AJuff Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Woo hoo I've got a nuc of bees coming at the weekend and I'm so excited I don't think I'll sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Congratulations! So exciting to get your first colony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Are yours being delivered over a distance? Apparently I have to open the nuc box and let them have a fly in the garden for a day (!) before moving them into the beehaus! I wonder what the hens will make of 10,000 bees hanging around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 Yes Just read up in Ted's books how to settle the bees into their new home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Wonderful you'll get addicted soooooooooo quickly. I can feel your excitement We are they coming from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 Well my little ones arrived last night and with great anticipation I pulled out the foam from the nuc entrance and . . . . . . . . . . . . . .one bee came out! Oh dear where are they all? It was getting a bit late so i gave them some syrup and put on the roof. I had a bad night . . dreaming of 10,000 dead bees in a box!!!! This morning what a different picture they are out and about! Orientation flights and they are off! I didn't see any return as I had to go to work!!! When i got home it was raining so i feel I've missed out a bit! So after a nice day flying around I transfered them to their new national house! The weather was looking a bit threatening so I transfered them quickly without too much fuss. Five frames of honey and brood, no sign of the queen or eggs but then i didn't look too closely. What I did spot was a queen cell and a play cup! I closed up the hive and I'm thinking of what to do next. I didn't want to remove the cells as I cannot confirm the queen is present without a full inspection. I'd like to leave them for a week to settle in but perhaps i should think of opening up at the weekend??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 mine arrived today - they're due to go in my beehaus tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Ajuff, phone your supplier to ask what you have. Tell him you have spotted a queen cell and ask him for an explanation. Do you have a nuc where all the bees are the queens progeny, in which case there should be no queen cell OR Do you have a made up nuc with brood/bees, stores and an introduced unrelated queen, in which case there might be evidence of a broken down queen cell. If the queen cell is capped then it has only just been introduced into the nuc and you will have to wait for a virgin to hatch and mate before more bees are made......... I hope not and probably unlikely as it is easy to damage an unhatched queen. Are you sure it is a queen cell like this You need to know all this., and make sure she is marked.....white this year,blue last I don't know enough yet really to give you any more advice, RAB drops in frequently and he will know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 Lots of pollen coming in bright yellow and cream. One of the ladies on my course has bought us all a pollen guide so it will be interesting to see what they are foraging on. Checked again today and was relieved to find they were both play cups and saw a very healthy queen! initial nerves calmed. Watched a little blue tit clear up debris fromvaroubd the hive. Must have thought Christmas had come early! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Checked again today and was relieved to find they were both play cups and saw a very healthy queen! Phew!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 What are ply cups just out of interest? Are they cells that pop out a bit but not as much as queen cells? If so, I think I have a couple of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 'play' cups look like acorn cups. They are where the bees start building a queen cell but don't actually complete it. If you have ordinary cells but larger with a domed capping, then they're drone brood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Drone on left and worker on right Queen cup and play cup Drone cells are just exaggerated worker cells while play cups hang downwards, like queen cells Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Hmm, probably drones then- I'll post a photo but I gather i need to leave the bees alone for a week to settle- will post a photo next week! Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 I did read it earlier and was inclined to say either the nuc is rubbish or the poster needs to get a bee book and study it. Hooper is regarded as a good one, although not my favourite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Interested to know which book you'd recommend, RAB? I've got Ted Hooper, which I find very useful for reference, and on the Beginners Course I did a couple of years ago we were given 'Bees at the Bottom of the Garden' by Alan Campion. Any other recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 I wouldn't recommend it to all, but Wedmore is my favourite . Old but reliable. Probably not for the new beeks, though, or anyone who needs to read up on varroa! Regards, RAB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 I borrowed Practical Bee Keeping by Clive de Bruyn. It is a pretty good and along with Bees at the bottom of the garden and notes from the beginners course has been really useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I like Ted Hooper for quick reference. I found two copies of Wedmore in Oxfam. One dated 1932, no dust jacket, alas and one dated 1989 so I bought both for a fiver It is written in the sort of english I was taught and I think it's a wonderful book. At the Hive Entrance by H Storch is very useful for translating what might be happening inside to what you can see outside the hive. A colour guide to pollen loads of the honeybee is a bit of fun. I bought Ron Brown's Beekeeping, a Seasonal Guide on my mentor's recommendation and found it useful, lovingly written.........Describing a late swarm," A phone call from Mr Len Brimacombe of Brixham reported the taking of a swarm on 18 September; it weighed about 2lb and was clustered at eye level on a cotoneaster bush." ...Can't you just see that If you want to do some more background reading,and you will, then Jurgen Tautz The Buzz about Bees is an excellent biology book with some innovative ideas, The Hive by Bee Wilson ( ) goes nicely into some history and there is a lovely little book called Bee Boles and Bee Houses By A M Foster. Well that's a few.... Oh, and you should read Turnbull for a laugh and to make you feel better when you mess up. I forgot Collins Beekeepers Bible; it was a gift and I'm not that keen on it but it does have some nice recipes at the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
