| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| MARY |
Have a look where my bees are...... sooo fantastic!Have a look where my bees are......http://www.flickr.com/photos/esneri/ They have been there a year now, sent off 4 fair sized swarms in one day back in June. My workshop has such a lovely gentle honey and wax scent. Mary |
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| Jamanda |
Cool pictures!
Welcome to the site Mary. |
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| Tavascarow |
Wow!
Very rare to see them exposed in the UK. In warmer drier climates they will do this but our climate tends to be too wet & they move to a hollow tree or similar. I would be tempted to move them to a hive but a natural nest like that is certainly a thing of beauty. Welcome from me too. 
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| judith |
Fantastic pictures. I bet you waste an awful lot of time watching them! | ||
| sally_in_wales |
Amazing pictures, I've never seen an exposed colony like that stay in good shape over a winter, they must be really happy there 
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| Frewen Feltmaker |
Wow - that is incredible 
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| Gervase |
Fabulous pictures. | ||
| MARY |
[quote="Tavascarow"]Wow!
Very rare to see them exposed in the UK. In warmer drier climates they will do this but our climate tends to be too wet & they move to a hollow tree or similar. I would be tempted to move them to a hive but a natural nest like that is certainly a thing of beauty. Welcome from me too. Thanks for the welcome folks. Yes I do spend a lot of time watching, with magnifyers and a small torch at night, rather than working! The architecture seems so random but comes together building both strength and protection. Absolutely facinating. It is a very large and strong colony at the moment. What was incredible was that they survived last winter. I nearly went up to get the honey comb, so glad I didn't! I may try for one small piece of comb? Or do you think I may disturb them? I don't want to loose them. |
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| Ageing Hippy |
There`s an article in the current Permaculture Magazine about 'Sustainable Beekeeping'. There`s a picture just like that captioned 'Natural Combs'.
Fascinating. |
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| Mary-Jane |
Gosh - what amazing pics!
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| Mrs Baggins |
WOW Mary! Those pics are to die for! You lucky thing!  So lovely to see you just left them to it instead of stuffing them in a hive! They look wonderful there!
Do you ever open the window in your study??
Very, very cool. Welcome to the site too! |
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| MARY |
<Those pics are to die for! > I know!! Yep I am VERY lucky!
< So lovely to see you just left them to it instead of stuffing them in a hive! > Thanks - That's what I think and I've learned a bit. <Do you ever open the window in your study?? > I'm thinking about it, it's a sash window so I will have to screw the top one in place first!?: |
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| vegplot |
Never a waste of time 
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| Effie |
They are amazing pictures. How fascinating to be able to watch them like that on a daily basis. | ||
| vegplot |
This demands a web cam. | ||
| nettie |
I can't really add to the comments above, but ....wow!!! I hope they stick around.
Oh, and welcome!!
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| Tavascarow |
I would be very careful trying to take any comb from them!
In a hive it's relatively easy to remove a frame or two without disturbing the rest of the bees but on an open colony like yours you have no way of covering them & you may have a mass attack. Also you might risk weakening the main combs & cause them to dislodge which would be a disaster. My advice would be to site an empty brood box or TBH near them, baited with some old comb & lemon grass & next year when they swarm you may be lucky enough to capture them & manage them for a crop of honey. |
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| hedgehogpie |
I agree! Such natural behaviour is rare enough these days to warrant being filmed, it would be fascinating and informative. You should send a few pics to the Beeb's natural history unit & see if you can get them interested: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/feedback/tvradio.shtml?http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/ |
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| dangerous |
Mary, are your bees still going strong? | ||
| MARY |
hedgehogpie and vegplot"This demands a web cam.
You should send a few pics to the Beeb's natural history unit & see if you can get them interested: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/feedback/tvradio.shtml?http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/[/quote] Thanks for the link. I have tried spring watch and a number of other programmes, repeatedly! that might have been interested. but no one interested. I may try again this year as they are still with me, bless their little pollen legs. |
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| MARY |
[quote="dangerous"]Mary, are your bees still going strong?
Yep, I will try and get some new pictures of their architecture up before the swarm gets too big and hides it all. |
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| Tavascarow |
That's amazing.
When I saw dangerouse's post I thought, not a chance after the weather we have had this winter. Just goes to show it's not cold that kills bees. You have some true survivors there that others would be interested in. Have you done anything about trapping a swarm?
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| arvo |
Also from the photos the bees look very dark. If it was a swarm, do people think they're black bees? | ||
| MARY |
Tavascarow" That's amazing.
When I saw dangerouse's post I thought, not a chance after the weather we have had this winter. * The last two winters have been amasing and they have survived both. Just goes to show it's not cold that kills bees. *It is a south facing window. I wonder if it makes them strong, kills off pests ect? You have some true survivors there that others would be interested in. Have you done anything about trapping a swarm? * Yes may put a hive under neath as lsat year there were 4 swarms on the grass underneath the main nest, which was unusual. |
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| MARY |
I have posted a couple of new pictures of the hive;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/esneri/ |
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| Tavascarow |
Compare them to mine which are more like the native black bee, though mine are probably just mongrels. |
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| lottie |
Fantastic---hope you don't mind I've just forwarded the pics to my local beekeeping group. | ||
| The.Grange |
how extraordinary
Such fabulous photos and how wonderful to be able to watch them at such close quarters. As a girl we had a thrush build a nest and lay several eggs behind the quince bush but against the sitting room window (it obviously thought it was hidden from the world). It was fascinating to watch the eggs hatch and then the fledglings, the Sheffield Star came out and took some photos, we have somewhere, can't recall if they ever ran with them though, I was only about 7 at the time! like others have said you really ought to have it on camera/video if only for your own entertainment in later years
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| MARY |
The.Grange and Lottie
Such fabulous photos and how wonderful to be able to watch them at such close quarters. the thrushes nest sounds lovely. My sister had a bluetit box with a camera in it and that was really interesting too. Muderous little things they are!! "like others have said you really ought to have it on camera/video if only for your own entertainment in later years " We did have a camera on it initially - watched 20 cemtimer bees in our kitchen on telly. |
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| MARY |
"lottie" Fantastic---hope you don't mind I've just forwarded the pics to my local beekeeping group.
No it's such an unusual sight it is great to share with peeps that are interested. There is a guy on flicker, living in France, with even more amasing photos, he is a bee keeper and gets called out to remove nests like this, think his name is max xx. |
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| oliver90owner |
Mary,
When you contacted the programmes, that may have had an interest, did you send them writen details and include a circulation list? With a list of competeing programmers included it may spur one or two to try to pre-empt the others. Maybe even the weather men might use it to demonstrate our last winter was not that bad! Fab pictures and fab bees. I thought it was probably a warmish aspect, away from the cold north-easterly wind - the ivy growth indicates that (and the ivy will also afford some protection). There will also be a considerable amount of heat leakage through that window, as it is a single glazed sash window. Low grade heat energy but everything helps that little bit.... There is a thread going (re your bees) on the beekeepingforum.co.uk which may be of interest. Regards, RAB |
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| MARY |
Thanks Oliver?
I didn't send writen details or include a circulation list. The weather men is also a good idea. I will have to try and find the time to do it, I'm happy for interested peeps to forward the photos ect. I will try and find that thread, does it have a title? I had a quick look at work didn't see an obvious thread. Yes it is a south facing warmish ivy proteced aspect. Under that ivy about 6 feet away there used to be a nest in the wall, they died after about a hundred years of permanent residence, such a pity, and following swarms also died. There will also be a considerable amount of heat leakage through that window, No! as I only heat my kitchen no heating in any other room this winter! What is the thread called on the beekeeping forum? Regards, RAB[/quote] |
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| MARY |
Have a look at this guys photos, he now lives in France.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/max_westby/1168969351/in/set-103171/ |
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| Tavascarow |
Excellent video of the bee dance & nice to see some photos of a queen.
Something I haven't managed yet, working solo. Holding up a frame of bees & taking photos at the same time is beyond me.
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| MARY |
Did you see the pictures of the broken comb left on top of the supers like Gaudi's architecture? | ||
| dangerous |
Wonderful Mary. I start beekeeping hopefully this year and your colony is an inspiration. | ||
| beesontoast |
Great that they went through last winter - it shows that bees can survive in the UK even exposed under adverse conditions. I have one hive that has no floor, which has come through three winters now, but your open-air colony is much more radical. |
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| MARY |
Beesontoast, what an inspiring website! I had no knowledge of these methods of bee keeping. Makes me keen to collect a swarm or two!
M. |