Quick questions quick answers

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Go to the Honey Show to see the vast array of different kinds of honey produced in the UK!

.....as well as learn how not to present exhibits for judging

 

[Antipodes]

Any recommendations (thickness, length and manufacturer) for tacks to hold framing wire please?

 

[Poly Hive]

I'll have to check what I use but would you be interested in seeing my old wiring board?

PH

 

[Antipodes]

Thanks Poly Hive. I'd appreciate any help with it. What is happening is that the tacks are splitting the wood (even only a 10mm long tack - which is getting really short) but perhaps the thickness of 1.6mm is too thick? It is the thinnest sort in our biggest hardware store. I tried to extract a couple of frames just now, (I had the wire nice and tight in the frame), but because I used ordinary nails, which don't split the frame wood, the wire slipped with the pressure, and the wire became all loose, and then the comb let go..... sadly.

 

[Poly Hive]

They sound thick yes. Mine are 3/4" frame nails and the thickness..... I will measure for you if the micrometer goes that low....1mm is what they are. Do your suppliers not sell proper frame nails?

My board is routed out to hold the frame so that the hole in the middle of the side bars is flush with the top of the board. It was screwed to the bench and to my right on a stand, again screwed to the bench, was the spool of stainless wire.

For broods I put in four wires and for super it was two. Thread the wore through using eyelets to protect the wood from the wire, Tap in a nail on the top left, secure wire. Using the spool I tensioned up the wire until it sang, then wrap it round the nail inserted close to the bottom hole on the rhs. Sorted.


PH

 

[Antipodes]

Thanks Poly Hive.....

 

[Spanker]

Any idea what this is hanging out of the back end?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BTyce4Bt5GrUfJJo6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ANVswKExPzWG9Y8w9

 

[Antipodes]

Spanker....could it be accumulated frass perhaps?

Poly Hive,

here is a photo of the tacks. The ones on the left are better quality 12 x 1.6 and on the right are 10 x 1.6. The frame wood is radiata pine.

 

[Amari]

Any idea what this is hanging out of the back end?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BTyce4Bt5GrUfJJo6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ANVswKExPzWG9Y8w9

Crap with coprophagists?

 

[beeno]

Any idea what this is hanging out of the back end?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BTyce4Bt5GrUfJJo6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ANVswKExPzWG9Y8w9

My guess is that it may be a corbicular pollen ball from Evening Primrose which has very strong viscin threads keeping the pollen from one anther together. This may explain why the bees have difficulties removing it from the bees backside. It is the right colour, plant still in flower in my locale, and from the corbicula to the backside is not a great leap.

 

[Finman]

.
The bee has stung, and its rectum is in sight.

 

[Spanker]

My guess is that it may be a corbicular pollen ball from Evening Primrose which has very strong viscin threads keeping the pollen from one anther together. This may explain why the bees have difficulties removing it from the bees backside. It is the right colour, plant still in flower in my locale, and from the corbicula to the backside is not a great leap.

it does look like pollen but just in a strange place.

 

[beeno]

it does look like pollen but just in a strange place.

Yes. I now think Finman is correct that it is to do with stinging. However, the stinger usually comes out intact judging from picking them out of my Marigolds through the years and the venom sac is clear whitish colour. So, I am interested in which part of the bee anatomy we are looking at here?

 

[Antipodes]

I inspected my strongest hive today. I went pretty deep into it and couldn't find any eggs but some small pockets of uncapped brood (nothing very young) and a moderate amount of capped brood. Not many drones. It seems that former brood cells are being heavily backfilled with honey. The whole hive is very heavy with honey (by far my best), and seems to have many bees in it. I found no queen cups or any evidence of queen cells past or present. Any thoughts please? I've lost track of how old the queen is (or was), but I think this would be her second year.

 

[enrico]

Would suggest the queen has been replaced or in the process of......
Give them more room, they sound as though they need it
E

 

[Erichalfbee]

More room or split.

 

[Antipodes]

Thanks E and D.

I'll try along those lines. I've never seen anything like this before, so steep learning curve ahead.

 

[Antipodes]

I've read that the colony usually swarms once the first swarm cell is capped. Is there a percentage figure roughly on that I wonder please? Is it 80 or 90 per cent chance perhaps?. I'm requeening the hive and need to find the old queen. I found a few capped cells but many more that were not and none had emerged.

 

[enrico]

Don't believe it!!!!
You can have capped queen cells and still have the queen in the hive. I would put the new queen in a nuc with frames with no queen and no queen cells until you know what is going on in the old hive.
E

 

[Antipodes]

It's quite hard to find a queen ....it was full on yesterday. Any hints please? We use ideals here which are sort of half deep Langs so I had 4 boxes of them to go through....32 frames.