It's a warmish day - about 11c - with light westerly winds and pleasant sunshine.
I noticed that the bees in the three hives in the garden were active, so Mrs Novice and I went on a bike trip around the other hive sites (about a seven mile round trip).
The polyhives on top the containers at the edge of the field are a-buzzin'. In December when I applied Oxalic Acid (as a varroa treatment), the polyhive with the plastic frames was the most populated - and today it had a thick stream of bees waiting to get back in through the single bee-space that I had allowed them (to keep out wasps, at first, and then mice).
So all is good. I will give them a feed in a couple of weeks and add in some pollen substitute to encourage the queen to get laying.
I noticed that the bees in the three hives in the garden were active, so Mrs Novice and I went on a bike trip around the other hive sites (about a seven mile round trip).
The polyhives on top the containers at the edge of the field are a-buzzin'. In December when I applied Oxalic Acid (as a varroa treatment), the polyhive with the plastic frames was the most populated - and today it had a thick stream of bees waiting to get back in through the single bee-space that I had allowed them (to keep out wasps, at first, and then mice).
So all is good. I will give them a feed in a couple of weeks and add in some pollen substitute to encourage the queen to get laying.
Posts
Hurray!
ReplyDeleteHurrah!
ReplyDeleteDitto!
ReplyDeleteI've been reading about the attempts to breed and bring back the native black British bees. Are you or your association or those around you involved in any way? Just wondering how close to the local beekeeper the progress is.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your hurrahs!
ReplyDeleteJoan -- yes, there are several attempts in the UK to breed back the black british bee.
I'm not involved, and neither is my local branch. I'll post anything I find out.
There is so much mongrelisation (hybridisation?) that it's a tricky task. You might want to read about the Buckfast bee -- that's a big success story and these bees are exported around the world.
Yes a few of our local beekeepers have used the Buckfast bee. I'm glad to hear the black bee may come back. I use Carnolians. What are you using?
ReplyDeleteJoan, I use whatever arrives in the swarms I collect! Plus whatever increase I make from the hives I have. So I guess you could say that they are all local.
ReplyDeleteYou can buy Carnie queens and they are said to be very gentle bees, BUT the first or second cross with local bees can give you the colony from hell.
So given my stinginess and wanting local bees, I won't be buying exotic queens.