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jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 08 10:25 pm Post subject: Bee folks
What kind and how many hives do you have? Did you buy them or make your own? New or 2nd hand?

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 08 10:31 pm Post subject:
Hooked huh? Good was it? Details...

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 08 10:35 pm Post subject:
Yes - I knew it would be as I've been up there a couple of times before with Alison. They are very friendly. Tonight it was all about hives. We have half a dozen of so theory sessions, by which time it will be warmer and we do some practical stuff, and by July we should be ready to get our own bees. There were so many people signed up that they are having to split into two groups.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 08 10:47 pm Post subject:
Are they all newcomers then because I bet that a lot of hives change hands amongst the old regulars. This is based on my Weavers Spinners and Wotsits Guild last weekend where I was offered a variety of spinning wheels. True they don't spend their days sitting outside in all weathers getting sticky.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 08 10:51 pm Post subject:

ruby wrote:

Are they all newcomers then because I bet that a lot of hives change hands amongst the old regulars. This is based on my Weavers Spinners and Wotsits Guild last weekend where I was offered a variety of spinning wheels. True they don't spend their days sitting outside in all weathers getting sticky.

There were about half a dozen of the old hands there and maybe 20 newbies, with more signed up who couldn't make it tonight.

The best time to meet the old hands is a Tuesday afternoon, which I can very rarely make.

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 08 10:54 pm Post subject:
I bought mine from e-Bay - fantastic hives made by a bee farmer in Somerset from his own kiln dried Western Red Cedar - Some of it Canadian but most of it from English Cedar Beehive's on eBay

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 08 11:01 pm Post subject:
I'm so tempted - I just found out my local beekeepers association is based about 2 miles away, and have a beginners course starting March 3. Think it might be just a bit tooo much this year. This year is the garden year. You're not helping, Jamada!

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 08 11:02 pm Post subject:
Thanks Jo, I've bookmarked that. How many have you got?

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 08 7:35 am Post subject:

I bought 2 full hives which contained a mesh floor with integrated drop board, single brood box, super, crown board and lid - they come ready built - the auctions last year appeared to average out at about �130 each - much lower than the cost of a National hive from Thornes

I've only one colony at the moment and to be honest I used everything but the second base and lid - however Peter (the guy who sells the hives) sells brood boxes and supers seperately - I bought some brood boxes in the association auction last year but I will need some more supers - which I'm going to order from Peter.

The other place to get them is the BBKA Convention which is on at Stoneleigh nr Coventry on 18-20 April - Alot of suppliers have special deals that weekend - I'm going on the 19th if anyone else is going

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 08 7:50 am Post subject:
we got 2 reconditioned national hives from the guy who ran our course. We've one set up with bees and one at home awaiting more bees (Tim is thinking of trying to encourage an artificial swarm to populate that one, or we might just order another nuc of bees + queen)

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 08 7:59 am Post subject:

I'm also hoping to take an artificial swarm from mine - they are from very prolific stock but apparantly that can make them quite swarmy - which make's sense to me

I only had them on a single brood box last year but my first task this year as soon as the weather warms up enough for them to manipulate wax is to get them onto double brood which seems to be the norm around here and will help with space and then take an artificial swarm - the queen was new last year so I want to breed from her - All a bit scary though having never done it before but probably not as scary as dealing with a swarm - the thought of coming home to find they swarmed scares me even more

Rosemary Judy

Joined: 08 Aug 2005
Posts: 1215
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 08 8:00 am Post subject:
I learnt all about swams, real and artificial last week in my bee keeping class. And have just gone into total panic as I cannot remember how to get an artificial one to happen where are my notes..... ? Like the link to the red cedar hives - thanks for that. I want to go to Stoneleigh too- and would love to meet some Downsizers. The 19th looks good in my diary at present.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 08 8:22 am Post subject:
Mandy The apairy sell their own made hives, which some of the committee make. They are the same as mine, and are lovely cedar hives, nationals.

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 08 8:28 am Post subject:

Artificial Swarm - You need to do this when you have found some unsealed queen cells - this signifies that the colony is thinking about swarming - if the cells are sealed - you are too late - they will have already swarmed

You take 2 frames of stores plus a frame of eggs and brood (with no queen cells) with their nurse bees and the queen and put them in a nucleus box with 2 new frames for them to draw out - block up the front of the hive with some grass so the bees can't get out and as it wilts the emerging bee's will orientate on the nucleus

The original colony now has all the flying bee's and the main stores and lots of brood - you remove the scrub queen cells and leave maybe 2 or 3 really good ones and the colony will raise a new queen - Because the queen has gone - they think a swarm has taken place

You then leave the original colony alone - can't remember how long it is - need to check my notes - until the new queen has emerged and is laying - in the mean time the nuc with the original queen is continuing to lay and you can build that nuc upto a full colony

Thats is one way of doing it - the way I was shown but there are many variations

https://turlough.blogspot.com/2006/04/artificial-swarm-tip.html
https://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/artswarm.html
https://www.honeystonecandles.com/research02.htm

including the complex Snelgrove method - which apparantly is difficult to learn but once you understand it is brilliant - so I've been told

https://www.derbyshire-bka.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Snelgrove_Swarm_Control_Method

woodsprite

Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Posts: 2943
Location: North Herefordshire

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 08 10:33 am Post subject:
2, WBC, secondhand complete with colonies last year. I know nationals are lighter handling but our WBCs look soooo much nicer!

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