The Pot Is OFFFFF

[Millet]

The damn thing came of a good several week ago and boy did i feel delicate, however i am now full steam ahead and managed to do my first inspection solo in between sacking it half way through with heavy rain coming in. roll on this apparent heat wave..

 

[madasafish]

Glad to hear it: just take it easy at first...

 

[Millet]

Glad to hear it: just take it easy at first...

It was of over a week ago but i managed to inspect the hive solo yesterday with no arguing or falling out with my lady friend.. lol.

It will have been around a fortnight ago or longer since i united a Q- hive onto the Q+ hive and yesterday was my best day for a good look into the brood boxes, they is roughly 5 frames of brood in the bottom box and one brood frame full of honey on new foundation,the rest of the frames are empty.
The Queen is in the top brood box on 7 frames of brood and food with one frame full of honey on old comb,the brood area is like a ball formation in the middle of the two brood boxes, the super above is half full of capped and uncapped honey.
What i would like to do is get them back onto a single brood box, would it be ok to take the old frame out full of honey and put all the other frames of brood and food into one box, or should i just leave them alone for now until later on in the year leading up to winter preparations.
On the honey side of things i have no idea where they are collecting the nectar from as the weather has been vile on and of since i united the two of them.

 

[Tremyfro]

Glad to hear you are up and running again.
About the nectar situation...someone mentioned seeing a lot of aphids so perhaps it's honeydew?

 

[Millet]

Glad to hear you are up and running again.
About the nectar situation...someone mentioned seeing a lot of aphids so perhaps it's honeydew?

Funny you mention that as the Sycamore wood near by is full of green fly so no doubt the aphids will be in there also.

 

[madasafish]

It was of over a week ago but i managed to inspect the hive solo yesterday with no arguing or falling out with my lady friend.. lol.

It will have been around a fortnight ago or longer since i united a Q- hive onto the Q+ hive and yesterday was my best day for a good look into the brood boxes, they is roughly 5 frames of brood in the bottom box and one brood frame full of honey on new foundation,the rest of the frames are empty.
The Queen is in the top brood box on 7 frames of brood and food with one frame full of honey on old comb,the brood area is like a ball formation in the middle of the two brood boxes, the super above is half full of capped and uncapped honey.
What i would like to do is get them back onto a single brood box, would it be ok to take the old frame out full of honey and put all the other frames of brood and food into one box, or should i just leave them alone for now until later on in the year leading up to winter preparations.
On the honey side of things i have no idea where they are collecting the nectar from as the weather has been vile on and of since i united the two of them.

Yes take out the brood of honey. Extract or keep as a reserve.

 

[Millet]

Yes take out the brood of honey. Extract or keep as a reserve.

Thank you for that on my next inspection i will see what they are upto and i might just do that.

 

[snelgrove]

Put all the brood in one box with the frame of stores. Super on top. If you want honey. Might be good colony for the heather

 

[Millet]

Put all the brood in one box with the frame of stores. Super on top. If you want honey. Might be good colony for the heather

When you say put a super on top do you mean brood + half ? , i have not mentioned but they may be too many bees for a single brood box so brood +half might be the way to go, i already have 2 supers above them now and one is full of bees and over half of one super is full up to now, decisions decisions lol.
If i had a spare hive i would maybe go the Heather route as i have good access to Heather but equally i have good access to around 35 acres of wild untouched land, one field is not far of flowering thistle which is around 10 acre if the rain stays away, and several of acres of clover is in full swing (again) weather dependent.
I think this is going to be a gut instinct decision.

 

[snelgrove]

Heather flowers during August September. Wild flowers finished, a strong colony full of bees will loads of brood ideal for heather. Only downside you have a last year's queen. I have know colony's swarm n the heather with an old queen.
If you ain't going to heather give it an super above brood box, brood and a half.

 

[Jazzygem]

My bees have been taking advantage of short spells of dry/ sunshine weather between the heavy showers. My plum trees are smothered in greenfly so too are the roses, been wanting to get rid but worried about spraying incase it affected the bees. The bees always look soo happy when they get out, just love watching them.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Funny you mention that as the Sycamore wood near by is full of green fly so no doubt the aphids will be in there also.

I had a look at mine.....all squeaky clean

 

[Millet]

Heather flowers during August September. Wild flowers finished, a strong colony full of bees will loads of brood ideal for heather. Only downside you have a last year's queen. I have know colony's swarm n the heather with an old queen.
If you ain't going to heather give it an super above brood box, brood and a half.

A lot of the wild flowers are just getting going in Northumberland and the cover crops go for a good time after that, i will assess the hive next week and hopefully my brain tells me to go brood + half , as for supers i think i will need more than one because the last time i looked a couple of days ago they had half filled one super above the double brood boxes, there is also a lot of garden flowers and shrubs here that flower forever.. lol , the nectar content however is unknown.
The Heather moors are there for when i have a lot more experience.
Thank you
Steve.

 

[Millet]

I had a look at mine.....all squeaky clean

There is that many green fly here, every time we get a sun shower we are covered in them leaving me scratching like a mange ridden dog, the Swallows love it though, they appear from know where like little fighter pilots knocking the enemy down.. lol

 

[Millet]

My bees have been taking advantage of short spells of dry/ sunshine weather between the heavy showers. My plum trees are smothered in greenfly so too are the roses, been wanting to get rid but worried about spraying incase it affected the bees. The bees always look soo happy when they get out, just love watching them.

Just blast the Aphids with the hose pipe it will not eradicate them but it will dislodge and drown a load with out the use of pesticides .

 

[Jazzygem]

Just blast the Aphids with the hose pipe it will not eradicate them but it will dislodge and drown a load with out the use of pesticides .

Thanks Ill give It a go. They seem really bad this year.

 

[Swarm]

Put a drop of detergent in a sprayer and fill with water, soapy water will kill them.

 

[Millet]

Put a drop of detergent in a sprayer and fill with water, soapy water will kill them.

My dad used to do that when the beans got black aphids on them.