need to requeen...I get a carniolan queen.
I have finally finished the Bee Yard...and it is much more spacious and allows good space around the hives. However, there is always the temptation to fill up with extra hives. I feel though, that during years when there is poor weather and less opportunity for the bees to forage...then having too many colonies is not wise. Luckily, there is a cider apple orchard only a few hundred yards away and the farmer has planted another 75 trees. So in the next few years springtime could be good here.

 

[Beagle23]

Thanks for all the good advice.
Any recommendations for where I might pick up a low cost national brood box?

Also, 'runny on the comb' does that refer to the viscosity of the honey?

 

[amigadave]

Thanks for all the good advice.
Any recommendations for where I might pick up a low cost national brood box?

Also, 'runny on the comb' does that refer to the viscosity of the honey?

Your local association probably has an auction coming up in the next month or two, so that would be worth a look for some (potential) bargains.
Being "runny" refers to bees that run around on the comb rather than calmly shuffle about, so a question of bee temperament and not related to honey.

 

[Quis Custodiet]

Thanks for all the good advice.
Any recommendations for where I might pick up a low cost national brood box?

Also, 'runny on the comb' does that refer to the viscosity of the honey?

Steady on the comb is the opposite to running on the comb.

 

[madasafish]

Thanks for all the good advice.
Any recommendations for where I might pick up a low cost national brood box?

Also, 'runny on the comb' does that refer to the viscosity of the honey?

When you are trying to pick up a queen, one that runs away and hides is not what you want. You need a nice laid back queen who ignores your chasing fingers.. Otherwise much grief.

 

[B+.]

Also, 'runny on the comb' does that refer to the viscosity of the honey?

This refers to the tendency of some bees to run around on the face of the comb rather than sitting still or getting on with whatever they were doing.
Typically nervous bees like this will either run to the top of the frame where there is open nectar for them to feed on, or, they will run to the bottom (the corners in particular) and drip off the bottom of the frame in clumps.
Bees that fly up at you when you open the box (aggression) are also likely to be nervous in other ways (such as running).

 

[beekeepershens]

you removed the queen excluder at the year end because you should do! Do not go into winter with a queen excluder on, you risk separating the queen or the bees from the stores.

 

[Tremyfro]

This refers to the tendency of some bees to run around on the face of the comb rather than sitting still or getting on with whatever they were doing.
Typically nervous bees like this will either run to the top of the frame where there is open nectar for them to feed on, or, they will run to the bottom (the corners in particular) and drip off the bottom of the frame in clumps.
Bees that fly up at you when you open the box (aggression) are also likely to be nervous in other ways (such as running).

Understanding traits like these escapes the notice of beginner beekeepers. I bought those bees through the local bee keeps assn. I was pleased to have them but as time went by...the comparison between them and my Carniolans was very clear. The Carniolans were a full mature hive on 14x12 frames...the first time we inspected them....it did seem like a huge amount of bees but they just sat on the comb...doing their work...whereas the nuc was definitely more challenging to inspect.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Understanding traits like these escapes the notice of beginner beekeepers.

You're right
I didn't have a clue what my bees were doing festooning off the bottom of the frames when I first started

 

[Tremyfro]

You're right
I didn't have a clue what my bees were doing festooning off the bottom of the frames when I first started

When we saw ours doing that...we just thought they were being cute!
Now if I see any of these less desirable traits...I think about requeening before we get to any aggressiveness.
I think...as a beginner beekeeper....enjoyment in carrying out all the inspections, adjustments etc is key to being a relaxed beekeeper...which can only be helpful to the bees. Calm bees whilst you are learning how to move around a hive helps you develop good technique.

 

[Beagle23]

you removed the queen excluder at the year end because you should do! Do not go into winter with a queen excluder on, you risk separating the queen or the bees from the stores.

Well it's nice or a change to make a decision in ignorance that is the right one

 

[Beagle23]

It was a pleasant 15 degrees here on Saturday, and as I saw a number of bees returning to the hive with pollen I thought I'd whisk off the super and have a look in the brood box.

I was really surprised by the number of bees present, my limited reading had led me to believe that the colony would reduce significantly over the winter months. I think there are probably more bees now than in the Autumn, there's certainly more comb in the brood box which is almost full. There's also about 4 full frames of capped honey and a frame or so of eggs.
This was surprising, I had imagined there would be less bees, less stores, next to no eggs and that the bees would be far more docile. It could be that I've been overdoing the fondant supply, but maybe not as they seem to be quite happy and productive, and I suppose that's the goal.