too early for a bailey comb change?

[curry756]

Hello,

Hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather

I have 5 hives and they are all, bar 1, on 14x12's. I want to get this one switched over to new BB and frames ASAP, so I was thinking I might start this today?

they have a heavy super that I left on over winter and I was thinking I would keep this on instead of feeding them the syrup? Is this a valid move?

the weather looks reasonable for the next 7 days

Please can you let me know your thoughts.

Thanks in advance
Paul

 

[For want of a better word]

Why the rush?


There may be a cold snap coming.......................

Yeghes da

 

[curry756]

Why the rush?


There may be a cold snap coming.......................

Yeghes da

Thanks for replying.

I was reading up online and it said to do it in "early spring" and, as it is a 4-5 week process, that made sense - get it done before the colony gets too big.

But I appreciate what your saying. Might be worth waiting a few weeks.

What about using a super on top instead of feeding - its full of ivy honey?

 

[itma]

Yes its a bit early - even within Greater London.


The only exception that I'd make would be if the colony were weak (Nosemic?) and you were wanting to do a Bailey *Comb* change -- onto pre-drawn, fumigated *comb*.
Its too bloody early for much wax-making. Quite apart from anything else, wax-making is a task best performed by youngish (pre-forager) workers. Currently, most of your colony will still be old over-wintered bees ...


When the time comes, 50/50 syrup is the optimum fuel for immediate metabolisation, and thus fuelling wax-making. Not honey, which at 80/20 requires dilution (hence water foraging) for consumption.

 

[For want of a better word]

I never seem to get a whole super of Ivy honey left over by the bees... I wonder if it would be possible to uncap it, wash out in water and feed that back to the bees?

50/50 or 1:1 sugar syrup... 1kg sugar + 1 litre of water ( not made up to 1 liter, that would be IN 1 liter.... as 60% approx solution is required...



Finnmann will now give me a lecture in the considerable difficulties we have in measuring water!

Yeghes da

 

[Stiffy]

Hello,

Hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather

I have 5 hives and they are all, bar 1, on 14x12's. I want to get this one switched over to new BB and frames ASAP, so I was thinking I might start this today?

they have a heavy super that I left on over winter and I was thinking I would keep this on instead of feeding them the syrup? Is this a valid move?

the weather looks reasonable for the next 7 days .

Please can you let me know your thoughts.

Thanks in advance
Paul

Checked some of my out-apiaries this morning and they all look really good (100% through) and was actually thinking it will be 'all systems go' in a month.
As others have said, its a bit too early yet. I would give them a chance to replace the older bees and get going.
S

 

[curry756]

Yes its a bit early - even within Greater London.


The only exception that I'd make would be if the colony were weak (Nosemic?) and you were wanting to do a Bailey *Comb* change -- onto pre-drawn, fumigated *comb*.
Its too bloody early for much wax-making. Quite apart from anything else, wax-making is a task best performed by youngish (pre-forager) workers. Currently, most of your colony will still be old over-wintered bees ...


When the time comes, 50/50 syrup is the optimum fuel for immediate metabolisation, and thus fuelling wax-making. Not honey, which at 80/20 requires dilution (hence water foraging) for consumption.

Likewise - thanks also for your time to reply.

Just wanted to get rid of combs as they are old and dirty. And to move to 14x12 too.
I will wait until end of march then and re-assess and I will use syrup and not the super to get them started.

Thanks

 

[curry756]

I might go and put a QE beneath the ivy super now to stop them moving up. then i need to figure out what to do with the left over honey in that super in a month or so.

Suggestions greatly appreciated.

I might just put it all in my steamer and then i should get wax on top and watered down honey solution to feed back to them?

And thanks Stiffy too for the advice

 

[Finman]

I might just put it all in my steamer and then i should get wax on top and watered down honey solution to feed back to them?

You really don't know what you are doing.
And 6 hives is much.

You destroy good combs. Then you melt honey with wax and spoil new honey with that awfull soup.

Soak honey combs into 40 C water and honey crystalls will be diluted out. Then shake combs empty.

. When bees draw foundations to combs, they need half box honey to draw cells ready. You loose lots yield if you destroy combs.

 

[curry756]

You really don't know what you are doing.
And 6 hives is much.

You destroy good combs. Then you melt honey with wax and spoil new honey with that awfull soup.

Soak honey combs into 40 C water and honey crystalls will be diluted out. Then shake combs empty.

. When bees draw foundations to combs, they need half box honey to draw cells ready. You loose lots yield if you destroy combs.

Thanks for the information. To be honest the frames are very old anyway and need throwing away. That was another reason for my suggestion - BUT if i can get one more year out of them and save the bees some work then thats good

So when you say to "soak the comb" do you mean:
1) soak uncapped and write off the honey, but save the comb?
2) soak capped then extract as normal, saving the honey and comb

I am assuming #1.

Thanks

 

[Finman]

.
#3 uncap frames and cast honey water away. As I have read, ivy honey is not delicacy.

To change the combs, let the hive grow. When you give third box, give it as foundations. Put the queen lay onto foundations under an excluder.
Let bees emerge out and bees store honey into combs. Extract dark combs and take them away.

Then let them draw more foundations during main flow and you get ready combs for next year. Drawing foundations in right time prevents swarming.

 

[curry756]

.
#3 uncap frames and cast honey water away. As I have read, ivy honey is not delicacy.

To change the combs, let the hive grow. When you give third box, give it as foundations. Put the queen lay onto foundations under an excluder.
Let bees emerge out and bees store honey into combs. Extract dark combs and take them away.

Then let them draw more foundations during main flow and you get ready combs for next year. Drawing foundations in right time prevents swarming.

Perfect - thanks