Natural or Unmanaged?

[Dishmop]

Swarms: It goes without saying that responsible beekeeping encompasses taking care of swarms. Having collected onehundred and twenty myself in the last 12 years I reckon I am doing my bit

They probably eminated from hives where no swarm contol existed.

 

[sunhivebee]

response to susbees, who wishes to know what amazes me; here is a sample:

2.13 Demonstrate marking and clipping a queen, or use a drone as a substitute if appropriate.
2.14 Describe the advantages of marking and clipping queens.

 

[sunhivebee]

Yes, for free, they are keen to help me make the sun hive work
I'll accept that as a good enough reason for not using local labour then, but shouldnt have thought that paying for it would pose much of a problem if people are paying £120 to be shown how to make something which looks to be something not too far removed from being a laundry basket.
No insult intended and I have no objections to what you are doing, but I find some of what you say about taking honey and feeding sort of rather contradictory


Of course I feed my bees if they would otherwise starve!!! But I don't give them **** food after taking theirs away. Do you get the distinction? No, please don't answer, just work it out.
And as for the fees for making a sun hive, I suggest that you look at the hive on our website before making wild assumptions. The sun hive project has taken a lot of voluntary labour and substantial investment to offer these workshops. Thank goodness there are people around supporting it.
I have done my best to answer your questions, but my patience is running out at your perpetual niggles whatever I say. So forgive me if I ignore them in future.

 

[susbees]

response to susbees, who wishes to know what amazes me; here is a sample:

2.13 Demonstrate marking and clipping a queen, or use a drone as a substitute if appropriate.
2.14 Describe the advantages of marking and clipping queens.

So, for those who wish to responsibly keep bees in, say, a city or town or for those who wish to be able to show others how later on in their beekeeping lives you feel amazed that they need to know this. And you are presumably amazed that those who don't wish to clip have a viable option not to in the syllabus if it is not something they wish to do. And, for the record, it is acceptable not to actually finish the process but just to demonstrate to that point.

Anything else?

 

[Dishmop]

Of course I feed my bees if they would otherwise starve!!! But I don't give them **** food after taking theirs away. Do you get the distinction? No, please don't answer, just work it out.
And as for the fees for making a sun hive, I suggest that you look at the hive on our website before making wild assumptions. The sun hive project has taken a lot of voluntary labour and substantial investment to offer these workshops. Thank goodness there are people around supporting it.
I have done my best to answer your questions, but my patience is running out at your perpetual niggles whatever I say. So forgive me if I ignore them in future.

Not sure that you mean you dont give them **** food after you have taken theirs away or because you have taken theirs away. Dont take any would be natural and then they shouldnt starve. What do you feed them?

Which way round does this work then? Sun Hive promotes natural beekeeping or vice versa?

I did look at the web site...........Its a woven basket. I can buy them up the road for £20

 

[DanBee]

response to susbees, who wishes to know what amazes me; here is a sample:

2.13 Demonstrate marking and clipping a queen, or use a drone as a substitute if appropriate.
2.14 Describe the advantages of marking and clipping queens.

Only popping in and will reply to your previous response later, although there will be overlap with this.

Why do you object to these activities?

 

[susbees]

I did look at the web site...........Its a woven basket. I can buy them up the road for £20

Nooo...it's a woven basket with wooden bits, with no winterising from what I can tell. Actually it's a lifestyle hive. Poor bees.

Anyhow, I feel the whole ethos can be summed up by reference to the top right corner of the website which leads into swarm collection. If the householder can't get anyone to come they are encouraged to "have a go" and led to a video of an unprotected person (yes I know who) crashing about in a bush (yes, you use emotive terms too). This is irresponsible in the extreme. So, what if the swarm they found has been up there beleaguered for several days in the rain and chill as so many were last summer (eight days with one here which the householder had wedged a dustbin lid over) and the hapless person taking your advice is multiply stung? And likely on the face too. Is your "advice" insured?

And for the record, the "sus" is for sustainable...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

the accusation of supplying disease vectors for others is possibly a little unfair; the majority of EFB outbreaks in my area in recent years occurred in conventional apiaries.

One thing has occured to me Heidi (forgive me if it has been mentioned further back) but as far as disease goes, if you were in a contiguous EFB/AFB zone how would the Bee inspector examine the sun hive brood for signs of disease?

 

[For want of a better word]

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=21924

Thanks HM for posting that one up...... no internet allowed in Retreat!

 

[Dishmop]

Nooo...it's a woven basket with wooden bits, with no winterising from what I can tell. Actually it's a lifestyle hive. Poor bees.

Hence the gazebo.

 

[susbees]

Hence the gazebo.

And how is a gazebo going to help homeostasis in the basket in winter?

 

[Dishmop]

And how is a gazebo going to help homeostasis in the basket in winter

Volunteers pay to come and stand around generating heat.

 

[susbees]

Volunteers pay to come and stand around generating heat.

 

[sunhivebee]

One thing has occured to me Heidi (forgive me if it has been mentioned further back) but as far as disease goes, if you were in a contiguous EFB/AFB zone how would the Bee inspector examine the sun hive brood for signs of disease?

No problem, the hive is fully inspectable.Hence such a great advance on the skep of olden days, in my view. I believe it is also mentioned in the DT article. Responsible journalism, you see.
H.

 

[sunhivebee]

And how is a gazebo going to help homeostasis in the basket in winter?

Let's discuss when you have swotted up on the thermal insulation properties of straw versus wood.

 

[susbees]

Let's discuss when you have swotted up on the thermal insulation properties of straw versus wood.

I have a Masters in sustainable building. You start

 

[susbees]

No problem, the hive is fully inspectable.Hence such a great advance on the skep of olden days, in my view. I believe it is also mentioned in the DT article. Responsible journalism, you see.
H.

Um...you can fully inspect a skep of "olden days" design. We've seen it demonstrated. The bee inspectors like it that way.

 

[sunhivebee]

I have a Masters in sustainable building. You start

Congratulations. Which university?
So your question was academic, no need for further debate.

 

[BeeJayBee]

The boxes on top are supers, used for feeding at time of foto,

If they need additional feeding, doesn't that suggest that the hives are too small? Wouldn't a container of the right volume ensure that the bees have enough of their own stores to last through to Spring?

You're obviously not giving them sugar syrup, so where do you source the honey for supplementary feeding?

 

[susbees]

Congratulations. Which university?
So your question was academic, no need for further debate.

Referring to your second, the relevant, point: yes there is. Not for nothing is straw built with in thick, warm, bales. And coated with weather-shedding materials.