Preparing for the season

Afternoon, thought I would start a new blog entry of .
At present getting ready fo the new season cleaning equipment making new equipment and modifications of old equipment.
Last season I managed to make up 28 nucs from splitting big colonys and splitting smaller into 1 / 2 frame nucs I had 10 queen's bought and I reared the rest.
I plan this season to have 40 single brood colonys ready for the end of July to go up on to the Heather using the same methods but using my own queen's my thought for next year is to winter more banked mated queen's in mini nucs, so I have those early queen's to play with.
Im not using pollen patties but I am using syrup extra pollen comes from frames I collect from colonys that have an abundance of pollen early in the season, something I'm able to take advantage of.
And so it begins I'm also setting out new mating apiarys because last season I had two many mating boxes mingled with others which doesn't work IMHO.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Checked all mine today, left a super of heather / blend plus what they’d collected in brood box end sept. Mix of white and blue queens. Flew to the heather except 1 colony that I took directly to the moor. All looking strong , no winter losses to date, no poo on landing boards, or on outside of hives. Some photos thru crownboards today

Those look cracking colonies. Beats Curly’s

 

[Amari]

Checked all mine today, left a super of heather / blend plus what they’d collected in brood box end sept. Mix of white and blue queens. Flew to the heather except 1 colony that I took directly to the moor. All looking strong , no winter losses to date, no poo on landing boards, or on outside of hives. Some photos thru crownboards today

Nice pics Elaine. Are they single or double BB or B+1/2? On my introductory course (1972) I was taught that when the bees are all at the top of the hive it may be because they've consumed all the stores. I lost two colonies through starvation last year due to complacency and declining powers of interpreting hefting, esp. as I have both wood and poly hives. This year all my colonies have 2.5 kg fondant over the feed hole to be on the safe side. Syrup c.13 kg in September.
Despite beekeeping several years I still find judging winter stores one of the most difficult skills.

 

[elainemary]

Nice pics Elaine. Are they single or double BB or B+1/2? On my introductory course (1972) I was taught that when the bees are all at the top of the hive it may be because they've consumed all the stores. I lost two colonies through starvation last year due to complacency and declining powers of interpreting hefting, esp. as I have both wood and poly hives. This year all my colonies have 2.5 kg fondant over the feed hole to be on the safe side. Syrup c.13 kg in September.
Despite beekeeping several years I still find judging winter stores one of the most difficult skills.

Hi , they're all single BB with a nadired super, except one is on double brood. I weigh end of each month & plenty stores left (c10-15kg). I was told that too but maybe because I nadir the supers end sept & they move the stores up into the BB, that explains why all my colonies are at the top.

 

[drex]

All my main hives have clear crown boards. If I have a peek in winter they are usually on the top bars. All are OK for stores. Outside of the cluster it will be the warmest place

 

[Boston Bees]

I used to use these perspex screens on national hives and saw the same thing re the bees generally clustering towards the top.

However, I am experimenting with wintering in triple-deep poly nuc boxes this winter. One result is that, when peeking in the top via an inspection hole, I can't even see the bees, they are so far down (warmer days shows me that they are all alive though). It doesn't make for such good viewing fun!

 

[Curly green finger's]

All my main hives have clear crown boards. If I have a peek in winter they are usually on the top bars. All are OK for stores. Outside of the cluster it will be the warmest place

Alot of mine are on the top bars also and as you said it's the warmest place in the hive.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Those look cracking colonies. Beats Curly’s

Hey that's just beeeeeee - est

 

[Erichalfbee]

However, I am experimenting with wintering in triple-deep poly nuc boxes this winter. One result is that, when peeking in the top via an inspection hole, I can't even see the bees, they are so far down (warmer days shows me that they are all alive though). It doesn't make for such good viewing fun!

I have two colonies in nucs with a super on top and they are the same.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I used to use these perspex screens on national hives and saw the same thing re the bees generally clustering towards the top.

However, I am experimenting with wintering in triple-deep poly nuc boxes this winter. One result is that, when peeking in the top via an inspection hole, I can't even see the bees, they are so far down (warmer days shows me that they are all alive though). It doesn't make for such good viewing fun!

Some of my double nucs are like that, bees are well in the lower bc

 

[Amari]

All my main hives have clear crown boards. If I have a peek in winter they are usually on the top bars. All are OK for stores. Outside of the cluster it will be the warmest place

Yes, good point - warmest place now that the gospel teaching is 'top insulation but not ventilation'. Back in '72 there was no gospel: my hives had two open ports in the crown board, two ventilation ports in the roof and no insulation.

 

[Murox]

Yes, good point - warmest place now that the gospel teaching is 'top insulation but not ventilation'. Back in '72 there was no gospel: my hives had two open ports in the crown board, two ventilation ports in the roof and no insulation.

Interesting that - pre '72 my grandfather always topped his hives - WBC mainly - with hessian sacking and real wool blankets for the winter.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Interesting that - pre '72 my grandfather always topped his hives - WBC mainly - with hessian sacking and real wool blankets for the winter

It was the norm pre 1947, then we had that dreadful affliction called Wedmorism

 

[Murox]

It was the norm pre 1947, then we had that dreadful affliction called Wedmorism

Yes he did have some singularly unique beliefs, but he gave the english language a brand new “ism”.

 

[Amari]

Interesting that - pre '72 my grandfather always topped his hives - WBC mainly - with hessian sacking and real wool blankets for the winter.

Hence the now ?archaic term 'quilt'. BTW, I can't remember my winter losses being greater in those early days than now - but of course there was no varroa - I enjoyed twenty years of varroa-free beekeeping!

 

[mbc]

There's still beekeepers around here (one very accomplished one) who use a square of carpet as a crown board.

 

[Curly green finger's]

There's still beekeepers around here (one very accomplished one) who use a square of carpet as a crown board.

Extra insulation , I've seen lino being used.

 

[mbc]

Extra insulation , I've seen lino being used.

Not on top of the crownboard but the actual crownboard being a square of carpet

 

[Curly green finger's]

Not on top of the crownboard but the actual crownboard being a square of carpet

Aye i got what you meant.
CB in Shropshire - lino