My bee fun over the last day or so.

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My bee fun over the last day or so.

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Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 15 10:14 am Post subject: My bee fun over the last day or so.
For those of you not on FB or not 'friends' with me, have a look (Im attempting to linky it) https://www.facebook.com/lorraine.turnbull.33 Have had another swarm this morning at 10am..... Now have no empty hives.....

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 15 10:15 am Post subject:
or here https://www.facebook.com/129734347065693/videos/900180863354367/

joanne

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

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 15 10:31 am Post subject:
Very jealous!

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 15 12:12 pm Post subject:
Im just glad I managed to work out how to do the video!

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 15 5:19 pm Post subject:
My top bar hive has swarmed today as well. Feisty buggers stung me three times. Now settled in the skep for transfer to a hive later. My beekeeping neighbours up the road had a swarm on Saturday that went into the bait hive they placed only two days before. Never had a swarm indoors though!!

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 15 6:01 pm Post subject:
I now have a hive on top of a hive (I didnt have a free stand). Hoping its not going to be windy...... So now 4 colonies - enough for me.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 15 7:27 pm Post subject:

Tavascarow wrote:

My top bar hive has swarmed today as well.
Feisty buggers stung me three times.
Now settled in the skep for transfer to a hive later.
My beekeeping neighbours up the road had a swarm on Saturday that went into the bait hive they placed only two days before.
Never had a swarm indoors though!!

Four more stings when I hived them. Two on the hands & one on each ankle.
I think these are contenders for leave alone beekeeping.
Bloody italian cross mongrels. Whenever I've had Italian genetics on the apiary I've always ended up with bad tempered crosses.
Hopefully the black bee genetics they have at Eden will dilute these to a point where I can work with them.

Lorraine if you are short on kit I've got spare national brood boxes you're more than welcome to borrow

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 15 7:48 pm Post subject:
Thanks Steve, but Im a Smith hive girl! Ill have a look and see what Ive got left when they finally leave the shed. I know there is a brood box, a super, a lid and frames, just not sure about a floor.... but Ill have a look....

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 15 6:18 am Post subject:

I have heard that Italian crosses are bad tempered on the first cross. Siting can also make a difference. We had a really nasty colony at the Association our apiary once. Husband and I got volunteered to take the honey off 2 years running, and after that I said no way. They were even trying to burrow through the eyelet holes in my boots to get at me. They got destroyed, and another colony put on the site which went bad too. Getting stung by a swarm is quite unusual though.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 15 7:04 am Post subject:
What they normally do down here is requeen with a calmer queen, but we had one very horrible colony about 6 years ago, and they eventually swarmed and Im quite glad really.....

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 15 7:20 am Post subject:

I'm hoping the daughters of the swarmed queen will turn out calmer than their mother.
These came in as a swarm from a neighbours apiary.
I had a colony die out & was about to clean the hive out in preparation for a swarm but one had already moved in.
They where fine & gentle all last season, didn't bother with the veil when I inspected them. But this year they have attacked every time I've gone near them & followed as well when I've retreated, which I don't like.
Having a colony that lets you know when you have done something wrong. or outstayed your welcome is one thing. Having them attack you for no reason & follow you for over 200m is another.
If I kept bees in town these would have to go.
As I live in the sticks I can site them somewhere quiet & let them get on with it. They have survived two seasons without varroa treatment so I'm not going to destroy the line by requeening from elsewhere.

gardening-girl

Joined: 25 Feb 2009
Posts: 6024
Location: Somerset.

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 15 9:07 am Post subject:
Lucky! Still could do with a swarm to merge with my weak hive. The other two hives are going great. Second super on one tomorrow.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Fri Jul 03, 15 6:22 am Post subject:

The second generation do tend to be a bit calmer, so good luck. Followers are awful Tavascarow. I can often cope with an antisocial colony, as they seem less inclined to go for women (although some colonies will go for anyone), and can also sometimes make myself go very calm, so can get away with more. I had to rescue the hive tool from one colony for husband once when they went for him and then followed. I think they got requeened.

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