NEW BEES!

Unfortunately my bees didn't make it through the winter, with our damp summer, the move and a wasp attack, they just were not strong enough to make it through.  But....today i picked up a a nucleus of bees.

It was last minute as someone on the list above me had dropped out, so I was totally unprepared and in the small hatchback.  Too large to sit the right way in the boot so they were strapped in on the back seat.  The noise they were making, it sounded like they could take off with the box.  

There were a couple of stragglers outside the box, but luckily they were uninterested in me as I drove very carefully! 

 

 I dragged No 1 daughter into helping me.  Suit up!

 Nucleus was placed next to the hive I intend to put them in and I took off the tape and removed the foam releasing the bees.

They burst out of the exit, their frustration at being blocked in quite evident.  The first job they did was to remove a few dead bees, probably natural wastage after being stuck in the box. 

Crusty making friends. 

I thought I would get them a takeaway to help them settle in.  A couple of the girls had a look, but I think they were still too stressed to consider pollen collection.

A bit overdressed for chickens, but while we were out there, a bit of 'chuck chuck chuck' is always welcomed. 

 Hopefully the bees will have a good night and weather permitting, I will put them in their new hive in the next couple of days.

New Hens

Buttercup, chief Rooster.  

During the winter we had to buy some eggs, and it was noticeable how much better our eggs were. So we decided to boost our flock with a 3 more hens. 

All five feeding together, we are going to keep the new girls segregated for a week whilst they all get used to each other and in case the newbies have any disease   

All five again.  The new ones are a White Star, a Bluebelle and a Ross Lohman.  We had an egg already from the Ross Lohman (we think)

Just the girls. 

Buttercup big boy checking up on me, I think he will enjoy a bigger flock, he has always been a bit hen pecked with the other two with him being still quite a youngster. 

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Bluebelle   lovely hen, but the black feet are wee bit creepy!

All 5 getting to know each other

Odette is a White Star, a classy bird, all of the new hens are hybrids.

Rusty and Bluebelle, Ross Lohman and Bluebelle Hybrids

Big Boy Buttercup...posing for the camera. My old girls have been yakking all afternoon, they are not happy about the invasion of their old home.  They have been having sleep overs with Buttercup in his new home, so for 5 nights out of seven their home was empty.  I think they wanted to keep it as a summer home though, as they went on for hours!

Banners Broker: BB World News Flash

Banners Broker: BB World News Flash

New House.

Hi All, We have moved house, which involved moving the top bar in a van fro 4 hours, we were worried before we started, but we had no disasters, no comb breaks, a few lost bees at the old home, but the new bees have settled in grand.  Had a check of them last week, and a wee bit of chalk brood, not much honey, but lots of brood comb.  I fed them with some sugar syrup and we will see how we go from there.  Bees are very active and we have a massive shrub here that they love, although the gardening police want to crop it. 

I don't know what this bush is but my girls and the local bumbles love it. 

On the left is my top bar and Queen Kylie is on her second year, but we have still not had a surplus of honey.  I bought a polystyrene hive this year so I could move a Queen cell in there to double my hives, but as yet, although I have had a few play cells, I have had no real swarm threats.  So polystyrene  hive is an elaborate bait hive at present. 

Buffy and Rhoda are loving the new garden, I am letting them free range as often as I can and I move their run weekly so they always have fresh grass and a new dust bath.   

Mr T made a new run for them, but it is a bit hefty.  ideally, I would like it on wheels with an additional door. But it does keep them in, unlike our other attempts. 

I bought an incubator the other day and some 'fertile' eggs, but I don't think they have been fertile, I may have to get some new eggs.  But the plan is to get more chickens one way or another, which will involve the necessity  for a new pen. So thought I would have a go at building my own. 

Stage One, an old bed frame. 

I decided to go for a triangular shape. Will let you know how I progress. 

Ode to my Puppy and Stokes Bay

I am trying to soak in Stokes Bay before we move to Lincolnshire. The views are awesome, and I am sure Bandit will miss his walks on the beach. 

 Beautiful boy. 

Who is winning Hide and Seek on the beach?

He is, but can Mr T count to 10? mmmmm not so sure. 

Spinnaker is awesome, whenever I am lost its on the skyline somewhere to get my bearings. 

Hive Inspection 1 June 2012

The inspection on 1 Jun 2012 went well.  I was determined to check out the Hive before the street parties commenced for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. After the glorious weather we have been having and after reading Mikes blog about the amount of swarms he has been collecting, it seemed wise to ensure they would not be swarming this long weekend. 

I was pleased to see lots of healthy brood and very little sign of the chalk brood, although we did have to rush the last couple of frames as the neighbours child had come out to play in his sand pit.  JP and I thought we had better get the lid on quick to prevent an incident. 

One of my emergency hair clips in view here, the bees dont seem to mind them.  I have seen you tube accounts of people removing the clips, but once the bees have built comb around them, seems like an extra upset for the bees.  I did add another one on this inspection, the girls had started cross combing one of the new combs at one end, so I snapped it off and started it on a new frame. Although, no pics as we were on stealth mode due to the afore mentioned child. 

 This bar is being filled with honey, and before the end of summer, it will be mine, all mine!!!!

 You can see this clip is well embedded in the structure, to remove it would only weaken the comb.

 You can barely see this brown clip in the middle, the give away is the green wire. So with all this instability of the comb on top bars in mind, and I love my top bar as it is.  But I am moving to Lincolnshire soon and I am concerned that a really big bump may bring all the combs crashing down.  I have invested in a polythene National Hive and I will split the hive with an artificial swarm into the new hive.

 Lots of drone cells on this one, next time I am in, I may break this of as a Varroa check/treatment.

 We didn't see Queen Kylie on this inspection, but I did move the bees and really inspect the combs as I was shown on the Defra Inspection last week. 

 We did find some play Queen cups, on the first sweep we left them, hoping to see Queen Kylie fit and doing her stuff, we did see evidence of tiny larva and eggs, implying that she was about and busy, so before I closed the hive, I nipped them off, I don't think they were charged.

  On this one we saw a bee emerging from its cell for the first time. The next time I inspect, I will do it by video so I can record these moments.

This comb has lots of eggs, and it was the top left of this one that I clipped on with a hair comb as it was cut of due to the cross combing.  

 Is it just me, or is the bee at the bottom left in the gap forming a ducks beak?  Now I see the duck, I cant see anything else.