NBU/FERA starvation warning

[Dishmop]

well that's all the permission i need to acid myn. did half but must do rest! any one think to contrary?

Why do you feel that they need to be done?

 

[Chris Luck]

Why do you feel that they need to be done?

Dogma?

Chris

 

[Floyd]

I Hefted my 3 hives during the week prior to an inspection. 2 Hives were of a good weight with one very light.

The very light one, was as expected low on stores, however of the two that had a good weight, one of the hives had experienced an ingress of water under the roof lining and had saturated the wood causing the weight to increase (and was low on stores).

Just adding that there can be other reasons for the weight of the hive, not just the weight of reserves.

I am glad I had a quick peek.

 

[lorrick]

Hello All
As a relative Newbie, I have been feeding fondant over the so called winter as my reasoning is, it has been so mild the bees have been in and out all over winter, so I am assuming that as they have been flying and finding nothing, when they return they will need food, and although I left a super on top of the brood chamber I have put extra fondant on top as they seem not to have taken a break. The fondant feeder is a Chinese takeaway container (Thanks Sharon) with a hole cut out on the bottom, so it can be placed over my glass crown board so I can see the bees and see what they are eating without having to disturb the hive itself. I was told not to disturb them as much as possible until things start to pick up in May.

 

[Cazza]

Well I'm firmly in the East of England. No chance of starving bees from my apiary in the next fortnight. Plenty of stores left (ivy)and nectar incoming this week.
Cazza

 

[Cazza]

Hello All
I was told not to disturb them as much as possible until things start to pick up in May.

Hi Lorrick
Glad to hear your bees have made it through the Winter. I reckon there's a very strong chance mine will make swarm cells before we get to May. In fact, I'd wager a fiver on it.
Cazza

 

[user 6228]

Aah the issue is that forage is all very local... I'm surrounded by trees and suburbia. one hive is bringing very large quantities of pollen to extent that i wonder how the bees fly with such great bags of the stuff and landings are more like crashes. Another hive is moving something that isnt pollen and isnt water in very large quantities.
inspection time must be soon upon us, i hope they'll be friendly

 

[local_beekeeper]

Hi Lorrick
Glad to hear your bees have made it through the Winter. I reckon there's a very strong chance mine will make swarm cells before we get to May. In fact, I'd wager a fiver on it.
Cazza

Swarm season is April, May and June this year

 

[Dishmop]

I've got bees coming back that look as if they have had a yellow paint job.

 

[itma]

... I have been feeding fondant over the so called winter ... although I left a super on top of the brood chamber I have put extra fondant ...

... I can see the bees and see what they are eating without having to disturb the hive itself. I was told not to disturb them as much as possible until things start to pick up in May.

I think you've had some astonishingly bad advice.

Fail to inspect (and act to deal with excess stores) and you *will* be losing a swarm before May. And if you still fail to open up, you will be losing casts less than a fortnight later.

There is no harm to the bees in inspecting in mild (15C ish) weather, especially if it is sunny and not very windy.
There is risk of harm (to your beekeeping) in not inspecting.

My suspicion would be that you will have a lot of stores in the brood box. You will need that comb space for brood (and nectar ripening) *before* May.
Without that space, they'll swarm. No question.

I think see through coverboards are fantastic - especially for new beekeepers.
But one thing you cannot see through the coverboard is swarm cell creation.
Despite the see-through coverboard, you still do need to inspect.
You could even say, its what beekeepers have to do in order to keep their bees.

 

[alanf]

I was told not to disturb them as much as possible until things start to pick up in May.

Who by? In my suburban setting they are foraging well, I think mostly on plum, blackthorn and cherry plum. A couple of years ago in a mild spring, they were making swarm cells before the end of March. A lot depends on where you are, and there may be years when you leave them until May. But not this year in Eastern England. Or pretty much any year if there is OSR within range.

 

[MuswellMetro]

But hefting wouldn't tell you something like this though would it? It's ok for the bees to source water outside of the hives now whilst it's mild...... but if the weather turns?

I chose a warm sunny day last week and had a brief look at the store situation in all my hives and I'm glad I did too.

There does seem to be a bit of a split forum camp over this and I guess everyone just needs to consider their own individual circumstances before deciding when is right to open up their own hives.

it is also dependant on location and temperature

central Urban london is said to be on average 4-5c above the countryside temp, and outer surburbs are similarly 2-3c , temperature today in my apairy(in a wall garden) was 20c at 1:00 in the shade and 18c in surrounding village, i expect them to be in swarm mode by the first week in April

 

[TOBY-3652]

it is also dependant on location and temperature

central Urban london is said to be on average 4-5c above the countryside temp, and outer surburbs are similarly 2-3c , temperature today in my apairy(in a wall garden) was 20c at 1:00 in the shade and 18c in surrounding village, i expect them to be in swarm mode by the first week in April

 

[richardbees]

...without reading earlier posts, I did a full inspection of my three hives last week and found 4 full b frames of unused stores on each of them, I can't remember when my hives were less in need of feeding. They had a good brood pattern with pollen and a cap of stores sdo no risk of isolation starvation.

Obviously I'm in the SE but don't recall seeing anything about ice floes in the Humber!

imho that warning was nonsense and makes me less inclined to take notice of such emails

 

[REDWOOD]

If I read this post yesterday I would have said yeah right but today was too cold for bees to fly (in fact I took the opportunity to steam a few frames with no inquisitive bees) so if this weather continues when bees are expanding I can understand the warning.

 

[Chris B]

The other variable is type of bee. The more prolific types have gone mental and have 6 frames of brood already with little stores remaining. It's a mixed blessing.
I would certainly have lost some without a March feed.

 

[Dishmop]

Lets of course not forget that as bees have been around for quite a few years, that there is a distinct possiblility that they have by now learned not to raise young when there's nothing for them to eat.

I've never fed a swarm that I have collected, and they have all survived.

 

[beeno]

Lets of course not forget that as bees have been around for quite a few years, that there is a distinct possiblility that they have by now learned not to raise young when there's nothing for them to eat.

I've never fed a swarm that I have collected, and they have all survived.

Bees get caught out by the unpredictability of nature and their fallback is to eat the larvae! Let's not give them higher intellect than they really have!

 

[pargyle]

Bees get caught out by the unpredictability of nature and their fallback is to eat the larvae! Let's not give them higher intellect than they really have!

Actually ... I think they have more brain power, perception, powers of sense, collective reasoning and ability to adapt than most humans ... I'd put a bet on that they will be here long after the human race has decimated the planet and itself ! Might be a bit difficult collecting the winnings !

Have you not noticed that large numbers of bees returning to the hive often indicates that there's a shower on the way or a sudden change in temperature ... when there's no obvious signs ? Clever little beggars. I won't underestimate mine ...

 

[Dishmop]

Bees get caught out by the unpredictability of nature and their fallback is to eat the larvae! Let's not give them higher intellect than they really have!

Intellect or intelligence?