Wakefield and Pontefract Beekeepers: January Meeting

This Monday just gone was the first meeting we had of 2013 and the guest speaker was a guy called Gerry Collins. I think this was the 3rd time we have had him as a guest speaker and, as one of the times before, his talk was on swarming which included various methods of prevention including the Demaree method. I will be trying this method out on my Bees in the near future so won't go into any details here. If you are interested you can either google Demaree or try this link to Barnsley Beekeepers site that explains it very well.

The talk was fascinating and also very long; the usual meeting are scheduled to finish at 21.00, they were still talking at 21.45 when I had to leave to go to work as I was on the night shift. There was a short break in the middle where I got talking to people as usual and also in this time I picked up something I had ordered from a fellow Beekeeper who had organised a bulk order with Paynes Bee Farm. The item I'd ordered was a poly nuc which is basically a nucleus hive made, surprisingly, of polystyrene; not the kind of polystyrene you get goods packed in but a much denser type that is a lot more resilient and weighs more. Below are the photos of it.

The poly nuc

This screws onto the entrance giving you option of open, closed with or without ventilation and with mouse guard included

It came with 2 plastic inserts that you put next to the hive body and the feeder compartment. This one is a Queen excluder.

The hive from above showing the feeder area and the screened bottom.

The other plastic insert completely blocks off the feeder.

In this photo you can see the light reflecting from the clear cover, with this you can look into the hive with the lid off without disturbing the brood chamber too much.

All in all it looks and feels like a quality product. I can't say anything about the operating of it yet but will be able to later in the season but I am very hopeful that it will help me. Also everyone I talked to has said how good they are for creating nuc colonies. Next time you see this hive it should have a happy colony of Bees in it!

Apiary visit 28/11/2011

On Monday I did my first apiary visit since 25th October. In the time between then and last Mondays inspection I have been worried about my buzzy little workforce. Things like have they enough food, have they been attacked by wasps or woodpeckers, has the wind blown the hive over etc. have been running through my head.

When I arrived at the allotment I was relieved that the hive hadn't been blown over but there was a distinct lack of activity outside the hive; I watched for about 5 minutes and saw no Bees. When I had suited up I went into the apiary and at that point saw my first Bee of the day entering the hive, I felt reassured for seeing her. The next thing I did was to gently tip the hive to see if it still had any weight to it and was happy that I struggled to lift it one handed; I have read that this is a good test to see if the have sufficient stores. There still wasn't much activity so I put a mouse guard on the entrance. A mouse guard works in a similar way to a Queen excluder in that it provides holes big enough to allow Bees out but not big enough for mice.

After I'd done everything that needed to be done outside the hive I lifted the top off and had a look inside. The fondant that I had put in last time was almost gone so I added another block of it. At this point loads of Bees flew out of the top and started buzzing round me but not too aggressively; some were flying straight at my face but most were just curious. This was a good sight for me as it showed that the hive still had plenty of occupants. As the temperature was dropping at this stage I decided to call it a day and not open the brood chamber. I didn't want to risk them getting too cold and developing any problems in the brood if there was any still present.

A small amount of fondant is visible at the bottom of the tub

Wakefield and Pontefract Beekeepers: February Meeting

Monday just gone was my 3rd time attending Wakefield and Pontefract Beekeepers Association meeting and my first as a member.


This month the subject was "Preparing for the New Season Ahead" with guest speaker David Aston. In the meeting he talked about the importance of getting ready for the new season. 


Such things as removing mouse guards now that some flowers are starting to bloom and we are having the occasional nice day, the bees are starting their first foraging runs. With mouse guards still in place some of the pollen can be brushed off the bees as they re-enter the hive. At the beginning of the season bees need this early pollen as it provides them with protein needed to thrive.


Also mentioned was the importance of cleaning comb and disposing of old, damaged or diseased comb. This is of greater importance than ever with the recent decline of bees. The best way of disposing of old comb is to burn it as this will get rid of any potential contagion. Also with frames being so cheap it would often be cheaper to replace comb rather than risk infection and end up having to replace whole colonies! 


Other pieces of equipment that were mentioned that need checking before the new season are your smoker, hive tool, suit, veil and gauntlets (heavy-duty elbow length gloves). 
Without a working smoker you can end up working with angry bees as smoke makes the bees think there's a fire so eat lots of honey; they do this in case they need to make a speedy get away and by doing so makes it harder for them to physically sting due to their bellies being so full. He also mentioned another option which is to spray water across the mouth of the hive; the advantage of this is that it doesn't scare the queen as much so she may be less inclined to hide when the hive is opened and if a hive is smoked too much bees can think there is a problem and leave.
A hive tool is essential for removing the comb that bees build to glue everything together, also known as burr comb. It is also used to pry frames apart so inspections can take place.
The suit, veil and gauntlets are all for the Beekeepers safety so are essential. They all need to be thoroughly checked for gaps that bees can get through and kept clean so disease is kept from spreading. There was also recommendation to not use gauntlets where possible and use disposable rubber gloves if needed. By using disposable gloves your are guaranteeing the cleanest possible approach.

There was more talk on bee health and several slides, one including small hive beetles. These little nasties haven't made it to our shores yet (from the other side of the Atlantic) but due to the size of them it would be hard to see them so could be accidentally brought in on something else. In the picture you can see the little black beetles (click to enlarge). The larvae of the beetles can burrow through the comb, defecating as they go, which can in turn discolour the honey and cause it to ferment, thus spoiling the honey! A common sign of this damage is a smell of decaying orange and a slimy froth. If the infestation gets too bad the bees may abscond the hive.


At each meeting there is a raffle and I took part this time for the first time and am happy to report I won one of the prizes. If your number comes out you can choose your prize from a variety of things, I choose a bottle of beer which I shared with my better half when I got home.