It seems that we may well have a new queen Victoria! in our last tales you will remember that although Victoria had had a new queen at the beginning of the season, and all seemed to be doing well.
Suddenly on our last visit we found six sealed queen cells, ( this normally means that a superseder is going to happen)now this means that ( probably) the early season queen had failed for some reason and the bees need a new one!
This week we have found that she has emerged ( we only left one, other wise the first would have killed the others anyway) , and flown to get we hope to get mated.
We have to leave this hive now for two weeks and then hopefully we will see new eggs or polished cells ready for the new queen to lay in.
As for the other all are doing well, two( Anne, and Elizabeth) have good stores for the coming winter, but Mary looks like she will nee a hand and we will put a feeder on her on the next visit full of sugar water so her swarm can easily build more stores.
I will write again soon. Beee happy!
Monday, 28 July 2014
Monday, 14 July 2014
A routine visit today, as far as the bees are concerned the Honey season is over, they are thinking of next year! I must do the same, but first there is a couple of items to attend to too. One was to put the wasp traps on because the little banded robbers will be out soon as the food there mother left them runs out. The second is its very warm at the moment, and although the bees like it to be warm, they don't want to be cooked!. The standard "National" hive has a flat metal roof, so you can imagine, its get hot. So I have put spacers on and then a thin board so that it protects the metal and should get a cooling draught between the two.
Looking ahead its important that there is a big enough swarm to survive the winter, many will die at the end of the season and the swarm contacts fro maybe 20,000 to 5000, ( also all the males get kicked out!)so this translate into about six frames of bees minimum and at the moment it looks like the two newest and smallest swarms will make to six mark. ( Queen Anne and Mary)
At the end of the month I have to treat all the hives with "Apiguard" to kill off any Veroa mites that will be in the hive and take off the last of the honey for me and then put some sugar mix on for them to change into honey for there winter stores.
They are going to be busy! until next time them from the corner field.
Looking ahead its important that there is a big enough swarm to survive the winter, many will die at the end of the season and the swarm contacts fro maybe 20,000 to 5000, ( also all the males get kicked out!)so this translate into about six frames of bees minimum and at the moment it looks like the two newest and smallest swarms will make to six mark. ( Queen Anne and Mary)
At the end of the month I have to treat all the hives with "Apiguard" to kill off any Veroa mites that will be in the hive and take off the last of the honey for me and then put some sugar mix on for them to change into honey for there winter stores.
They are going to be busy! until next time them from the corner field.
Wednesday, 9 July 2014
July 8th 2013: I suppose its a bit strange starting a blog about the 2015 bee season, but that's what I been thinking about today as I have spent some time making up new honey frames for next year and trying to think how I can guesstimate the number I might need for next year.
The plan at the moment is that as this is second year looking after bees and we seem settled at our new home in the Corner field in Irchester to mark all the frames that have been on since 2013. These will need changing so a count is required when I next visit. I will be able to save the frames , fumigate them and then replace the way foundation. This make sure disease does not set in.
also because the two smallest hives ( Mary and Anne) have only one super frame on them, enough new frames to fill a second super box in anticipation that they will need two next year.
Last but not least today I have made two more Woodpecker guards for the two new hives and got ready this years wasp traps, as I am sure it wont be long before these pest are out on the rob!
More soon.
The plan at the moment is that as this is second year looking after bees and we seem settled at our new home in the Corner field in Irchester to mark all the frames that have been on since 2013. These will need changing so a count is required when I next visit. I will be able to save the frames , fumigate them and then replace the way foundation. This make sure disease does not set in.
also because the two smallest hives ( Mary and Anne) have only one super frame on them, enough new frames to fill a second super box in anticipation that they will need two next year.
Last but not least today I have made two more Woodpecker guards for the two new hives and got ready this years wasp traps, as I am sure it wont be long before these pest are out on the rob!
More soon.
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