Location query

[Sean Birt]

Hello again people, im back for more. I just have a couple of questions if thats ok.are there any bee keepers around the bawsey area that are on here? And done alot of reading since i was last on here and i have lots questions but ill start with this n see if i can work some of the others meself, to clip or not to clip the queens wings hmm i just dont know..
What happens to the hive after a swarm, will it continue to produce or will it die off.

 

[ratcatcher]

Hello again people, im back for more. I just have a couple of questions if thats ok.are there any bee keepers around the bawsey area that are on here? And done alot of reading since i was last on here and i have lots questions but ill start with this n see if i can work some of the others meself, to clip or not to clip the queens wings hmm i just dont know..
What happens to the hive after a swarm, will it continue to produce or will it die off.

if you dont clip, and they swarm, your left with half your bees (approx) and queen cells

if you clip wings and they swarm, the queen falls to the floor, swarming bees detect she aint with them, and return to the hive, you then still have all your bees and queen cells


if you don't want to clip, make sure you do regular weekly inspections, and when the time is right, do artificial swarm, then you have two colonies or more

 

[enrico]

I used to clip.... I haven't for the past fifteen years, personal preference
E

 

[Sean Birt]

Ahh i see, so will the half a colony still thrive? Because if the bee population is in such a dire situation then i would have thought letting them swarm would help with the number or that just stuput? I am in 2 minds....
Also i have seen people selling honey around bawsey like on leziate drove, but was just wondering whether anybody is on here from around this area?
It is not gonna be till next year i get my bees n stuff but i wanna get as much in my head as possible before i start.
Thanks for reply

 

[Sean Birt]

i see Enrico, like i mentioned i just don't know which way i am going to go.
may i ask why you stopped clipping?

 

[enrico]

Depends when they swarm. You can let them swarm but that is poor management. You don't know where they are going to set up home. Managing bees is our main purpose, be it for the honey crop or for the sake of the bees alone. Letting swarms go just for the sake of it will be of no help to your own colony or the ones that swarms as they will probably not manage varoa without our help all though that is still questionable. Carry on reading most of this is explained in detail in many of the easy read books such as 'bees at the bottom of the garden'
Half a colony will probably be ok, remember the queen laying eggs is not reproduction in a beehive, swarming is reproduction it produces two hives from one in theory. That way they are doubling their chance of survival.
E

 

[ratcatcher]

Ahh i see, so will the half a colony still thrive? Because if the bee population is in such a dire situation then i would have thought letting them swarm would help with the number or that just stuput? I am in 2 minds....
Also i have seen people selling honey around bawsey like on leziate drove, but was just wondering whether anybody is on here from around this area?
It is not gonna be till next year i get my bees n stuff but i wanna get as much in my head as possible before i start.
Thanks for reply

the trouble with just letting them swarm, is say there are 4 qc in the hive, the 1st hatches, and swarms with approx half the bees, you now have 1/4 of what you had, the next one hatches, and she swarms too, you have 1/8th of what you had, can you see now why as a beekeeper, you need to do something, rather than nothing

every beekeeper will have different advice, and do things differently, I myself do not add chemicals or any treatments for varroa, I see them no differently from fleas on a dog, healthy bees will manage them, poorly ones wont, and I wouldn't want to be keeping poorly bees anyway, the colonies in my garden, and all from a swarm I collected 3yrs ago, still going strong, never treated

 

[Teemore]

Tom Sealey comments in one of his books that left to their own devices, only a small percentage of all swarms will survive beyond their first winter. With the help of beekeepers, colony survival can be an awful lot higher. Most beekeepers try to work with their bees.

 

[Pete D]

Also i have seen people selling honey around bawsey like on leziate drove, but was just wondering whether anybody is on here from around this area?

are there any bee keepers around the bawsey area that are on here? .

Hi Sean,
good to see that you are still interested in beekeeping. My advice is the same as last time about contacting your local association.
The West Norfolk & Kings Lynn Beekeeping Association are very active and you live slap bang in the middle of their catchment area and 200 members.
They have members within half a mile of you and some members who have out apiary sites even closer. Not many of them use this forum but they do go along to some of the 30 odd educational sessions, the 12 or so social functions, the workshops and demonstrations that happen each year. They also use the website and facebook page and they take advantage of the library and discounted beekeeping supplies offered.
Associations are not for everyone but for £15 a year they are great for beginners to experience beekeeping and learn a lot for very little cost and effort. The taster sessions are always popular and many people go on from these to the beginner course.

At this stage of your beekeeping journey whether to clip the queen or not is probably not the number one concern, indeed should you go on to keep bees your first bees may arrive with the queen already clipped if you get them from a good reliable local source such as the association apiary.

Enjoy the rest of your journey and if you are inclined have a look at www.wnklba.co.uk, maybe bump into you soon.

 

[Sean Birt]

Oh right i see. I didnt know that it seems ive more reading to do hehe. You learn so much on this site its great. Thanks again.

 

[Vramin]

Tom Sealey comments in one of his books that left to their own devices, only a small percentage of all swarms will survive beyond their first winter. With the help of beekeepers, colony survival can be an awful lot higher. Most beekeepers try to work with their bees.

In a talk at the BBKA spring convention, research was presented showing that 30% of 'feral' colonies die within 1 year, and 50% within 2 years. All of these bees are believed to originate from swarms from managed hives (genetic analysis). They all had far more Deformed Wing Paralysis Virus than managed colonies, which is thought to be due to the uncontrolled varroa in the wild.

 

[Sean Birt]

Ahhh right i see, well that answers my question about lettin em swarm. That is good research. so your not actually helping the bee numbers if you let them swarm. Hmm
Thanks i have been on wnklba, even sent an email to the training hive site, dont think i got a reply. But i will be joining up, defo. Non bee member first though, get some experience before i get me babies. I cant wait, i want em now. Grrrr heehe