I find myself beekeeping in February

[Plot17B]

Hi all,

Well, with the bees in flight for the last week or two, I peered into the supers to see if i could judge the food situation. Whilst a visibly strong number of girls, they did seem a little dopey (yeah, it wasn't a hot day but still...dopeyness). I had a gut feeling they needed food so I decided to put on a Miller feeder with a couple of litres of syrup last Sunday.
I had no fondant to hand but syrup was quick to prepare. Wary that dehydrating the syrup will take some energy out of them, went for it anyway.

Well went up yesterday (first opportunty to get there as our 1st baby was born early thursday )(I'd of checked the hive earlier in the week through the glass quilt otherwise, I promise! ) and a hot day.
Enormous amount of bees on the wing and inordinate stacks of pollen being returned. And significantly they were very perky and full of life. So going to give another stack of syrup this morning. March tomorrow so don't feel it's too early to syrup them, but others please do advise!!

Looks like the season is really starting to kick off. How are the rest of 'Vine bee keepers starting your season?

Cheers all
P17B

[Seahorse]

I have no advice re bees but HUGE congrats on your new baby!

[Mcbee]

Sounds like they are doing well. The only point i would make is if you by feeding them now they may adapt to a "food supply" and if the spring flowers etc don't come soon - you might have to feed them for quite a while. If they are bringing back pollen the queen might be laying already so maybe they have got enough stores.

[Plot17B]

Thanks Seahorse. She is a cute little bundle and both mum and babe are in fine fettle. Home in a few hours today thankfully.

Hi Mcbee - yes, I do worry about feeding too early and using syrup, but it's still too cold to do a full first super/brood box inspection I think. Maybe in the next week or so on a glorious day i'll go into the hive but only then can i really tell the overwintered supplies situation. Rock and hard place - didn't want them to run dry/die after getting so far over the last few months, but don't want then reliant on the feed.
Interesting comment about the pollen. Not a point I had considered tbh and is a real positive thought. V smart thinking! Desperate to check out the colony now to establish the situation!! Will report back when I do!!!

p.s. just heard this morning that a new couple on our site are desperate to eatablish a hive. That'll make 4+ hives and 6 beekeepers on our site so good times ahead.

Thanks
P17B, mrs P17B and Rosie Amelia too!

[SarzWix]

Just wanted to say 'Congratulations'. What a lovely name She'll be the apple of your eye - we've 3 kids, but my daughter definitely knows how to get round her dad

[Hans Mum]

congrats on your new addition, just as a quick question, i am secretary of our site and we have a beekepper on site, we were approached by someone else to keep bees and the resident beekeeper objected and said that different colonies should not be in the same vacinity, we bowed to her superiour knowledge, but now i wonder.....

[Plot17B]

Hi Hans Mum,
I've been to apiaries where there are up to fifteen hives all lined up in a row. The bees know exactly where their hive is, although you would always get some drifting (where bees go to wrong home). Also a chance of robbing should forage supplies be limited. If there is limited forage around you, then that could be the cause for her concern??? Has she many hives?

Both scenarios of robbing/drifting would increase chance of disease swap, but good bee husbandry and in these days, some chunk of luck, should mean the colonies are maintained as disease free as possible. (Foul brood and Nosema are nasty, varroa is now endemic but can be controlled to acceptable levels).

Hmmmmm....my gut feel is that if she was selling honey, it was a case of protecting resources. If not selling the honey....worried about the forage potential? Worried about her colonies staying disease free? Worried about maintaining purity of her bee species?

From what I've seen in numerous apriaries around Warwickshire, I wouldn't personally concur with her opinion unless there really is limited forage.
P17B

[Hans Mum]

hi, thanks for your reply, she keeps 2 hives, and yes she does sell honey
By forage do you mean trees and hedgerows, flowers, etc,? the site is surrounded by established trees with plenty of wild flowers and obviously the stuff thats grown on plots.

Interesting will maybe have to investigte further

[Plot17B]

By forage do you mean trees and hedgerows, flowers, etc,? the site is surrounded by established trees with plenty of wild flowers and obviously the stuff thats grown on plots.

Hiya,
yes forage is the term used for what the bees seek on their not insignificant trips fro the hive. They will fly up to 2 miles to seek different types of nectar (which they convert in their stomach to honey which is carbohydrate source) and pollen (which gives them protein and vitamins, critical to larval development).
So the immediate resources are important, but the wider area and what is offered matters too. So if it's in middle of a massive industrial area and the surround trees/plants are the most significant greenery, then it's a problem for her. If there is considerable gardens/agricultural land in the area, no worries.
Hope this helps somewhat.
Any other bee keepers opinions out there?
P17B

[Headfry]

Hi Plot17B....
A new Baby? CONGRATULATIONS to you both, much love is sent!

yes, my girls are up and going for it....like crazy! loads of pollen, I shall have to be very careful that they don't starve in March- the most worrying time of the year for a bee keeper!

I need to sort my hive out...it is still running brood and a half

floor
super
brood box
glass quilt
roof

Trouble is last year I was not strong enough to lift the brood box off the super to check the super frames. Brood box was full of honey!!!! and a truly unbelievable weight.
so, should I go like this

Floor
brood
super
queen excluder
super/s (as req)
glass quilt
roof

I also have a new hive ready and waiting to go? Not sure of the best way to go with establishing another colony! It would be nice to have Attilas the hum's offspring ruling my new hive! whilst they are a little feisty- theye are good workers and defend their home very well.

hmmmm, a deep in thought HF cup of tea is called for here!

[Plot17B]

Hi HF,
Many thanks for message re: little Rosie. I'll pm you the website with her pictures. Biased I 100% am, but she really is a lovely baby.

Sheer practicality and the health of your back say brood under that super. Then excluder. I remember from last year that you had mentioned about where to place it. But a full super is 30lb honey plus so heaven knows what a brood would weigh!!

We are going to try to create a nucleus from my colony as a lovely queen and workers. This should re-establish Ken's hive (the swarmed colony which died out midsummer '08) and also get us on the learning curve for such exploits. McBee has given some ace advice on that front. My gut feel = if you like the colony temperament and honey production, stick with them.

I'll ping you Rosie pictures now. TTFN
P17B

[Digger-07]

congrats on your new addition, just as a quick question, i am secretary of our site and we have a beekepper on site, we were approached by someone else to keep bees and the resident beekeeper objected and said that different colonies should not be in the same vacinity, we bowed to her superiour knowledge, but now i wonder.....

Hi Hans Mum
I think I know your resident beekeeper and I am not surprised she objected, when I met her she seemed that type of person.
In the past I took my bees to an orchard to pollenate (sp) at the same time other keepers in the club brought their colonies and at one time we had as many as 20 hives in about 1 acre. Many stayed until the heather harvest when they were moved again but mine stayed from then on. Each year I had enough honey to sell and so did everyone else. Being generous she may be concerned about disease but as bees mix during the nectar flow I think even that would be dubious.
Surely bees are having such a hard time any serious beekeper should be more than willing to share in order to survive.

[Hans Mum]

Hi Hans Mum
I think I know your resident beekeeper and I am not surprised she objected, when I met her she seemed that type of person.
In the past I took my bees to an orchard to pollenate (sp) at the same time other keepers in the club brought their colonies and at one time we had as many as 20 hives in about 1 acre. Many stayed until the heather harvest when they were moved again but mine stayed from then on. Each year I had enough honey to sell and so did everyone else. Being generous she may be concerned about disease but as bees mix during the nectar flow I think even that would be dubious.
Surely bees are having such a hard time any serious beekeper should be more than willing to share in order to survive.

Hi Digger, hope your settled into your new abode and not missing leeds too much we are going to ask her again at the next meeting as you're right we need to help the bees all we can, and as you know her you know what we're up against

[Digger-07]

Hi Digger, hope your settled into your new abode and not missing leeds too much we are going to ask her again at the next meeting as you're right we need to help the bees all we can, and as you know her you know what we're up against

Hello HM. "Settled in" it feels like we've been here for years not just the 7 months since the move. The extension that was ongoing as we moved was finished just before Christmas and the builders are due back to make good the front garden where they drove over it with the digger etc. They said it was too wet to do anything with so just left it in a mess. We won't have them back in the house 'cos I've never met such an incompetent bunch of cowbows (and I've worked for over 40 years in the building industry so I've met a few cowbows in my time). No one followed the drawings so we ended up with what we've got not what was wanted. The "architect" (there's another cowboy who has no formal qualifications and who I've reported to the RIBA as using their title) has done nothing to get things sorted out except meet the builder on numerous occasions at the golf course, lodge, etc. etc. The only good thing about it is that it's a church house so we have paid nothing personally.

Got the shed erected and the start of a few beds to go at. The allotment list here is long and never moves so a few of us are looking, with a councilor, at getting more land for plots.

Good to keep in touch. Best wishes.

[beesontoast]

top bar hives

Hi - good to see some beekeepers here, but mildly surprised that nobody seems to be using top bars hives, as they are so much easier, cheaper and greener than factory-made Nationals.

Mine are all looking good -that cold winter doesn't seem to have bothered them one bit - even my 'bottomless' hive came through strong as ever.

BTW - sounds like the beek who doesn't want to share is just being territorial - although she may also be worried that others may not be quite so hygienic as she may be and will introduce diseases or mites. But if there are already bees within a mile of her, she already has that problem!

(If anyone wants to know more about top bar hives, let me know or visit our site - http://www.biobees.com)