New member on Essex/Herts Borders

[Pigeonassassin]

Hi, I’m a complete novice member with a hive in Bishop’s Stortford at my allotments but based in Braintree Essex.
Was lucky enough to be gifted an old hive with old supers full of honey. I set it up (incorrectly) and last summer a swarm set up home in it and have been happily working away over the summer cleaning it out for me!
I’m planning on taking a course in the spring so that I have a vague notion about what I’m doing & am hoping the bees make it through the winter!
I have a brood box with 3 supers sitting on top but no queen excluder in place so probably a bit of a mess inside.
Will probably be using the forum quite a lot moving forward
Nigel

 

[Amari]

Welcome! You will find lots of info on this forum. If you have any questions, however daft, it's best to post on the Beginners' Section.
The queen excluder should not be left on the hive over winter: the bees may follow the stores and leave the Q behind/bees might be reluctant to leave the Q so don't search for stores and thus starve.
Read Haynes Manual https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/bee-manual-book-claire-waring-9780857338099?sku=GOR008239100&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADZzAIAuGXzjouohNyoHsLQdIjY7F&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyc67BhDSARIsAM95QzvbCorsBHsmsdoZSFdnHkBzOYzenKUvttafVOcUAHST_q7Pww7H_rsaAvyXEALw_wc
read Beecraft mag and join BBKA which gives you public indemnity insurance.

 

[Macbear]

Hi, I’m a complete novice member with a hive in Bishop’s Stortford at my allotments but based in Braintree Essex.
Was lucky enough to be gifted an old hive with old supers full of honey. I set it up (incorrectly) and last summer a swarm set up home in it and have been happily working away over the summer cleaning it out for me!
I’m planning on taking a course in the spring so that I have a vague notion about what I’m doing & am hoping the bees make it through the winter!
I have a brood box with 3 supers sitting on top but no queen excluder in place so probably a bit of a mess inside.
Will probably be using the forum quite a lot moving forward
Nigel

Welcome.
As an an allotment tenant with a couple of hives there were no conditions imposed on me originally. The bees caused no issues and other tenants were delighted. The local parish council were very happy for me to keep bees Five years later there were new councillors. They imposed [some silly] conditions/restrictions without any consultation or warning. So,
1. check your tenancy agreement as keeping bees is not an automatic entitlement
2. discreetly talk with tenants on neighbouring allotments. If any object to your keeping bees it is better to know sooner rather than later
3. if you have someone decent within the allotments management organisation/committee discreetly check with them that you could actively keep bees
4. make sure that your hive is located away from prying eyes...
Good advice from Amari.
I wish you well.

 

[ericbeaumont]

vague notion about what I’m doing

Yes, the Haynes Bee Manual will be your companion for the next few years.

brood box with 3 supers ... no queen excluder ... probably a bit of a mess inside

Welcome, Mr P.
Your set up may alarm conventional beekeepers but the bees are probably fine. For the future, bear in mind that colony growth is like a balloon and the hive size ought to match: blow it up rapidly in Spring and deflate in the autumn. Current hive set-up is a big summer balloon with a tiny winter nest, but not to worry & best leave it, because bees are most likely in the top boxes and it's not the weather to fiddle.

Imagine this plan:
Find a beekeeper to give you a hand.
When a +12C windless day arrives, light up and open up.
Take the supers off and stack them on a roof so that no bees are spilled.
Remove 6 frames temporarily from the middle of the BB; park them in an empty box.
Take out each super comb gently and shake all the bees abruptly into the brood box.
Among those frames will be the queen; you don't need to see her.

Replace the brood frames and put on a QX.
Replace any boxes of super brood combs on top of the QX. If necessary, fill a box with other combs.
Remove any broodless supers & combs and store them sealed.
21 days later (all brood will have emerged) remove the supers, shaking bees off as before.
Your colony is now in the BB and you have a window of opportunity to treat for varroa without tainting the supers.

You may decide to risk it and leave that job until the end of summer.
If so, add supers instead, sequentially as each fills with bees by 2/3.
Have a second BB of foundation frames ready, in case she runs out of laying space.
If the current BB becomes rammed, add the second under or over the first; position is not critical.

Do you have a photo of the old hive? It may be old & sound or old & decrepit, so get ready to buy more kit before you need it: DN frames, SN frames, foundation, brood box, poly nuc box, maybe supers, certainly a shed. Alarming amount of kit, but more alarming when you find yourself short on a hot May morning with a congested hive.

 

[Pigeonassassin]

Welcome! You will find lots of info on this forum. If you have any questions, however daft, it's best to post on the Beginners' Section.
The queen excluder should not be left on the hive over winter: the bees may follow the stores and leave the Q behind/bees might be reluctant to leave the Q so don't search for stores and thus starve.
Read Haynes Manual https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/bee-manual-book-claire-waring-9780857338099?sku=GOR008239100&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADZzAIAuGXzjouohNyoHsLQdIjY7F&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyc67BhDSARIsAM95QzvbCorsBHsmsdoZSFdnHkBzOYzenKUvttafVOcUAHST_q7Pww7H_rsaAvyXEALw_wc
read Beecraft mag and join BBKA which gives you public indemnity insurance.

Many thanks for the welcome & the advice

 

[Pigeonassassin]

Yes, the Haynes Bee Manual will be your companion for the next few years.


Welcome, Mr P.
Your set up may alarm conventional beekeepers but the bees are probably fine. For the future, bear in mind that colony growth is like a balloon and the hive size ought to match: blow it up rapidly in Spring and deflate in the autumn. Current hive set-up is a big summer balloon with a tiny winter nest, but not to worry & best leave it, because bees are most likely in the top boxes and it's not the weather to fiddle.

Imagine this plan:
Find a beekeeper to give you a hand.
When a +12C windless day arrives, light up and open up.
Take the supers off and stack them on a roof so that no bees are spilled.
Remove 6 frames temporarily from the middle of the BB; park them in an empty box.
Take out each super comb gently and shake all the bees abruptly into the brood box.
Among those frames will be the queen; you don't need to see her.

Replace the brood frames and put on a QX.
Replace any boxes of super brood combs on top of the QX. If necessary, fill a box with other combs.
Remove any broodless supers & combs and store them sealed.
21 days later (all brood will have emerged) remove the supers, shaking bees off as before.
Your colony is now in the BB and you have a window of opportunity to treat for varroa without tainting the supers.

You may decide to risk it and leave that job until the end of summer.
If so, add supers instead, sequentially as each fills with bees by 2/3.
Have a second BB of foundation frames ready, in case she runs out of laying space.
If the current BB becomes rammed, add the second under or over the first; position is not critical.

Do you have a photo of the old hive? It may be old & sound or old & decrepit, so get ready to buy more kit before you need it: DN frames, SN frames, foundation, brood box, poly nuc box, maybe supers, certainly a shed. Alarming amount of kit, but more alarming when you find yourself short on a hot May morning with a congested hive.

Thank you so much for the welcome & for taking the time to put a plan of action in place for me, it's much appreciated. I do have three supers already kitted out with new frames & foundation ready for the spring & some BB frames, just need an extra BB! I was also lucky enough to receive a poly nuc box as well so will put some frames in that in prep.
I was told that I could put the existing supers below the BB the put the QX on the BB & a new super on top. I was then told the brood will hatch from the lower supers & the bees will move stores up to the upper super but I don't see why the Q would stop laying in the lower ones so they would never be ready to move up. Think I prefer your advice, it seems a lot more straight forward!
Anyway many thanks again
Mr P

 

[Pigeonassassin]

Welcome! You will find lots of info on this forum. If you have any questions, however daft, it's best to post on the Beginners' Section.
The queen excluder should not be left on the hive over winter: the bees may follow the stores and leave the Q behind/bees might be reluctant to leave the Q so don't search for stores and thus starve.
Read Haynes Manual https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/bee-manual-book-claire-waring-9780857338099?sku=GOR008239100&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADZzAIAuGXzjouohNyoHsLQdIjY7F&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyc67BhDSARIsAM95QzvbCorsBHsmsdoZSFdnHkBzOYzenKUvttafVOcUAHST_q7Pww7H_rsaAvyXEALw_wc
read Beecraft mag and join BBKA which gives you public indemnity insurance.

Thanks for the welcome & advice. I have just ordered my first Haynes manual since about 1985 when I needed help stripping down my Yamaha FS1E 'fizzie' back in the day
Mr P

 

[Pigeonassassin]

Thank you all for your welcomes & advice
Pigeonassassin

 

[ericbeaumont]

could put the existing supers below the BB

Yes, that is an alternative, and it illustrates the principle that several answers to any question are standard in beekeeping.

I don't see why the Q would stop laying in the lower ones so they would never be ready to move up

I agree: as bees empty the nadired supers it is reasonable to expect the queen to use them. Even if she doesn't, you can be certain that foragers will use those bottom combs to dump pollen, a common & signficant location (in addition to other places).

some BB frames, just need an extra BB!

Bear in mind that a main trigger for swarming is a lack of laying space, of brood box congestion. Some novices add a load of supers and wonder why the colony swarmed, but you could add 9 supers and it wouldn't deter swarming if she is prolific and has run out of space to lay.

Buy several of everything, buy frames 50 or 100 at a time, have spares of everything and you will sweat less in summer.