the daydream fund challenge thread

RAS

lostinrates wrote: »

Well, we just had a good nosey in our hive. We took advice and bought a gentle bee rather than trake a local swarm (seems silly to pay for something so plentiful and locally adapted though, but this will hopefully prepare for the furture). They are amazingly not at all interested in us (I stood nearby to watch). The only thing is, we cannot find our queen bee. There is one she MIGHT be but she's not marked (a huge part of what we were hoping for in buying was the premarked queen!). And we found two queen cells. Not really sure what any of that means, me not being the bee keeper, but I think he'll be calling bee-club later.

We got three swarms and were given some other bees that were supposed to include a queen.

Right now we have two queen-right hives, as the gift and one swarm were queenless/had useless queens. It can take some time to find the queen; particularly if she is new and has not grown to full breeding size. If OH finds uncapped brood laid in a neat pattern; even if he cannot find the queen, he knows she is laying well. The week after there should be capped and uncapped worker brood. He will understand what this means.

I am amazed at how good our bees are given their varied origins and our novice attentions; another plotter has colonies elsewhere that could be described as fiesty at the best. We agreed that any colonies that proved unsocial would have to be relocated because of our location and so far they have been fine. We have had un-kitted observers immediately outside the apiary without any response from the bees, even during inspections.

Even when we wreak havoc and/or invade their defencible space in the day-time they calm down in about 5 minutes.

One queen and her hive have obviously read all the bee-keeping text books and understand them. Within a couple of weeks we had perfect arcs of honey and pollen stores on drawn comb surrounding brood of varied ages laid in a neat pattern!

I think the other hive read the DIY manual as they like filling every available gap with brace comb. Anything a millimetre more or less than the correct bee space is fixed immediately. However she is now laying like a beauty and new workers are hatching.

For what it is worth lir, this second colony laid loads of emergency queen cells and "play" cells a few of weeks after arrival. We are still not sure if the original queen (she started breeding before this happened) died and was replaced by the colony with a new queen, or if the bees responded when she went off lay during the June gap when the weather was crap as well. We also now realise that they had quite a mite load which we treated at this point. We only found this queen this week.

On the other hand, on my course the experienced keepers are all talking about how many colonies seem to be swarming this year and in at least two cases I have seen a colony has laid multiple queen cells and they have even raised multiple queens which is weird. Longer term I would prefer to raise a strain that less inclined to swarm.

I do think that selling a nucleus with an unmarked queen is not fair play; if we had bought one it the queen would have been marked.

Just a point re horse and bees; we had been advised that horses and bees do not mix; that horses do not like bees. I was shocked to here about this case http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-13942849 There is a bit of garbage in there, at the end of a summer a hive stuffed with bees is usually 70,000 strong so they must keep a lot of hives. Also if "some hives were damaged", it sounds like one or more of the horses got into the apiary and either rubbed against a hive or knocked one over and then responded to the swarming bees by damaging more hives.

The issue is that once bees identify an enemy who refuses to move away and the first one stings, other bees identify the smell of the sting and come into attack whatever has been stung. Get more stings, and more bees come to attack. This is the main reason for the smoker, as the scent confuses the bees and generally halts the attack.

The final problem is that some bees respond to some diseases (particularly nosema) by getting aggressive. it is easily treatable but if undiagnosed they might respond much more vigourously than expected.

And finally, bees hated thunderstorms, or at least the changes in air pressure that are associated, so it pays not to do anything when one is due.

Edit : bit of a missive - sorry.

choille

CTC - Is it the same by you? Does the Planning committee consist of the local councillors? You could contact them - speak to your local councillor, speak to the committe members tonight - phone them, they are public servants - that's what they are there for. Action is far healthier than anger - although I'd be the same. I would have to be gagged!

LIR - We have some reet twonkers - to quote you lot. We have a neighbour from Hell - although not right up against us, he's a dangerous nutter, who loses it every once in a while - great eh?
I, we were taken in & actually felt rather sorry for them at first & OH did an awful lot of work for them & he was supposed to do some work for us - needless to say not only did he not honour his part of the agreement - they went out to totally attack us & screw us - I have not quite recoverd from the learning curve of them. Long story, but others have also had 'experience' for want of a better word of them.
It is good having the joiners we've got coming on Saturdays - they get paid per hour, they work like stink are pleasant & know their job & know they will get more work beacuse OH will recommend them - everyone happy - so far.
You do lose trust though in folks - t'is a shame when folks are out to grab whatever they can, but there are some good 'uns too - just sometimes seem thin on the ground. - Still incredibly hot here.

Davesnave

choille wrote: »

It is good having the joiners we've got coming on Saturdays - they get paid per hour, they work like stink are pleasant & know their job & know they will get more work beacuse OH will recommend them - everyone happy - so far.
You do lose trust though in folks - t'is a shame when folks are out to grab whatever they can, but there are some good 'uns too - just sometimes seem thin on the ground. - Still incredibly hot here.

It's the same when Pete and his mate come here to do the fencing. They work like mad, do a great job and charge really rasonable rates. It's a job to stop them for a tea break!

TBH I don't think the chicken people are actually bad 'uns, just a bit simple and maybe short of a bob or two. Still, we're not exactly flush either, and the time I've wasted on that, even at Pete's rates, has already paid for the blooming birds!

lostinrates

RAS wrote: »

Edit : bit of a missive - sorry.

nothing to apologise for, its all fascinating!

re horses, the only part I'm in charge of the bees are between two barns, they have to go up, then they have about 45 metres before being near our livestock and, the nearest run, 25 metres to neighbours least used cow yard. It seems the safest place for them here. Fingers crossed!

COOLTRIKERCHICK

we have decided hubby is going to go and sit in at the meeting... even though he can not speak, he is not going to dress up or anything, just go in his biker/camo stuff:D

choille we have spoken to a few councillors, but they seem to agree with you to your face, and then agree with the other side too..

so with hubby going tomorrow he can see exactly who agreed to what, and who exactly had considered us in all this...

alfie_1

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

we have decided hubby is going to go and sit in at the meeting... even though he can not speak, he is not going to dress up or anything, just go in his biker/camo stuff:D

choille we have spoken to a few councillors, but they seem to agree with you to your face, and then agree with the other side too..

so with hubby going tomorrow he can see exactly who agreed to what, and who exactly had considered us in all this...

GOOD LUCK i hope you get lots of information...arm OH with a note book and pen, he can note names and thier opinions for future reference !! THEN LATER WHEN SOME TWO FACED COUNCILLER SAYS SOMETHING TO YOU, YOU CAN POINT OUT THE ERROR OF THIER WAYS !! :D

choille

CTC - I think we may have the same councillors!
You can speak if invited to - I believe - you can here & if thre are a load of objections then they usually ask for a spokesperson to make representations - briefly.

I think it'll be better once you know what the score is. Once you have the descision. It's often the not knowing that's worse.

Fingers crossed.

Well that was another £60 paid on the midgy machine repair today - always goes wonky when the midgies are at their most evil. Back on & running - does it make any difference - difficult to know as it's thick with them out there.

Another ebay item hasn't turned up - what is it with London?
Rather depressing that.

RAS

lostinrates wrote: »

nothing to apologise for, its all fascinating!

re horses, the only part I'm in charge of the bees are between two barns, they have to go up, then they have about 45 metres before being near our livestock and, the nearest run, 25 metres to neighbours least used cow yard. It seems the safest place for them here. Fingers crossed!

This sounds fine as long as livestock cannot get into the space. We also force ours up - think of a fruit cage with no roof on.

The only two situations I can imagine causing the problem above are:

1. Grass is longer near hives, one or horses get into the apiary space and start grazing either right in front of a hive which starts off the bees or rub/knock against one and set them off. Once stung the horse(s) damage other hives setting of multiple swarms of bees. The horse(s) being stung run back into the herd pursued by the bees.

2. It is just possible that the hives were knocked over by two legged intruders and at least one horse was very close by which led the bees starting to sting it by mistake. But I would expect that also to have resulted in the intruders being badly stung.

The problem with the horses running to water is that it will have left their heads and necks exposed. It is only my observation but stings to the head and neck seem to affect humans more severely than stings elsewhere.

John_Pierpoint

What is the legal position ?

My sister has kept bees for years (at the bottom of a long garden running down to a river), but now the neighbour is kicking up about the possibility that they might sting visiting grand children.

Davesnave

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

What is the legal position ?

My sister has kept bees for years (at the bottom of a long garden running down to a river), but now the neighbour is kicking up about the possibility that they might sting visiting grand children.

If anyone was stung, they'd be on a sticky wicket proving where the bee came from, even if they could get the bee to confess during its dying moments.

I mean, who'd ever listen to anything a bee said?