Author Topic: Bees and Beekeeping  (Read 135412 times)

tonybloke

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #120 on: January 13, 2011, 19:26:13 »
is everyone treating with OA this winter? is it becoming a routine that beeks do each and every year? My bees were given apiguard in end august / september, and I've decided not to treat with OA this winter. No need for fondant, I fed them whilst treating, and we have a late crop of Ivy in these parts (garden backs onto old cemetery)
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Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #121 on: January 14, 2011, 10:36:11 »
I use both. Oxalic is my standard treatment, but I have apiguard in reserve in case of problems, and use it when I acquire a colony or a swarm during the active season. I find it helpful to open hives now and then in winter, and monitor things like cluster size and the amount of winter broodraising. It makes sense to use oxalic when I'm opening them anyway.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2011, 10:37:48 by Robert_Brenchley »

cjb02

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #122 on: February 04, 2011, 20:38:12 »
If any one would find this of use. my web site with a map on with as many bee shops I can find. useful for finding your local.

http://plantsalive.webs.com/beekeepingshopsuk.htm

goodlife

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #123 on: February 05, 2011, 10:32:15 »
WARNING!....go and check your hives!..wind is been blowing some hive roofs off from mine :o :o...and they did have heavy old fashion solid brick on top :o :o

Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #124 on: February 05, 2011, 18:19:12 »
If they're in a windy spot, definitely check them. The sign on my church wall (Ladywood Methodist Church etc) was blown down and smashed last night.

tonybloke

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #125 on: February 05, 2011, 19:43:40 »
If any one would find this of use. my web site with a map on with as many bee shops I can find. useful for finding your local.

http://plantsalive.webs.com/beekeepingshopsuk.htm


you on the beekeepingforum?
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cjb02

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #126 on: February 05, 2011, 22:09:38 »
you on the beekeepingforum?

Yes I am, blackbrood is my tag on there. In fact you sent me some basic exam study notes which I very much appreciate.

tonybloke

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #127 on: February 06, 2011, 08:15:00 »
you on the beekeepingforum?

Yes I am, blackbrood is my tag on there. In fact you sent me some basic exam study notes which I very much appreciate.

Oh, it's you!! LOL


glad to help!!
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cjb02

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #128 on: February 06, 2011, 08:22:08 »
it is a small world online  ;)

tonybloke

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #129 on: February 06, 2011, 08:26:50 »
it is a small world online  ;)

innit!! ;)
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Toadspawn

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #130 on: February 06, 2011, 23:31:59 »
Does anyone know what type of beehive Carol Klein was given in her current series?

Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #131 on: February 06, 2011, 23:56:31 »
What did it look like?

cjb02

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #132 on: February 07, 2011, 19:55:37 »
Does anyone know what type of beehive Carol Klein was given in her current series?


a Kenyan top bar hive more commonly referred to as a top bar hive or TBH

CjB






« Last Edit: February 07, 2011, 19:58:08 by cjb02 »

Toadspawn

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #133 on: February 07, 2011, 23:25:50 »
Thank you. It is not a very common hive,  is it, the nearest I have seen to it is in Poland but they use wired foundation in the frames.
As there did not appear to be any foundation provided, how do they extract the honey? Do they melt the combs to obtain the honey, or is cut comb the main product?

cjb02

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #134 on: February 08, 2011, 07:38:57 »
Thank you. It is not a very common hive,  is it, the nearest I have seen to it is in Poland but they use wired foundation in the frames.
As there did not appear to be any foundation provided, how do they extract the honey? Do they melt the combs to obtain the honey, or is cut comb the main product?

it is a lot more common than you might imagine. If you live near Leeds I could show you one in our association apiary, they are seen as a low cost way of getting in to bee keeping as they are quite easy to make at home. They do not have frames or foundation. They have top bars hence the name. pieces of wood across the top and the bees build their comb down. they tend to have starter strips on the bars so the comb is built in the right place for the bee keeper although these can be very small strips. As for honey removal, the whole comb tends to be crushed to separate the honey and wax or the comb can be cut as you say.

Are you thinking of indulging? if so good luck

CjB

tonybloke

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #135 on: February 08, 2011, 08:29:57 »
Does anyone know what type of beehive Carol Klein was given in her current series?


a Kenyan top bar hive more commonly referred to as a top bar hive or TBH

CjB








also commonly known as  Swarm Generator Hive !
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irnhed

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #136 on: February 08, 2011, 09:09:01 »
@tonybloke - that's really funny  :)

I love the idea of TBHs, but I just can't get my head around how you (don't) handle expansions.

I guess, if you *know* the tendencies of your bees, and how big the colony will get, you can risk it.

However, given all of the unknowns (weather, food, etc.) it seems like a bit of a roll of the dice.

Extracting the honey is also interesting...  I've read that you have to get two jars with a cloth filter between them, mash up the comb into the top one, then let gravity take the honey down, and leave the wax above the filter.

My friend who shares our apiary was given one as a gift, and I'm itching for him to get it set up and populated so that I can have a peek.

FYI - I run two WBC hives.
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Nigel B

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #137 on: February 08, 2011, 10:30:59 »
Can the posters on this thread recommend the best hive for a newbie?
It's all very confusing. The more I read, the more confusing it becomes.

We're moving soon(ish) and the new garden is very long and not overlooked, so it seems like it might be just right...

I'm going to sign up for a course, but I would like to have a hive ready and 'weathering', if that makes sense...?
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irnhed

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #138 on: February 08, 2011, 15:05:26 »
@Nigel B - Well, as with most beekeeping questions, you're going to find a wide variety of opinions.

I'm just entering my 3rd year as a beek, so please take this with a pinch of salt.

Personally, I have WBC hives - but that is purely because I was given one by a family friend, then came across another two on ebay.  They look lovely (not that I get to look at them everyday), and seem to be working fine. 

You can read all kinds of stuff about about how they're good 'cos they're 'double walled', as the outer lifts are separate to the super & brood boxes inside, so they're more insulated - but then take longer to warm up in the sun.  Swings & roundabouts.

If I had to recommend, I'd suggest going with National hives.  They're simpler than WBCs as they're single walled.  The boxes that the frames rest in, are what you see from the outside. 

My friend runs Nationals, and is very happy with them.

However, some people may say that Nationals & WBCs are too small.  They take 'British Standard' frames, whilst some keepers prefer either deeper frames in Nationals or WBCs - or, going for much bigger hives, like Commercials.

My local BEEK association uses Commercials, and the branch apiary manager swears by them.

However, bigger hives also mean more weight - which can be a factor if you're shifting honey-filled Supers around at the end of the season.

You may find you can get hold of some Nationals second hand for knock down prices - but you should be aware that it may be 'cos the keeper has decided that they're too small, and are moving up...

In most hives (excluding Top Bars, and some others) you expand in sections, by adding Supers on to for honey storage (hopefully) - but you can also add an extra brood box, or a super to act as a 'brood and a half', so you can expand National brood space if you have a particularly good queen laying.

To summarise, I'd suggest Nationals to start with.

However, your best bet it to contact / join the local beekeeping association.  You'll be able to talk to them about what they do, and what they recommend.  They may even have a store of 2nd hand kit that you can buy from them.

Of course, if you're handy with tools, you can easily get hold of plans and build your own.  Just be very, very careful with the inside measurements   :)

That's hives covered.  Next thing to think about are which frames you'll use...  Hoffman self-spacers?   ;)
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Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Bees and Beekeeping
« Reply #139 on: February 08, 2011, 16:38:18 »
Nationals are the ones to go for; they're fairly standard, most people use them, they're more saleable, and they're a lot less fiddling about that WBC's. I use modified ones with deeper broodboxes, but that's an easy conversion. When I was given a couple of hives two years ago, they were the same type so everything was interchangeable. There's one minor drawback; they're bottom beespace. That means the top bars are on a level with the edge of the box, and they tend to stick to the box above. It's very easy to pull a couple of combs out of the box underneath as you life a box, and the bees hate it! The trick is to twist the box before you lift.

You can make them with top bee space, which drops the top bars a quarter of an inch or so, and solves the problem. The difficulty with that is that your equipment won't be interchangeable with anyone else's!

 

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