It has been calm on here, I know, It wasn't so calm with my beekeeping journey though. Nor was it in the rest of my life, but that's not why you're here ;-)
As per usual I'll bore you with another weather report, but I'll keep it short.
Weather Report:
Look back at my previous report from july 2nd, and just paste it in here.The dearth continues... All days ware dry and temperatures haven't dropped under 20°C during the day.
N'uff said...
Hive Report:
Simplex Nuc: As per last report I haven't got any news on this hive. They're still on a stack of 3 boxes and are not using the bottom one. Activity near the entrance is good. I've seen them rob out (but only with a couple of bees) what's left over of the SS 2 2018. So yeah, this post will be the last one to include the SS 2 2018. There hasn't been any more building going on from what I could see, but then again I didn't and won't open the hive any more till 2019 if I don't have to.
SS 1 2018: I took a big risk with this hive. But first things first. I didn't build a new hive yet, and I also abandoned the idea of moving this hive to the 2nd apiary. Instead, I've placed them in one Zander super, much like I did when I first got the Simplex Nuc. As the normal bottom with hive entrance was used by the SS 2 2018 and I don't have any spares; I fabricated some alternative entrances/feeders. You can find a video about it in the future somewhere (as soon as I find the time to edit the video's I've got saved up). So I basically made a box, half a super high, with a hole drilled in that serves as an enterance. I can put my supers on top of it, or I can place the box on top of my supers (depending if I turn the open side up or down). I started off doing both, a box underneath the super and one on top, but with the bottom entrance closed off. The bees were confused at first after I moved them but Nasonov did his work and soon the bees learnt where the hive entrance was. - Meanwhile the SS 2 2018 was being robbed out - After a week I decided to give these bees (SS 1 2018) more room. I removed the bottom box (the half super I built), closed off the bottom entrance of the SS 2 2018 (for more on that read the SS 2 2018 report) and put the super on top of SS 2 2018 (that no longer had bees in it). The bottom I removed I now used as a feeder. I've put in sugar syrup 2/1. They now have had it for about 4 days and yesterday there was still some syrup in there.
I have to keep an eye on this hive since I took the risk of putting it on the SS 2 2018 (read on below).
SS 2 2018: Contrary to what I hoped, there was no queen anymore in this hive. Nor were there any queencups, let alone enough bees to nurture what little brood was left in there. I'm guessing I disturbed the hive too soon with my previous inspection and should've locked the queen up in there for a couple of days since she absconded from a tree (TO 1 2018).
I waited too long to remove the frames and the feeder with a waxmoth problem as a result. I first wanted to leave the hive for the bees to rob, but after a couple of days of inactivity I figured the hive was emptied out. I opened her up the 15th only to find the beginnings of webbing made by a wax moth. I cut out every trace of wax moth I could find in all the frames in this super. With the dearth the patty had dried up inside the frame feeder. Not sure if it'll do the bees any good but I left the patty in the frame feeder and I also left the filler frames in there. Then I put SS 1 2018 on top since I thought it would be a waste to just ditch the frames. I can only hope the SS 1 2018 is strong enough to clean up the mess I/the wax moths made.
If not, I might just have killed another hive. Anyhow, this is the last entry for the SS 2 2018, as of now there will be no more updates of this hive. (well there will be, but look at the SS 1 2018 for that in the future)
Lets's hope the SS 1 2018 makes it and doesn't abscond the hive due to the wax moths.
PC 1 2018: Bring on John Lennon, take a brake and sing along: Let 'em be... That's what I did. No update here apart from a daily look at the entrance. I can report that this hive is as active as can be expected. Pollen is being dragged in, early morning is the best time for nice activity. Another bit of information I can share with you is a way of feeding I stumbled upon for this hive. I've picked it up at my local bee club:
It's a (fruit juice) carton filled up with straw to prevent bees from drowning filled to about 3/4 with sugar syrup. I haven't used this myself, but if I need to feed this hive any sugar syrup for any reason, this is the only way I see how. Winter-feeding will not be possible in this manner, so I hope I never need to feed. Not that I'm planning to feed this hive, but it's nice to make notes of what can be of use, be it sooner or later. I hope the situation here remains the same and I can report back in 2019 with a first inspection or later this summer for a re-arrangement of frames to get all honey on one side.
TO 1 2018: I have not found the time to go back and fetch my hive. Might do so later next week. Let's hope the ladder is there when I do.
TO 2 2018: This hive has been moved from a 6-frame polystyreen hive to a 2 deep 10 frame Zander hive; here's a picture:
I've painted this hive up (also included in the video I'm bound to edit and post soon) and am also feeding these bees a 2/1 sugar syrup. Why did I start feeding 2 hives? Well, to be honest, I probably shouldn't have and instead I should've removed the supers that the bees didn't put to use yet. But I'm a beginner and I'm bound to make stupid mistakes. At the risk of losing bees I've decided to let them have an almost empty super underneath the brood nest and in the hopes of them still building out comb before winter I've started feeding.
Worst case scenario: they fill up the brood nest with the syrup and thus force the queen to stop laying. Let's hope they don't swarm on me if this happens.
JH 1 2018: A beekeeper living less than 300m away from my home (and my apiary 1) has grown an alergy. He does no longer wish to risk his health and decided on getting rid of his bees. He hasn't checked up on them at all but believes he has one strong hive. I went over to take a look, made an offer and we came to an agreement. They are now my bees and I'll move them to my apiary 2 (since my home is too close) where they will be set up next to the hive above (the TO 2 2018) I'm not familiar with the methods my neighbor uses, but by the looks of things he's got the brood box on the bottom with a queen excluder on top of that, and then I can see at least 3 boxes worth of (honey)supers. Moving this hive to my apiary number 2 will be one of my next assignments.
He (and I) weren't sure if another box in his apiary was occupied with a colony - or if it was just being robbed out after it died off, or even if it was just scout bees checking the boxes out. I'll find out when I get to inspect his hives. Planning on paying him soon and taking all empty stuff with me.
LOG 1 2018: A fellow beekeeper gave me a call earlier today. Near his apiary they were cutting down some trees. The workers got chased by bees after cutting a tree down with bees in it. Little did they know the bees were living there. Yes a few got stung... The beekeeper thinks it might be a swarm from his apiary (he's working with carnolians - apis mellifera carnica) but he has no need for another hive, let a lone a log hive. He's offered me the log and suggested to let it be cut open by the workers. I asked him to only cut the tree underneath and above what he thinks would be the nest, and leave it as is. He contacted me after the log was cut open and told me it consisted of two logs stacked on top of eachother now. I'll collect the two logs they cut out on monday. They are now stacked on top of eachother.
I'll try and film the retrieval of this log hive, but no promises! See you then?
Bob Out
