Wild Bees in the garden.

[Erichalfbee]

Apiary in the garden
This is a box about a 14x12 and a half fifteen feet up a pine tree at the bottom of the garden.
There have been bees in it for three years.
There has been one prime swarm from it which went into a bait hive and is now in the apiary

 

[Erichalfbee]

 

[Boston Bees]

Interesting. Presumably never inspected?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Last year we got a prime into the bait hive on the potting shed roof. It stayed there after it was moved into a full size 14x12. We had to move it when it was heavy in the middle of winter. Never again.
Yesterday our wild bees threw a cast which we knocked out of a tree and boxed in a nuc.
Stan said, “ I miss bees on the potting shed roof”
So there they are

 

[Erichalfbee]

Interesting. Presumably never inspected?

No

 

[Boston Bees]

No

So ... while I do like the idea of providing a home for wild animals in general ...

When it comes to bees, if someone did this with a hive at ground level (i.e. got a hive, let some bees swarm into it, then never inspected it, or treated it, and let it swarm at will), the forum would generally condemn them as a "bee-haver", a reservoir of disease and varroa, and an irresponsible generator of swarms that will plague homeowners in the vicinity.

Why is this different just because it is 15ft up in the air?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Why is it different from a hole in a tree?

 

[pargyle]

So ... while I do like the idea of providing a home for wild animals in general ...

When it comes to bees, if someone did this with a hive at ground level (i.e. got a hive, let some bees swarm into it, then never inspected it, or treated it, and let it swarm at will), the forum would generally condemn them as a "bee-haver", a reservoir of disease and varroa, and an irresponsible generator of swarms that will plague homeowners in the vicinity.

Why is this different just because it is 15ft up in the air?

Not all of us condemn untreated bees .... the wild colony that Dani has survived three years so far - so it's doing something right ? There are more wild colonies about than you think - I don't see anything wrong with providing them with a suitable home ... they can't all be disease ridden, mite infested colonies otherwise they would be dead.

There's a difference between someone who professes to be a beekeeper but just leaves them to get on with it to someone who provides an appropriate home for truly wild bees ....

 

[Boston Bees]

Why is it different from a hole in a tree?

Because you put it there.

You haven't answered my question by the way

 

[Erichalfbee]

Because you put it there.

You haven't answered my question by the way

I stand condemned then

 

[Boston Bees]

Not all of us condemn untreated bees .... the wild colony that Dani has survived three years so far - so it's doing something right ? There are more wild colonies about than you think - I don't see anything wrong with providing them with a suitable home ... they can't all be disease ridden, mite infested colonies otherwise they would be dead.

There's a difference between someone who professes to be a beekeeper but just leaves them to get on with it to someone who provides an appropriate home for truly wild bees ....

Actually I am pretty sure you have on several occasions made a clear distinction between those who simply leave bees alone (as is happening in this box), and people who monitor varroa levels etc (as you do)

Come on, be honest, if Oxnatbees had done this you would take a different view than you are trying to do with Erichalfbee .. no hint of bias at all Pargyle?

 

[user 20297]

There's a difference between someone who professes to be a beekeeper but just leaves them to get on with it to someone who provides an appropriate home for truly wild bees ....

Watch out; split that hair any finer and you'll not be able to see it

 

[pargyle]

Actually I am pretty sure you have on several occasions made a clear distinction between those who simply leave bees alone (as is happening in this box), and people who monitor varroa levels etc (as you do)

Come on, be honest, if Oxnatbees had done this you would take a different view than you are trying to do with Erichalfbee .. no hint of bias at all Pargyle?

No ... I don't treat my bees for varroa - never have done - why would I criticise anyone for not treating as long as they do it as a beekeeper with some concern for what they are doing. I have no issue with people making suitable homes for any wild creatures .... including bees.

The issue I have is those people who claim to keep bees and call themselves beekeepers but never open their hives except once a year to take the honey off ...and they claim to be saving the bees !

I can see the difference ... but I can see why, from some perspective, you would consider it hair splitting....

 

[user 20297]

Why is this different just because it is 15ft up in the air?

I'm going to try that method next year but I'm restricted by my 15" ladder.
In his recent video (Black Mountain Honey), Lawrence was invited to examine an abandoned apiary (four years) and was excited at the thought of feral or unmanaged bees. Disapponted, all he got was hornets, wasps and a bit of wax moth damage. So this approach doesn't always work.

 

[pargyle]

I'm going to try that method next year but I'm restricted by my 15" ladder.
In his recent video (Black Mountain Honey), Lawrence was invited to examine an abandoned apiary (four years) and was excited at the thought of feral or unmanaged bees. Disapponted, all he got was hornets, wasps and a bit of wax moth damage. So this approach doesn't always work.

Well... that's nature's way isn't it ? One wonders if the previous beekeeper had been looking after them prior to abandoning them ... or perhaps it was why they were abandoned ... ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Actually I am pretty sure you have on several occasions made a clear distinction between those who simply leave bees alone (as is happening in this box), and people who monitor varroa levels etc (as you do)

I knew that’s where you were heading and
I have indeed and I wouldn’t treat a whole apiary thus but we all ( hopefully) evolve. Perceptions of what is and isn’t important in the grander scheme of things change.
I look after the bees in my charge as best I can but have a box of pets up in the tree.
If somebody neglects their bees and I have to mop up their varroa in my hives then so be it. I’ll never ever complain about it again because there are more important things in life

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm going to try that method next year but I'm restricted by my 15" ladder.
In his recent video (Black Mountain Honey), Lawrence was invited to examine an abandoned apiary (four years) and was excited at the thought of feral or unmanaged bees. Disapponted, all he got was hornets, wasps and a bit of wax moth damage. So this approach doesn't always work.

It’s a double wall 12mm marine ply box with 25mm Kingspan in between plus extra in the roof. There are two cork size entrances, diagonally opposite top and bottom corners. The bees close the bottom entrance for winter

 

[pargyle]

I knew that’s where you were heading and
I have indeed and I wouldn’t treat a whole apiary thus but we all ( hopefully) evolve. Perceptions of what is and isn’t important in the grander scheme of things change.
I look after the bees in my charge as best I can but have a box of pets up in the tree.
If somebody neglects their bees and I have to mop up their varroa in my hives then so be it. I’ll never ever complain about it again because there are more important things in life

I think the comment was aimed at me Dani ... But I don't feel particularly hypocritical in supporting your effort to have wild bees in the garden and I don't see that being critical of let alone beehavers has any bearing on allowing, indeed assisting bees to survive without any intervention in the wild.

In fact, the highly insulated nature of the box replicates the construction of my Long deep hive and I've rarely seen any signs of varroa in there - it may be the perfect home for bees to manage varroa levels ? Warm and humid ... not really what the mites like.

My LDH has a periscope entrance where the bees enter at the bottom but the entrance to the hive is at the top ... In view of the recent robbing of my nuc I've been thinking about putting periscope entrances on one or more of my hives and see how they get on with them.

 

[Amari]

View attachment 26976

I hope your Stan isn't the sort who jumps involuntarily (I do) whenever stung.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I think the comment was aimed at me Dani ... But I don't feel particularly hypocritical in supporting your effort to have wild bees in the garden and I don't see that being critical of let alone beehavers has any bearing on allowing, indeed assisting bees to survive without any intervention in the wild.

In fact, the highly insulated nature of the box replicates the construction of my Long deep hive and I've rarely seen any signs of varroa in there - it may be the perfect home for bees to manage varroa levels ? Warm and humid ... not really what the mites like.

My LDH has a periscope entrance where the bees enter at the bottom but the entrance to the hive is at the top ... In view of the recent robbing of my nuc I've been thinking about putting periscope entrances on one or more of my hives and see how they get on with them.

Ah yes. Follow the arrows.
Im glad I did it. It has provided an endless source of observation at the entrance that I would have missed at the apiary. The first colony barely survived the winter and issued a swarm of fifty bees and a tattered queen the following April but I saved her snd she was superseded the second summer. It’s been fascinating.