Today I went over a part of my to do list.
Weather Report:
The weather is finally coming around. Since last report we have had a couple of showers and temperatures are dropping below 20° during the day.
Hive Report:
Simplex Nuc: No change on this hive. Good activity most of the time. And I spotted some orientation flights one day around 16h30.
A good amount of pollen is being brought in, I have no idea if there is any nectar coming in.
SS 1 2018: I spotted some pupae of the wax moth through my windows in the bottom box. There was at least one on one of the filler frames. So I was sure I needed to open this hive up as on my 'to do' list from previous blogpost. The bottom enterance got opened for 3 days to allow the bees to clean the hive through there rather than drag stuff to the top entrance. But this morning I spotted 3 wasps trying to get in there and not a lot of resistance from my bees... So I closed it off again till later in the evening; Where I had a quick look inside.
I started with removing the top box and taking the filler frames out of the bottom box. The feeder frame was still half full, so I decided to move it to the side. I then introduced 4 frames of bees from another hive (PC 1 2018) closed it off with some newspaper and put the top box on there. I then removed the top entrance from that box and checked 3 frames. 2 of them had brood in all stadia so I stopped my inspection, I took out two empty frames from the side and put filler frames there instead.
I then closed off the box with a feeder on top and gave them a mixture of sugar tea.
PC 1 2018: Probably the last report of this hive I opened up the hive and saw what I feared. Only 4 frames where showing bees on it. None of the frames had brood and only 1 had some food in it.
I couldn't spot a queen and as there were no eggs I figured there was no queen anymore. As you can read from the report in SS 1 2018 I put those 4 frames inside SS 1 2018's bottom box and closed it off with a newspaper. I sealed off the normal entrance to this hive and put on the top cover without closing off the hive with inner covers; So there should be light going into the hive and the remaining bees don't have a real home and the returning bees will have to find another home. Without the inner cover, bees can go in and out of this hive as they please, it is no longer a cavity as such.
Why probably? Well after I move the frames of bees over I saw a lot of fanning going on near the hive entrance + a group of bees where gathering around something. I'm now pondering the situation. Shouldn't I have left it all alone? After all, I am promoting the 'let them die' theory... What if they were hiding the queen in there that hid as soon as I opened the hive? What if she just stopped laying because of the dry periode we went through...
Well, I'm not getting anywhere with what iff's right?
Side note... During this inspection I had my friend over who bought a warré hive, he's planning on keeping bees next year and I promised him If I had a surviving colony he could start with that provided we can hang my frames in his hive.
If not, the first swarm call I get goes into his hive.
TO 1 2018: Still need to collect this hive ASAP.
TO 2 2018: Also feeding this hive with the sugar tea. Nothing much to report since I didn't stay long enough to actually watch the bees.
SD 1 2018: So, since I killed off PC 1 2018 using 3 frames from this hive chances are I missed the queen of that hive and put a second one in there ... Who won? I'll let you know next spring. If I find a marked queen (the one I found in Sint Denijs Zwevegem) This hive will live on as the SD 1 2018 for sure. If I don't find a marked queen, that means PC 1 2018 might have killed the swarmed youngster... I feel like I'm getting in over my head here. Pretty sure advanced beekeepers reading all this are going crazy over the mistakes I've made thus far... Anyhow, this 6-frame Zander hive is looking ok, judgeing from the activity in front of the hive. This might very well be the hive I ship over to my friends house, if they make it through winter.
JH 1 2018: OMG, what have I got? Checking on this hive today, it was the only one struggling with wasps near the entrance. Even though the TO 2 2018 has a bigger entrance to the hive, this one showed signs of being mollested by wasps, the TO 2 2018 did not! This hive might not even make it to winter! Let alone through!
So what's on my to do list after today?
To do list:
- Retrieve the TO 1 2018 and make arrangements on what to do next year. (Give it another go or let the home owner kill the bees) - I better inform the home owner that if I am succesfull next year he still could have a problem with mold building up on the frames inside, or mice, or other vermin. I know I have said this is a top priority, but ... without a ladder there and that place being the furthest out of my way... I'm making escuses. I should stop and just go and get my own ladder...
- keep feeding SS 1 2018 and TO 2 2018 till... ? I need to read up on when to start and stop feeding sugar syrup for winter preparations. I could stop any time, I know, but I want the sugar packages I got to be used up before next spring. And after that I do not intend to use any more of those. Or buy sugar to feed to my bees. Sounds harsh? - Such is life...
- Get some video footage up on youtube!!
That's all folks.
Bob Out
