Talk on Wednesday
Aidan Slingsby
Not a bee celebrity this time... but LBKA have a nonetheless
interesting talk on bee venom immunology. Get your (free) tickets from
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lbka-winter-lecture-bee-venom-immunology-tickets-56169180531
Aidan.
Tamir Lkhagvaa
--
EL-Beeks is the East London Beekeepers group
http://thesundew.co.uk/el-beeks/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "East London Beekeepers" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to el-beeks+u...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send an email to el-b...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/el-beeks.
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/el-beeks/CAKb5uYTKf3tq9cotKvY8kagVtTjR_0cMjYPkX-7pVXonZQumUg%40mail.gmail.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Eric Beaumont
Hello, Tamir.
Bad news, but glad that you remain positive.
A few questions:
1 What varroa treatment was done late last year?
2 Were bees stuck in cells head first?
3 Was a mouse guard on the entrance during winter?
4 Did bees have shrivelled wings?
Before doing anything ese, seal the hive to prevent robbers. If the colony died due to disease it may be spread to other colonies.
If you would like a second pair of eyes, send me pics of combs and bees to WhatsApp on 07941 776798.
BW,
Eric.
To post to this group, send email to el-b...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/el-beeks.
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/el-beeks/CAAVf5xxCPQa4tw%2BHGXAqFHW0cqQ42smU_aj2rnC389gDwDD6GQ%40mail.gmail.com.
Tamir Lkhagvaa
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/el-beeks/5cb43a07.1c69fb81.6744a.8367SMTPIN_ADDED_MISSING%40gmr-mx.google.com.
Eric Beaumont
Tamir,
Thanks for photos.
No signs of deformed wing virus, which would suggest a heavy varroa load.
No signs of dysentery. Which might suggest dysentery or nosema.
No sign of mouse damage to combs (mice demoralise and disrupt colonies, esp. small ones).
Critical point: Handful number of bees were stuck head first.
This is a classic sign of starvation. In this case, isolation starvation as stores were available in combs, but the bees were unable to move to them.
I suspect that the colony went into winter too small; bees need enough bees to create a self-sustaining mass which can move slowly onto stores. A small nest will be unable to generate enough heat to support itself, and is doomed.
The problem may have arisen last year because between about July and September drought prevented the production of forage nectar. Without income, a queen is likely to cease laying and I heard of many queens that went off lay for this reason. However, it is at this time of the season that the queen would be expected to produce sufficient winter bees to allow the colony to survive in strength.
The solution to this would have been to feed syrup slowly during the drought to maintain a laying queen. Even without this feed, a quick check in December or January may have found a tiny colony struggling in a big box, and a quick transfer into a smaller poly nuc may have raised nest temperature sufficient to allow them to survive.
A polynuc is one of the most useful tools for beekeeper, and if need one the BS Honeybees box is the best on the market; it may be bought from Park beekeeping (though it is not the same as the Park poly shown on their website). Video of BS box use here.
If neither of those reasons apply, it may be that the queen was failing and was unable to lay sufficiently in the late summer to produce winter bees.
The stores and empty drawn frames may be kept sealed for later use; I would burn or dispose of in sealed bags the frames containing brood.
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/el-beeks/D945462E-0296-420A-BBA6-A018EC7D26CE%40gmail.com.
Eric Beaumont
Tamir,
In your text you suggested that the colony was a late swarm on two frames.
In my view, there were insufficient bees to enable them to survive winter in a full brood box; they are likely to have thrived in a polynuc.
The box must match the size of colony, whether that means the use of three brood boxes in high summer or one three-frame nucbox in winter. Though your loss is painful, the best outcome is to learn from it and prepare to start again.
A bait hive may collect a swarm: set up a hive and put into it clean drawn brood combs; fill the rest of the box with frames of foundation; avoid using frames of honey as this may attract robbers and spread disease. Wax moth may get there before a swarm and destroy the combs.
Reduce the entrance to a small gap and put in the floor varroa screen. Tom Seeley’s research (google) into ideal swarm locations suggest: 40 litre box, small entrance, solid floor.
Last summer in Haggerston we collected three colonies that way. You will not guarantee the temper of the bees, their disease status or whether the queen is mated or a virgin, so be cautious and check. If in doubt ask for experienced eyes to check for disease.
You will appreciate that as a nuc of bees costs about £200-280 these days that beekeepers are reluctant to give away swarms, but you may be lucky.
BW,
Eric.
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/el-beeks/5cb4fe1b.1c69fb81.e9b2f.3c75SMTPIN_ADDED_MISSING%40gmr-mx.google.com.
Jojo Tulloh
On 15 Apr 2019, at 09:00, 'Eric Beaumont' via East London Beekeepers <el-b...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/el-beeks/5cb43a07.1c69fb81.6744a.8367SMTPIN_ADDED_MISSING%40gmr-mx.google.com.