New bees not drawing out foundation

[The Cumbrian]

Cumbrian, swings and roundabouts!

I bet you're not facing a hosepipe ban next month.

True.

 

[mbc]

No one should be,we are an island surrounded by water,other much drier countrys make use of this resource.

Why should we use drinking water to water our gardens and flush down the pan ? Its no wonder were short of the pure stuff here and there.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

A 5 frame nuc - with say 3 or 4 frames of brood and associated bees is small when put into a big box. They'll struggle and possibly won't do much for a couple of weeks until the weather is warmer and they have hopefully increaased bee numbers as best they can. Assuming you have a wooden hive, then some insulation on the top (2" thick above the crownboard) would help retain heat and help the small colony.
The brood nest has to be heated to 35C and maintained there so sitting the nest in a big space makes it harder.

 

[richardbees]

Regardless of what we use it for, it's ridiculous for a country that has a region called "The Lake district" to have a fresh water shortage.

My favoured solution is using the canal system as a viaduct from the damper areas but the pratts are talking about desalination plants - and £30bn to knock 20 minutes off the train time to Birmingham.

 

[Nose Ma]

<off topic>

I used to live in Bermuda where there is no mains water to speak of. All rainwater is collected from the roof and stored in a massive tank under the house. I cannot fathom why we in the UK cannot do such a thing, even for flushing the loo and watering plants.

I accept Bermudian rain has less crud in it, so I had no problems washing the clothes/myself in it.

NM

 

[Black Comb]

We could have a national water grid if we wanted.
Paying for it is the problem.

 

[richardbees]

Peter - it was one privatisation too far

(doubt Bermuda has got an Underground train tunnel network!!!)

 

[The Cumbrian]

Regardless of what we use it for, it's ridiculous for a country that has a region called "The Lake district" to have a fresh water shortage.

My favoured solution is using the canal system as a viaduct from the damper areas but the pratts are talking about desalination plants - and £30bn to knock 20 minutes off the train time to Birmingham.

An interesting idea but its a shame there isn't a canal into the Lake District.

You also have to remember that the water from a good many of the Lakes is already being used for domestic water supply. So there isn't necessarily an over abundance.

 

[Erichalfbee]

An interesting idea but its a shame there isn't a canal into the Lake District.

Isn't there an aqueduct from Thirlmere to Manchester?

 

[richardbees]

True, Cumbrian, but the thick end of a £30bn wedge would pay for an adit....
...maybe the rest could recompense Cumbrians for loss of scenery/livelihood by a few more dams?

richard

( Apologies for going off topic)

 

[Erichalfbee]

True, Cumbrian, but the thick end of a £30bn wedge would pay for an adit....
...maybe the rest could recompense Cumbrians for loss of scenery/livelihood by a few more dams?

richard

( Apologies for going off topic)

No need for dams and flooded valleys here,thanks.How about building a wall across the bottom of Manchester and flooding it from Thirlmere?

 

[The Cumbrian]

Isn't there an aqueduct from Thirlmere to Manchester?

Yes but the suggestion was to use canals. The supply to Manchester is underground and cost would appear to rule out new pipes, also the other poster was suggesting canals as they were already there and so would be more cost effective. The pipe to Manchester is just large enough to supply Manchester and so couldn't become a spine for a national water grid.

I also pointed out that a good number of the Lakes are already "spoken for" so the suggestion that areas like the Lake District can solve the problem may be a little erroneous.

To my knowledge without having to look any up water is extracted for drinking from Haweswater, Thirlmere, Ullswater, Wet Sleddale Dam, Ennerdale, and numerous small tarns. Three of those alone are needed for Manchester.

 

[BeeJayBee]

We are new to beekeeping. We transferred a five frame nuc to a hive last week and fed with sugar syrup (1 to 1). When we inspected today all the syrup was gone but the bees had not started to draw out any of the new foundation. Do we carry on feeding? There were lots of honey stores on the old frames but no sign of drawing out the new frames?

I'm surprised you've been sold a nucleus so early. Our local supplier won't be sending them out until at least the middle of next month.

We, and they, are close to the south coast. It's been a mild enough winter, but the last week has been cool and damp. Temps not much above 10C most days, and frosts forecast tonight and tomorrow.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

some like Ennerdale at their limit, being restricted by fresh water pearls in the river, hence the weird proposal currently on offer up near cald fell.

 

[itma]

I'm surprised you've been sold a nucleus so early. Our local supplier won't be sending them out until at least the middle of next month.

We, and they, are close to the south coast. It's been a mild enough winter, but the last week has been cool and damp. Temps not much above 10C most days, and frosts forecast tonight and tomorrow.

How unusual is it to be sending out nucs this early?

 

[Nightynight]

I'm surprised you've been sold a nucleus so early. Our local supplier won't be sending them out until at least the middle of next month.

We, and they, are close to the south coast. It's been a mild enough winter, but the last week has been cool and damp. Temps not much above 10C most days, and frosts forecast tonight and tomorrow.

I moved an over wintered 6 frame nuc in to a poly hive last week, but that was because I am away from home for at least 2 weeks with work now and the nuc was already overcrowded (carnolian queen).

They were moved quickly, 5mins and given both fondant and then a feeder was added with 1.125 sryup mix a few days later just before I left. Not ideal and I didn't want to but the HRH in this colony is a real big monster laying machine.. just weighed up the risk.

However I have no intentions of disturbing the colony until mid April unless there is an obvious prolem.

 

[Winker]

I have a 6 frame poly nuc, which has 4 frames stacked full of brood. If i dont move the bees out of the Nuc and into a hive in the next week or two, there will be and early swarm comming from them.

 

[Skyhook]

We are new to beekeeping. We transferred a five frame nuc to a hive last week and fed with sugar syrup (1 to 1). When we inspected today all the syrup was gone but the bees had not started to draw out any of the new foundation. Do we carry on feeding? There were lots of honey stores on the old frames but no sign of drawing out the new frames?

Meanwhile, back at the thread...

You'll get used to this, Val. It's very rare for a thread to still be talking about the same thing by post 30, but I'm willing to give it a go.

You've probably gathered there's a concensus that you're perhaps being a little over-keen (don't worry, there's a lot of it about). You've probably given them too much space to heat ( and been a bit keen with the syrup), but unless you have a nuc box, transferring them back to a nuc box is probably not an option. I'd get some 50mm insulation (B&Q, or builders merchant) and some ply. Cut 2 pieces of ply the size of a brood frame for 2 dummy boards. Cut the insulation a few mm bigger to fit snugly to the sides (dont attempt to form lugs on the insulation), plus another piece the size of the crown board. If the insulation is polystyrene, paint it with emulsion to stop the bees chewing it. If it's foil-covered foam, seal the edges with duck tape.

Pick a warm day (14 deg at least), open up, take out the foundation (shake the bees back in). Put a piece of insulation then a dummy board at one side. Move the frames over against the dummy board, add one frame of foundation then the other dummy board then the other insulation. This one frame will be plenty for them to start on when it's warm enough.

While you're moving the frames, feel the weight. As long as they total a few pounds between them, ie they seem to weigh something, the likelihood is that they have enough stores, so stop feeding them as there is a danger they will become 'blocked', ie they will fill the frames with syrup leaving the queen no-where to lay.

Crown board back on, insulation on top, roof on, then leave them for at least a fortnight, then peep in on a warm day. I'd suggest you then report back to the forum on what you find before providing any more space, syrup or anything else.

It's a bit like driving- at first there's this big list of things to do, then after a while you start to see how the things interact, and the reasons behind them.

 

[tonybloke]

No one should be,we are an island surrounded by water,other much drier countrys make use of this resource.

for drinking, yes. but not for watering lawns and washing cars

 

[tonybloke]

Meanwhile, back at the thread...

You'll get used to this, Val. It's very rare for a thread to still be talking about the same thing by post 30, but I'm willing to give it a go.

You've probably gathered there's a concensus that you're perhaps being a little over-keen (don't worry, there's a lot of it about). You've probably given them too much space to heat ( and been a bit keen with the syrup), but unless you have a nuc box, transferring them back to a nuc box is probably not an option. I'd get some 50mm insulation (B&Q, or builders merchant) and some ply. Cut 2 pieces of ply the size of a brood frame for 2 dummy boards. Cut the insulation a few mm bigger to fit snugly to the sides (dont attempt to form lugs on the insulation), plus another piece the size of the crown board. If the insulation is polystyrene, paint it with emulsion to stop the bees chewing it. If it's foil-covered foam, seal the edges with duck tape.

Pick a warm day (14 deg at least), open up, take out the foundation (shake the bees back in). Put a piece of insulation then a dummy board at one side. Move the frames over against the dummy board, add one frame of foundation then the other dummy board then the other insulation. This one frame will be plenty for them to start on when it's warm enough.

While you're moving the frames, feel the weight. As long as they total a few pounds between them, ie they seem to weigh something, the likelihood is that they have enough stores, so stop feeding them as there is a danger they will become 'blocked', ie they will fill the frames with syrup leaving the queen no-where to lay.

Crown board back on, insulation on top, roof on, then leave them for at least a fortnight, then peep in on a warm day. I'd suggest you then report back to the forum on what you find before providing any more space, syrup or anything else.

It's a bit like driving- at first there's this big list of things to do, then after a while you start to see how the things interact, and the reasons behind them.

good post, skyhook