Poorly chicken

[Happy chickens!]

Lucky thing Beesrob! Hope all goes well and remember to report back to us.

[Guest]

Now I'm the proud owner of 10 Zillion workers and one queen, and they are in the hive and feeding.

Collected them this am [Easy Bee] and Mike's instructions were very good and easy to follow. They sat comfortably in their container in the boot, even though we stopped for lunch on route home [100 miles, 2.5 hrs].

When I opened the box to transfer them to the Omlet they went ballistic and were well disschuffed with the whole idea and the left wing attack force gave me loads of grief.

However and given that I had both a inline brood feeder and a super feeder set up for them [with some additional honey added so as to guide them to the nosh] they soon realized that there was free nosh and left me alone.

Later when I went back to collect my tools and shoes there were very few of them outside, which means they have either "Ooops, word censored!"ed off back home [them being west country bees, and Leicestershire being Gods county] or they had found the Barbi and were by the pool with a tinny of 4X.

I am told that I need to keep the feeding routeen going now until they are fat little happy bees and ready to get some z's in before reporting for work next spring.

Only one small issue, I couldn't find the Queen even though Mike marked her. However and given that when I picked them up the box was chocker full of bees I am assuming that she is well and truly ensconced and I need worry not?

Over the next few weeks I'll set up the pathfinder force to sort out the Mites with some varroa death bombs or Tones WMD's [they have to be somewhere]. And spend the rest of the winter gazing out of my study/kitchen/bedroom window

Anybody living near Leicestershire who would like to see the hive now that it is set up please email me. Fraid I won't be able to show you the bees as Mike warned me not to open the lid and let them get on with it. But the Omlet system and the frames etc no problems.

[Guest]

Hi

 

Thanks for the useful information /update, something I would like to do in the near future(after visiting a few Beekeepers etc)/learning good husbandry skills etc... just not got too much time and due to the numerous Rapeseed fields not sure if we are in such a good spot for good honey). Plus other time consuming creatures to look after.

 

But interesting to see how you get along with the Bees & I really hope your Queen is in the midst of it all?

 

Talking of which Ducks are here....off we go again

 

Good luck with it all

 

 

Thanks indie

[Guest]

Day 2

It looks like the Queen is still there as the Bees haven't left for pastures new.

Moreover the crowd I have seem to be very docile as I don't need to smoke them and they are quite happy with my presence at the hive.

However on slight problem, when I put the Hive top back in place yesterday I knocked off the feeder lid which I put in the super. Today I found about 50 or so bees dead in the feed. Bit of gaffer tape now secures the lid.

Also the construction of the Omlet isn't as secure as it might be, and the guys can access the super area through the gap between the lid and the Hive. I thought a bit of draft excluder here might A help the fit, B add extra insulation and C stop the accessing the hive through the top.

Also I am growing quite fond of them as they will walk quite willingly up my hand and I found my self rescuing several half dead guys from the syrup.

Finally there is an outfit Called FERA [food and Environment Research Agency] http://www.nationalbeeunit.com. who can help with practical advice via a local bee inspector

[Guest]

Beesrob is this the first time you have had Bees??

 

Keep posting as really interested to know how it unfolds and how the Beehaus shapes up for your Bees.

 

Good luck indie

[MedusA]

It's very interesting to hear how you're getting on with your Beehaus, beesrob. Beekeeping is a very rewarding hobby, as I'm also finding out this year.

 

One word of caution. At my local BKA we were advised never to give bought honey to bees, due to the risk of importing AFB or EFB spores. You don't say what honey you used, so I'm assuming it could have come from your own colony, but thought I'd better make the point, just in case. Please don't take it a criticism, just advice from a fellow newbie beekeeper.

[Guest]

Yep this is the first time I have kept bees. its a compromise between two pigs [potentiality called Bacon and Loin of Pork] and my wife who wouldn't let me kill them if I got them.

Yep thanks for the advise about the honey, several others have let me know the same thing. The only thing that is my favour was it was only a touch of honey so as to show then the inline brood feeder and the honey was the Co-Ops finest English.

Day 3 and the in-line brood feeder is a big hit and the feeder I put in the super a dead loss [so far]. May be as their were so many casualties yesterday and the bees thought it best to steer clear. However on lifting the lid today I noted that they all appeared hard at work preparing for winter and very few were outside enjoying the sunshine, looking for food. I also took the cardboard that that Mike advised me to fit as the Hive is well insulated and card is not necessary.

Also to test for myself [and thus is not for the faint hearted] I tested the bees by recovering the feed bottle [in which I keep my feed mix 2parts sugar : 1part water or for those us us old enough to care about these things 2lbs of sugar to 1 pint of water] from under the hive, sans protective clothing. It was quite late and as I noted before the bees were few and far between outside the hive. Mercy-fully no stings or even an agitated bee, it would seem that these bees are certainly of the docile variety [as advertised by Mike]. However as they say on the TV don't try this at home.

Next step will be to add bakers fondant to the hive so as to help up their intake of winter stores possibly by Sunday given the autumnal feel to the air. Oh and start to treat for Verroa

Final note, I received with my bees, 5 frames for transportation [National], 2 days in and the bees are showing no sign of using the 5 additional frames I added to the hive which were supplied by Omlet when they delivered the hive [+ the in-line brood feeder makes 11 in case you were wondering].

BTW, Omlet are now offering bees for all those who have purchased their Hives [beehaus] and the services of somebody to come and set them up in your Haus. Have to say that the only thing that would concern me is the timidity of the bees

[chickenanne]

It sounds like you're really chuffed with the bees, which is excellent! One thing I avoid with mine is to disturb them too much: they like being left to get on with it, so feel it's best to only go into the hive with a specific plan of what you need to do. A guy at my local assoc likened it to digging up seeds to see if they'd started growing yet .

[Guest]

It sounds like you're really chuffed with the bees, which is excellent! One thing I avoid with mine is to disturb them too much: they like being left to get on with it, so feel it's best to only go into the hive with a specific plan of what you need to do. A guy at my local assoc likened it to digging up seeds to see if they'd started growing yet .

 

Yep chuffed is the word and I have had two very good bee keepers already warn me about being nosy.

At the moment all I am doing is filling the ILBF so as to ensure they are getting enough for winter. I would like to see the Queen for my self but if that disturbs them or kills them off then I can live with out that experience.

Day 3

Remove the spare feeder as I don't think the bees are happy or want to use it given the amount of feed they are taking from the ILBF. Also noted that their were no bees outside of the hive bar one. It must be the weather. I have also removed the queen excluder as I don't think that it servers much purpose at this point as they are simply stocking up for themselves rather than making any honey for me! BTW the hive was full and thriving so I reckon that they are definably settling to a superior life here in Leicestershire.

Right now for the great experiment. I have recently bought a new Ipod nano which comes with a built in video camera. Apparently it gives direct compatibility to You-tube. So on Sunday I plan to film the feed, the hive and the rest and put it up on You-tube. Link to follow so wish me luck

[Guest]

Sorry day 4

[Guest]

You-tube link

[Sheilaz]

Wow, that looks brilliant Rob. Wasn't able to have sound on, so I'll have a listen tomorrow, but its great to see you, & inside the Beehaus. Thanks for sharing, I'm sure a lot of us will be following your progress.

[Lewis]

Thats a great video beesrob

You see so much more on film than in pictures, and you explain everything really well.

I don't know anything about bees, but you sound like you're really getting into it and enjoying it.

 

More videos of the different stages the bees go through would be good

 

Omlet might link to it in their newsletter if you email them .

[fluffyknickers]

really enjoyed that.

 

Not jealous at all of all your lovely land

[Patricia W]

For some reason I can't get the sound ( and I checked the volume control on my laptop) but I get the idea. You could have hundreds of chickens on that land.... and alpacas...

 

Tricia

[Guest]

Thanks that is a brilliant diary video (& I had the sound on too). Will look forward to the sequel

 

Seriously I have never looked in an active bee hive before(just a vacant wood one). Beehaus looks quite big inside, not that I know anything.

 

Good to watch from a starter point of view. Good luck and thank you for sharing this, very informative

 

indie

[Lesley]

Great video Rob - interesting about the gap that the bee was heading for, under the roof. Do you know if the bees actually gain access or are they just looking? - could be a potential wasp problem next summer.

[pdcambs]

Hi Rob

 

Great video, well done. The gap design flaw is one that the original wooden Dartington hive also suffers from, usually its the space along the frame runners where the internal division board pokes up and stops the middle two supers from meeting flush that causes the problem. I use a green dish scrubber (new) rolled up and held together with a rubber band to fill the gaps.

 

I'm slightly puzzled why you plan on feeding fondant so soon rather than syrup. I use fondant (also sometimes called candy) from the beginning of December when it's too cold to feed syrup. Fondant is the last option during winter to keep a hive that hefts (lifts) light from starving, although I put fondant on all hives in December weather they need it or not, they can decide if they use it. However right now, only because it's again been such a bad year (I usually prefer to leave on honey for winter stores) I'm feeding almost all my hives with syrup.

 

You may struggle to get those other combs drawn now, using an inline feeder. If you can get enough syrup into the hive, and we have some warm enough days, they might draw more combs, but failing that you'll need to keep a watchful eye on them over winter, when they will more than likely need that fondant.

 

I'd also take both the queen excluders and the supers off. To draw comb they don't need a large cold empty space above them. If you do remove the supers it would be nice to also see some more video to see the insulation the main body provides.

 

 

Best of luck

 

Peter

Cambridge UK

[MedusA]

Loved the video Rob! Fascinating to see inside the working Beehaus. Keep up the blogging. As a fellow new beekeeper this year, I keep thinking I might turn my bee diary into a blog at some point.

 

I am so of your fabulous garden. If I had one that big, I wouldn't need the 2 allotments.

[Guest]

Thanks for all the lovely comments I'll let her indoors know as it was her idea.

 

More videos of the different stages the bees go through would be good

 

Thats planed so keep an eye on the forum

 

Thanks that is a brilliant diary video (& I had the sound on too). Will look forward to the sequel

 

Seriously I have never looked in an active bee hive before(just a vacant wood one). Beehaus looks quite big inside, not that I know anything.

 

Good to watch from a starter point of view. Good luck and thank you for sharing this, very informative

 

The Haus is big its designed for two hives, I showed you the second part when I showed the white queen excluders [which were also on the floor as well]. The bees are fascinating and i wish i could spend more time just watching them. I feel quite privileged to be allowed to look into the hive.

 

indie

Great video Rob - interesting about the gap that the bee was heading for, under the roof. Do you know if the bees actually gain access or are they just looking? - could be a potential wasp problem next summer.

 

I think the bees gain access which is why I was planning to draft exclude the super frames [see below]

 

Hi Rob

 

Great video, well done. The gap design flaw is one that the original wooden Dartington hive also suffers from, usually its the space along the frame runners where the internal division board pokes up and stops the middle two supers from meeting flush that causes the problem. I use a green dish scrubber (new) rolled up and held together with a rubber band to fill the gaps.

 

I'm slightly puzzled why you plan on feeding fondant so soon rather than syrup. I use fondant (also sometimes called candy) from the beginning of December when it's too cold to feed syrup. Fondant is the last option during winter to keep a hive that hefts (lifts) light from starving, although I put fondant on all hives in December weather they need it or not, they can decide if they use it. However right now, only because it's again been such a bad year (I usually prefer to leave on honey for winter stores) I'm feeding almost all my hives with syrup.

 

You may struggle to get those other combs drawn now, using an inline feeder. If you can get enough syrup into the hive, and we have some warm enough days, they might draw more combs, but failing that you'll need to keep a watchful eye on them over winter, when they will more than likely need that fondant.

 

I'd also take both the queen excluders and the supers off. To draw comb they don't need a large cold empty space above them. If you do remove the supers it would be nice to also see some more video to see the insulation the main body provides.

 

 

Best of luck

 

Peter

Cambridge UK

 

 

Love the dish scrubber idea, as well as the practical advice about the supers [i'll try that next when I do the Verroa treatment on Sunday]. The syrup v fondant advice was actually a judgment call from another bee keeper, December seems fine/good idea to me.

And BTW thanks for all the advice that's what i had hoped this forum would give me.

 

Loved the video Rob! Fascinating to see inside the working Beehaus. Keep up the blogging. As a fellow new beekeeper this year, I keep thinking I might turn my bee diary into a blog at some point.

 

Please do, the Omlet system is so far ahead of traditional Hives and i hope a new generation of bee keepers come out of its use. Modern media and technology only serves to dispel the crust old foggy image that Keeping seems to have attracted. My daughter [22] has steered clear of the hive and all things bee, but thinks its cool that I have put a vid [her words] on You tube.

 

I am so of your fabulous garden. If I had one that big, I wouldn't need the 2 allotments.

 

Thanks, we run two raised beds and a greenhouse for fruit and veg. I also brew cider from the apple trees and hope to make cheese for the first time this year. The mucky look of the lawn BTW is simply the moss treatment working [two very wet years equals lots of moss]

 

Next video Verroa treatment for beginners

[Lesley]

Rob - I sent you a PM earlier today........

[Guest]

Am I led to believe there were no cover boards supplied with this hive?

 

Surely not the case?

 

I am thinking beesrob needs to read the instructions, before he loses his colony.

 

RAB

[Olly]

I was going to post last night ... if my computer hadn't thrown a wobbly - to ask where the crown board is ... did you take it off with the roof Rob, and we just didn't see it?

[Somerford]

4 cover boards and 2 clearer boards come with the beehaus as the standard kit. this should be enough for the hive for normal usage. The bee escapes are rhombus types which clear supers much quicker than porter types.

 

 

Am I led to believe there were no cover boards supplied with this hive?

 

Surely not the case?

 

I am thinking beesrob needs to read the instructions, before he loses his colony.

 

RAB

[Guest]

'This hive' was referring to this particular example.

 

If there were none supplied it might be an issue to take up with the manufacturers.

 

 

RAB