questionable teaching or not?

[JamezF]

Ah, I remember HMRC - that's when it all went downhill

It may well have been Customs and Excise when he started (or whatever the prior incarnation was). He'd be in his mid to late 50s now and I think he'd been there his entire career. I can't recall when it changed.

James

 

[JamezF]

surely you get less crop when the bees have turned it all into brood

Or you might get more, because you have a much larger foraging force?

James

 

[JamezF]

Didn't someone do some work on size of foraging force vs. honey production and produce graphs of what you might on average expect for different size colonies? I'm sure I've seen something like that. No idea if it was actually reliable though.

James

 

[Robinredcar]

Because you won’t get the same crop! If your in a poor area a mediocre sized colony without the mouths to feed may do better in the long run. If your in anything from a average to good area bigger colonies will store more surplus, as a rule of thumb you won’t go far wrong with that. Why do you think those dastardly commercial types prefer them. Not to mention of all the corners of the world Uk AMM got exported to few stuck with them over more prolific types. This country has few true breeders and of those how many can compare to the breeding groups in Europe or the US. I rather think the UK is the backward example.

The uk and Ireland are the best and only examples because we live hear. Amm did not evolve in Italy, if they did they would be more like the native italian bee which does great with ling hot summers, having massive brood nests serves them well.
I agree we should have many more breeders in the uk for the uk climate, we are backwards we import masses of bees when we have perfectly good stocks to breed from.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It may well have been Customs and Excise when he started (or whatever the prior incarnation was). He'd be in his mid to late 50s now and I think he'd been there his entire career. I can't recall when it changed.

James

we were taken over by the Inland revenue in April 2005, their incompetency and belief that confronting a smuggler was just like sending a letter written in red left our international reputation in tatters, unfortunately a lot of them got into the higher echelons, intentionally watered down our powers and discouraged the use of other which had existed since the Restoration, and the rot continued through the transition to Border Agency and then Border Farce Force leaving the service a shadow of its former self and a general laughing stock.
But don't start me please

 

[Ian123]

Think that depends on the year, surely you get less crop when the bees have turned it all into brood, and people who keep on a single brood don't seem to be short on honey.

Go ask those who’s house depends on it.

 

[Robinredcar]

Or you might get more, because you have a much larger foraging force?

James

Not necessarily, amm tend to live linger from what I've read so don't need replaced as quickly as other subspecies. They also seem to be the most efficient when it comes to brood breaks in darths which means less mouths to feed and more honey stored.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It may well have been Customs and Excise when he started (or whatever the prior incarnation was). He'd be in his mid to late 50s now and I think he'd been there his entire career. I can't recall when it changed.

James

we were taken over by the Inland revenue in April 2005, their incompetency and belief that confronting a smuggler was just like sending a letter written in red left our international reputation in tatters, unfortunately a lot of them got into the higher echelons, intentionally watered down our powers and discouraged the use of other which had existed since the Restoration, and the rot continued through the transition to Border Agency and then Border Farce Force leaving the service a shadow of its former self and a general laughing stock.
But don't start me please

He'd be in his mid to late 50s

same era as me then, although I did a bit of role playing on the induction courses, most of my training delivery was on board or firearms handling.

 

[Robinredcar]

Go ask those who’s house depends on it.

I dont know any, but I'm guessing they take off the suppers and feed sugar?

 

[Ian123]

we import masses of bees when we have perfectly good stocks to breed from.

Really how do our bees compare with these others I’d suggest pretty poorly have you been abroad or seen what they have? Have you met any from the various breeding groups?

 

[Ian123]

I dont know any, but I'm guessing they take off the suppers and feed sugar?

You’ve been sucking up to much propaganda.

 

[Robinredcar]

Really how do our bees compare with these others I’d suggest pretty poorly have you been abroad or seen what they have?

How do you mean, our bees abroad or our bees hear?

 

[JamezF]

I dont know any, but I'm guessing they take off the suppers and feed sugar?

The only person I know personally who qualifies as a (small scale in the general scheme of things) bee farmer doesn't feed his main colonies at all as far as I'm aware. Too much effort and cost. But he runs double or sometimes even triple brood.

James

 

[Robinredcar]

You’ve been sucking up to much propaganda.

No I stated I don't know it was a guess, but how do prolific bees overwinter without masses of feeding?

 

[Robinredcar]

The only person I know personally who qualifies as a (small scale in the general scheme of things) bee farmer doesn't feed his main colonies at all as far as I'm aware. Too much effort and cost. But he runs double or sometimes even triple brood.

James

Be interesting to see what kind of bees they have, and if they use the double and triple broodboxs for stores or brood and how prolific the bees are.
I think I've watched Roger Patterson over winter on single brood but with his bees they pack enough stores in a single brood box so they don't need feeding or very little feeding

 

[Ian123]

Be interesting to see what kind of bees they have, and if they use the double and triple broodboxs for stores or brood and how prolific the bees are.
I think I've watched Roger Patterson over winter on single brood but with his bees they pack enough stores in a single brood box so they don't need feeding or very little feeding

Many of my buckfasts that have been on double brood will overwinter as single boxes, they don’t require more food than local mongrels!

 

[JamezF]

No I stated I don't know it was a guess, but how do prolific bees overwinter without masses of feeding?

There's enough time after the crop is taken that they can fill the space in the brood chamber left by declining brood numbers with food to see them through the winter.

I run double brood. I pretty much never feed. I've posted before that in Spring I sometimes remove some of the remaining stores to make more space for new brood. In fact, having caught a few swarms in my bait hives this year that are still on single broods I'm going to have to check that I have enough kit to feed them if I need to. If all else fails there's always the old washing up bowl full of syrup on top of a crown board, I guess...

James

 

[Robinredcar]

Many of my buckfasts that have been on double brood will overwinter as single boxes, they don’t require more food than local mongrels!

How much do you feed them through the winter?

 

[Robinredcar]

There's enough time after the crop is taken that they can fill the space in the brood chamber left by declining brood numbers with food to see them through the winter.

I run double brood. I pretty much never feed. I've posted before that in Spring I sometimes remove some of the remaining stores to make more space for new brood. In fact, having caught a few swarms in my bait hives this year that are still on single broods I'm going to have to check that I have enough kit to feed them if I need to. If all else fails there's always the old washing up bowl full of syrup on top of a crown board, I guess...

James

What bees do you keep? Haha dont think you can ever have enough kit, I'm going to have to invest in more this year I only wanted 2 colonies and now I'm looking for out apiarys

 

[JamezF]

What bees do you keep? Haha dont think you can ever have enough kit, I'm going to have to invest in more this year I only wanted 2 colonies and now I'm looking for out apiarys

I keep whatever turns up, so mongrels basically. I'm not that fussy Even my first ever colony came from a swarm lost by one of the local BKAs introductory course tutors (He had an out apiary about 30m from my house.)

James