Bee keeping

[sanman]

I now have two brilliant sites for my hive, one permenant site close to home and another on the edge of a very large heather moorland. I've sent for and received a mesh floor to help with Varroa control. This week I'm going to mike myself a hive stand and eke and also get my apiary site ready.

[Headfry]

I have got them!
my girls.....collected a swarm last night, I just hope they are still in my hive when I get home.
Classes tonight, so many questions to ask now!
cant wait.
just so excited.....silly girl, I know!

[TPeers]

Congratulations, I'll pray for warm, not hot, weather, showers not down pours and plenty of bee flowers for you!

[shirlthegirl43]

Congrats Headfry. I love watching bees but just couldn't cope with keeping them as I hate flying insects. Love seeing butterflies but daren't go to a butterly house as I would swat them without thinking.

Will you be taking orders for honey? I need 4 or 5 lbs to make a gallon of mead for Christmas

[Flummery]

Hmm... Mead. Sweeet! (Homer Simpson impersonation!) I'm off to Shirl's for Christmas!

[shirlthegirl43]

Hmm... Mead. Sweeet! (Homer Simpson impersonation!) I'm off to Shirl's for Christmas!

You would be most welcome

[Headfry]

sanman, How is the course going? got those bees yet? Mine seem to be settled....been in the hive snice tuesday evening and were activley flying in and out yesterday evening! I have to feed them tonight, that is going to be messy fun I bet! got to buy a feeder tonight, might also get a glass quilt so I can show people inside the hive without to much hastle!
Have also to try and find the queen and mark her...sounds impossible but I will give it a go, just hope that if I do find her I don't squash her in trying to mark her...yellow this year I think!
TonyF, "hi" any advance with your bee keeping?

[sanman]

Hi Headfry

I get my bees on Wednesday. I've just been building a hive stand, eke and feeder. I'll probably go up to the apiary tonight and get the stand set up ready. The only other thing I need to do is set up a drinker for them somewhere. Course is going really although I've yet to be stung, the bees we are handling are really quiet and we're all getting a bit blase taking our veils off when we are only a few feet away from the hives. Our queens come ready marked thank goodness and we were doing that this week, just be careful with the cage or could finish up with queen cubes Advice from one of the instructors was that with a nuc feed them lots and they will draw out the foundation much quicker. I therefore abandoned the jar feeder and made one from a large 4 pint mayonnaise bucket

I just want to get the home now!

Regards

[Headfry]

I want to get home too, just want to sit watching the bees!
I think about them during the day...insane!
good luck wednesday, please report back! stung 3 times the other week, its ok and was all my fault for being lazy with not weraing proper kit. hey ho it will happen again i am more than sure !!!

[yoanbob]

ooooh how exiting!

[rhubarbontoast]

I have had bees for all of three days. Just moved the bees from a three-storey nuc into a National hive. There is curently a cloud of bees at the top of the garden. Gave them a feed last night only to discover the ffeder leaks. Left it on anyway, they'll clean up the mess and benefit from it. Can't wait till they settle down and get to work properly. Looking forward to my own fresh honey- and to doing some bee friendly gardening. I have a whole new outlook on the countryside since I started my course in February.

[Headfry]

Hi rhubarbontoast, welcome to the 'bee bit' on the forum!
Have you had bees before?
I fed mine on friday, all seems well, they have started to draw out the brood foundatiion and are drinking from the feeder. I have not found the queen yet (trying not to worry) I will have another look to see if I can find her!
I wonder if we will get any hoeny this year? I dont mind if I dont get honey, just as long as the bees (my girls) are ok!
I have a national hive too! how much water and sugar did you use...I was told a pint to a bag of sugar?
happy bee keeping!

[rhubarbontoast]

These are my first bees- not all going to plan at the minute but hopefully back on the right track now. I had no brood on the frames at all, plenty of bees. Couldn't find the queen anywhere! I got two frames of brood including queen cups from a friend.

I am not sure how much honey I'll get but at least I'll have bees for next year- and then there ought to be plenty!

I fed the bees 2 kg of sugar to every litre of water- very syrupy!

Are you spending ridiculous amounts of time watching bees arrive laden with pollen? The variety of colours is amazing.

[sanman]

Big today tomorrow, the bees finally come home The apiary is all shiny and bright, syrup made up and the eke and feeder standing by. One of the big jobs after they have settled down is to replace the solid floor with a mesh one.

[Headfry]

Rhubarb.....yes ages!.... just watching. I bought a glass quilt, its great. I went to the bees early yesterday evening- wearing flip flops, shorts and strappy top, and holding a slice of marmite on toast (just in from work- starving) My tutor would have had kittens, but I just had to look inside, roof off- spent ages watching them crawl over the top of the frames and using the feeder...bliss! they were no trouble at all. Don't know what they thought of marmite breath though? euch!
Went back later to add more syrup (wearing gear) had a look for queen (Attila- as O/H calls her) could not find her, though I am sure I saw some eggs in the cells! so it's fingers crossed time! They have stored some pollen and nectar...all good signs I hope.
Sanman......Yipee and good luck! you will love it, I'll be thinking of you!
Let us know how it goes please!