Pollen in bound

Today has been the only day in last week forecast for sun and the next five days look like rain too, well according to my I Phone!

I took this film earlier this morning it was showing 6 degs, so bang goes that story about bees only flying when it's warmer than 10 degs

If you look closely you can see the bees flying in pollen, I wonder what plant is giving them that bright orange pollen?

Anyway they seem a bit happier with me, as you can see they let me up close to the hive without seeming to notice me, maybe just maybe they will let me cut the grass! :-), well they might but the weather won't it's raining again, I make that everyday bar one since the hose pipe ban started!

Umbrella beekeeping

I was rather hoping that I might get some good weather over the weekend so that I could transfer the new colony into their new home, but no joy, in the end today I decided that come what may I would need to transfer them, Aman's cricket match for Surrey 2nd XI was cancelled so he volunteered to help.
So armed with that vital piece of beekeeping equipment, an umbrella, we set to, the smoker then decided to go out with the lid off the nuc, had to move a bit quick as the bees were less than impressed, no detailed checking of the frames, just get them in the hive and close up quick. But couldn't help but see what looked like queen cells, will have to be on my guard, this was a swarm last year so the queen may well be past her sell by date, can ill afford them to swarm again, now caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, I shouldn't really disturb them again and looking at the weeks weather forecast it seems to be rain and more rain, but I really need to get in there and look!
Later I did take a quick peek in the other old colony two, didn't take any frames out but could see the bees were limited to just one bee space, time is running out for this colony, so if I have got some queen cells in the new colony them just maybe I can kick start another colony?
I wonder if I can wait until next Saturday to check out the colonies for real?
What I do know though is that the new bees looked pretty hacked off with me, hope they have short memories!

Bees all belted up

I think I have been here before, an early morning drive from Gillingham with a colony of bees sitting beside me in the car, this time though the lid wasn't secured, is no sharp breaking! Journey home successfully negotiated, but decided as such a miserable day will leave them in the nuc and keep fingers crossed that better weather is here on Sunday or Monday so I can transfer them into a hive, at the same time can check up on the old colony, not that I am expecting to see much in there.

These bees seem a lot darker in colour, they are a swarm that was caught late on last year so they may not survive through to summer either, Clive the supplier refused to take any money for them which is a sign surely that he's not 100% convinced they will make it through! Oh well nothing ventured nothing gained. On opening the door they were soon out and about checking out the local area, one even decided that perhaps she need a lift back to Gillingham, either that or she has good taste in cars :-)

Still no sign of brood!

Inspected the bees again this morning, a glorious day out, plenty of activity, amazing how busy so few bees can look! 

Lots of pollen loaded bees flying in, but on opening hive still no sign of any brood or larvae and as for eggs, well my eyes have never been able to see them! On the plus side the queen seems bigger, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

If she doesn't start laying soon there will be no replacements for all those flying bees, their expected life in the air is only two weeks, so numbers will start dropping drastically!

I have ordered another colony, dropped off my nuc box last Saturday and should be able to pick it up next weekend.

If this colony does die out then will have to sterilize the hive ready to accept another nuc that I have also ordered which should be ready sometime in May. Must remember to buy some more wax foundation so I can recondition the old frames.

  

She bee back!!!

Here she is, you can also see dead brood and hatching bees

Ok a bit like Arnie, except this isn't the same queen bee that's back! The little ladies continue to surprise me, when their backs are up against the wall they come up trumps, seems they created a new queen out of nothing, just how did they do that I certainly can't see any sign of queen cells! The will to survive is a powerful force.

Not all plain sailing now though, the new queen isn't laying, so hasn't had her virgin flight yet, which is probably just as well because there are no drones in my hive, understandably! Just hope there are some in other hives locally at this time of the year, otherwise she is going to end up like Queen Elizabeth I and rather than it being the end of the royal line it will be the end of the hive with no new bees to take the colony forward into the new season :(

I doubt the mixed up weather is helping her cause much either, two mornings of frost interspersed with great flying weather!

On top of which the hive is full of granulated honey which the bes will have to work ten times harder at to convert into wax to create new breeding cells. Perhaps time to give them a helping hand put in some new foundation and feed them up with sugar solution?

Finally what to do with all that surplus granulated honey in the brood cells! Perhaps a call to the bee mentors is on the cards.

OMG, the unthinkable is happening!!

The unthinkable is happening, my bees are dying!!!!

"One of the Few", RIP

I was watching them on Saturday morning busy flying to and fro, even flying in pollen, so as the afternoon was nice decided I would have a quick look inside, to my horror hardly any bees, maybe a thousand, but where are all the dead bodies! Looked twice through the frames and no sign of the queen, very little brood cells, what there was were dotted about, but many bees seemed dead hatching from cells, see the black spots on photo.

The hive was full of honey and pollen stores so they can't have starved, I think perhaps are this changeable weather confused them, if you recall they were flying on new years day. The over wintering bees aren't supposed to fly much so that they live through the winter, unlike summer bees that only live 5 weeks, think mine just flew too much, wore themselves out and died, meaning numbers went down and when cold snaps happened, not enough bees to keep the colony warm and then more died including the queen!

So much for my plans of colony expansion this summer! I will have to start all over again.

Hopefully I have managed to secure an over wintered nuc which will give me a good start and just maybe I will get some honey this year. Have also booked another nuc for May time, I need two colonies as a minimum in future

What do bee keepers do when bees are snow bound?

Answer, well of course they clean their fish tank, ok absolutely nothing to do with bees, but it's been a slow old day, not ventured outside other than to get a puncture fixed, ok a new tyre! And this was my therapy, pre clean and post clean.

The devils brew :)

The mix has been taken, one tea spoon each of the black molasses sugar, aspinals organic cider vinegar and lastly but not least my honey, it looks a strangely disconcerting mix in the bottom of my mug.

Adding half a cup of boiled water and it's looking like that old football half time favourite of bovril, I can't remember the last time I drank that, but I do know this tastes nothing like it! The rich smell of honey hits the senses first, followed by the sweetest tasting hot drink I have ever had, no sign of the cider vinegar in that!

I first gave the tonic ingredients to Paul back in the summer as we walked around the boundary of "The Field of Dreams" one Saturday afternoon, four days later his text read something along the lines of, "your cure, f*****g awesome", so fingers crossed will be back later in week with a positive update :)

Another first I'm sitting on train doing my first mobile update! Photos won't load, that will have to be later.

Molasses, cider vinegar and honey

Some might remember my cure for gout, well don't think I have it, but big toe on right foot playing up so decided time to test it out.

Didn't find dark molasses but have it on good advice from Paul Miller that the sugar version does the trick.

So first dose tomorrow morning, all is ready on the kitchen side to remind me.

Watch this space, who knows it might just work.

Bee Rescue

Well another snow storm and the bees are covered up, popped out and uncovered the entrance so could fit the snow porch. Plenty of dead bees inside, but will leave them bee until weather improves, never good to open hive when it's like this, they are usually ok, they can keep hive at 25 deg, so can do without me opening it up and letting all that heat out.

Maybe their energy can be harnessed to solve world's energy problem? :)

One kamakazi bee did decide to fly in -1 deg but she just flew into a snow drift, tried to get her to go back into the hive, but you know what these women are like! :)