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Widdershins

Field Bee
Joined
Nov 7, 2008
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Hive Type
Langstroth
My apiaries are 'fixed' (Ihope!) ones, and we dont move the hives to the rape / heather etc.

Just wondered if there are many others out there, that have 'static' hives, and the pros and cons of such.

Ideas?
 
pros and cons of such.

Ideas?

With moving I may get 3-5 fold more honey per hive.
I keep only 2-4 hives in one site. I try to uncapp cream from fields!

Most time of summer flowers produce nectar on minimum level.
High level production is about 2-3 weeks per summer.
How to get yield during minimum conditions?

Over grazing of pastures - when?

If bees must fly over 1 km to get yield, the distance takes 50% of best yield.
If bees fly to rape field 3 km, you get almost nothing from hives.
 
Hmm, never thought about it like that - does the constant moving not make your bees annoyed though?
 
I moved mine on to Lavender last season and they seemed very happy,I was going to send them to the moors for heather but am glad I never after hearing reports of a bad crop.
 
- does the constant moving ?

Once or twice a summer. It is not much and in afternoon they allready forage honey.

You nurse hives whole year around and then you have couple of weeks to hit! Don't miss it!
It depends where you hit.

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Oooo Lavender, eh? Was the Honey nice??

Whats the furthest distance, Admin would you move yours?

Finman - is it easy to find places/crops to move tthem to?
 
Finman - is it easy to find places/crops to move tthem to?

I have hives in the corner of country where is not other beekeepers. I may shoose virgin pastures.

To find every year best pastures - it is very difficult. You find too late if you have missed in selection. Pastures and blooming shanges. Vegetation does not stay as same. That is one of biggest invention after years.

To shoose pastures, where dry or moist summer does not ruin you yield, it is difficult. You should play with many cards.
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My first site is where i intend to raise nucs, they are surrounded by a pick your own farm, and also a garden centre container unit, with a big lake, so they have plenty to get stuck into as they grow in size, any hives here will remain unmoved. This is quite a sheltered spot in 70% shade.

I have just got myself a second Out Apiary, a local farmer who grown Field Beans, and Clovers, they are part of a collective (i forget the name) linked with DEFRA, they are not allowed to cut verges, which must be left for wild flowers etc, and they are also only growers of Nectar producing flowers/crops, one reason i think why he let me on there. This area is South facing with only a wind break behind the hives and to the left.

It will be interesting to see how each lot of bees get on when compared, as each site is totally different in layout and forage.
 
Sweetums, you lucky thing! How did you find the people with the clover etc? Did you actively look for them or what?
 
Hi WS

Pure luck and good timing i guess, i did a search on the web for farms in the local area, i typed out a standard letter and just sent them out.

This old fella rang me, he has to be in his 70's and runs the farm on his tod, a quite remarkable individual, he told me all about the history of the land, all the hedgerows date back to roman times, and he is always ploughing up bits of pottery and spear heads etc.
A BBC cameraman used to keep bees there, then retired and moved back up north, he is very aware of the benefit the bees will bring, and because of that decided not to charge me.

I have no bees or hives there yet, but will possibly move the 3 from my original site before spring, then maybe buy some nucs and bring them on.
 
Andy just to speed this up and cost you less you could buy some queens,and make up your own nucs,from the bee's you have.
 
Good point, and this is the next learning stage of the hobby for me next year, making increase from my own stocks is something i want to do.

I was going to ask you all actually where you think the best source for Queens is.
I found my Carniolans a bit tetchy, they built up massively, and i had been told they were gentle and passive, i realise there are always many factors that come into play, but my manipulation is not sloppy, and i am a little dissapointed in their temperament.

I also wanted to put one hive in my garden next year so those bees would absolutely have to be well behaved.

I have bought from Easy Bee & Maisemore, any other suggestions ?
 
I found my Carniolans a bit tetchy, they built up massively, and i had been told they were gentle and passive,

They are gentle but not passive. If they do not gather honey, reason is that pastures are too far or flowers have not nectar.

Bad point is that they are more eager to swarm than italians. To beginner swarming is bad thing. Italian gives more mercy in this point.
 
Good point, and this is the next learning stage of the hobby for me next year, making increase from my own stocks is something i want to do.

I was going to ask you all actually where you think the best source for Queens is.
I found my Carniolans a bit tetchy, they built up massively, and i had been told they were gentle and passive, i realise there are always many factors that come into play, but my manipulation is not sloppy, and i am a little dissapointed in their temperament.

I also wanted to put one hive in my garden next year so those bees would absolutely have to be well behaved.

I have bought from Easy Bee & Maisemore, any other suggestions ?
Your bees a bit tetchy ? never!
I managed to use the keyboard again 4 days after going through them becase the swelling had gone down in my hand enough LOL.

If you want garden bees we have a queen dealer in Petersfield who imports New Zealand Italian strain queens,I have worked these bees in back gardens and they are the softest I have ever worked,they are a bit prone to Verroa though so you need to keep on top treatment wise.

Some people use Bickerstaffes but I had no luck with them last year and resorted to breading my own with great success.
 
Your bees a bit tetchy ? never!
I managed to use the keyboard again 4 days after going through them becase the swelling had gone down in my hand

Bless them, they werent that bad, and they did have Stinky Apistan in there at the time. Or perhaps they were, trouble is thats all i have been used to ??.

Could you send me the details of the Petersfield Queen Dealer, i like the sound of those Kiwis.

That particularl hive was also my most prolific, bought as a nuc in june, expanded rapidly and were the only hive of my 3 to give me any honey, it was the queens first year so if i they get through the winter and i can stop them from swarming i expect good things from them.
 
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I was only teasing,I have had worse hives for temperament this year.

The dealer is Pipers Honey Farm, Froxfield, Petersfield, Hampshire Tel:01730 268777

They are good bees you have,no good for a garden though.

If they were mine I would keep the queens you have and do a split with a new queen for a garden hive.
 
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Bad tempered hives show their style in the evening when you open the inner cover. They jump to face.
 
With Sweetums bees if you moved your hand accross the top bars about 9 inches above hundreds of bees whould attack your hand like a magnet over iron fillings.
 
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