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I have nasty little stinging buzz monster bees
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goosey



Joined: 29 Apr 2009
Posts: 380
Location: Merry England
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 09 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I would have done the same thing Mrs B, and gone for the swarm. I know how keen you were to get your own bees.
Yup, trust your instinct. Easier said than done sometimes, though, isn't it.

 
Mrs Baggins



Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 837
Location: West Kent
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 09 11:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yeah goosey - will certainly trust my own instinct in future but the main piece of advice I've been given by the bee-keepers I have met is that I know nothing and should only ever do what I am told.

Just have to strike a balance between weighing things up between what am told and what I feel. Easier said than done when your are a beginner.

 
goosey



Joined: 29 Apr 2009
Posts: 380
Location: Merry England
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 09 11:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Maybe you are a 'natural' for it, and have a feel for them which book learning doesn't give.
Sounds like your neck of the woods is a black hole beekeeping-wise ,when you get a bit more experience, all the newbies will be ringing you for advice

 
Mrs Baggins



Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 837
Location: West Kent
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 09 12:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yeah goosey - and I will help them out! Bees are in enough dire straits without new beekeepers being put off.

I brought up the complete lack of support for new beekeepers at my last meeting saying that I could completely understand why so many newbies give up in the first year and asked what we could do to welcome newbies into the fold and help them get started.

They told me to stand for the committee at the next AGM.

I told my tutor the same and that I really felt isolated as a beginner.

He shrugged his shoulders and told me that being on my own wasn't a bad thing and that if I didn't like the clubs available - I should set up my own.

Both missing the point methinks.

Shame though, 'cos beekeeping is an art as far as I can see and arts should be handed down from master to apprentice.

 
Mrs Baggins



Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 837
Location: West Kent
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 09 12:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I have just been offered a queen. Nice and gentle by all accounts. Hopefully have her next week-ish.

Time to hit the books again so I don't get her killed when I introduce her to the hive...

 
TheGrange



Joined: 12 Apr 2009
Posts: 874

PostPosted: Wed May 27, 09 1:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Mrs Baggins wrote:

Also - Has anyone got any ideas on what I could put on MrB's arms to soothe them? They are not too puffy 'cos I gave his some piriton and homeopathy right away, but his arms are still a mess...


without meaning to be pedantic honey?

 
Mrs Baggins



Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 837
Location: West Kent
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 09 2:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

LOL Grange. Tried it.

 
Ginkotree



Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Posts: 2956
Location: south west wales
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 09 5:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I was advised to get some Anthisan to have handy now the hive is at the farm, apparently it is very good,
lavender is a soothing oil..


I have to say that I admire your handling off the whole situation, it does seem like you have a natural instinct for bee keeping,keeping your heads and staying cool at a time like that is amazing.Quick learning Curve!

 
Sally Too



Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 2511
Location: N.Ireland
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 09 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Wow Mrs. B. Hope Mr. B's feeling better!

We are so far behind you ...... but hopefully it won't be long now.

Good luck with your new queen.

 
Mrs Baggins



Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 837
Location: West Kent
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 09 10:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Hi Sally! It won;t be long for you now! MrB is ok thx. Just felt a bit goose-bumpy all day and his arms are a mess to look at, but they are getting better.

Got lots of hope pinned on the guy who said he might have a queen for us. Am really nervous about introducing her to the hive. I need to get a Butler cage and put a plan together on how to do it.

 
Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Thu May 28, 09 5:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Wonder if her daughter will be like her mum?
This is the reason I like the look of the top bar hives (Still only reading about them & not using any yet) as you are only ever exposing one bar at a time & not splitting a hive by moving boxes off the top first before you start an inspection.
The way we keep bees isn't the most natural & as it seems that the hardier bees seem to be the smaller narkier ones maybe we should be modifying our methods & not our bees. (Speaking generally not personally to you MrsB).

 
goosey



Joined: 29 Apr 2009
Posts: 380
Location: Merry England
PostPosted: Thu May 28, 09 6:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yes Tav

I am in the process of making my own TBH at the mo, with a lot of advice woodwork - wise.

I originally became interested for money reasons, but the more I found out, the more I decided it would suit me and the bees better.

So I go regularly go to the club to try and learn Best Practice in national hives, there are really good folk there. I need to be sure on the principles of how the colonies live before I get my bees.

The honey looks to be trickier to extract from TBH comb, but it's only for us, so no prob. Also, I think as more ppl use them in Britain, better ways will evolve.

We are told 2 colonies are better than 1, to get thru winter, so maybe I will be able to afford a national then, and compare the different hives.

However, I am terribly excited about my first TBH, I'm trying to scrounge a bit of 'old' comb to tempt any passing swarm!
Hopefully they will be nice girls, not the type which Mrs B have.

Keep you posted.

 
Mrs Baggins



Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 837
Location: West Kent
PostPosted: Thu May 28, 09 8:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I wanted very much to start with TBHs for the reasons Tav stated. I eventually decided to start with Nationals to at least start with BS hives so I could buy nucs if I wanted to and get advice form other bee-keepers 'cos no-one else keeps TBHs.

My plan was to start with 2 Nationals (which I have done) and make two 48" TBHs (which I have yet to do).

That way I will have extra hives if I need to split a colony again or catch a swarm and whichever method of bee-keeping I prefer - I will probably stick with.

Goosey - It is common for a colony to supercede its Queen after they have swarmed. That alone can make them narky and mine are showing strong signs of wanting to do just that. Also we have loads of OSR here and it has just gone over and we'd just had a thunderstorm the previous day...

We were just unlucky with that inspection and bees are usually okay. Please don't let it put you off. If I was given another swarm now, I'd re-queen it without hesitation.

It's all very well for more experienced bee-keepers to gasp at the notion - but for new bee-keepers it is by far the most sensible thing to do.

Tav - I am going to give the new queen in colony 2 a chance. I suspect she will be okay until she is pushing an a bit and there is obvious discord in the hive. If she raises a colony that is problematic - I will re-queen her too.

 
jamanda
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 09 6:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Mrs Baggins wrote:
Yeah goosey - will certainly trust my own instinct in future but the main piece of advice I've been given by the bee-keepers I have met is that I know nothing and should only ever do what I am told.

Just have to strike a balance between weighing things up between what am told and what I feel. Easier said than done when your are a beginner.


The one thing that was drummed in on my course that if you ask three beekeepers the same question you'll get six contradictory answers. ie - there is no one "right" way of doing anything - but lots of options some of which will work for you, and some which won't.

We were never told this is the way to do it, but this is a way of doing it, and usually a different way too.

 
jamanda
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 09 1:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Jamanda wrote:
Well, it is recommended by some that you don't get random swarms with no idea of their origins, especially as a newbie.

I knew my bees were gentle before I got them as I had visited them in the local association apiary many times before they were ready to bring home.

This is NOT a normal experience of bee keeping. I know I've not been at it long, but I've only got stung once and that was by a bee that had got blown into my curly hair and got stuck. I have never had a bee, either my own or at the apiary even try to sting me when I've actually been bee wrangling.


Well this was tempting fate wasn't it? One stung me today - but only one. And I'd been rootling through for quite a while. Her maj was in the upstairs super I'd taken off and I was looking downstairs in the brood box. I was nearly to the end when they decided they'd had enough. I could tell they were getting ratty - they'd been purring like a kitten before but started to get agitated. Then one stung my hand through my latex glove. With Mrs B's experiences fresh in my mind I put it all back together pronto - no more stings, though one chased Sean, who was hanging about with no suit on, away. She left him alone once she thought he was at a respectful distance. I've left them so cool off, and will pop back in a while to tidy up properly.

Do you think they could tell the queen wasn't there any more and that's what upset them? Didn't see any more obvious queen cells - loads of brood and drone cells but no big ones.

 
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