Get a grip woman!

beanielou

Not saying I like all aspects of Zoom by the way but it certainly saves time & beets going out on a cold winters night!

rtandon27

Beanie - you are so right about staying home in the cosy warmth on a cold night!  It always feels cosy to be snuggled under a blanket while video-chatting with loved ones!

Suffolk_lass

Well no staying in and keeping warm here!

One of our colonies of bees swarmed yesterday at about 11.30. Thank goodness the electrician who was installing the electrics in the greenhouse had left 30 minutes earlier.

I just had a feeling I wanted to go and look and asked DH to come with me. There were thousands in the air and all over all the fruit trees (they are in a part of the garden we call the orchard, but it is tiny) - I rushed in and put my suit on, and then sent DH to do the same (both of us watching for where they were going).

There were about 20,000 bees I think. They took temporary refuge in a hawthorn hedge (it had to be hawthorn - so vicious and sharp!). They were not helpfully hanging from a branch - ours were wrapped round the trunk, so a bit of judicious pruning to get access ended with DH in his suit, with a bow-saw, cutting through a 5" trunk! Then we tried shaking them into an empty hive with about 5 frames of wax foundation - only a few thousand could be shifted. So we threw a bedspread over the trunk, over the hive and went indoors for a drink and let them sort themselves out. Out again about 5pm to remove the trunk, twigs and bedspread we put in more frames and a crown board and roof. 

There were lots still looking or returning from looking for their new accommodation and I was concerned they would go. Then it got colder and started to rain - first rain for weeks. After that they were in. So we closed up the hive, strapped it in the trailer and moved it to our friend's farm.

We are off there to put a syrup feeder on this morning (it will give them immediate energy to draw the comb, giving Her Maj' somewhere to lay eggs and bring on the next colony, without using all their resources) - hopefully they will be productive. 

In the meantime we checked the original hive and it was rammed, so no wonder they swarmed. We knocked down all but one Queen cell and are keeping everything crossed that it's a good one and that by the time she is ready, we have warmer weather for when she goes carousing with the male drones from the local youth club. We need her well mated for laying as they bring in the stores. 

So much for nipping to the local diy shed for a met post!

Karmacat

Wow!  That's amazing - that's a lot of work too.  Thanks for posting this   I hope they've calmed down and bring on a queen really soon.

rtandon27

Wow - bee exploits are amazing - what a lot of effort you put into them!  Hope the honey yield is bountiful in the autumn!

themadvix

Beekeeping sounds so involved! But fascinating at the same time!

debtfreeoneday

I read a book recently about a year in the life of a relatively amateur beekeeper and it was just fascinating. 

greent

I love reading about your bee adventures! - really interesting stuff

Suffolk_lass

Thanks all - the aftermath was that I developed one of my migraines and a very unproductive day on Saturday - DH went over to add the syrup feeder on Saturday - also a deeper lid but he said they were out, flying, and bringing in pollen - they convert the pollen into bee-bread that they feed to the brood. Some of them will have stayed in the hive to draw the comb, basically making it thick enough for the young eggs to develop and hatch, and to create little pockets for the pollen and nectar 9the latter being converted to honey in due course.

Lousy weather forecast here so we will go over today and strap the hive down to the ground so that the 60mph winds forecast overnight don't harm them.

In other news I received my pension statement and DH's went up by just £3 something a month (he does not get a letter - the Teacher's Pension Scheme administrators just leave you to work it out). I've never seen his pension statement so have no idea if they are paying him the extra he paid for as a lump sum. With grim weather today it might be the day to ask him to look and check properly. The increase is only 0.5% but in the context of a pay freeze for most public sector workers this is still good and I am thankful.

I potted on some more seedlings yesterday and am playing tetris this week, trying to fit them all in the cold frame, hardening off. I plan to plant out in a fortnight, or even a little sooner if things warm up

Suffolk_lass

I have been quiet as things happening here. We will have to move our bees from the garden - Friday two neighbours stung, yesterday the neighbour the other side was stung twice and was furious with me. He was strimming by the hedge that adjoins our garden, in the middle of the day on the first warm day. None of which he should have to think about so we will need to move them. I just need a little understanding about the timing of the move as they are re-queening and rather defensive.