tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72681180240755298862024-03-05T23:32:57.030+00:00Kenzie Bee BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-10317545501176391122011-04-25T21:43:00.018+01:002011-04-26T21:58:43.111+01:00So many queen cells<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Well, I am again suffering due to my having been away on holiday. But my bees are fine: they like swarming! It's natural, and all.<br />
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I inspected the 2 hives in Maida Vale to find no eggs in either (I did see young unsealed brood in both) nor did I see any queens but I did find a whole host of sealed and unsealed queen cells. I suspect then that both hives have already swarmed. Arghhhhh. Although there seemed to be lots of bees in both hives, the slightly limited progress filling out the supers (given the superb recent weather) confirmed my suspicions. I left 3 queen cells in each hive, but destroyed the rest: 15(!) in Boudicca and 2 in Amidala. I had taken my nuc with me to create a split. However, of the two hives only Boudicca has the necessary normal-depth brood frames, and I have no desire to create a split from those grumpy, swarmy blighters! The nuc remains empty.<br />
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My honey harvest this year will again be limited because of this. I'll really need to pay more timely attention in my inspections next spring!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-65457163160087593152011-04-17T21:30:00.016+01:002011-04-26T21:42:01.896+01:00So early this year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">It turns out that I've chosen a very bad time of year to be away from my hives. I came back from 10 days in Spain and stole a few hours before heading off to France to check out the hive (Cleopatra) in Buckinghamshire. Not only were there loads of sealed queen cells, but I found no eggs nor even unsealed brood. The queen cells I destroyed all had nearly-ready queens, and in fact one crawled out ready to go. I cleverly caught her in a match-box, but then like the fool beekeeper I am I managed to let her go again (back into the hive) as I tried to catch some more workers in the same box for later use. I left 3 queen-cells to make the colony queen-right again - maybe on reflection I should have destroyed more (all?). Clearly I missed the colony swarming by . . . well, probably by about 7-10 days! It was the first proper inspection I had done on that hive this year. So what I should have done was inspect a couple of weeks ago and spot the queen cells in construction. And that would have been in the first week in April!<br />
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It's so early this year. The weather is very hot and dry and the flora and fauna is well ahead.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-82115594600195465422011-04-08T07:15:00.000+01:002011-04-08T07:15:41.119+01:00Low bee losses<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I popped in to Paynes bee farm in mid-Sussex the other day to buy some frame parts. They are honey and equipment sellers who run about 500 hives across the south east of England. I got chatting to the friendly guy who runs the place. He told me that this winter his colony losses were about 2.5%. Amazingly low! I'm sure I've heard it said elsewhere that 30% is common and 20% relatively good. The Paynes guy did say his 2.5% was lower than most years. He attributed the low low loss rate to the dryness of the winter: although it was cold and snowy there was less rain and air moisture than is typical. I'm sure there was a healthy dollop of good beekeeping in there too! Well done Paynes!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-50026345318732414872011-04-04T21:54:00.001+01:002011-04-26T21:41:45.930+01:00Waaaaay too long<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Way too long since I either posted or, to be honest inspected my bees. The last time I opened them up was in December to dose them with oxalic acid. The weather's always been too cold when I've been around to make an inspection worthwhile till now. I wish I had my bees at home - I'm sure it would allow me to inspect more.<br />
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Anyhow, of the 3 hives I have in Maida Vale, London, the big two (Amidala and Boudicca) made it through, and the nuc (Dido) sadly died over the winter. Looking at the mouldy interior and black, dry bees told me that it must have happened several months ago. I reckon the nuc probably ran out of supplies. Certainly there was nothing left in the hive other than dead bees, and quite a few of them.<br />
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Of the two remaining hives at that site, Amidala continues to be the one which impresses. Mouse guard off and super on (damn, must remember to take out the entrance reducer next time). The colony has now filled 8 of the deep brood frames I installed last mid-summer. Lots of eggs and brood on many frames. I saw the old queen still going strong. The bees were not too grumpy despite the cool (11C) and cloudy weather. Hive Boudicca was, as ever a different matter. The first thing I noticed was the huge pile of dead bees outside the front, in marked contrast to the tidy exterior to Amidala. And then as soon as I opened Boudicca up it was the familiar story of dive-bombing. Grumpy, unhygienic bees: that queen's number is up as soon as I get some fresh queen cells from another hive! The colony is quite strong, though. Most frames had some brood or honey, with the former probably occupying parts of 7-8 frames which is the most I have every seen in that hive. I whacked on a super, removed the mouse guard and left quite satisfied, though with regicide firmly in my mind.<br />
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I'm disappointed to have lost a colony, but since it was a nuc it's not the greatest surprise. I should have left some fondant for them, I think, rather than relying on the 2-3 frames of honey I thought would be enough to pull this small colony through. It was rather sad to have found the blackened, dessicated queen corpse. I will flame the interior of this nuc before putting I into production again. Given the cold winter, I have reasoned that the mould was a post-wipeout feature of this hive rather than a contributory factor, and so I am willing not to destroy the box so long as I treat it carefully.<br />
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So, no shook swarm or Bailey frame exchange this year? Well this may be part down to either an intrinsic lazyness or more likely a feeling that I cannot bear to waste brood. However, realistically a lot of the frames in those hives are around 1 year old and therefore likely young enough to not have fostered disease. I know that next Spring I will need to make a different decision.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-17957325808574185952011-01-10T09:33:00.000+00:002011-01-10T09:33:21.461+00:00Oxalic acid and wax mothRather belatedly, I headed round the corner to my London apiary to apply oxalic acid. It had been a while since I'd opened the hives, and the first time since the unusually cold and snowy spell last month.<br />
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I was happy with what I found. Amidala had 5 (not full) seams of bees, Boudicca 7 (interesting since this hive is usually the weaker) and Dido, the nuc, 3. I dribbled 5ml of oxalic acid liquid along each seam. The bees were not impressed and greeted me in the way only grumpy bees can. I think wearing protective gear is probably more important in mid-winter than it is in the height of early summer! I need to nip out to Buckinghamshire to treat my hive there too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43ACmAO3IcrdqVcDsCm9XqUh3fJrLQNMBObnauDgJt6OZhfQujJCwDmw2sFrKcYj4cCAAW0UNf52ILycma9Z94_JGVW2nsT35HfmA6PfOfbkZx7wSLcTGA4q7pLJJQPf-ED-UrXxyegsJ/s1600/WaxMoth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43ACmAO3IcrdqVcDsCm9XqUh3fJrLQNMBObnauDgJt6OZhfQujJCwDmw2sFrKcYj4cCAAW0UNf52ILycma9Z94_JGVW2nsT35HfmA6PfOfbkZx7wSLcTGA4q7pLJJQPf-ED-UrXxyegsJ/s320/WaxMoth.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>I headed back home to tidy up some old frames which had been hanging around in a box inside my house. Bad news. Many of the frames showed the tell-tail signs of wax-moth (pictured). I destroyed the lot. Interestingly I had some made up but undrawn frames (foundation only) in the same place and these were unaffected. It seems that what I've read is correct: the moth larvae need more than just pure wax to feed on, and foundation is less likely to be affected.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-3508664630095418402010-10-24T16:34:00.002+01:002010-10-24T16:34:23.941+01:00Feed take-up sporadicI went to the London site today with the aim of putting back on each of 2 hives the Apiguard tainted honey supers which I'd removed last week. The plan was to remove the contact feeders I'd installed last week and leave each hive with a crown board with a restricted feeder hole above which there were 2 empty, frameless supers with the super of honied frames above that. In theory the bees should take the honey down into the brood box from there. However, I was surprised that whilst this worked for one hive, on the other I found the contact feeder still mostly full. I checked it for function: it seemed fine, with syrup dripping out the bottom when I shook it. Weird - I guess these bees (Hive Amidala) were just preferring the ivy nectar flow instead. Good for them. I left the contact feeder in place and stored the honied super hidden from the bees above that, which I will give access for on my next inspection.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-81108803745246882372010-10-18T09:35:00.000+01:002010-10-18T09:35:03.794+01:00Apiguard and feedingIt's been way too long since the last post, so I'll quickly summarise . . .<br />
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I treated all my colonies with Apiguard in early August to coordinate with similar London-wide anti-varroa treatments: 1 sachet in early August and another a fortnight later. I found varroa drop low across all my colonies, so fingers crossed for the winter. I had intended to feed the bees in early September, but somehow other things in life got in the way and I only ended up feeding them yesterday.<br />
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Hive Cleopatra (the one on my mother-in-law's roof in Gerrards Cross) was so jammed with honey (and bees) in the brood box that I decided not to put on the gallon contact feeder I had prepared since the bees simply would have had nowhere to put it. All colonies had a limited amount of brood. The 2 proper-sized London colonies looked good, though I gave them each a gallon of feed and I feel confident that with that they should have sufficient stores, especially with the ivy still in bloom for a while yet. The nuc looked a little weaker, and of course it's harder to feed, so I again whacked on my improvised peanut-butter jar feeder and I'll look to do this again a few times before mid-November (a bit late, but there you go).<br />
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One problem I am battling with is what to do with supers which I did not extract the honey from since it was unripe or uncapped. Last year I had left these on the hives, though swapped them to be below the brood box. The bees then do the business of moving the honey up into the brood box, and then the super can be removed. I did this with Hive Cleopatra again this year and it worked well. However, I decided against it for the other hives, and in fact have decided against it in general for the future, since it's just too intrusive to move the boxes around: it's really quite cumbersome and disruptive for the bees. So I have 2 supers half-full of capped/semi-capped honey all of which is Thymol (Aipiguard) tainted so not fit for human consumption. I want to give it back to the bees after I get those contact feeders off. I read this week that one way to do it is to put these supers back on the hive at the top, but put 1 or 2 frameless supers in above the brood box first, and put a crown board with reduced hole below the lowest super. That way the bees take the honey down, seeing the honied super simply as a external source. I like this idea and will try it - I very much doubt the bees will try to fill the void with comb at this time of year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-4739259091095544472010-08-23T17:23:00.000+01:002010-08-23T17:23:30.658+01:00Big city honey yieldsI was just talking with a fellow beek at the Ealing Association who told me he'd got an unprecedented (for him) 100lb average from each of his 8 productive hives. Yes, that's 800lb of honey! That's not the sort of task I'd like to be attempting with my cheapie, plastic, 2 frame, tangential extractor.<br />
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It puts my 25lb average for 2 productive hives to shame. I'll be calling a meeting with my bees to discuss improvements in working practices and productivity in future years. Or maybe I'll just aspire to becoming a better beekeeper....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-5475544174881505822010-08-16T14:20:00.004+01:002010-08-21T11:01:17.191+01:00More extraction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I completed extraction of another (and final) super yesterday/today. In total this year I've got about 50lbs from 2 supers, one each from Hive Amidala and Hive Cleopatra. Hive Boudicca and Nuc Dido are unharvested. It's not a great result, but I suppose is satisfactory considering that I started with 2 colonies and now have 4.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiswrr0bciGnTqkQ2k9o7UOlxYxfUWHrRf3Fdx_Z2a7tcogsRtmEWl7IIbHmHzWXX_dmuldMoAh3_Fp08Itj0WA7w4DGghAFWZvypAsS6m9sN5252nUC_T53IJyy8BVF0Ies-Xih5b0s7gM/s1600/16Sep2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiswrr0bciGnTqkQ2k9o7UOlxYxfUWHrRf3Fdx_Z2a7tcogsRtmEWl7IIbHmHzWXX_dmuldMoAh3_Fp08Itj0WA7w4DGghAFWZvypAsS6m9sN5252nUC_T53IJyy8BVF0Ies-Xih5b0s7gM/s320/16Sep2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYbcMQ1Ef2CBVnUBcAXh_orfdkKl2Z4gulXJ74eXIXgR6PwmZJAhhnFsjeR2CJIxjaP_tK6NDE6yCc9FDajTV0Dy0C_MYc6dhYdzURY67yPKJifWKMdA2sxThp2cg8Qir13AMAxv6YxLw/s1600/16Sep3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYbcMQ1Ef2CBVnUBcAXh_orfdkKl2Z4gulXJ74eXIXgR6PwmZJAhhnFsjeR2CJIxjaP_tK6NDE6yCc9FDajTV0Dy0C_MYc6dhYdzURY67yPKJifWKMdA2sxThp2cg8Qir13AMAxv6YxLw/s320/16Sep3.jpg" /></a>Extraction with the cheapie plastic, manual, tangential extractor I have is slow and inefficient, and I've blown the comb through one several frames, which is wasteful. On advice, I did quickly look at extractors "for men" on eBay but they seemed either quite rusty or quite pricey - perhaps this is not the time of year to look. I'll keep an eye out. Certainly going to a radial extractor seems to make more sense.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS04aMWOh9VOPOrmu9yVRO4Vo460N3p86Ibx7EZS2kroZrmGRkttvfXnEtUeJ5ny3rojrYMMig9Jen6ep1avjD18CWDDQcxlIBFkjvne1DEYiY2RT2XxLyUqlyRNcCXJYiqb1l35_lxy3e/s1600/16Sep5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS04aMWOh9VOPOrmu9yVRO4Vo460N3p86Ibx7EZS2kroZrmGRkttvfXnEtUeJ5ny3rojrYMMig9Jen6ep1avjD18CWDDQcxlIBFkjvne1DEYiY2RT2XxLyUqlyRNcCXJYiqb1l35_lxy3e/s320/16Sep5.jpg" /></a>I'm still uncapping with an uncapping fork, though many people have told me that a cheap "hot air gun" from any DIY store will do the job in a fraction of the time. That's something to investigate for next year. At least I got my nephew and eldest daughter to help me with uncapping for this batch, and they were genuinely helpful - well done little people.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRWWUyIxOlUgyCMWv3V1WnP5TUhX45CGI3NMF0cy6RIPHkzGAruky5TgdfzPt9kXwsk3mQyz34NltFdyKcdngPTtHjMiryybde2oq03eyE1KyLwTi5DolrvcimgOhmAnviIKTO3QMhEut/s1600/16Sep1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRWWUyIxOlUgyCMWv3V1WnP5TUhX45CGI3NMF0cy6RIPHkzGAruky5TgdfzPt9kXwsk3mQyz34NltFdyKcdngPTtHjMiryybde2oq03eyE1KyLwTi5DolrvcimgOhmAnviIKTO3QMhEut/s320/16Sep1.jpg" /></a>The straining takes a while. This batch of honey came out clearer that the previous super a couple of days ago. I think being more careful in the uncapping made a difference, and I also let it settle for longer.</div><div><br />
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</div>I'm now left with a tub full of washed cappings. I'll need to research what the best thing to do with them is. At present I'm not even sure the best way to melt them down (without trashing various pieces of kitchen equipment). I suppose I should investigate building a basic solar extractor.<br />
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Oh, it's definitely also worth mentioning that I applied the Apiguard sachet to Hive Cloepatra, so all my colonies are now Apiguarded-up. There colonies were done a "day early" and one a "day late" according to the locally prescribed correct application day, but I'm sure a day or two either way will make no difference. I will apply a second dose in two weeks time, at which point I will remove varroa boards which have been inserted to keep the hives more vapour-tight.<br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-40616813244217741492010-08-13T10:52:00.019+01:002010-08-21T10:57:47.422+01:00Honey harvestI put Apiguard on my London hives today (half load on the nuc). I put in entrance reducers and slid in the varroa boards, jamming them tight up to the bottom of the mesh floor to keep all the thymol goodness in as much as possible. In two weeks time I'll apply the second batch.<br />
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The excitement of the day came with the honey harvest. One full super yielded about 25lb of honey. My extractor is rubbish. It came as part of a "budget" package with lots of other kit from Thornes. Extracting even one super in the cheap tangential extractor took quite a while with all the faffing with frames and the dodgy handle, though the length of time may have been something to do with the six kids who were "helping" (I like to get mine and their friends involved in this type of thing for their interest). The honey did not come out very clear. I strained it through two different sieves (course and fine) in the same way I did last year, which had previously yielded beautifully clear honey, but this year was not nearly so good. Perhaps it'll clarify over time as the tiny bubbles rise to the top, and maybe I should have left it to settle more before bottling. Anyhow, it tastes beautiful. I'll be popping out to my other hive tomorrow (when the weather clears) to apply varroa and take a super or two off that hive. Between now and then I'll mostly be de-stickying the kitchen!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-75743417211956067972010-08-12T16:21:00.002+01:002010-08-12T16:21:55.745+01:00Preparing for extraction<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I popped up to see some of my hives today to prepare for removing supers over the next couple of days. Hive Amidala has a full super, and another with an awful lot of uncapped honey in it. Oh well - the bees can have that one. I installed my porter bee escape equipped clearer board below the full super. These bee escapes failed dismally last year. Fingers crossed.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hive Boudicca has no honey to take off. After the troubles with (I think) a swarm earlier in the year and broodlessness right into June I am hardly surprised by the lack of harvestable honey. The concern is whether the colony will be strong enough to make it through the winter, but it's stronger now than at this time last year, so I think I'll proceed with preparing it for winter rather than combining it with another colony.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I aim to take the supers off all my hives in the next couple of days, with varroa treatment (Apiguard) starting on Saturday, which has been mandated as "the" treatment day in north-west London: an attempt at coordination so as not to give the blighters anywhere to hide.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-80176303125584779512010-08-11T18:28:00.000+01:002010-08-11T18:28:41.151+01:00BBKA Basic Assessment: I passedI just found out that I passed the <a href="http://www.britishbee.org.uk/files/syllabuses/basic_all.pdf">BBKA Basic Assessment</a> which I took a few weeks ago.<br />
I didn't find it too challenging, but it's good to hear that I got through the assessment nevertheless.<br />
<br />
I'm keen to progress onto other formal education. There are two routes to follow, and I intend to follow both, as time allows. It's all described on the <a href="http://www.britishbee.org.uk/examinations_and_assessments.php">BBKA website education page</a>. One route is on the practical side, with a <a href="http://www.britishbee.org.uk/files/syllabuses/gencert2.pdf">general </a>and then an <a href="http://www.britishbee.org.uk/files/syllabuses/senhusb3.pdf">advanced husbandry</a> assessment. The other route is a set of 8 written <a href="http://www.britishbee.org.uk/examinations_and_assessments.php#modules">exam modules</a>. All the various components take a fair amount of work, have entry requirements, and also require a great deal more knowledge and experience than I currently have. Completion of all the components confers the title "Master Beekeeper" and it's no mean achievement. There's no way of telling whether my life will take me this way, but it's my intention to start with a couple of the exams and with the general husbandry assessment in the next few years.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-40417848316321570162010-07-28T14:27:00.001+01:002010-08-11T18:32:07.093+01:00Assessment later today<div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ang92v02Z0p7dGFwbU9qTnF4UHN1RUxZdHdwdjQwU2c&hl=en" style="color: #956839; text-decoration: underline;">Hives record</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> updated.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I undertook a full inspection of all 4 colonies this morning in last minute prep for my assessment for the Basic Beekeeping Certificate later this afternoon. The assessment is about an hour long, with 3 sections: the first a practical where I go through a hive and try to show the assessor I know what's what; the second a session where I make up a frame and talk about various aspects of beekeeping, focused on the natural history of the honey bee and beekeeping equipment; and the third an oral questioning on diseases and pests. I think it should be fairly straight forward, but I can never tell with such things. Let's see.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The colonies all look well. I'm hoping they can put a little more honey away before I take the supers off and whack on the Apiguard, which will be within the next 1-3 weeks.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-16550381982719897732010-07-19T17:38:00.001+01:002010-07-19T17:42:44.673+01:00Still making queen cells. And ants gone.<div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ang92v02Z0p7dGFwbU9qTnF4UHN1RUxZdHdwdjQwU2c&hl=en" style="color: #956839; text-decoration: underline;">Hives record</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> updated.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span>I went to the nature reserve today and checked the two hives and the nuc there. Both one of the hives and the nuc had unsealed queen cells - in mid July! I destroyed both. I also fiddled with the frames a little, adding 2 frames of eggs and larvae to Hive Boudicca since it is still weak: I want to get all those brood frames drawn and full of honey before the season starts drawing to a close. I also removed the undrawn super box from this hive so the colony will really focus on the brood box (there is still a mostly-full super on).<br />
<br />
I had pulled one of those frames of brood from Nuc Dido, where a queen cell and a full population again made me realise that managing a nuc is another skill - I replaced the frame of brood with an undrawn frame which I hope will keep them busy.<br />
<br />
The other frame of brood I had removed from Hive Amidala, the hive with the deep brood box. It's good to have got one of those standard depth brood frames out of that hive - there's another to go but I left it in there today since it was so full of brood - instead I moved the frame to the edge of the box hoping that splitting the brood will not matter in the warm weather we're having, and also that the queen will not lay here any more. Fingers crossed on that one. Getting those shorter frames out is urgent since again the bees had built wild comb beneath them which is a complete waste of effort when they could be doing other things. I had the queen from this hive crawling up my arm today after I was juggling her off the frame I moved. I managed to get her back into the hive, though she disappeared down onto the first frame (near the entrance) so I hope she orientates back to the brood area ok - should be fine.<br />
<br />
The total honey crop for the 2 hives here is very disappointing. I'll need to make sure I don't react to this by not leaving enough honey on for the winter. I am again targeting 40lbs per hive.<br />
<br />
Oh, it might be worth mentioning too that after having cleared out that ant nest from above the crown board of Hive Boudicca for the past 4 inspections, the nest has not made a reappearance this time! Yeah.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-86204259590729887972010-07-17T15:01:00.005+01:002010-07-19T14:20:55.897+01:00Drone brood inspection - low varroa countHaving recently removed lots of drone brood from Hive Amidala and put it in the freezer to kill any nasties, today I took it out to investigate the varroa situation. Having had a very low mite drop count a few weeks ago I was quite optimistic.<br />
<br />
I spread newspaper across the kitchen table and rummaged inside the plastic bag. I discovered that freezers are not cold enough to freeze honey. Sticky, sticky. At first I used an uncapping fork, but soon resorted to simply snapping the comb apart to let the frozen larvae and pupae tumble out. More and more came, and at times I found the job a little grizzly. In all I probably glanced over a few hundred little white semi-bees. Soon the newspaper was covered in broken comb and dead bees. I had gathered my 4 young kids round to join in the process and I talked them through what was going on: I do hope they got something out of the experience.<br />
<br />
The good news: I only spotted one varroa mite in the whole inspection. This is in marked contrast to last year when I had tried uncapping a few drone brood cells in the hive and found an average of 3 varroa per cell! So, the very low count seen on the varroa floor a few weeks ago is confirmed. However, I still plan to treat with Apiguard immediately after I remove the supers in early August, and follow this up with Oxalic acid in December. I am impressed that last year's treatments seem to have been effective. I did not perform any shook swarms this year, and don't feel I have to next year for varroa control reasons. However, some frame replacement will, I think, be desirable anyway just as a policy of regular replacement.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-31356352428258239302010-07-09T12:00:00.000+01:002010-07-16T20:48:58.891+01:00That's more like it<div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ang92v02Z0p7dGFwbU9qTnF4UHN1RUxZdHdwdjQwU2c&hl=en" style="color: #956839; text-decoration: underline;">Hives record</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> updated.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I had a totally different perspective today when I popped out to see Hive Cleopatra. Rather than the struggling, te</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">tchy bees at my other site in the 3 hives there, Hive Cleo was bursting at the seams with calm bees and lots of honey - so much so I put on another 2 supers. It's not been a good season, but perhaps the next month can help pick things up. I'm hoping the bees can lay down a fair amount of honey before the Apiguard treatment in early August, before which the supers will all be coming off.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-90514418350854456742010-07-08T21:25:00.000+01:002010-07-08T21:25:45.994+01:00They confound me<div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ang92v02Z0p7dGFwbU9qTnF4UHN1RUxZdHdwdjQwU2c&hl=en" style="color: #956839; text-decoration: underline;">Hives record</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> updated.</span></div><br />
It's clear that it will take many more seasons before I can consider myself a vaguely competent beekeeper, but with everything I learn I can feel slightly closer to that goal.<br />
<br />
Today's long overdue inspection was in the presence of the next door neighbour of the nature reserve where I keep 3 hives, which rather drained my concentration as I gave a running commentary over the ever increasing buzz.<br />
<br />
I had thought Hive Boudicca queenless at the last inspection, so had introduced a brood frame with a queen cell from Hive Dido. The bees had ripped down the queen cell. Fair enough - it's their home not mine. But today's observation of eggs and uncapped brood makes a mockery of my previous assessment that the colony was queenless: there's clearly a laying queen. But why then did I spot a newly created queen cell: uncapped with royal jelly and a little larvae floating on it when there's loads of space in the hive? Laying worker? Not likely with the regular egg laying pattern, single eggs per cell and the neat position of eggs at the bottom of the cells. Swarm? Surely not at this time of year when there's still so much room in that hive. Supersedure? Well, maybe that's it. I left the queen cell alone. I did not spot the queen today, not in Boudicca or the others for that matter. This colony still does not look strong, and that makes me wonder. In my defence for not having properly analysed this hive on the last inspection, the comb is very dark, and the shade on the site makes things hard to see. But that's no excuse: I need to re-site, and I need to change the comb.<br />
<br />
The little nuc, Hive Dido, seemed well, even vigorous. There were no queen cells in the hive, so I don't know why they had produced one last time. How should I keep the nuc suppressed a little to stop the colony feeling cramped and deciding a move is in order? Do I just keep nicking brood frames and putting them into weaker hives? That does not sound ideal. However, I want to keep this colony running since the nuc has an observation roof addon with which I intend to use to demonstrate bees to others. I will need to find the queen and mark her at the next inspection.<br />
<br />
In Hive Amidala, which has a deep brood box, I removed a lot of wild drone brood which has formed on the bottom of the 2 regular depth frames I have in there. Only one quarter was drone brood, and the rest nectar/honey so I got in a right mess tearing it off. I eventually managed to get the comb bee-free and put the lot in a bag. It's now in my freezer to kill everything, and I'll inspect the brood and conduct a varroa count. Given the very low number on a recent varroa floor test, I am quite optimistic. However, the inspection itself left more questions since I did not see any eggs or any young unsealed larvae. The youngest I could see were intermediate sized unsealed larvae (maybe 5 days since being laid). Hopefully I just missed the eggs whilst being preoccupied with the drone brood and having had to monologue to my audience.<br />
<br />
It's not simple, but I'm still learning.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-58686183953420374052010-07-02T13:25:00.000+01:002010-07-02T13:25:26.151+01:00How plants get by when pollinators vanishInteresting <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19122-how-plants-get-by-when-pollinators-vanish.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news">article in New Scientist</a>. Maybe we're not all going to die after all then. Not from this and not yet, anyway.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-63618442326480279242010-06-26T14:37:00.007+01:002010-07-17T15:04:25.350+01:00Swarminess record? Queen cell in new colony within a month.<div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ang92v02Z0p7dGFwbU9qTnF4UHN1RUxZdHdwdjQwU2c&hl=en" style="color: #956839; text-decoration: underline;">Hives record</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> updated.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Well, this season's cavalcade of beekeeping comedy continues. Boudicca is definitely queenless, and even broodless. Dido (the little nuc I set up a matter of weeks ago) already has a queen cell. I removed this frame and put it in Boudicca. Workers from any resultant queen (if she lays) will not be foraging till late August (that bee maths stuff in soooooo useful). Honey season is therefore over for that hive, so I may just remove the honey super on the next inspection and feed them so they can build some stores up in the brood chamber and get some energy on board to draw some of the still naked foundation following a recent colony split I performed. Was it OK to remove the queen cell from Dido? Well, I had not seen the queen there (she was not marked yet, but even so I think I would have spotted her in a nuc) so perhaps she swarmed after that queen cell was sealed? I'm slightly doubtful of that since the colony population seemed high, but even if by removing the queen cell I have made the colony queenless, they can always raise another queen cell from the ample eggs in that hive. I hope. I am left wondering how to control the population of a nuc. The bees raised a queen cell in 3 and a half weeks after this nuc was set up, and I'm unsure how to prevent this. They clearly do this since the space is so limited, but that's just a fundamental property of a nuc. I'll need to give this some thought and read up on it. At least now they have a new frame of undrawn foundation to worry about.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hive Amidala doing a little better, though still suffering from the splits (and possible swarms) of earlier in the season and therefore a little limited in population and honey production for this time of year. The in-progress brood population is huge, however, so hopefully they can stash away some honey through the latter half of July to somewhat save this tragic season. I am, however, still learning a lot, and my enthusiasm and enjoyment is still high despite the challenges!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Oh, another thing is that I checked and removed the varroa floors from both Amidala and Boudicca. Although I had not vaselined/greased the boards, I was still delighted to see a tiny varroa count. Yippeeeee! The count in Amidala this time last year was in the thousands! My Apiguard treatment last August and my oxalic acid treatment last December must have worked wonders! I've also been removing sealed drone brood every now and then, so I guess that helped too. Speaking of which, Amidala has a deep brood box, but from a recent transfer I still have 2 standard depth brood frames in there. Both of these have very substantial wild drone comb beneath them with brood, some of which has just been sealed. Much more will be sealed before the next inspection, at which time I will again remove and destroy this comb. Ha! I'm much happier with the varroa population this year than last. Also worth saying that I shifted the frames around slightly to rotate these shallower frames nearer to the hive edge so I can remove them in a month or so and at last get my colonies more stable before winter.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Lastly, that improvised contact feeder (pictured in post below) seemed to work well on the nuc. Having said that, given that colony's vigour I'm wondering whether I should have fed them at all, even with that small amount!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-30318420962405518072010-06-26T11:59:00.000+01:002010-06-26T11:59:25.627+01:00Check that hives record!I'm off to do an inspection in a few minutes (it's been 11 days since last one because I've been working out of town), and I actually remembered to check my <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ang92v02Z0p7dGFwbU9qTnF4UHN1RUxZdHdwdjQwU2c&hl=en" style="color: #956839; text-decoration: underline;">hives record</a></span> before going. It's good to have the nice, simple record, and also good to check it before I set out to set my expectations and to remember to take stuff.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-62720452143475395592010-06-15T12:02:00.004+01:002010-07-19T17:44:08.850+01:00More ants! And an improvised feeder.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTExajCPFQx11ZHm6d7NFKu6KN0rV805ifc3hvrTANarkV1NJbdXmcuAoGDSgKwYiNg7DgAWSWTgn0yhnXR2f-vh6BPTQyd9P7mk4AAbnn_APojomeyZwz0u9JWq_pe1OM0Ct2419zM3O/s1600/007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTExajCPFQx11ZHm6d7NFKu6KN0rV805ifc3hvrTANarkV1NJbdXmcuAoGDSgKwYiNg7DgAWSWTgn0yhnXR2f-vh6BPTQyd9P7mk4AAbnn_APojomeyZwz0u9JWq_pe1OM0Ct2419zM3O/s320/007.jpg" /></a></div>I went back on site for a quick visit today to put an improvised contact feeder into Dido (the nuc) since my gallon-sized contact feeders are too wide. It's an old peanut butter jar with a plastic lid, though which I used a needle to melt some small holes. I hope it does the trick. I will report back. Oh, one other thing worth mentioning was related to my slight uncertainty whether there was a (laying) queen in Dido yet. Today, although I did not open up the hive to look, I saw workers bringing pollen in, so the signs are good.<br />
<br />
Am I worried about robbing, having put a feeder on a weak colony right next to two stronger ones? I'm less concerned than I otherwise might be since the nuc entrance is just a single hole, and so should be easily defended.<br />
<br />
I took the opportunity to open up Boudicca to check on the ant situation. After only having cleared them out a few days ago their small nest above the crownboard was back, though the ants were perhaps not in quite the numbers of before. I banged them out and rubbed down every area where I could see evidence of them having been. I wonder if this will be much of a problem for the bees and their stores? Reading around, I see this is not such a common problem, and that I might prevent ants from entering the hive by siting each of the stand legs in a tray with an oil pool in. I'll monitor the situation and act accordingly.<br />
<br />
It set me thinking about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant">ants</a>. A quick glance at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant">Wikipedia </a>show that they (often) have a single queen too. If I see them in the hive again perhaps I'll be a bit more thoughtful and search for and squish the queen rather than just banging out the ants.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-11912137647969353092010-06-13T14:58:00.004+01:002010-07-19T17:44:31.585+01:00Ant nest above the crownboard! And setting my car on fire.<div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ang92v02Z0p7dGFwbU9qTnF4UHN1RUxZdHdwdjQwU2c&hl=en" style="color: #956839; text-decoration: underline;">Hives record</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> updated.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span>Great news! The queen in Amidala has hatched and she is in action: eggs and larvae. I marked her (white spot so I can see more easily) and as I removed the cage she clung onto it and then wandered around my hand. Get off! You'll only hurt yourself there! I gingerly got her back onto a frame and closed up quickly, happy that this colony is back in action. After stashing away a whole super worth of honey before the end of April, this colony has probably gone a little backwards since then in terms of stores. Well, I did split it and it was queenless for a while. I'm happy now, though. Also, I put in a varroa board - it's the first time this year and is really overdue.<br />
<br />
I opened the little nuc too, and saw a queen (I think!). She was a little small, and I lost sight of her as I reached up to grab my queen marking cage. Argh! There were no eggs, and from her size and the timing of the queen cell I figured that she was probably a virgin so I decided to close up quickly. Very exciting. When this colony is up and running I can use it as an observation hive with the vertical glass roof attachment and carry system it has. The colony is hungry, though. The stores are very low and I should probably feed it. My contact feeders are too wide to fit above the crownboard - I'll need to look up how to make one myself from a jam jar (pierced lid? muslin?).<br />
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Boudicca was as grumpy as every. The first thing I saw was an ant's nest above the crownboard: loads of ant running over it and inside the roof and lots of ant eggs! I let them know what I though of their plans to share this hive with the bees. I'll need to be vigilant that they don't return. I wonder if this is unusual. I'm pretty sure these bees are queenless. 2 queen cells are still in place and I'm guessing these will hatch very soon. I certainly hope so.<br />
<br />
I was in a real rush to get away since I was playing in a tennis match (doubles with my wife - we got murdered). In my rush I put my smoldering smoker (corked up) in the footwell of the passenger's side of the car, sitting on a stone slab. All went well till I got close to home and breaked too hard as the car in front did what only London drivers can make cars do: hot ash poured onto the footwell carpet mat. I got home a minute later and ripped the mat out to find 4 nice scorch marks. I had recently bought the car from my mother-in-law. It's a lovely old Merc: 20 years of loving care from her (and others) and then I decide to start trashing it. I'll need to come up with a better way of transporting that smoker, since I often have issues with it still being hot when I leave the apiary.<br />
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No pictures on my blog for a while, eh? I'll work to correct this.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-52810948988713926062010-06-12T23:07:00.002+01:002010-06-13T15:00:28.189+01:00Cleo up and running<div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ang92v02Z0p7dGFwbU9qTnF4UHN1RUxZdHdwdjQwU2c&hl=en" style="color: #956839; text-decoration: underline;">Hives record</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> updated.</span><br />
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</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Cleo's looking good. The bees were super-calm, as expected and as the blood line had been in Amidala before. Worker population was relatively low (though nothing worrying) though the huge number of sealed worker brood cells gives bright hope for the future. I saw the queen I had marked last time. The bright white mark certainly helps to make the inspections simpler - I like knowing where she is so I can get on with worrying about other things, such as brood pattern. I put the varroa floor in today, and am keen to see the results next time.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I didn't go "commando" but did use the blue nitrile gloves for the first time today which is my first time without those wretched thick leather ones I used to wear. I did feel somewhat naked, but the touch I had was so much better. I'll definitely persevere. I can expect some stings now, but this should be infrequent I hope and I'll crush less bees. The gloves I own (about 40 pairs - disposable) don't reach very far up my arm which is far from ideal as they pull down to reveal my wrists. I'll get used to it and buy some longer ones next time.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-55797262003980207632010-06-09T20:28:00.001+01:002010-08-11T18:32:48.813+01:00Course for the BBKA Basic CertificateEaling Beekeepers Association, of which I am a member, started a 4 session course last night to prepare people for the first step on the ladder of BBKA exams: the Basic Assessment. I'm very keen to take the assessment. A requirement is to have kept bees for at least a year, so I'm just OK on that one. Andy and John (the usual suspects) took the course, and I'm so very grateful that they continue to give up their time on a voluntary basis to do this type of thing. They do a great job and must spend so much of their time on helping others in beekeeping. I suppose there are hundreds (thousands?) of selfless people who do the same across the UK (and across the world). Thank you! Anyhow, the course information seems to be a recap of things I mostly know, though it's good to have it all again and from a trusted source. I was also interested to know that part of the assessment will be to pick up 30 bees and put them into a matchbox. I'll need to practice this one (I have never done it before) and am wondering whether the bees in the box will be so good as to stay put as I put subsequent ones in . . .Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268118024075529886.post-59676912796980145542010-06-09T15:46:00.001+01:002010-06-09T15:46:35.504+01:00Bee article in The TimesSome interesting and diverse <a href="http://timesonline.typepad.com/science/2010/06/weird-bee-facts.html">bee facts on this link</a>.<br />
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The firs<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">t one I find of particular interest </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 23px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Honey bees on the rise. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">When people talk about the decline of the bee they are not talking about the honey bee population. The honey bee population has actually doubled in the past 45 years. It is wild bees that we need to worry about."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">It does not mean that honey bees don't face increasing challenges, but it is food for thought.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0