Wot Fun!

[Tremyfro]

The lady from Solihull says she has one flow super 80% capped. So I guess the next video will be an extraction. That's pretty good going considering one colony has been split twice and the other has recently been checker-boarded onto double brood.

I think she means one frame is 80% capped.
Perhaps I should dust off the cobwebs from mine and put them on.....any votes on that idea?....my bees could throw a party.......and you could all roll around laughing ...whilst I ...ha ha..he he.
....and I have a colony on double brood full of bees.
So...what do you say?...shall I put them on?

 

[Erichalfbee]

For heaven's sake get them on !!!!!

 

[Tremyfro]

For heaven's sake get them on !!!!!

OK... I'll do it....better wax them first though.... I'll get OH to fetch them from the Bee Shed...we are doing our inspection tomorrow so can take a look at the situation in the colony.
I shall blame you if it goes t*ts up.
It will be fun though to be able to watch the bees through the clear windows.

 

[pargyle]

OK... I'll do it....better wax them first though.... I'll get OH to fetch them from the Bee Shed...we are doing our inspection tomorrow so can take a look at the situation in the colony.
I shall blame you if it goes t*ts up.
It will be fun though to be able to watch the bees through the clear windows.

YOU have to wax them ? I thought the bees did that ??

 

[pargyle]

I have tried Micheal Bush's queens in the past, and use natural cell in my brood frames. My experience on both fronts is that you loose a lot of colonies by doing nothing.

......


Nothing against the man, just my own observations having bought his product, read many of his writings and trialed his methods. My personal thoughts on Mr Bush's methods is that they are pure, adulterated, bull ****.

I know a number of beekeepers who ARE treatment free and are not losing colonies ... at least no more than those who do treat. I'm not saying that you won't have varroa in the hive but they do seem to manage - I'm foundationless but whether this lends anything to the situation I really don't know ...it's not leave alone beekeeping by any stretch of the imagination - it's arguably more beekeeping work when you don't treat than when you do - But, I do accept that it's not for everybody.

 

[Tremyfro]

YOU have to wax them ? I thought the bees did that ??

In my langstroth hive all the frames are plastic. Some came with a layer of wax on them the others didn't....to help the bees get started on them I painted them with some wax. So I have done the same with the flows frames.
I don't for one minute expect them to fill them...we don't get the strongest flows here....but it will be interesting to see if they do.
As I had to recombine the two brood boxes....I have left the top entrance open.....the bees have to walk across the flow frames to get down to the brood box. Whereas the bees in the lower box continue to use the main entrance. I will probably close the top entrance once they have all settled in together. The bees marched with such purpose across the frame...we could see them through the window.
I have moved the old queen to a nuc....which welcomed her as they were queen less after the Hygienic queen jumped ship.
So for better or worse...the flow frames are on.

 

[sugarbush]

I know a number of beekeepers who ARE treatment free and are not losing colonies ... at least no more than those who do treat. I'm not saying that you won't have varroa in the hive but they do seem to manage - I'm foundationless but whether this lends anything to the situation I really don't know ...it's not leave alone beekeeping by any stretch of the imagination - it's arguably more beekeeping work when you don't treat than when you do - But, I do accept that it's not for everybody.

I try not to knock anything until I try it. I am also super cheap so the idea of treatment free appealed to me. I gave treatment free a thorough go... I did well for several years and then ran into major losses. It's a very convenient way to do things in areas with many commercial operations throwing swarms so that a person can easily replenish deadouts.

That is a pretty common theme with treatment free, speaking with many who have tried it. Much of the claimed success I chock up to embellishment of the facts. Some very well known operations here who sell treatment free nuclei also openly admit that they do treat for mites, just not the nuclei that they sell. In my experience you can get several years of treatment free successfully, but then sustain major losses.

If you are treatment free and haven't sustained major losses, you haven't been doing it long enough.

Far too many beekeepers are taking advantage of the "green save the bees" movement for monetary gain. There is a vast ocean of customers who want "Organic" treatment free bees or honey and plenty of unscrupulous beekeepers who are willing to exploit that market.

These are the facts as I know them.

 

[Motobiman]

I have just set up an out apiary and there is another about 600mtrs away up wind, that I understand is being managed treatment free.

From what I have read on here I need to be aware that any swarms I attract could be from his apiary and therefore I should expect varroa infestation and treat straight away.

Is that a fair assessment?

 

[BeeJayBee]

No.

 

[chrisb]

I have tried Micheal Bush's queens in the past, and use natural cell in my brood frames. My experience on both fronts is that you loose a lot of colonies by doing nothing.

I did have a feral colony last several years without treatment, but the same season that I moved them into an area of civilization the became infested with varroa and died out without treatment.

Also a few years ago he stopped selling queens and "went on sabbatical" for a year. Many of us in the beekeeping community have disused this sabbatical and have come to the conclusion that the most likely scenario is that all his bees died out and he needed a year to repopulate.

If you follow him on the forums he has frequently chimed in on package installs and offered advice on how he does it. Somebody who is as successful as he claims to be theoretically should not have a need to purchase package bees.

Nothing against the man, just my own observations having bought his product, read many of his writings and trialed his methods. My personal thoughts on Mr Bush's methods is that they are pure, adulterated, bull ****.

 

[Tremyfro]

I don't think that you can assume..treatment free...means no active steps taken to reduce varroa or monitor colonies. I suppose there will always be beekeepers who hive a colony and then leave them to there own devices...on purpose, circumstance or neglect.
There are a number of beekeepers on the forum who have been treatment free for years...but that doesn't mean that they are neglectful in their beekeeping.....they may be collecting your swarms instead.

 

[sugarbush]

I don't think that you can assume..treatment free...means no active steps taken to reduce varroa or monitor colonies.

On this side of the pond the treatment free crowd is pretty clear on what "Treatment free" means. The various forums have official definitions and such. They even consider a powder sugar shake a treatment.