Most hives doing well but....?

[CliffDale]

Just did the oxalic treatment for the first time.

The only problem was removing the queen excluder, this seemed to disturb the bees and they came up. Next year, I will take off the q excluder after the Apiguard treatment.


All hives are doing well and have plenty of stores. Most colonies had 6 or 7 seams to treat.

Only one hive had just 3 seams and seemed very weak compared to the others. This hive used to be the strongest last September. I hope they are ok.

Cliff

 

[drstitson]

where was the QE - between top of brood box and the crownboard (if so why)? or between brood and a super full of stores? if the latter then that was a serious mistake (as detailed in other threads) as cluster may move up leaving queen to die under the QE.

 

[CliffDale]

where was the QE - between top of brood box and the crownboard (if so why)? or between brood and a super full of stores? if the latter then that was a serious mistake (as detailed in other threads) as cluster may move up leaving queen to die under the QE.

It was between the brood box and the crown board. I realise now I should have taken the qe off!

The hives with the double brood boxes, the queen is free to travel between them.

Cliff

 

[Heather]

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!
Again- queen excluder's still in... slap bottom. Honey off - excluder OUT

How did they get to the syrup in the autumn. . You gave them a marathon. And it is cold, if metal..
Should be all scrubbed up in a shed by now...

 

[Skyhook]

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!
Again- queen excluder's still in... slap bottom. Honey off - excluder OUT

How did they get to the syrup in the autumn. . You gave them a marathon. And it is cold, if metal..
Should be all scrubbed up in a shed by now...

I took mine off with the supers, but can I have a slapped bottom anyway?

 

[Heather]

Have I got to dig out that uniform!!

 

[Vergilius]

Cliffdale,

Your situation is not the end of the world... There is no risk of the queen getting trapped outside the cluster... But it would have been a hinderence to them when they tried to get to your feed in autumn and your fondant (if it is in) now...

Ben P

 

[Rosti]

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!
Again- queen excluder's still in... slap bottom. Honey off - excluder OUT

Each to their own Heather! I can't agree with you.

Queen excluder still in ... well done, good move, cover all the bases it continues to do its job then - always ensures that the queen stays where she should be and does not take a fancy to some moist warm nook or cranny up in the insulation. After all there's no brood to keep her routed to the frames.

I think we are all agreed that, even if you have to put a QE back on, if you have to feed fondant later in the winter it remains the perfect support device that gets the fondant as close to the bees as possible without it falling through a damn great feeding hole.

 

[tonybloke]

Each to their own Heather! I can't agree with you.

Queen excluder still in ... well done, good move, cover all the bases it continues to do its job then - always ensures that the queen stays where she should be and does not take a fancy to some moist warm nook or cranny up in the insulation. After all there's no brood to keep her routed to the frames.

I think we are all agreed that, even if you have to put a QE back on, if you have to feed fondant later in the winter it remains the perfect support device that gets the fondant as close to the bees as possible without it falling through a damn great feeding hole.

good point, Rosti !!

 

[Haughton Honey]

good point, Rosti !!

Indeed. Either over the feed hole in the crown board or on top of a QX above the brood (and within an eke).

 

[Heather]

I took over 5 hives with QE on then cover board then rapid feeder. One colony died of starvation in December- the others had barely touched the syrup as very limited access.
I piled in fondant and they have had 2nds.
How does a queen snuggle up into the insulation?? Insulation is above a sealed crown board. She is within the colony surely.

No, sorry, Queen excluders all cleaned and stored.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Word document attached that might be of interest to some......

 

[Rosti]

I took over 5 hives with QE on then cover board then rapid feeder. One colony died of starvation in December- the others had barely touched the syrup as very limited access.
I piled in fondant and they have had 2nds.
How does a queen snuggle up into the insulation?? Insulation is above a sealed crown board. She is within the colony surely.

No, sorry, Queen excluders all cleaned and stored.

Well, depends what insulataion you use I guess!. I use space board so thats fine, I know others who use loads of bubble wrap -hence nooks and crannies, especially if you have say a 2.5KG [1/4 fondant] block on a hive and then use extra bubble wrap around it to improve insulation further (which I do) and in winter there is no brood to hold a queen on the comb. While we are on the subject, I have also inspected at a friends apiary and found the queen up inside a rapid feeder (he wasn't using a QE at the time see) - and thats with brood present that should theoretically have held her down on the comb. You can be as forthright as you like Heather, that doesn't make you (or me right) .... and you're wrong by the way!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Word document attached that might be of interest to some......

Yes thanks for that. There are links to similar elsewhere on the forum.
It looks quite an attractive thing to do in some ways but then you couldn't deliver Hivemaker's thymolated syrup. Perhaps you could do a bit of both?
Feed some syrup then leave fondant on...

 

[Haughton Honey]

Yes thanks for that. There are links to similar elsewhere on the forum.
It looks quite an attractive thing to do in some ways but then you couldn't deliver Hivemaker's thymolated syrup. Perhaps you could do a bit of both?
Feed some syrup then leave fondant on...

Or make your own and add thymol and other EOs in the process..........

 

[Erichalfbee]

But how can you add a small amount of thymol to hot and sticky fondant?
I presume you can't put it in before you boil or the essential oils would boil off surely?
Or am I missing something?

 

[Heather]

Well, depends what insulataion you use I guess!. I use space board so thats fine, I know others who use loads of bubble wrap -hence nooks and crannies, especially if you have say a 2.5KG [1/4 fondant] block on a hive and then use extra bubble wrap around it to improve insulation further (which I do) and in winter there is no brood to hold a queen on the comb. While we are on the subject, I have also inspected at a friends apiary and found the queen up inside a rapid feeder (he wasn't using a QE at the time see) - and thats with brood present that should theoretically have held her down on the comb. You can be as forthright as you like Heather, that doesn't make you (or me right) .... and you're wrong by the way!

Each to their own... Will let you know if i find a queen feeding herself.. You sure it was a queen....

 

[Rosti]

Each to their own... Will let you know if i find a queen feeding herself.. You sure it was a queen....

Yep, independently verified and posted on here by another beek (whose hives they were) as a warning to others. Do a thread search for Sky Dragon's posts.

No QE in use, the feeder had been discarded by him at the start of the inspection while I was enjoying myself with my camera. Couldn't find the queen to mark her, we gave up and as we were tidying I just happened to take the top off the discarded rapid feeder (the 2ltr round plastic jobs) and there she was! I was half disrobed by then of course and now with hands clamped over the entrance to and lid of the feeder, then followed the comedy act of him quickly opening said hive, marking her and back on to a frame. No one copped a sting fortunately! R

 

[louiseww]

good point, the fondant has made a mess of the crown board!

 

[oliver90owner]

good point, the fondant has made a mess of the crown board!

Sorry, but must be having a 'thick' day. To what does this refer?

RAB