Just had a phone call Re. OSR

[Browntea]

Just had the phone call telling me the farmer has sprayed OSR and I'm welcome to take the bees anytime...

What should I do due to the weather forecast?

Leave them where they are they have plenty of gorse to go at but if the weathers not good they won't be doing much anyway or move them?

Advice very welcome

 

[Ely]

When it is sunny, do you want them on rape or do you want to keep them where they are? Your choice, weather doesn't make a difference. If you want an osr crop then move them

 

[susbees]

Recent posts imply that weather DOES make a difference....below 16˚C no nectar, only pollen?

 

[Hivemaker.]

And any short/intermittent flows that happen, may lead to more rapidly granulated unsealed honey.

 

[Ely]

Stand corrected...says the man in orthopaedic shoes

 

[Poly Hive]

All they are getting from the gorse is pollen and they will also get pollen from the OSR mine were getting it yesterday, so........ why not move?

PH

 

[louiseww]

My first question would be 'What did he spray them with?'

 

[Poly Hive]

I wouldn't worry about osr sprays, I have not even shut in for the last two years and it makes no odds.

PH

 

[steve1958]

Just make sure you ask him if he enjoyed his Honey.
He will of course reply yes.
You then have the opportunity to say something along the lines of
"It was a good crop. That was the honey the bees collected when you were spraying your rape crops"
Then wait and see if he goes green

 

[Browntea]

Thanks for your replies, I've already asked about the spray used and it's been over 48 hrs now since it was sprayed so no problem there

I know your supposed to move the hive late evening to ensure all the flying bees are in but what about during rain? All it's done here for the last 6 hrs is pee it down! and the rest of the week seems to be no better according to the forecast, so could I move them in the rain? Or is it best to wait for a dry spell?

 

[drex]

They will be in the hive, and if it is peeing it down they will stay in the hive. You will be the only silly b***** that gets wet!

 

[keithgrimes]

I have had two hives on 125 acres of flowering rape for the last two weeks. I had to feed them today. Not an ounce of stores left and one colony had started ejecting grubs, poor things. Went down just in time. NO foundation drawn at all. This weather is killing the osr nectar flow up here. Got over 100 lbs of honey last year in same area.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Pleased i never bothered with the OSR this spring now,hope we get a good July/August for the heather.

 

[Teemore]

Suspect that my bees are in exactly the same situation as keith's... I have frames of stores ready to drop in to them - if i get a chance i'll be checking on them this evening I would rather disturb them a bit on a cool evening than lose them to starvation. I am still hopeful that the colonies I brought to the OSR will build up enough to let me use them to finish cells and donate frames to make up some nucs etc.