Normal bee behaviour?

[enrico]

As far as your question about the entrance.....leave it in probably all year! I only take mine out of really strong hives.
As for watching them, I use a piece of wide spaced trellis. I have trellis all round my hives like a fence. You can see through it easily but it breaks the wind and the bees don't fly through it. It gets them higher than head height so no probs there. Worth every penny for a few panels! And you can grow nice flowers up them!
Best of luck for the future, big learning curve coming up so ask away, no question is too stupid, we have all been there though some of us have forgotten those early days!
E

 

[Erichalfbee]

And such a lovely cover

 

[RogueDrone]

And such a lovely cover

And well worth the purchase my copy is next to the bed for reference purposes.

 

[alldigging]

And well worth the purchase my copy is next to the bed for reference purposes.

 

[OursonAnglaise]

thanks alldigging, that picture really made me chuckle.

 

[Poly Hive]

As part of my packing up I was greatly amused to see on moving a brood from a floor a very neat wall of propolis across the whole "entrance" with a two inch gap. The bees had decided it was obviously too wide for them and reduced it to suit!

Never seen the like before and of course no camera.

PH

 

[Hivemaker.]

As part of my packing up I was greatly amused to see on moving a brood from a floor a very neat wall of propolis across the whole "entrance" with a two inch gap. The bees had decided it was obviously too wide for them and reduced it to suit!

Never seen the like before and of course no camera.

Have seen that several times, even closing the entrance down to not much more than a single beehole, but more often a series of very small arches right across the entrance, mainly a characteristic of the Caucasian honey bee I believe.

 

[iand]

Have seen that several times, even closing the entrance down to not much more than a single beehole, but more often a series of very small arches right across the entrance, mainly a characteristic of the Caucasian honey bee I believe.

I have seen a hive entrance like that. Not one of mine, but one that had been left to its own devices for quite a long time.

 

[kazmcc]

As part of my packing up I was greatly amused to see on moving a brood from a floor a very neat wall of propolis across the whole "entrance" with a two inch gap. The bees had decided it was obviously too wide for them and reduced it to suit!

Never seen the like before and of course no camera.

PH

Not across the entrance, but we saw something similar in one of Dusty's hives, about 4 frames back from the edge, they had built a thin wall of propolis from the bottom of the frame to the floor. Just on one side of the frame, from the edge and they only stuck one frame. Dusty calls it the bee sculpture They are set up the cold way.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Any photos of these various propolis creations?

 

[kazmcc]

Any photos of these various propolis creations?

I will take a pic when we open again, that's if it is still there.

 

[BeeJuice]

no question is too stupid, we have all been there though some of us have forgotten those early days!
E

Thanks, I appreciate that.

I've ignored the advice to start with a nuc and build up colonies over time. I've ordered three colonies (one of which I have).

I never was one for entering the swimming pool gently - best to jump in and deal with it

We'll see how that approach works out

... I do have an experienced bee buddy on hand.. I'm not totally irresponsible

 

[Nopants]

You could end up with 6 colonies by the end of summer then, If you havent done so already get some spare hives and supers to deal with swarms as the happen