| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Mrs Baggins |
New beekeeper has her piggin bees! YAY!Ok. I have abandoned the search for nucs for the following reasons:1)They are in such short supply and a) I don't fancy a 10 hour round trip to pick them up or b) Having them sent in the post. THAT would be one damaged parcel I would NOT like to receive, thank you. 2) They are insanely expensive and I need 2. After buying two new hives, the kit to go with and a Sherriff bee suit - I am truly SKINT. 3) I have no bugger prepared to come with me to check 'em out. As such I have decided to put my name on the list for a swarm and if it turns out to be a bit feral - I'll re-queen it. My question is: how do I find the list of swarm catchers in the SE? I checked the BBKA website, but either I have gone blind (wouldn't be surprised) or I'm looking in the wrong place (wouldn't be surprised). Anyone know where this holy grail of a document can be found? Many thanks in advance. |
||||
| sally_in_wales |
we just let the local beekeeping assoc know that we wanted bees and got several calls in short order once swarm season started, that was a few years back, so there may well be more demand this year, but was the usual route at the time | ||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Thx Sally, I have done that already but was warned to get my name on other lists as they apparently have a long list which I am at the bottom of and they said they may be able to get me a swarm next year at the earliest. Time will tell. | ||||
| cassy |
Oh no, best of luck getting some.
We were in a similar position last year. Despite having our name on our local association list to buy a nuc, we only managed to get bees by being 'adopted' by an experienced beekeeper who kindly gave us a nuc, as he got started himself by being given his first bees. It was very kind and a tradition I will carry on. I know I new beekeeper near us who put their name on the contact list for local people who wanted to have a swarm removed. He managed to get his first colony that way, but I must admit to being a bit daunted by that myself! Hope you manage to get some. Being keen but unable to really get started is exasperating! |
||||
| Jamanda |
Each individual BKA will have their own swarm catchers - Ours is on the NDBKA website.
However - I think you'll find there's plenty of other people after those swarms too - your best bet is to be an active member of the society I reckon. |
||||
| Tavascarow |
Contact environmental health at your local council, the local constabulary & your local pest control firms.
All or some of the above will keep a list of beekeepers who will collect swarms. If you get a call try & get a contact number for the persons who own the land or reported the swarm so you can get some details before setting out. Don't take on anything to tricky. Its better to pass on a swarm rather than fall out of a tall tree or make a hole in someones flat roof to get at some bees!! Make sure you are actually dealing with honey bees. I once got called out to a bumble bee nest that some idiot had disturbed whilst mowing his garden. First time I collected a swarm they where in a hedge about 8 ft from the ground. I didn't take a step ladder so parked my van under the swarm & climbed on the roof. Knocked the swarm in a box & turned to get down, hooked my foot in the roof rack & tripped chucking bees all over the roof. Taught me a valuable (& painful) lesson & made sure I had steps. skep, sheet & secatuers ready for the next one. 
|
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Sorry I did chuckle at this... 
Thx everyone. I am doing pretty much what everyone has suggested with the exceptions of Tav's local constabulary and pest control ideas. Seems like bees are in such short supply and beekeepers tend to be looking after their own when it comes to swarms. Can't say I blame them for that, but it does make it more difficult for new beekeepers like me to get started. I will keep trying tho and let you know how I get on. Thx everyone! |
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Half me hives have arrived and are with my tutor... me new beesuit is on it's way after a prompting phone cal to Sherriff... and I am on the list of four swarm catchers and one more to confirm.
Fingers toes and eyes crossed for me please 'cos I just wanna get on with it! LOL. |
||||
| RichardW |
When does swam season start? | ||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Richard - They may get smth at the and of April but they all expect the real action to be in May. | ||||
| Jamanda |
It surely wasn't the last two years! |
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Well... I ordered my hives forever ago and they are still not here.  I made the mistake of clubbing together with my tutor and a few other students to place an order and now the place we ordered from is swamped and can't deliver until the end of the month at the earliest.
I'm glad I never did order those nucs now! Jamanda - Maybe the scarcity of swarms is a good thing. Otherwise I may end up housing mine in my laundry basket. 
|
||||
| Jamanda |
Picking my hive number two and spare supers tomorrow - also a bee suit for Ben - so you can have your kid's one back at the weekend Ali.
I decided to play safe and get another national in the end - I'll play about with TBH when I know what I'm doing. |
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
I might have mine by Xmas... sigh... enjoy your new stuff *sniff*
|
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
I finished my beekeeping course today!
Absolutely thrilled I did it and even more thrilled to have my Sunday mornings back. My hives STILL haven't arrived.  Hoping to get the brood boxes and everything else I ordered by the end of this week and the supers are to follow.
It's a long story as to why this has happened... it is a right mess tbh... Cannot WAIT to have my own bees... in my own garden... and just get going! |
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Oh forgot to say that having got thru the entire course and about to leave and go home; I got stung for the first time in my life while sitting in a chair away from the entrance to the apiary.
One got in my hair and stung my finger as I got it out. Don't know what all the fuss is about. Didn't hurt as much as a stinging nettle. Can't even remember which finger got stung! |
||||
| arvo |
I'd had years as a 'buzzy-insect-phobe' after having been stung as a child, so I was terrified about being stung.
But after having had a couple of nips off them since keeping them it really doesn't bother me anymore. As you say, mostly a fuss about nothing. (Do be aware the next time you get stung though, as the very, very small chance of having an allergic reaction would be from the second time around.) |
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Arvo - Don't! That would be just my luck! Go all the way thru the course... buy All the stuff... get ALL excited... and then have full on Anyphyllaxus (sp?) on my second sting...
How bad would that be? I would cry real, wet tears so I would... |
||||
| arvo |
There's a preventative treatment for it now, bit like hayfever, so I believe. I suspect it wouldn't put you off your stride for long! I really hope you find a swarm or a nuc soon. Good luck Arvo |
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Well Arvo... you can wish me luck anytime you like 'cos you are a charm!
I GOT MY HIVES! Well... only the brood chambers (can you believe this??) and one of them has loads wrong with it (sigh) BUT one is just fine and I can get going with that. SO... that was yesterday I went and picked those up. Went out to toddler group with the kids this morning and got home to a ringing phone. I GOT A SWARM! Oohhhhhh.... RAPTURE! So now I have one brood box (sans crown board) one swarm, one duff brood chamber which need to get sorted out, no crown boards, no supers, but two roofs and some very nice queen excluders. My advice to anyone starting up is never to order your hives thru your doddery old fart of a tutor who is obviously incapable of organising a piss up in a brewery and go to the supplier yourself! But I am on my way. I am so happy. I AM A BEEKEEPER! 
|
||||
| Jamanda |
Good news! 
|
||||
| RichardW |
Swams already? I best get onto the local bloke & get on the list.
What did yours cost? Richard |
||||
| jocorless |
Congratulations and welcome to the club
|
||||
| TheGrange |
oh brilliant - well done you .. good luck with them ... i'm still waiting lol | ||||
| arvo |
Have you played 'find the lady' yet? | ||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Thx everyone. Just got back from collecting my swarm... I have done as I have been advised; I have them in the stables (cool, dark) and I have opened them up so they don't suffocate to death. Tonight I will make my frames and treat the outside of the hives and then pray that they are still in their box come tomorrow when I want to shake them into my hive.
It's all go! Just realised that I will need to feed them... not even got a super to stick on there to put the syrup in... panic panic... hope they are still there in the morning... argh!!!!
|
||||
| Tavascarow |
Congratulations.
Hope they like their new home. A piece of ply or hardboard or even MDF!! (spit) will do as a tempory crown board. I'm supering up mine this weekend. The hawthorn & the sycamore are just starting to flower here. Forecast is good for the weekend so time to do my first queen cell inspection as well.
|
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
A guy from my local group was kind enough to lend me a crown board and as I had no runners for my brood chamber, I bought some from him along with some of his special beehive preservation cocktail to paint the outside with.
Just realised that I have no gimp pins to pin the top inside bar of the frames. Never trust a doddery old fart to order your hives for you. Never. It is not worth the trouble. |
||||
| arvo |
Careful with the feeding. I once tragically drowned half a hive of bees due to me being incapable of using a particular type of 'boxy-plonk-on-top-type' feeder. I'd go for a plastic lidded container with tiny holes in (or mesh covered hole in the bottom).
Don't panic too much. They're resilient little b*ggers on the most part. If you treat them and their home nicely (and it sounds like you're going to be a great bee Mum), then you've given yourself the best chance of them liking it enough to stay. All they want is a comfy, safe home. (and room to expand) You'll be great. Have you found a 'bee yoda' yet? I reckon everyone needs a 'phone a friend' when random stuff happens. |
||||
| Ixy |
you know what you need now? a great big pile of really ace bee books!
|
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Floor built - check!
Brood box built - check! Runners fitted - check! Entrance block 'doorstops' (made from two telephone cable clips - check! Roof built - check! Outside of the whole lot treated with bee friendly wood preserver - check! 11 12x14 Hoffman frames build with wired foundation - check! (We are like those little elves that come out at night - but instead of mending shoes we build Nationals.) Bees buzzing happily in the stables - check! Tomorrow morning - lay four slabs on the orchard, sit new beehive on said slabs, shake bees into brood chamber, go to rugby, have beer.
|
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Just been hiving our swarm. O...M...G.... that is a LOT of bees! We did the 'let them walk into their new home' thing. So glad we did too. WHat an experience! Didn't manage to spot the queen sadly, but it was always a big ask.
MrB is totally hooked now too.
|
||||
| goosey |
Well done there Mrs B. Thanks for telling us about the hiving. I was logging on all the time to see what happened after the beer and rugby... better than any cliff-hanger! Can't wait for the next installment
|
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
goosey. Is this better than soaps?
Went up there this morning and there were still loads of bees outside the hive. I immediately got in touch with my tutor (Obee-Wan) who told e that the queen was probably still outside.
CRIPES! MY BEES! Luckily it was still really early - so not warmed up yet - I hot-footed it up there and followed his instructions to the letter. Looks much better now (hooray!) and the bees look like they are foraging in the direction of some OSR fields nearby. And breathe. One down side though... even tho my apiary (get me... MY apiary ! ) is well away from the house - the house is full of honey bees. What do all you experts out there do with your foundation? I think cos I have all the super foundation along with that for another brood chamber in the utility room I am inviting them all in for a party.
So much to learn... so little time! |
||||
| Jamanda |
I keep mine in a little old caravan that doubles up as a shed. But I've never had a problem with bees going in there. Is were yours are stored nice and cool? | ||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Yeah Jamanda, the utility room is nice and cool, but I have just moved the foundations out to the straw store. Can't have all those bees buzzing all round the house with such little children...
SO we put the kids down for their nap then hared it straight up there and lay beside the hive for a good 40 minutes just watching them go. Looks like they are foraging like things possessed! Yay! We were planning to leave them to it but have just looked up to see how long their syrup should last and it looks like we better check'em a lot sooner than that.
Here are some gratuitous bee pics: anyone know what type of bees they are or are they just Heinz 57s?? 
|
||||
| Jamanda |
Wow! That's a nice big swarm! Hope they settle into their new home soon.
I went up to the apiary today to be told they want me to do my basic assessment on June 6th  I don't even know what's in it yet except lighting a smoker - I can do that at least.
|
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Now if I was to be tested on beekeeping I would fail miserably! I thought I knew what I needed to know until I got that swarm and had to make bee decisions for myself! It's a whole different kettle of fish for me now!
I thought it was a really big swarm... and they have already started drawing out with lovely white wax! |
||||
| Tavascarow |
That is a large swarm.
I hate OSR for all the reasons I've stated in previous posts but it is good for colonies that need to draw comb. Just keep an eye that they don't fill all the comb with nectar & not leave room for the queen to lay. Can't tell what type of bees they are, personally I think you are better off with a locally bred mongrel strain than one of the more exotic types. Never had a problem with bees indoors might just be that they are new to the area & they are exploring.
|
||||
| Jamanda |
I'd heard that the bees couldn't get the honey back out out if they used OSR to fill the comb. | ||||
| Mrs Baggins |
I thought OSR led to set honey but that it was ivy honey that the bees couldn't get back out of the comb?? | ||||
| goosey |
I'm still a beekeeper-in-waiting, so I've been willing you on with your swarm Who cares what they are, they're bees and they're yours! When you said bees were coming in the house, I thought the queen was caught in your cardi and they were following you about Enjoy them.
|
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Thx goosey. Have you done a beekeeping course? Good luck with your adventure - I hope your wait is not a long one! It is surprising really that the queen was not on my cardi! I have made so many other mistakes! Thx for your good wishes!
We had some stray girls collected back at the stables where I kept them overnight right after I collected them. So we put the box I'd got them in back down there and just went and picked it up just now. Most of the strays had gone back in there. SO we did the whole ramp thing again and shook them onto it. They were really weak and a few of them just keeled over on the ramp. We didn't even bother smoking them. We just brushed them ever so gently up to the entrance and that's when all the guard bees came out and saw that they were their own. It was amazing. They all piled out and checked out the stragglers. We saw them doing mouth to mouth food transfer thing and helping them into the hive. Amazing. And it was a joy to watch all the war weary girls we'd just taken up there perk up and start fanning to announce that the had found the rest if their swarm! Too cool. I like bees. So does MrB. 
|
||||
| goosey |
I go to an association in Sussex. It's a practical type course for the beginners. If I'm lucky I might have a split colony, or swarm to look after under guidance, with the option to buy later on. Bees really are amazing aren't they? The more I learn, the more I am truly wowed . Can't wait. I'm tempted to rig up a bait hive here in case a swarm passes by... But thx for sharing yours with us
|
||||
| Sally |
WOW great excitement for you!
(You can if you want change the title of the thread now to reflect your new exalted status!) I love the pictures of your bees... and wow what a huge swarm. I think I'd take a deep breath before opening that hive.... Good luck, I'm sure you'll bee cool  .
With us here: we have our hive all built and have been promised a nuc from a work colleague - he and his wife came round and helped us choose where would be the best place to site it. I think we will be ready for action in a couple of weeks. Our mentor and his wife are quite an entertaining couple as they are both beekeepers. They help each other but both own their own hives. So when they disagree on management issues the "owner" has final say after the debate! They both agreed on one thing though - get another hive so you can eventually run several hives - or at least more than one.
Best wishes with all your bees..... (and are they piggin now? Sal |
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Goosey - You're not in East Sussex are you? Cos we'd be close if you are.
Sally - One thread title updated! Fantastic news on your bee status! Not long for you now and then you will be making your own decisions! Scary. Brrrr!
I am thinking that maybe I will use my other hive when this swarm outgrows the hive it's in! They are very busy and still working away. Will make up more syrup today then check how they are getting on with what's up there. I read that they can use 1kg of sugar A DAY. Greedy little beggars!
|
||||
| Sally |
So? Are they settling in?
(Got any honey yet?  )
Pic of hive on site and bees flying in and out? You must have masses of activity? |
||||
| Tavascarow |
Personally if it was me I would sacrifice the chance of any crop this year, feed them constantly till they are filling the brood box & split them in July. Having two colonies through the winter is more reasuring than one whereas having a few jars of honey in the cupboard & an empty hive is sad. I wouldn't split after July as there's less chance of the new queen getting mated.
|
||||
| jocorless |
I did my Basic last year - You'll be absolutely fine - just as long as you remember the disease identifications for AFB, EFB, Acarine and Nosema http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diseases_of_the_honey_bee#Symptoms That plus how to do at least one form of artificial swarm I'm now debating whether or not I should do the modules that take me towards the Intermediate Beekeeper award - think they would be good to do but worried I haven't got the time needed to pass them |
||||
| gz |
beesHave a look at the latest post on www.squashblossomfarm.blogspot.comThey have just got their bees too
|
||||
| Jamanda |
Well I know the theory - so maybe it'll be OK. |
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Did our first hive inspection today. Ten frames pretty much completely drawn out and the eleventh about 1/4 drawn in lovely white wax with lots of evidence that the queen is laying. Is that normal in 8 days or am I right in thinking that they are quite prolific?
Still not seen the queen even tho we ran thru the frames twice. Sigh. And the smoker kept going out but the bees were really quite serene - so we did most of it with no smoke and everything was just fine. Pics to follow... |
||||
| Tavascarow |
Finding the queen is something that all begginers seem to be obsessed with but seeing eggs & larvae is much more important.
At this time of year it's normal for the queen to get busy & the fact you have OSR nearby is probably helping with the wax building. What are you using for smoker fuel? I use untreated hessian & never have a problem with the smoker extinguishing but when I used the corugated card rolls you can purchase they either burnt to fast or not at all. Glad they have settled. Have you got the other brood box ready to go yet?
|
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Hi Tav,
Yup. Using the cardboard cartridges with a few wood chips to keep it going but definitely not got the smoking touch in that respect. I am putting an order into Thornes for the bits I need and am going to try the hessian. Feel really happy that the queen is in there and laying but would love to see her! Was utterly rubbish at spotting her in class so may have a long wait. I have finally (yesterday) got my supers and outstanding frames. Have got the 2nd brood chamber, one super, all my brood frames and half of my super frames built up so far. Then I'll treat the lot in one go and put it in the apiary. I was going to put the foundation in - is there any reason I should wait until I have bees in there. PS: We've been thinking a lot of following your recommendation re: splitting them in July... I think honey this year would be a huge bonus so not counting on it anyway! |
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
just to clarify that I will not b treating the frames... LOL Just the outsides of the hives...
|
||||
| jocorless |
Don't put the foundation in until just before you give it to the bee's otherwise it goes stale and they really don't like it - also it can warp in the frames and then they will draw it out funny
What is your brood boxes made from? If its cedar you really don't need to treat it at all - better if you don't - it has its on natural preservative in the wood and it will fade to a lovely silvery gray colour |
||||
| Mrs Baggins |
Thx Jacorless, I have not put it in yet so will leave it until it is going to be used. My hives are not Cedar and def need treated. I got a natural treatment from a bee farmer which doesn't bother the bees and preserves the wood. Had a natural dye in it too which looks lovely!
Still blown away by how much wax they had drawn out and how white it was. All the hives I've seen had black comb in there! I like my bees...
|
||||
| Jamanda |
I use a few scraps of newspaper to get it going then wood shavings in my smoker - seems to work fine.
I pulled a big lump of wild comb out of mine and it had two queen cells and a play cup on it
|
||||
| alison |
I am desparate for a queen cell if you get any more. A friend of mine only has 1 hive and there is no brrod, lavee or eggs, for the last week, and we think the queen has gone.
I asked at the apairy, but it was too cold to open last week. If you get any more, can I have it please? |
||||
| Tavascarow |
If you buy hesian don't buy upholstery grade as it's treated with a fire retardant & wont even smoulder!
If they where sealed then you may well have a swarm soon. Once queen cells are sealed the colony seems to prepare for swarming regardless of whether the cells have been destroyed or not. Have you got a bait hive? |
||||
| Jamanda |
I have another hive set up waiting. Should I do anything special to it? |