Robber bees?

[Monsieur Abeille]

This was recently sent out from Andy Wattam, National Bee Inspector, who is also a local inspector in our area. Possibly only relevant to certain parts of the country, but a good reminder for any simply wishing to feed by calendar date.

Apologies if this has already been posted, working my way back through the past few days worth

Whilst I have been out inspecting in the last week I have seen
Numerous colonies of bees which are at the point of starvation,
Some with only hours of life left where drastic action has been
Needed, others with thankfully a few days feed, but, where intervention
With food was essential.

Would you please pass onto Lincs BKA Members about the importance
Of 'hefting hives' (Photograph Attached), a gentle lift from
The back of the hive to assess weight
and feeding as necessary at this time of year, otherwise
I fear that many will lose valuable stocks of bees.

To the newer beekeepers this comes as something of a shock
Unless their bees are fortunate enough to have access to Balsam
There is nothing, and has not been anything coming in now
For over a month in most areas

I am attaching a useful factsheet for beekeepers - as always
I can be contacted on the usual numbers shown below


Andy Wattam
National Bee Inspector.

 

[madasafish]

Do you really feed 2 litres of sugar a week at this time of year Rosti?

.............and call that not over feeding?

I don't feed sugar at all, (or as you all know by now use all these other treatments and manipulations), and I can't see why you should need to. My bees all do perfectly well on their own.

Sorry if apparently of topic, but it seems all the problems are from people that "mess", and I am in France.

Chris

So are you saying I should let my bees starve? That is how I read it.. Since July we have had very low temperatures and rain and more rain..

Oh .. you are in France?

 

[Chris Luck]

Oh .. you are in France?

Well spotted. However the forum has been littered with people in the UK saying how much honey they have been taking off, it just seems a little odd.
I'm also a trifle bemused and confused as to how bees managed to survive for so long in the UK before the advent of sugar, but, anyway, I certainly wouldn't advise allowing your bees to starve unless they aren't up to the job of course, and it's always a bit tricky to know how much to intervene with the natural course of events - survival of the fittest - natural selection and all that.

Chris

 

[Cazza]

: However the forum has been littered with people in the UK saying how much honey they have been taking off, it just seems a little odd.

Chris

Not odd at all if you took off a good crop of early OSR honey and then waited for the next flow and nothing happened due to pp weather..result= hungry bees with no stores.
Cazza

 

[Rosti]

Or to follow on from Cazza, in my case a crop at end May (Rape/Willow) then at end July which was bramble / bean and then a sudden drop in flow because of drout/drench/drout/drench. It wasn't until the SBI called round early Sept that I discovered the whole of the Vale of York was affected at the same time. Granted if I hadn't taken the crop early they would have had stores but part of the satisfaction of the hobby for me is achieving a balnce between healthy colonies and a honey pay back. Each to their own of course.