Supering

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Stu H

New Bee
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
Messages
18
Reaction score
0
Location
uk
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
2
I had EFB earlier on this summer and had my colony destroyed, I was lucky enough to get a new nuc and they appear to be thriving! The have rocketed across the brood box!

I have put on a QX and super but the bees seem very uninterested in venturing upward. The bolsom it going crazy nearby and the bees are coming home covered in it!

Any thoughts on how to get them up and working the super?

Stu
 
Try removing QE? Mine wouldn't work super until I fed them - then they got the idea...
 
Do not feed if you have supers on unless you want rubbish sugar honey, which you cannot legally call honey and it tastes crap.

Take the excluder off but don't feed if you want honey in that super.
 
How did it go with the original supplier of your EFB nuc? Did he cough up or replace with a healthy one?
 
Regarding my EFB problem,

For starters the Bee inspector was top draw, once I explained my level of experience and the whole story he gave me some very sound advice and couldn't do enough to help me regain my confidence.

Regarding the original supplier I have had nothing but trouble, I was offered alsorts of deals and offers and felt that my inexperience was played upon by him trying to blind me with science. I held firm and demanded a full refund but this was not forthcoming at first, all he wanted to do was restock me. In the end he tried to evade my claim by changing his contact details, but due to his eagerness to get back in business he wasn't hard to track down.

In the end I had to threaten him with legal proceedings and also that I would report his cash only practice to HMRC which turned up a partial refund. i'm still a £160 out of pocket but have used that to teach me a lesson! I'm sure the HMRC will get more that my £160 out of him.

The big lesson for any new starter has to be, dont fall for the flash websites and what appears to be a nice man that wants to help. Get on a course and find a mentor, even if its just on the end of the phone!

I restocked 4 weeks ago and my new bees have thrived, I was put onto a beekeeper in my county who sold me a nuc but also gave me a few very well needed hours of tuition. He along with the bee inspector are true gents and they has given me the confidence to want to continue with my hobby.


Stu H
 
Was that cash without a receipt?

I always get a receipt (or a cleared cheque and correspondence is good enough) as clear evidence for any deal like that. To be honest, I don't mind if it is a 'special receipt book' until the service is proven as 'good'.

I don't even hand over cash to a bank without a receipt, although that is what LloydsTSB (probably among others) are trying on!(they have current account paying-in slips without the receipt section these days) Perfectly aceptable - until something does go wrong!

Regards, RAB
 
In the end I had to threaten him with legal proceedings and also that I would report his cash only practice to HMRC which turned up a partial refund. i'm still a £160 out of pocket but have used that to teach me a lesson! I'm sure the HMRC will get more that my £160 out of him.

So you got a partial refund and are still £160 down? That must have been an expensive nuc or did you have other products as well?
 
I'm still a £160 out of pocket but have used that to teach me a lesson! I'm sure the HMRC will get more that my £160 out of him.
Stu H

Hi Stu

£160 out of pocket is still a lot of money or another colony. No way would I accept anything less than a full refund, but I wouldn't stop there I would inform the seasonal inspectors as you did and all the local associations and bee keepers. EFB is a serious problem in its own right let alone when a supplier has it, you may be happy with the end result but I would be mortified to learn if others around me caught it because I didn't do the right thing and solve the problem instead of trying to cover it up.

I hope you reconsider !
Out of interest which county is the supplier in?
 
I would be mortified to learn if others around me caught it because I didn't do the right thing and solve the problem instead of trying to cover it up.

Just reread my reply, sorry it should be.

I didn't do the right thing and solve the problem instead of allowing the supplier time to cover it up
 
stu H from the fact that i presume you burnt everything, guess you are trying to get your girls to go up onto super foundation not drawn combe? What i found worked a treat was to remove the QE and also feed some syrup (bought think it was ambrosia? someone correct me if wrong!) This encouraged them to drawn the frames out, but it was hard work, they seemed happy to stay on lower levels for a couple of weeks even after QE removed. but it did work eventually
 
Stu H,

A timely note on the forum next year might remind or inform a large number of people where not to buy a nuc. Must only contain the facts (provable in court). Had EFB; bought-in colonies developed same immediately; Bee inspector informed and coloniies destroyed; little compensation from the vendor who was..........; now trading, I believe as ........... .

I would still be considering the small claims court unless you have settled and signed away your rights, (which may include cashing any cheque).

This sort of thing is really bad for the bee-keeping fraternity. In my book that sounds basically a case of a trader operating without any third party insurance against risks such as this and having no regard to the quality of his product at the time of sale (that includes if he didn't know about the EFB in his own stock at that time).

Office of Fair Trading might also be a place to drop him in it. Trading Standards, if that is a different organisation might be interested too.

Let's at least be getting a name, addy, etc after any litigation . All beeks need protecting against a trader like this.

Question: Any way of contacting other beeks in the same position from this sad saga?

Inspectorate may not give their names, but might pass on your details (with your written permission) to the others with infected colonies which were directly traceable to the source of that outbreak at that time. Speaking as a group might be better than being fobbed off individually.

There may well be a few (traceable with effort and care) details from beebase. The dates and grid sqares are supplied. You might find, for instance, there were several local to this person's addy - and only one contact can lead to others.

Regards, RAB
 
I must be thick but what connection is there between a web address and the issue being discussed?

PH
 
We can surmise (rightly or otherwise - and at our risk if otherwise) but it would not be in Stu H's interests to mention too many details on the forum, even if the truth, IF it were possible that litigation might follow.

Regards, RAB
 
Morning,

Thanks for the very useful replies, I'll now write the story so far and how from my perspective it all unravelled.

I have been interested in beekeeping for about 4 years and have purchased many books and gathered what information I could off the internet. The problem was that I lived in an appartment in a town.
I moved to a rural location early this year and planned to start my hobby as a beekeeper.
I stumbled accross the Norfolk honey bees website and read it extensively as it provide some good information. I emailed the owner and recieved a very attentive reply that I found very helpful at the time. The email tooing and froing continued and all my questions were answered!
It was then that I took up an offer for:-
1 nuc of bees
2 brood boxes, 2 rapid feeders, 2 crown boards, 2 floors, 2 roofs, a queen rearing course with 3 one to one phone calls.

It was ment to get you going as a beekeeper with the ability to split you colony and turn it into two!

The deal was stuck and a collection date sorted, the date got put back due to the bees not being ready, apparently due to the weather.
I was also offered a suit and some tuition when I arrived! Of course at a price!
I went for collection and the tuition and at first all seemed ok. The bees had been in a sealed brood box from the night before and all the kit was put in my car. I was then taken some didtance to an apiary and this is when things didnt stack up.
All his equipment along with the apiary was filthy, varoa treatment tins scatered around etc. The 'tuition' lasted just under two hours and I learnt little. To be honest he couldn't get away quick enough.

I brought them home and put them on their hive base. The noise from the hive made me open the entrance block straight away as they were quite obviously distressed.
I left them be for 8 days and then did my first visit, the bees seemed very lively but there was a lot of uncapped cells.
I then received an email from a bee inspector in Norfolk asking me for my contact details. I then received a call for my local inspector who arranged a visit a day or so later. EFB was found and the bees destroyed.

Just to clarify a few points, I was totally devastated that I had been what I believe hood winked into bringing EFB into a clean area, but as the inspector said it was caught very quickly and dealt with so the chance of spreading it was less than minimal.
Beekeeping is big business for some and as I have learnt can be a big money spinner.
I believe I was taken for a ride and to be very honest didn't see this one coming as I viewed beekeeping as a civilised occupation. I have taken it as a lesson learned and have since had my faith restored by the people who have put their time and effort into getting me going again.

As I have already said the bee inspector could not of done more, and the chap that I bought my new colony off again put a shed load of time and effort into getting me going again with some tuition and a great nuc at a reasonable price.

Stu
 
glad things are sorted now, Stu, and that your faith in beekeepers has been restored!!
 

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