Queen failure spring plan

[Erichalfbee]

I'm curious as to how long (generally), after the shortest day your queens over there start laying? It has been said here, in cool climate Tassie, that the queen will begin to lay three days after the shortest day of the year.
I'm not sure what part of the UK LeaBees is in, but I think it is England.

It’s something oft quoted here too. I suspect it’s simply repeated from hearsay rather than observation because it’s not true.

 

[Tommo]

It's not old men getting their kicks sneering at beginners. It's called experience.

 

[Boston Bees]

It's not old men getting their kicks sneering at beginners. It's called experience.

There's lots of that on here, but only one or two feel the need to belittle others while expounding it, especially in the beginner's section.

PS: The posts in question have thankfully been heavily redacted by the moderators now, so you can't see much of what was actually said I suspect.

 

[thorn]

Old men getting their kicks by sneering at beginner beekeepers is sadly a facet of our hobby that never seems to go away.

Rab's advice was spot on and couched in very clear terms. It needed to be said and it needed to be said in the strongest possible way.

 

[Erichalfbee]

@LeaBees has taken the comment on the chin in true gentlemanly fashion so let’s stop the analysis please.

 

[Swarm]

Better still, why not all be polite and friendly?
You'd be surprised how good it makes you feel.

 

[enrico]

Just for the record RAB has amended the rudeness in his comment that caused my reply. My reply now looks totally out of context!

 

[Boston Bees]

Just for the record RAB has amended the rudeness in his comment that caused my reply. My reply now looks totally out of context!

Don't worry. That was the moderator

 

[Sanntos]

A softly, softly approach clearly does not work for a lot of beeks.

This is good, but isn't "beek" usually used as a description for a very, very experienced beekeeper? I would love to be called a beek, but I know I haven't earned it

And it that case, it's even more right

 

[Erichalfbee]

Just for the record RAB has amended the rudeness in his comment that caused my reply. My reply now looks totally out of context!

It’s ok. You can see the reply was edited so I’m sure folk can work it out

 

[Murox]

This is good, but isn't "beek" usually used as a description for a very, very experienced beekeeper? I would love to be called a beek, but I know I haven't earned it

And it that case, it's even more right

I always thought the word 'beek'was simply lazy american slang for the word 'beekeeper' as it takes more effort to use the full word, especially on a keyboard - a different perception completely.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Beek is just short for Beekeeper (or someone who pretends to be one ) it has no indication as to the person's skill, experience, knowledge or the lack of any of these.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Beek is just short for Beekeeper (or someone who pretends to be one ) it has no indication as to the person's skill, experience, knowledge or the lack of any of these.

Whenever I see the phrase "a very experienced beekeeper" I'm always tempted to ask if competent is part of the description. I've mellowed over the years so I don't bother anymore.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Whenever I see the phrase "a very experienced beekeeper" I'm always tempted to ask if competent is part of the description.

 

[user 20297]

Being a beginner is a strong memory as only 5 years ago. Excitement, fascination, itching to know what’s happening and most important WHY? I’ve found so many times whether books or advice from other beekeepers there’s lots said about what to do but not enough on why. I agree what others have said, ask what could you do at this time of year if anything was wrong - unfortunately very little.

The 4 things that helped me to learn what’s going on :
1. Use a clear crownboard - no guessing or sneaky peaks to see how big they are and how they’re doing. I’ve even seen a queen ambling along the top bars in winter.
2. Buy a very good LED torch - can use through the clear crownboard, can see if the bees are deeper in the nest and if there are capped stores on the edges
3. Keep varroa board in (clean regularly). Tells you a lot about brood and stores uncapping and varroa drops (shouldn’t be many at all in winter)
4. Watch the hive entrance, compare and contrast behaviour to other hives

Can’t wait til the end of March and a nice warm sunny day!

That suggestion sent me scuttling outside with my torch. I've tried but don't trust what I see using clear crownboards and I now have the insulated, Abelo crownboards, heavily packed above using additional insulation. But a torch can also be shone inside the entrances of non-underfloor-entrance hives where I expected to be monitoring the pile-up of dead bees. On this snowy and +1 degree C day, I was cheered to be able to directly see, inside the four hives, lots of very active bees crawling under and up from the bottoms of the frames.

 

[Antipodes]

X

 

[JamezF]

I didn't realise this until just recently...It helps to put the statement that "queen starts laying three days after the shortest day" further into myth.

That seems such a bizarre assertion to make at all. The idea that when the queen starts laying would depend purely on day length ignoring all the other factors that might be involved is odd to start with, never mind how the bees might tell that three days have passed since the shortest day. I would be tempted to put it down as a myth that was just a handy guide used before many people had access to calendars and celestial events were their best indicator of the time of year, but were beekeepers even aware of when the queen was laying before the advent of movable frame hives (by which time they'd have access to far more accurate information)?

I imagine that lots of people don't realise that day length increasing doesn't mean that sunrise gets earlier and sunset gets later immediately (as opposed to sunrise still getting later, but sunset getting even later still, for example). It's probably not something you tend to think about unless you need to (or have an interest in astronomy).

James

 

[Antipodes]

It’s something oft quoted here too. I suspect it’s simply repeated from hearsay rather than observation because it’s not true.

That seems such a bizarre assertion to make at all. The idea that when the queen starts laying would depend purely on day length ignoring all the other factors that might be involved is odd to start with, never mind how the bees might tell that three days have passed since the shortest day. I would be tempted to put it down as a myth that was just a handy guide used before many people had access to calendars and celestial events were their best indicator of the time of year, but were beekeepers even aware of when the queen was laying before the advent of movable frame hives (by which time they'd have access to far more accurate information)?

I imagine that lots of people don't realise that day length increasing doesn't mean that sunrise gets earlier and sunset gets later immediately (as opposed to sunrise still getting later, but sunset getting even later still, for example). It's probably not something you tend to think about unless you need to (or have an interest in astronomy).

James

Hi James,
I deleted my post quickly because I realised that I was on an incorrect tangent about day length . I think yes, as you say, the sunrise gets later but the evenings get longer .... Our sunrise on the shortest day was around 7:41 but now it seems it is 7:43.
Anyhow, we had cold start to winter here. Melbourne had the coldest start to winter in 40 years if I recall, and here was cold too but when I checked at the home apiary on a mild day couple of days after the shortest day, the home urban colonies had brood in all stages. Rural hives I looked at didn't. Then I started wondering if it is more influenced by available forage perhaps.