In the Apiary

In The Apiary Workshop March 2013

On April 3, 2013, in double glazed, solar wax extractor, wax, by DeryckJohnson
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The weather has been so appalling that it has been impossible to do anything in the apiary other than hefting and clearing hive entrances of snow.

I have therefore been back in the workshop trying to work with freezing cold tools.  The solar wax extractor has been given a new lease of life.  This started off about thirty years ago as an ex RAF carpenter’s tool box and rather than have it sitting empty under the bench I jig-sawed a hole in the lid, fitted a pane of glass and a Heath Robinson interior.  This lasted for several years until the lid rotted away and I built another lid.  This was followed by a rotting box which was replaced to fit the existing lid.  The story now becomes a bit like Gerard Hoffnung’s barrel of bricks.

The last two lids were double glazed but not with a properly sealed unit so they soon got full of condensation which speeded the rotting process.

We were having the local glazing company make up several replacement double glazed units for the house so I tagged another unit on to the order fit the existing lid.

Of course, you’ve guessed it.  The lid was too rotten so I had to make yet another one to fit the new glazing and the existing box.

The result is illustrated below.

This wasn’t prohibitively expensive and something I should have done long ago.  I’ve tested it in our present cold weather and provided the sun is shining it will melt a stocking full of scrap wax in a few hours; so much more efficient.

A note of warning to those of you about to build your own wax extractor.  Make sure the box is wide enough to suspend your hive’s sort of frame from it’s lugs so you can completely clean out and sterilize the frame simultaneously.Solar Wax Extractor

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In the Apiary February 2013

On March 2, 2013, in Uncategorized, by DeryckJohnson
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Green Woodpeckers will attack hives when the ground is solid with permafrost and they can’t get at any underground ants nests.  The weather seemed to be warming up so I grasped the nettle and removed the protective nets.  Although they protect the bees against marauders they also hinder cleansing flights.

All hives were flying on the 19th as they had been for the previous three days.  The 18th was catastrophic for many of them though.  A lovely warm day went suddenly cold at about three o’clock and many bees didn’t quite make it home.  There were heaps of dead bees on the ground in front of the hives.  The obviously old ones were the result of spring-cleaning but the others were ones which had been caught out by the sudden drop in afternoon temperature.  They didn’t die in vain however as I have been able to conduct postmortems to check for acarine and nosema

I was not absolutely certain of the acarine check.  The trachea looked clear but without a lamp on the dissection microscope it was difficult to see.  Using the association’s new compound microscope I could check for nosema with confidence; all clear.  Using Fumidil paid off but I’ve only got sufficient left for one more treatment next autumn.

They were all flying again on the 28th and bring in two sorts of pollen so it all looks encouraging.

Using the Compound Microscope to check for Nosema

Using the Compound Microscope to check for Nosema

Checking for Acarine

Checking for Acarine

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In the Apiary December 2012

On January 5, 2013, in beekeeper, hive, oxalic acid, Uncategorized, varroa, by DeryckJohnson
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The nets are on and the crown-boards have been duly match-sticked.  A quick peep as I put in the matches revealed all hives still alive but the size of the colonies already varying by a considerable degree.

As usual we went down on Christmas Day to ‘tell the bees’ and wish them a happy Christmas.  A few were inquisitive as to the tap but they weren’t as lively as last year.

The best laid plans of mice and men…………..I was still getting a weekly double-figure varroa count from two of the hives so decided to press ahead with the oxalic acid treatment.  This was done on Boxing Day and enabled a better look inside.  All colonies were alive but not all were kicking.  Hive 4, which came from Michelle seemed to be the largest with a cluster up above the top bars covering 8 frames.

The 2012 wall-chart planner has been taken down from the bee-shed wall and replaced with the 2013 version.  This is a very useful tool as the general history of the apiary can be read at a glance without having to wade through all the individual hive record sheets.

2013 will be a very interesting year because all colonies are relatively unknown quantities having been a uniting of swarms from various sources and others which I was given.

‘In the workshop’ there will be plenty to do during the winter making experimental equipment but more of that at a later date.  For the moment, Timmy, my beemobile is taking up the space whilst his back axle is on the bench having a rebuild.  He should be fit and healthy come the spring and ready to collect swarms again.

 

025 046027

Start of the next project. Watch this space.

Start of the next project. Watch this space.

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In the Apiary September 2012

On October 2, 2012, in Apivar, oxalic acid, unite, varroa, by DeryckJohnson
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In the Apiary September 2012

The emergency queen didn’t get very far.  In fact she didn’t get anywhere and simply expired.  There was no time for a paper unite before the winter feed so I shook them out in front of the smallest colony.   This has left a gap in the hive line like a child’s missing tooth.

Miller feeders have finished and most have been removed.  I left two for cleaning down the off-cuts from the cut comb and these will come off any day now.

The gap in the line has now been filled; good news and bad news.

The bad news is that Michelle W. has decided to take a break from the bees and the good news is that they have come for a winter holiday at Center-Hive (as opposed to Center-Parc) and are just finishing taking down their winter feed.

I’ve rethought my autumn/winter varroa treatment and decided to use the Apivar which I’d sourced from France and New Zealand.  I don’t really like drenching the poor little ladies in oxalic acid as it burns their mouth-parts as they clean themselves up.  Apivar is not cheap but what I had was approaching its sell-by date and is extremely efficient so in it went.  A highly effective knock-down so they’ll go into winter in a better state.

The weather seems to have sorted itself out and all is back in season.  The ivy has flowered beautifully and the pollen has been pouring in so it all seems set fair for the spring.

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In the Apiary August 2012

On August 30, 2012, in beebase, Miller feeder, oxalic acid, polished cells, queen cell, sugar syrup, winter feed, by DeryckJohnson
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In the Apiary August 2012

That’s it bar the shouting.  The season is over and we immediately start preparing for the next.

All the honey, what little there was, has been extracted, the supers replaced to be licked clean and we are in the process of making up gallons of sugar syrup.  This along with 8lbs per hive of ‘baker’s honey’ will go on top in Miller feeders in a few days time.

I’ve done a ten day varroa count with pleasingly low drop figures and according to beebase I have no need to treat for many months so no need to do anything until the oxalic acid treatment in the winter.

Hives are being shunted around for uniting in order to remove poor quality queens and reduce to eight colonies for the winter.

They are however determined to be unpredictable right to the bitter end.  One nucleus hive had records over the last few weeks which read:-

QC started.

QC sealed.

QC hatched. Q not seen.

Polished cells. Q not seen

Eggs. Excellent laying. Q not seen.

No eggs hatched. No more eggs laid. Q not seen.

Looks as if the tiny emergency queen in hive 2 which I wanted to replace will have to try and struggle through the winter.

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In the Apiary July 2012

On August 4, 2012, in emergency queen cell, nucleus hive, queen, queen cell, queen raising, supersedure, swarm, winter feed, by DeryckJohnson
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In the Apiary July 2012

My first attempt with the pootle was a dismal failure as I ended up with an empty brood box, a flexible pipe packed solid with bees and half the swarm still inside the compost bin.

A better seal was obviously needed and after fitting stronger straps I tried again on a swarm about 3m up a tree.  Although it took some time to suck up all the bees it did work but lacked the strength to pluck the returning scouts out of the air.  However, there was no waiting around for hours for the colony to find the skep and queen and I could take the whole thing home with the bees already in a hive.  I have now purchased a more powerful workshop vacuum source with a 40% increase in power which I hope will be more successful next season.

My first queen raising session, although I got 8 out of 9 cell punches, came to nought as only one mated.  She was thrown out a few weeks later so even that was unsuccessful.

My old queen breeder has now gone.  She had been in a nuc for over a year now to reduce her laying and keep her going as long as possible but I pushed her too hard.  When they raised a supersedure cell I whipped it out and put it in another nuc hoping they’d make another brilliant queen but ‘twas not to be.  Her disappearance was a sad loss.  What was even sadder was that the cell I’d removed came to nothing and the subsequent emergency cells hatched but disappeared.  This means I now have only one colony carrying the continuation of the Ridgwell prodigy.

When it isn’t raining, the ladies are going like the clappers on the borage over in Colchester field.  I don’t know where the nectar is going though as the supers don’t seem to be putting on much weight.  They’d better move fast however as one part of the field has already been swathed and I’m sure the other will soon follow.  We’ll soon know when it’s done as the whole temperament of the apiary will change overnight, the pond will become a giant drinking fountain and they’ll be into anything which smells remotely bee-like.

In the workshop, I have at long last converted two of my nucleus hives to open-mesh floors.  This means that if they are used for over-wintering they wont be used for varroa production to such a large extent.

I have started thinking about winter feed and yesterday bought 20 bags of sugar when I was in Aldi; 86p a bag.  Does any one know a cheaper source?

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In the Apiary Workshop

On July 1, 2012, in apiary, foundation, frame, hive, swarm, top space, by DeryckJohnson
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In the Apiary Workshop June 2012  The Giant Pootle

Why do swarms choose the most inaccessible places?  They are either just out of reach or buried in a dense tree or bush.  What I needed was some means of rapid gathering which didn’t involve supporting a skep with one arm whilst hanging on for dear life with the other, or alternatively brushing them into a skep and then waiting for two hours whilst all the stragglers and scouts found their way back.

I had heard and read about beevacs but not actually seen one.  An internet search found a wealth of information on American sites with blogs, comments and feedback galore.  It seemed that a normal beevac sucked the bees into a mesh cage supported inside a sealed vacuumed box which was then taken back to the apiary and shaken into a hive.  The general opinion here was that the bees got really knocked about, were far from happy after this experience and you could end up with a queenless colony

I decided to take the basic design from Robo’s World and tweak it to suit my own hives (Modified National 14 x 12), and the material I had available.  The idea was that this would suck the bees straight into a brood box of frames thus avoiding the disturbing transfer

Lightness was a necessary property so at the BBKA Spring Convention I bought a polystyrene hive from Modern Beekeeping.  Unfortunately they only had a conventional National brood box, but it was top space unlike an alternative company who manufactured a 14 x 12 which was bottom space.  I considered it more likely that Modern Beekeeping would eventually make an eke rather than the other company making a top space option.  The lack of depth of the polystyrene brood box was easily compensated for by deepening the bottom box of the pootle.

Both top and bottom box were assembled using dowels and glue with the inner support frame screwed and glued.  Adhesive foam rubber draught-excluder gave me the seal between the boxes and the wood was finished with two coats of Sikkens.

Getting the correct pipe-work was a bit of a brain-teaser.  Ridgeon’s plumbing department couldn’t unfortunately supply a sufficiently large diameter of flexible hose so I turned to SwellUK who do aquatic pipes and fittings where Chris was more than helpful in working out all the bits and pieces I’d need.  6m of Swell 50mm flexible, 1.5m of 1½” rigid pipe and an assortment of fittings.   This would give me the option of several ‘reaches’, namely 3.5m, 5.5m, and 7.5m with the pootle standing on the ground

Suction is provided by a trusty old Electrolux retired from domestic duties about twenty years ago but still, after numerous repairs, still giving excellent workshop service

The idea is that the bees are sucked straight into a brood box already fitted with comb or foundation which can be taken straight back to the apiary so the bees are already in their new home

I’ve tested it in the workshop and it works brilliantly.  All that remains now is to actually put it to use in the field.

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In the Apiary June 2012

On June 3, 2012, in hive, hived, queen, skep, swarm, Uncategorized, by DeryckJohnson
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In the Apiary June 1st 2012

My success rate with the queen cell raising was 8 out of 9 cell-punches.  From here onwards was not such a success story.  Having made up some queenless mating nucs and minihives they were left shut up in the dark for what should have been 48 hours.  Unfortunately the second day was extremely hot and we were at the Chelsea Flower Show all day; unable to spray them at regular intervals, I had no alternative but to put them outside and let them fly.  Three absconded and the rest are in a state of wait-and-see

Having had sunshine for the past two weeks meant that the bees could catch the tail end of the rape.  Not enough time to get a sufficient quantity and only 10% of last year’s harvest.  This year they are working the hawthorn so some lovely pale lime-green pollen is coming in.  There are absolutely no field-beans in our locality so we may, for the first time in decades, suffer a June gap.

Bee calls from the public via Uttlesford District Council have been coming thick and fast.  Most of them have been bumble bees and honey bees that have already taken up residence so all I could do was advise.

Each real swarm call brings its own excitement and challenge.  These are allocated to the nearest experienced member of the association but I deal with those in my immediate locality or those where we have no available assistance.

I have had two so far and both were in tall tangled ornamental conifers.  One I had to lean my ladder against the undergrowth and have it bouncing in and out as I climbed but the other was much easier.  This was on a farm and my first question to the caller was “Do you have a front loader?”

How much easier it is to climb into a massive bucket with all my gear, be hoisted up to the required height then tele-ported out beneath the telephone wires and right into the side of the tree.  The only problem is that they have no way to get a cup of tea to you whilst you are working.

This was the heaviest swarm that I have ever taken weighing in at 5kg and filling the skep to the brim.  Not the sort of thing to carry one-handed down an unstable ladder.

They were hived straight into hive S1 on top of an earlier small swarm and left to sort themselves out.  Successive swarms can be successfully hived on top of one another provided there is a gap of not more than seven days.  The queens will have to battle it out but the colony as a whole will accept each other.

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In the Apiary May 2012

On May 19, 2012, in apiary, beekeeper, brood, classes, emergency queen cell, frame, honey, queen, queen cell, Saffron Walden, swarm, swarm box, Uncategorized, by DeryckJohnson
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Things are happening to our bees which defy everything you’ll read in the books.  I have spoken with two other very experienced beekeepers who agree that bee behaviour has been severely disrupted; one of them saying that he’s known nothing like it since 1948.

I’ve had three colonies which rendered themselves queenless by ejecting the monarch.  One I spotted on the ground and replaced her immediately and fortunately she has been accepted and started laying again. The others were not so fortunate and following the regicide the colony have starting make numerous emergency queen cells. (One was given a lovely supersedure queen cell from my breeder queen and the other will remain queenless until my cell raiser can provide a new queen cell.)

I wonder if the queens had stopped laying, thinking it was winter again and the workers assumed they’d failed? I just don’t know.

The other beekeeper I consulted reported a similar phenomenon and even though the colonies were obviously queenless no emergency queen cells had been made and he couldn’t get any response from a test frame.  It was almost as if they were suicidal.

On a happier note, I am beginning to get some rape honey.  Not a lot but maybe a super or two.

Queen raising has started.  Malcolm Legg from Thaxted very kindly gave me sufficient young bees for a starter colony and using the cell-punching method I introduced 9 larvae to the swarm box. After forty eight hours in the dark in the bee shed, where they sounded as if they were hard at work, they went outside and were allowed to fly.  I’ll give them a few more days before looking to see the success rate.

I have had no swarm calls via the Council so the student beekeepers will have to wait longer for their bees.

The weather has played a major part in postponing our classes but we have now had two lessons and all seem very keen.

Examining a frame of brood

Paul Heales explains what he can see on frame of brood

The forage crops this year have been markedly different.  Instead of oil-seed-rape being grown as a break crop it is now a major harvest for bio-diesel.  The Uttlesford countryside is a sea of yellow.

 

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In the apiary April 2012

On April 30, 2012, in apiary, beekeeping diary, by DeryckJohnson
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This has been one of the worst, if not the worst, beekeeping Aprils I’ve known. As I write, on the 25th, it has rained every day bar one since the 4th of the month. The rape has been in flower now for three weeks, but because of the weather the bees have been unable to work it. Three hives have had supers on for ten days now, with nothing to show for it. The other colonies, which came through the winter severely weakened, have failed to build up because of the cold. Rain and warm and the queens can continue to lay: rain and cold and everything stops. I can see this being a year with no spring honey whatsoever.

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