Transfer to Apidea?

[RogueDrone]

Hi,
I have a couple of colonies that have dwindled so much that there is no more than a cup of bees. I am thinking of transfering them into an Apidea as I cannot see the colonies being able to generate the heat required to produce brood, in a standard BB. Colonies had queens but very slim and not laying.

Thoughts?

Colin

 

[user 6228]

Hi,
I have a couple of colonies that have dwindled so much that there is no more than a cup of bees. I am thinking of transfering them into an Apidea as I cannot see the colonies being able to generate the heat required to produce brood, in a standard BB. Colonies had queens but very slim and not laying.

Thoughts?

Colin

Try something warmer than an apidea. Make a square tube out of 25mm kingspan and gaffer tape.

Make the internal cross section slightly smaller than your cup of bees. and 500mm tall
(80 x 80mm? = 4 strips 105x500 + 2 ends @ 130x130).

Make a lid and a floor and a 25mm hole near the bottom.

At the top jam a bit of comb with honey in the diagonal.

gaffer the lid on. invert Pour in the bees. right it and gaffer floor on.

The height is important to keep the heat in.

 

[Tim1606]

A cup full of bees is not worth the effort. You have 12 colonies so losing a couple is no hardship compared to many, as i am sure you will be able to make the numbers up later in the season.

 

[beeno]

Hi RougeDrone,
Sounds like Q problems to me. Colonies finished and so are the queens. Did they go into winter as strong colonies as a matter of interest?

 

[Haughton Honey]

If the Queens start to lay when the weather warms up and the pattern is ok then consider 'lending' a few frames of brood from your other hives in a couple of weeks to give them a boost.

 

[itma]

Hi,
I have a couple of colonies that have dwindled so much that there is no more than a cup of bees. ...

Thoughts?

Colin

My first thought was "How did they get down to such a tiny number?"
It depends whether they are a poorly bunch or whether there was a known problem other than poor performance. Which would determine whether or not the queens were worth saving.

 

[RogueDrone]

the twelve hives was last summer then had a hit AFB 2 hives distroyed united some for winter, lost one at out apiary (lost roof , snow) now six colonies. I am thinking of just keep them going and as HH says once the stronger colonies build up lend a few frames of bees/ brood across.

Derekm do you mean make a kind of half supper using kingspan?

Colin

 

[VEG]

you had AFB or EFB

 

[user 6228]

the twelve hives was last summer then had a hit AFB 2 hives distroyed united some for winter, lost one at out apiary (lost roof , snow) now six colonies. I am thinking of just keep them going and as HH says once the stronger colonies build up lend a few frames of bees/ brood across.

Derekm do you mean make a kind of half supper using kingspan?

Colin

A sort vertical half super, made to fit the bees you have closely . It has the minmium surface area at the top to conserve their heat, yet space below to contain the heat in stratification and hopefully expansion

i.e. external dimensions height 500mm depth 130 width 130.

A mini tree nest if you like.

 

[itma]

the twelve hives was last summer then had a hit AFB 2 hives distroyed united some for winter, lost one at out apiary (lost roof , snow) now six colonies. I am thinking of just keep them going and as HH says once the stronger colonies build up lend a few frames of bees/ brood across.

I'd be concentrating on keeping the strong colonies strong and on being paranoid about biosecurity incase there might be any residual traces of infection that might be spread to the strong colonies.
I wouldn't be shunting brood frames around.

 

[fiftyjon]

A cup full of bees is not worth the effort. You have 12 colonies so losing a couple is no hardship compared to many, as i am sure you will be able to make the numbers up later in the season.

You can spend time and effort on a queen and a handful of bees for them never to really get going. Cut your losses and increase later.

 

[RogueDrone]

you had afb or efb

afb

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

afb

been a couple of outbreaks down West the last two seasons.

 

[RogueDrone]

I am one of two in the Cardigan area. No real explination here and the second BK is keeping quite, but SBI told me it was close by :-((. First thing I did was twell everyone to be villigaent and check.
SBI will be back once brood has increased enough to monitor ie month end due to slow start , normally first revisit would have been carried out by now. As foot note standing order was lifted Sept 2012.

Keep peeled
Colin

 

[user 6228]

I think AFb is closely linked to bees finding contaminated imported honey. Perhaps jars of honey of imprted honey should have warning labels to dispose of safely.

 

[Finman]

A cup full of bees is not worth the effort. .

I have same situation and I think what I do.

In practice those queens, if they are any more healthy, they need the whole box of bees from others that they become something.

Then I have semi big colonies which need too bees from big hives, and I think that I try to get half size colonies big and I let cup size to die.

 

[Finman]

.
Nosema makes those small colonies. It is same with varroa.

.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hi RougeDrone,
Sounds like Q problems to me. Colonies finished and so are the queens. Did they go into winter as strong colonies as a matter of interest?

I suspect that is correct perhaps Nosema/nosemtic queen, I dispatched one small colony of my association like that early this morning, not worth the effort or worth combining due to disease possibilities

 

[alldigging]

I suspect that is correct perhaps Nosema/nosemtic queen, I dispatched one small colony of my association like that early this morning, not worth the effort or worth combining due to disease possibilities

How did you do that?