What did you do in the Apiary today?

[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 !

 

[Curly green finger's]

Misread that, thought your bees had been on holiday , seriously, I have a pretty good idea where you'd like to be heading but I think a few gentle questions could produce some interesting discussion that many might benefit from. It's all good stuff.

Yeah it does read like that, I wish I could of taken some with me.

So rewind to 2021 season, from 22 nucs 4 were selected out of 22 that through out the season showed low mite counts and really good hygienic behaviour.
Since then I’ve split the four colony’s using them to donate brood frames to make nucs headed by new season queens from either one of the four 2021 colony’s by way of graft/demaree, the new queens/nucs were vaped once on there third brood cycle to asses mite loads as well as hygienic behaviour ( pin holes and bold brood ). All the time running the rest of my colony’s along side using a regular IPM and taking similar strength colony’s through winter.
Just a little summary of what I’ve been doing.
my thoughts and what I plan to keep rearing from this stock and using low impact varroa treatments to a point where I don’t use it at all unless needed, I no quite a few that don’t treat but loose quite a few colony’s because they are not selecting certain traits, as we go forward in the coming decades imo we need to be more collective on getting away from the regular IPMS using low impact treatments because what I’ve discovered is the bees are and can cope with varroa, by us using regular treatments we are not helping and this includes mite resistance.
Hopefully my friend that gives you a little understanding where I want to go

 

[Curly green finger's]

Watched some colony’s out in the sunshine today 12c max and bloody cold north ish wind gorse and ivy pollen baskets and I presume ivy nectar, can’t they shop for anything else this time of year!

 

[Paulypaul]

Dead drones in front of the 1 hive I have in the garden, today. For me that's the serious sign of winter's onset.
Few flying bees. It was cold windy and wet.

Have a lot of fondant to take to the out apiray, to ensure sufficient winter stores.
Also going to cut a few boards to slide under the wire mesh floors I made, for winter. I like to leave a ventilation gap, but keep out the wind.
My 2nd winter. Going into it with 15 Colonies, last year was 7 and no losses. It will eventually happen. I always hope to avoid it.

 

[Penninetrader]

Dead drones in front of the 1 hive I have in the garden, today. For me that's the serious sign of winter's onset.
Few flying bees. It was cold windy and wet.

Have a lot of fondant to take to the out apiray, to ensure sufficient winter stores.
Also going to cut a few boards to slide under the wire mesh floors I made, for winter. I like to leave a ventilation gap, but keep out the wind.
My 2nd winter. Going into it with 15 Colonies, last year was 7 and no losses. It will eventually happen. I always hope to avoid it.

Here in the Pennines, 20 miles north of Manchester, we had a generally bright warm and sunny day, my girls took full advantage. One colony bringing in lots of pollen and the rest a combination but all flying. Even though they have stores I am feeding 1-1 but at moderate levels. I make regular visits to keep an eye on their health. This has after all been a very strange year.

 

[Paulypaul]

Here in the Pennines, 20 miles north of Manchester, we had a generally bright warm and sunny day, my girls took full advantage. One colony bringing in lots of pollen and the rest a combination but all flying. Even though they have stores I am feeding 1-1 but at moderate levels. I make regular visits to keep an eye on their health. This has after all been a very strange year.

The few bees I've seen flying were also bringing in pollen.
I left 20kg in all my Colonies after honey harvesting, most of that is already gone. A couple of very light hives had to have big slabs of fondant put on them. Will check how much they've taken down, on Sunday.

 

[rolande]

So rewind to 2021 season, from 22 nucs 4 were selected out of 22 that through out the season showed low mite counts and really good hygienic behaviour.
Since then I’ve split the four colony’s using them to donate brood frames to make nucs headed by new season queens from either one of the four 2021 colony’s

I'd suggest that the splitting will have helped control mite levels, maybe making nucs from your other colonies and introducing your chosen queens to them would be a better all round measure.

I'm surprised that all four lines have remained good but it is still early days.

 

[Wilfredbuck]

I did an inspection today and all seems to be in order although I think they are light on stores (maybe down to robbing) - I will continue to feed them syrup at the moment. Saw the Queen and they were all quite chilled