Chook n Boo Mum Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 I thought I'd got double vision! I'll let you know how the construction goes. It LOOKS simple ... but I haven't really got it out of the box yet. Is it out & built yet.... ? I have a pair of handy men (well one man DH and a man-let DS !!) here who like tinkering with wood, so to put something together is no problem. Ideally I would go to the BK auction which is in 2 weeks time & try to pick up one secondhand but I can't make it - unfortunately DH's college reunion is that weekend I know where I would rather be (and so does he!!) Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Nope! had visitors today, but tomorrow morning I want to make a start. What's the BK auction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Our local Bee Keepers association have an auction of secondhand bits & bobs. I'm told it's usually quite a good event to go to as a newbie. Shame I won't Any news on the flat pack? - Sorry just re-read the date of posting Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Well I was planning to start the flatpack this morning but due to various interruptions today I didn't get started till 8.00 pm tonight and didn't like to go on banging nails in with hammers for long (I have neighbours to think of). So not much so far! My next opportunity will be Tuesday night at this rate. Grrr! I'll let you know when things progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 First sting on Sunday! Not my bees, but on an Assoc apiary visit. It managed to sting me through my trousers... yep, my first sting was on my poor old bum (a large target for a bee, admittedly). I can gleefully report that I'm not allergic and it didn't hurt any more than nettle-rash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Ouch! bet you're glad it's out the way though, I'm a bit scared of being stung in case I react badly. Note to self, however cheap a flatpack is, it's not cheap enough. My DIY skills are minimal, as has been proved today! It's too late to post pics, I'll put some up later in the week though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 Ouch! bet you're glad it's out the way though, I'm a bit scared of being stung in case I react badly. Note to self, however cheap a flatpack is, it's not cheap enough. My DIY skills are minimal, as has been proved today! It's too late to post pics, I'll put some up later in the week though. It was just a time thing for us - we just found the first one so time-consuming that we vowed to find a ready assembled one we could afford. Apart from Carl's famous bee sting episode ( - wish the camera hadn't been on the charger) he has been stung when crouching down - there had been a bee at the back of his knee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 My husband has never been stung by a bee or a wasp and would like to find out before he thought about having bees whether or not he is allergic. How he has got to his mid forties without being stung I don't know because he is always outdoors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Did you know....if you are stung by a bee, don't automatically swat is off ....endure the pain and let the bee unscrew it's barbed sting from your skin...it will then carry on it's way and may not die ! And bumble bee stings are not barbed, so they do not die once they have stung you....every cloud has a silver lining!!!! I read this in Monday's Daily Mail but can't find a link to it! Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missuscluck Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 We have accuired a swam last week. Thought they were probably our bees but its a huge amount of bees and on inspection of the 3 existing hives it seems non of them are depleated in any way and the new bees are browner than our black bees. They took a whole day to come round to the idea of getting in the skep and then going in the hive but now they are in and settled and seem quite happy. There is a fence post near to our hive. We have had ours swarm to it once or twice and this is the second swarm of someone else's bees that we have had from this fence post. It must have a good bee smell on it that attracts them to it. A lucky find for us Our bees seem to be doing really well this year. Just thinking about doing a jar order Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I'm just back from our latest meeting (a talk on agrochemicals...sorry is that spelt correctly ?) I've met some almost neighbours who are taking delivery of their hive and bees tomorrow, guess where I will be visiting soon!! They also have chooks...oh so much in common.....and the best bit, I found out that someone in the group is giving up bees...not that that's good, but they will decide what they want for each hive and colony and if the price is right I will have one of them I am so excited again Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 How lovely to find near neighbours with bees and hens!! - I hope you manage to have a full hive of bees ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 I've been away for a week and in my absence my neighbour has been offered 2 swarms - but we've had to turn them down as we don't have a hive. My task this weekend is to order one. VERY EXCITED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 24, 2009 Author Share Posted May 24, 2009 Our new swarm has cleared off!!!! We went through our main hive last evening and then decided to have a quick look and see how things were going in the new hive......they'd been fine on Friday........just a handful of bees last night We either didn't get the queen or they decided to move on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 How disappointing Lesley, do they often do this once they've been put in a "new" hive, with or without the queen? Maybe next time Daphne ! Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 25, 2009 Author Share Posted May 25, 2009 I spoke to the beekeepers and they said it was probably a mating swarm and the queen hadn't mated when we collected them - and after the queen had been mated they flew off again...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 I've heard that's pretty common: that they will go into the hive, particularly later in the day when they know they need to find somewhere soon, then if it isn't to Her Majesties liking they disappear off somewhere else after a day or two. Not much you can do about it, unforunately! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I dont know if anyone would be interested but the website below is selling the full bee keeping begunners kit for £199 they say the hive is a "slight second" what ever that means. I am going to my first BBKA meeting on sunday! wooo vectis-apiculture.co.uk/page4.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 The book I'm reading at the moment is a novel called 'Tales of Protection' by Erik Fosnes Hansen. In it the owner of a large house keeps bees and he talks about clipping the queen's wings. He says it is so if the queen decides to swarm then she will drop to floor and the swarm will drop down near the hive with her. This means they can be scooped back up and put back into the hive. Also during inspections she won't fly off. Is this an old practice? I've not read anywhere in any beekeeping book about clipping queen's wings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 people do still do it particularly if you're rearing a queen I believe. The one I saw was just cut nice and straight across both wings I think. Makes doing a hen seem quite easy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Clipping the queens wings' is still absolutely standard practice - here at least. As you say, it is to give an extra "safety net" if you lose a swarm. Mine isn't clipped, but is marked (a queen with a painted dot on her thorax is much easier to spot in a hive full of bees than). I think I might clip in future. Lots of people recomend practising marking and clipping on drones first - damaging a drone isn't a problem, whereas losing a queen is, and they're bigger than workers so will stay in the queen cage whilst you do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowcloud Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Been a while since I posted here; was waiting for my hive and suit to turn up. They arrived last week, so I made a stand for the hive and set it up in the garden. I was on the local swarm list, then a friend called me to ask if I wanted some bees that were on his allotment. I thought 'why not?' , so went down, got them in a box and brought them home. Managed to get them in the hive, like the books say, and they have been there since Tuesday night. I was SO lucky with the timing, and they seem to be staying put; so hopefully I got the queen too. I am trying to not to check on them, to give them the idea it is a safe place to stay. I gave them some sugar solution that first night to get them started, but since then the weather has been glorious, so I think they have had plenty of opportunity to go out and forage too. Very excited. Just goes to show that there is a good chance of getting a swarm once you let people know; especially the local BKA. Here are my new bees in my new hive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 How did you make the stand? I've got my hive - even assembled it, I keep meaning to post some pictures - but for some reason I'm now a bit nervous about going ahead with bees. I need to email the local secretary and tell him I'm ready, in case a swarm comes in, but I keep putting it off! Part of the problem is that I cleared an area of garden but then realised it's not as well screened from the neighbours as I thought, and I really need to tackle that before I put a hive there. Well done Snowcloud, I hope they settle in ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 30, 2009 Author Share Posted May 30, 2009 I dont know if anyone would be interested but the website below is selling the full bee keeping begunners kit for £199 they say the hive is a "slight second" what ever that means. I am going to my first BBKA meeting on sunday! wooo vectis-apiculture.co.uk/page4.html I haven't looked but just adding that a 'slight second' beehive should be fine. A good price for anyone starting out. We've put our hives on a stand made from concrete blocks and a large plank of wood so that they are fairly high up......base is knee height .......and we've added the Thorne's alighting board so that they have a runway into the hive. Enjoy your first meeting Toots! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Looking good Snowcloud Mine hasn't arrived yet and I'm getting impatient. My neighbour is going to do the assembly and make a stand. I think I'll ring them later for a chivvy. Olly - have you 'handled' bees yet? I expect you have but just in case why don't you ask your local BKA if there is a hive you can inspect, under supervision. I found it gave me all the confidence I needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
