Message from National Bee Inspector

[Chris Luck]

As I wrote and have done before I'm not telling anyone else what to do with their boxes of insects, I can only say how I manage mine and how that works out in practise, which I have to say is very well, maybe not always perfect but then this isn't a perfect world.

So my question would be, how is it that your colony that "is very strong, has eaten it's self out of house and home" has reached that point in the first instance? Have you removed stores? What other interventions or manipulations do you perform? Have they been used to being fed?

My experience is that bee colonies self regulate when generally left to themselves, otherwise it would be suicide, which is quite rare in the natural world, (one or two exceptions for population control maybe?) So when there is a lack of forage, poor weather or the day lengths shorten the Queen reduces or even stops laying, the bees are less active and consume less, balance is achieved.

Chris

 

[oliver90owner]

Chris,

Your bees are obviously self regulating or they would have been replaced by incoming swarms over the years.

Here, there are many new beeks who have been sold inappropriate strains of bee (after all, the new beeks are 'easy' targets for the cheap imported queens, in substandard nucs, from some suppliers). Nice quiet temperament but not good for other traits.

Many learn the hard way, and eventually requeen with a 'better' strain (when they realise why they have swarm after swarm, or bees that brood and brood rather than self-regulate or second geneation quens are vile tempered) and eventually settle for perhaps a less prolific bee or learn how to handle the strains they have.

Remember, too that possibly 3/4 of swarms in the UK would not survive the first year in the 'wild', so it would not need so many generations to sort out the unsuitable strains, were the bees left largely to their own devices.

Regards, RAB

 

[Nopants]

Beggers belief as to why any one would take all the supers away just because of treating for mites. I have left a full super on all of my hives as they can quickly starve due to robbing by wasps and other colonies close by.I have even put and left the wet supers on above the crown board with one hole left one for the bees to clear out. Oh and Im treating with Apiguard at the same time too... Ok some may say Im contaminating my empty supers with thyamol... So what, look at the Apiguard site.It says thymol is found in many food products as it is a natural product found in herbs..Wouldnt dream of using it while honey flow was on as it would taint the honey. I think any one new to bee keeping feels they are under pressure to treat for varoa and then think about feeding their bees. We all need to look at other methods of treating our bees through out the season instead of the Autumn rush of removing the honey and treating with apiguard in August.

 

[Skyhook]

My experience is that bee colonies self regulate when generally left to themselves, otherwise it would be suicide, which is quite rare in the natural world, (one or two exceptions for population control maybe?)

Chris

No, it would be wastage. In order for survival of the fittest to work, the rest have to die- this is what Ron Hoskins' work is based on. In many species over 99% pre-reproductive mortality is normal.

 

[Chris Luck]

What I meant was that if a colony doesn't self regulate it "dies" as a colony, I used the word suicide as opposed to failure.

I'm the first one to allow duff colonies to fail and die out as you know, hence my attitude to varroa - survival of the fittest and natural adaptation.

Chris