What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Swn58]

It's a wild polecat, plenty in Wales

I know. It was obviously a wild polecat. Ferret/Polecat.....pretty much the same thing except that polecat is obviously wild. Ferrets are domesticated polecats. The word 'ferret' comes from the Old Germanic/Saxon language, ''Frechen,' which I think means to 'sniff about.'
I bred white, albino, ferrets and 'polecat-ferrets.' I knew someone that bred a line of 'Step-Ferrets.' They are a lighter polecat, that lives wild in Russia.
'Wild????'.... they were furious.....as many people thought they just liked running up steps.........

 

[North End Bees]

Do you not find that you have to renew that seed every three years or so?

I've not had any problems with seeding with consequetive batches.
Maybe others do, particularly if they make batches very seldom. (I'm not suggesting you.) Then I suppose the seed can separate out on the top because it gets old.

 

[North End Bees]

Its sourcing (or making) and storing a heating cabinet that will be the next challenge. Its not worth me spending much as I only have 5 hives.

Are you thinking of staying at 5 hives?
I only say because I put off buying stuff in the first few years because I felt I couldn't justify the cost. Then when I eventually bought (and really needed) them, I wished I'd bought them much earlier!

 

[North End Bees]

The word 'ferret' comes from the Old Germanic/Saxon language, ''Frechen,' which I think means to 'sniff about.'

Frechen also means cheeky in German!

 

[Swn58]

I looked after a 20 acre wood and garden in Beaconsfield. It turned out to be a shorter term job that I expected, due to the owners lack of financial foresight. Long story!
I lived in 'the gate house,' on the edge of the wood. It was wildlife city, both inside and out! It was overrun with mice. I gave up killing them in the end, more due to the fact that I was getting depressed about the sheer number that were dying.
My kitchen was in part of a huge conservatory. I cooked a pizza one day, took it out of the oven, leaving it on on a work surface. The phone rang in the other room. It was a five minute call. I came back to the kitchen.....no pizza.
I found it down the side of the fridge with 'nibbles' taken out of it.
My girlfriend at the time, named one particular wood-mouse 'Colin,' as he used to sit in my Colin's English dictionary, that was often on the floor near my desk. He used to just sit there watching me!
Fallow deer used to rut only yards from the house, badgers raided dustbins, squirrels built huge dreys in the loft and regularly broke into the main house to create havoc. I shot one in the lounge once. As for the owls......don't talk to me about owls!

 

[domino]

I put a garden 240l storage box in my apiary that I'm going to keep a lot of the stuff I normally have in my car (smoker fuel, gloves, spare frames, etc) on site. Honestly, I feel very dumb not doing it before now.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not sure what happened, was getting too dark to investigate properly, all hives looked fine when I walked around them earlier, I shall investigate further tomorrow, few ideas, could have been a pretty violent squall (it would have to be) tipped the stand over, one roll would have taken them to the edge of the bank then they'd slip down, or could be a burrow or just waterlogged soil, one leg sinking and that flipping them over. That bank is secure, been like that for at least 55 years, Pat, Tiddy's father was a pretty gifted civil engineer so that whole channel from above the bridge which gives access to the cottage, down to the bend ten yards down from the hives. it looks only a stream but it is absolutely ferocious in a flood
If I'm lucky (and the bees even luckier) they may be stuck on the bank a little further down, they actually landed upside down inside the roof and they were floating when I last saw them, they might only be down under the next bridge which is just a few yards downstream from the garden, either that or I can expect a frantic call from the farm in the morning as they've washed up next to the milking parlour!!

Fingers crossed keep us all in the loop

 

[The Poot]

Very nice story. I saved a baby thrush that imprinted on me we called him Ossi. I used to cut up caterpillars for him. He used to fly down to greet me. He made it to adulthood. Occasionally we have a thrush in the garden and we wonder if it is him.
About 500 squirrels are shot every year in Burnham Beeches because they destroy the trees.

I have very fond memories of Burnham Beeches. I was staying at a good hotel just before Christmas back in the 80s attending a training course with Ford Motor Co. My Sierra Cosworth was stolen by thieves who lifted it onto a lorry and took it away. They kindly left me the key. I was faced with getting home the day before Christmas Eve by getting a lift to Cambridge, sorting out another car and then on to home.
When I phoned my boss on discovering the loss, asking what I should do, he just said “f####### walk” and hung up on me.
The hotel Manager told me it happened all the time - really useful after the event.

 

[Brian Bush]

I did a tour of all my apiaries and the TherapBee apiary yesterday. I hefted each hive and lifted the lids to add candipollene. Most hives are doing well and were flying. I had lost 4. One of these I suspected was in trouble in January but the other 3 are a mystery that I shall investigate further. They all had stores but I suspect isolation starvation.
The outside temperature varied between 11C and 14 C but wind chill in some of the more exposed areas made it feel colder.
I was very heartened by the state of the remaining colonies and I am looking forward with hope to Spring. We may of course have a lot more bad weather yet to come.
On another note the OSR in the fields near one apiary has been absolutely stipped by pidgeons, rabbits and deer. I hope it recovers!!!!

 

[Boston Bees]

Not at all I can always give up and go to the supermarket.

Rather than eating the bank voles you "cull"?

 

[The Poot]

She is on about the squirrels now. Keep up.

I understand the squirrels aspect as they are a destructive non native species, like cats.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I looked after a 20 acre wood and garden in Beaconsfield. It turned out to be a shorter term job that I expected, due to the owners lack of financial foresight. Long story!
I lived in 'the gate house,' on the edge of the wood. It was wildlife city, both inside and out! It was overrun with mice. I gave up killing them in the end, more due to the fact that I was getting depressed about the sheer number that were dying.
My kitchen was in part of a huge conservatory. I cooked a pizza one day, took it out of the oven, leaving it on on a work surface. The phone rang in the other room. It was a five minute call. I came back to the kitchen.....no pizza.
I found it down the side of the fridge with 'nibbles' taken out of it.
My girlfriend at the time, named one particular wood-mouse 'Colin,' as he used to sit in my Colin's English dictionary, that was often on the floor near my desk. He used to just sit there watching me!
Fallow deer used to rut only yards from the house, badgers raided dustbins, squirrels built huge dreys in the loft and regularly broke into the main house to create havoc. I shot one in the lounge once. As for the owls......don't talk to me about owls!

I'm listening to a blasted squirrel stomping around in my loft as I type. Next step is a socket up there to power an ultrasonic rodent repellent unit.

 

[Amari]

It's a wild polecat, plenty in Wales

Here too. A retired farmer in the village catches a few every year in his rat trap.

 

[Amari]

It’s amazing how they can survive. My tree box hive threw a swarm one April which consisted of 20 bees. Those bees did the best for their queen and genes. That’s all that was left of the colony and they swarmed in desperation.

It's going to be difficult to decide the next move. They failed to withstand the wasp onslaught so I'll probably cull the queen and amalgamate. On the other hand, queenie has mothered her tiny family over a severe winter.....

 

[Niv]

Are you thinking of staying at 5 hives?
I only say because I put off buying stuff in the first few years because I felt I couldn't justify the cost. Then when I eventually bought (and really needed) them, I wished I'd bought them much earlier!

I am aiming for 10(ish). Might get there this year might be next. So I am trying to plan equipment based on having 10 hives - so for example I am not buying a manual 4 frame extractor I am going for a larger electric one.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Fingers crossed keep us all in the loop

Found the empty brood box and dummy board this morning in an eddy not far from the hives, If I'd had a lamp last night I might have spotted them and recovered them from the farmyard side. No sign of the frames or the roof though, might spot the roof when the river level drops - knowing my luck it will be all the way down by the church - there's a likely spot for washups just by my Great Great Grandparent's grave

 

[Erichalfbee]

Rotten way to lose bees but at least it was quick.
Best not imperil yourself so just as well you didn’t have a lamp.

 

[drdrday]

I'm listening to a blasted squirrel stomping around in my loft as I type. Next step is a socket up there to power an ultrasonic rodent repellent unit.

Good luck with that. Didn't work for us!
In the end I spent an unpleasant day just before Christmas scrabbling around under the eaves, fixing several layers of rodent mesh between the ends of all of the roof joists. I have a trail cam up there and a humane trap baited with peanut butter which they seem to be very partial to, and fingers crossed there's been no invaders this year.

 

[user 6127]

I'm listening to a blasted squirrel stomping around in my loft as I type. Next step is a socket up there to power an ultrasonic rodent repellent unit.

Personally, I wouldn't bother. I'm not sure why trading standards haven't picked up on these 'rodent repellers' things yet, as they are useless. Yes, you'll find that one 'well they worked great for me' person, but the science, and test show that they have no effect on many rodents (see Mouse Trap Monday on Youtube for some good in depth experiments).

Much better getting it out the loft, then filling in the hole(s). Or trap (lives traps available if you're not wanting to handle / deal with a dead creature) if its a small infestation.

Other option, ring a local pest technician and ask them if they do free surveys (almost always have a quote attached). Then you'll know what you're dealing with

 

[Brian Bush]

I'm listening to a blasted squirrel stomping around in my loft as I type. Next step is a socket up there to power an ultrasonic rodent repellent unit.

I have tried these they do not seem to work. A squirrel trap and air rifle are the best defence.