Blasted bees..fume... rant

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Blasted bees..fume... rant

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sally_in_wales
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Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Sat Sep 17, 05 7:08 pm Post subject: Blasted bees..fume... rant

Last week we took a super of nice combs off the beehive, fitted a clearer board, and left them round the other side of the house to clear off before we extracted the honey. We knew something was up when we realised they just wernt leaving, but its been so busy we just left them for a few days. Now my MIL has just rung to say she's had a look at the combs and the blinkin' bees have brood on them, which means we have a titchy queen this year that can wriggle past the queen excluder. Hope she's not in that super too cos after a week I dunno if the hive will want her back.
Its never simple with critters is it...pah!
Will have to go round after work tomorrow to try and deal with the little madams

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 05 6:26 pm Post subject: Re: Blasted bees..fume... rant

sally_in_wales wrote:

Hope she's not in that super too cos after a week I dunno if the hive will want her back.
Its never simple with critters is it...pah!
Will have to go round after work tomorrow to try and deal with the little madams

I hope they were ok. Is it true that you can introduce a new queen from a different hive to take over an existing one? If so do you need to do anything special and where do you get the queens from?

sally_in_wales
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Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 05 7:27 pm Post subject:

Just got back from seeing to the little primadonnas. What I think is happening is that we have a laying worker up there- seems to be mostly drone cells which is unusual at this time of year- but effectively spanners the whole honey crop for us. Oh well, we slavaged a couple of combs so we have a couple of jars of honey which is better than nowt- we never take much off them anyway.

I have no idea if the hive will take this particular super back now though.

It is possible to requeen, but you need an experienced beekeeper to oversee the proceedure. We tend towards minimal intervention beekeeping, mostly because the girls nearly killed me a couple of years back (three stings on the face simultaneously, out of body experience, blue flashing lights, interesting hospital drug cocktail and all that). I still love my bees but I no longer rummage through the hive on a regular basis, just in case

barefoot_boo

Joined: 06 Aug 2005
Posts: 399
Location: Wiltshire

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 05 7:31 pm Post subject:

sally_in_wales wrote:

...three stings on the face simultaneously, out of body experience, blue flashing lights, interesting hospital drug cocktail and all that). I still love my bees but I no longer rummage through the hive on a regular basis, just in case

Flipping eck! you're a braver woman than me - wouldn't catch me within 20ft of 'em!

sally_in_wales
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Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 05 7:38 pm Post subject:

A couple of people have said that to me, I dunno what it is, but I've never been at all afraid of the concept of death. Dont fancy the actual process much, and will be seriously hacked off if I don't reach at least my 110 birthday first, but I don't see why I should stop keeping bees just because they might possibly kill me if I get it wrong. So I just suit up well, do what has to be done and no more to them, they've been good as gold since except for this weeks resusal to make nice orderly combs of honey for me to steal from them

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 05 8:12 pm Post subject:
I assume you're reasonably allergic to bees then. How often do you visit your bees and how often are they opened up? We have thought about the possibilities of keeping bees on another plot.

sally_in_wales
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Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 05 8:19 pm Post subject:

I beame sensitive to them gradually. The first year or so, the odd sting just was uncomfortable, then a whole limb started swelling up (had a hand that looked like a blown up rubber glove once), but I really think the only reason why I had such a bad reaction was multiple simultaneous stings on the face. I havent been stung since but I'd put money on the odds being good that I would have no worse a reaction than before my whole 'take tea with the reaper' episode. Usually bees will avaoid stinging, and our get handled gently and infrequently and usually cause no trouble to anyone, though they are great guard dogs. Ours live in my MILs garden, and she lives alone, but never has any uninvited guests due to a 'beware of the bees' notice on the gate.

Fiveravens

Joined: 20 Aug 2005
Posts: 46
Location: Co Kerry

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 05 10:10 pm Post subject:

I've kept bees for over thirty years - at present I have fifteen hives, and I recommend it as a rewarding hobby for anyone - unless he or she is allergic or hypersensitive to stings, when it can be a very dangerous occupation. I think it's really too complicated (and fascinating) a subject to deal with adequately online: I suggest getting in touch with your local beekeepers' association - they always welcome beginners. In the meantime, read up: R.O.B. Manley's books on the subject are the best, especially "Honey Farming".

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Sep 19, 05 5:59 am Post subject:

We had a few bee hives at school and neighbours with them in the past. I'll always remember the day when I watched a swarm fly round our garden and settled on one of our fruit trees. I've only been half stung once and that was my fault as I squashed the poor bee by accident when playing football.

Bees are definitely top of our list of livestock when we get somewhere bigger. As soon as we do one of us will be enrolling in a bee keeping course and we'll contact the local beekeepers' association.

One problem, my OH, Bugs, hasn't been stung by bees so is there a way to test your reaction? Similar to an allergy test doctors do for food allergies?

Alchemist

Joined: 02 Mar 2005
Posts: 123
Location: Aberdeenshire

Posted: Mon Sep 19, 05 7:54 am Post subject:
When I did my beekeeping course, the lecturer actually recommended a test was done if you hadn't been stung before so presumably it's fairly routine. I never got around to looking into it any further , but I bet if you contact your GP, he'll know.

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