What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Macbear]

Autumn treatment to try to kill varroa that have bred through summer. Hoping to ensure optimum healthy bees going into winter. No treatment is 100% so a mop up around shortest day is also accepted practice.

Formic Pro seems to have devastated two hives.
One - the BB just has empty combs and a few stores, the super [which is a deep] has plenty of stores, but bee numbers are too low for my liking. Will probably unite with a small split which I didn't treat, but only when I get a warmer day.
The second colony doesn't seem to have any brood, but plenty of stores and bees - a little room for laying, but as it was colder than I would like I didn't delve around the BB too much. Just wanted to get FP strips out, ent reducers back on, QE out and to get a quick look. Hoping the Q is just taking time out...
Facing a possibility of being down to a single colony by next March :-( Thank goodness I did the split in the summer. Back to Apiguard next season! I don't like a varroa treatment that may kill varroa AND my Qs if that is what has happened.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Back to Apiguard next season! I don't like a varroa treatment that may kill varroa AND my Qs if that is what has happened.

Echos of MAQS when it first became available

 

[The Poot]

Formic Pro seems to have devastated two hives.
One - the BB just has empty combs and a few stores, the super [which is a deep] has plenty of stores, but bee numbers are too low for my liking. Will probably unite with a small split which I didn't treat, but only when I get a warmer day.
The second colony doesn't seem to have any brood, but plenty of stores and bees - a little room for laying, but as it was colder than I would like I didn't delve around the BB too much. Just wanted to get FP strips out, ent reducers back on, QE out and to get a quick look. Hoping the Q is just taking time out...
Facing a possibility of being down to a single colony by next March :-( Thank goodness I did the split in the summer. Back to Apiguard next season! I don't like a varroa treatment that may kill varroa AND my Qs if that is what has happened.

It’s not an uncommon occurrence with Maqs / Formic Pro unfortunately.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Echos of MAQS when it first became available

same beast, just a namechange

 

[Paul_Ward1]

Have you other hives? What are the drops there like?
I have one out of seven continuing to drop large numbers
I’m vaping every five days till I get only a few. I once had to do one seven times….. years ago, before I gave up and put in Apivar which led to none dropping at all. I guess the seventh one did it.

Thanks. Done three at 5 day intervals (last one today on 4 hives). 48hr mite drop was huge after OAV1, approx 200 after OAV2 and I will check the 3rd in a couple of days. What threshold do you use for the forced mite drop which would make you continue with further OAV?

 

[Erichalfbee]

What threshold do you use for the forced mite drop which would make you continue with further OAV?

20 and it has to be 24 hours not 48

 

[JamezF]

I thought the broodless period is in December.

Beekeeping myth. Some colonies may never be broodless (unless requeening etc.). Others may be broodless much earlier. There was a presentation at the NHS a few years back discussing colonies were found to be broodless for some part of November rather than December, though for one colony it might be right at the start of November and the one next to it could be at the end.

James

 

[Penninetrader]

£250 minimum spend is to deter small buyers. £16.40 is the box price for 40 boxes, collected, but buying fewer boxes by spending only £250 is likely to attract a higher box price. Pallet delivery would no doubt push box price to something painful (I didn't ask).

Years ago the company would sell individual beekeepers a few boxes, then stopped and supplied only Simon the Beekeeper, which retails it at £25 a box plus delivery.

https://simonthebeekeeper.co.uk/products/125kg-fondant-block

Thank you for the reply, one of my projects places me about 10 miles from Baco Preston. I will send my good lady, she is quite persuasive. Otherwise it is phone calls to local bakers. I have until now made my own as my needs in regards quantity accomodate it. Last year I went to the Halifax agricultural show where the beeks of the area had a decent sized tent and display. I discussed Fondant and was surprised that they had no organised supply for their members. They were buying, in many cases, very small quanities individually at high prices. My Yorkshire blood and heritage rebelled at the very thought.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Thank you for the reply, one of my projects places me about 10 miles from Baco Preston. I will send my good lady, she is quite persuasive. Otherwise it is phone calls to local bakers. I have until now made my own as my needs in regards quantity accomodate it. Last year I went to the Halifax agricultural show where the beeks of the area had a decent sized tent and display. I discussed Fondant and was surprised that they had no organised supply for their members. They were buying, in many cases, very small quanities individually at high prices. My Yorkshire blood and heritage rebelled at the very thought.

Chat up the Bako rep and tell them their first quote is too high. My price came down significantly and as I’ve said they deliver free for £150 order.

 

[Garry R]

Echos of MAQS when it first became available

I still have the box my MAQS strips arrived in. I keep it solely as a reminder of the damage they did on the 2 colonies in which I used it. Total wipeout. Fortunately it was only a third of the apiary.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I keep it solely as a reminder of the damage

Take the lid off and have a sniff now and then.
Seriously Gary, you have confidence these things work. The messages on Beesource regarding the stuff should have been a warning. Sadly I paid them no heed.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Take the lid off and have a sniff now and then.
Seriously Gary, you have confidence these things work. The messages on Beesource regarding the stuff should have been a warning. Sadly I paid them no heed.

I've just had a look on Beesource but can't find what you're referring to. Would you mind please Dani, briefly going over the warning that you didn't heed.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I've just had a look on Beesource but can't find what you're referring to.

Archie it was years ago.
There were a lot of threads like this one.

https://www.beesource.com/threads/m...d-queens.326703/?post_id=1432133#post-1432133

Put MAQS dead queens / dead bees in the search

 

[Swarm]

Avoided the deluge to get the vaping done at the farm. One downpour turned the roads into rivers and it looked like my plans were going to be washed out but all turned out well despite one moment where I got a bit wet. A friend had invited himself along to look at my bees as he has been having problems this season with overly defensive bees and is looking to requeen a few colonies. He has had the SBI complaining about his bees and telling him to buy Danish Buckfasts despite the fact he wants native bees so I told him to come and take a look at a few nucs I have. He couldn't believe his eyes the behaviour was impeccable. We went through one of this year's queens, a daughter from one of the Amm queens, the blackest of bees, motionless on the combs and not one took to the air. I gently moved the bees aside so we could see the brood and also saw the queen being tended. This colony and three nucs will be going to his apiary next Spring.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Went to one of my apiaries that’s got 7 hives in to top up some fondant. As I didn’t want to drive across a sodden field in the wet I carried 7 small blocks of fondant the 150yrds to the hives.
When I arrived it was calm and I was dressed in a waterproof jacket with a veil on my head.
The bees were calm as I was putting the fondant on the first 5 hives but as I got to the 6th the 7th started getting a bit fiesty next door and it started to rain. I took the roof off no. 7 as a squall hit me ripping the veil off my head! There I was with fiesty bees all around and my veil 20yrds away up the field!
Well I managed to get the fondant on the crownboard, the roof on and flee up the field with only about 30 stings in my head and neck.I can tell you stings in a bald head really smart! I was pulling stings out for most of the 5 min journey to the next apiary but by the time I’d called into a mate for a cuppa 30mins later I’d almost forgotten where I’d been stung.
Don’t we just love this hobby?

 

[pargyle]

Went to one of my apiaries that’s got 7 hives in to top up some fondant. As I didn’t want to drive across a sodden field in the wet I carried 7 small blocks of fondant the 150yrds to the hives.
When I arrived it was calm and I was dressed in a waterproof jacket with a veil on my head.
The bees were calm as I was putting the fondant on the first 5 hives but as I got to the 6th the 7th started getting a bit fiesty next door and it started to rain. I took the roof off no. 7 as a squall hit me ripping the veil off my head! There I was with fiesty bees all around and my veil 20yrds away up the field!
Well I managed to get the fondant on the crownboard, the roof on and flee up the field with only about 30 stings in my head and neck.I can tell you stings in a bald head really smart! I was pulling stings out for most of the 5 min journey to the next apiary but by the time I’d called into a mate for a cuppa 30mins later I’d almost forgotten where I’d been stung.
Don’t we just love this hobby?

It's always an "I was only just ..." moment that catches you out !