Author Topic: Bees and Beekeeping  (Read 135345 times)

Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #240 on: July 14, 2013, 19:53:21 »
Another swarm which arrived yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAfRc7qXXP0

Mikeakabigman

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #241 on: July 14, 2013, 20:36:50 »
Fascinating , thanks for sharing
Kind regards

Mike.
My blog.   http://mikeyoungarps.blogspot.co.uk

Nigel B

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #242 on: July 30, 2013, 05:11:02 »
Just something that I have always wanted to ask but never met the right person yet....
SooOooo.. :wave:
If a beehive was built and left empty, and assuming there were no other hives nearby, what are the chances that honey-bees will find and colonise it?
 'If you build it they will come' sort of thinking...
Just so I know, yunno?
"Carry on therefore with your good work.  Do not rest on your spades, except for those brief periods which are every gardeners privilege."

Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #243 on: July 30, 2013, 18:31:21 »
If it's a new hive, probably not that great. I get them moving into empty hives every year, but they're attracted by the smell of old broodcomb, and I have hives deliberately set up to attract them.

goodlife

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #244 on: February 02, 2014, 13:31:03 »
It seems like ages since I've last time seen my bees, or any bees. It was beginning of the December when I dropped some fondant on as 'emergency feed' to keep them going for months ahead.
Last few years I've been paid to keep bees on our local shopping centre's roof, but just got call that they wanted to end it...so today being reasonably good day we went to fetch the hives back on allotment.
One hive, that I knew had fairly good size winter colony was active and eating the fondant away..that was packed VERY carefully for transport..other one, no sign of any life and fondant wasn't touched neither. I didn't lift the crownboard to see if there was any live ones left or not, but 'packed the hive', plenty of straps on and off we went.
Back on the allotment, once I removed the bungs from the entrances....."whoaaa!" ..loads of bees came to check up their new recidence...and from both hives  :icon_cheers:
Now I feel like the spring is almost there...bees were sunning in their new spots and so far future is looking positive!!!!!!!...at least there is bees in there. They are going to be pampered with plenty of more fondant to make sure they don't go hunry...spring feed to follow to get them really going and then there is no stopping them...LET THE HONEY FLOODS COME... :tongue3: :icon_cheers: :sunny:
« Last Edit: February 02, 2014, 13:33:15 by goodlife »

Plot69

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #245 on: March 24, 2014, 11:43:09 »
My bees have made it through their first winter. I provided them with sugar but they wasn't that interested in it. They've been out and about foraging for a couple of weeks now coming back loaded with pollen. Can only imagine it's from all the heather filled gardens that abound in this viilage.

So happy they made it after such a wet winter.
Tony.

Sow it, grow it, eat it.

Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #246 on: June 03, 2014, 22:24:42 »
An utterly uncooperative swarm I tried in vain to deal with!

http://thisandthat-robert.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/a-swarm-arrives-and-leaves-again.html

Melbourne12

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping: Bees on the Ivy
« Reply #247 on: September 11, 2015, 12:10:59 »
I looked out of the window this sunny morning to see what I thought must be a swarm either forming or dispersing!  Obviously that wouldn't be happening at this time of year, and I realised that a huge number of bees had arrived to feast on the ivy that proliferates in the line of trees at the end of our garden.

Everything is happening early this year.  Normally the ivy is one of the last sources of top-up supplies for the winter.  I hope that this doesn't mean that the bees will run out of stores before the spring.

brownthumb2

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #248 on: July 09, 2017, 07:44:55 »
 we had a swam of bees arrive  under our shed at the Lottie  as they were right by the door we wanted them moved   luckily our next door neighbour is a bee keeper so was able to help us   He removed part of shed  floor and he couldn't locate the queen so put a brooder box on top of the hole with some honey smeared in it  Hoping the queen will find her way in during the night hes going back this morning to check  with the view of moving them to night. We would have loved to have an hive on the plot but have no experience in bee keeping

 

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