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Time to open the hives

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  • 04-04-2015 8:32am
    #1
    solargain
    Registered Users Posts: 330 ✭✭


    The time has come to do a spring check on your hives , weather is promised good for next week.
    How are your hives doing ?
    Had you much winter losses


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    #2
    bpmurray
    Registered Users Posts: 1,275 ✭✭✭bpmurray


    No losses - itching to get going. Plan is to to a quick visit tomorrow to check for herself, clean the floor, remove brace comb and a general spruce up to ensure they're OK for another month or so.


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    #3
    soccercrew
    Registered Users Posts: 116 ✭✭soccercrew


    bpmurray wrote: »
    No losses - itching to get going. Plan is to to a quick visit tomorrow to check for herself, clean the floor, remove brace comb and a general spruce up to ensure they're OK for another month or so.

    Why do you check floors for?

    Is it not best to leave it until late April to check hives. What possibly could you want to see by opening now if there's no major flow. If bees are working, bringing in stuff then there's a queen there.


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    #4
    solargain
    Registered Users Posts: 330 ✭✭solargain


    Open mesh floors need to be scrapped down sometimes propolised , you often find wax moth hiding there. major flow of oil seed rape on here in Cork .


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    #5
    bpmurray
    Registered Users Posts: 1,275 ✭✭✭bpmurray


    soccercrew wrote: »
    Why do you check floors for?

    Is it not best to leave it until late April to check hives. What possibly could you want to see by opening now if there's no major flow. If bees are working, bringing in stuff then there's a queen there.

    Floors in one hive were OK, but the other were completely blocked, needed proper scraping.

    I knew there was a queen - too many bees to just materialise out of thin air! However, just as well I checked - one of the hives was running out of space to lay so I added a brood box underneath (not full - used big dummy board). I also noticed bright yellow pollen coming in - could well be OSR so I'll keep an eye on them to see if they need supers.


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    #6
    MilaMila
    Registered Users Posts: 4 ✭MilaMila


    No losses, but two brood boxes severely clogged with crystalised ivy stores. Not much room for Queens to lay.


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    #7
    solargain
    Registered Users Posts: 330 ✭✭solargain


    Uncap some of the crystalised stores with your uncapping tool and the bees will work it out of the brood nest


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    #8
    MilaMila
    Registered Users Posts: 4 ✭MilaMila


    Thanks. I read somewhere that dipping frames of uncapped crystalised stores in warm water helps the bees to work it. I guess spraying the frames with warm water would do the same job. Might try that.


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    #9
    Mellifera
    Registered Users Posts: 249 ✭✭Mellifera


    Hello! New to this forum, (and to beekeeping), but have already gotten some interesting pointers re the floors! I went in last weekend (balmy 18deg) and tried to find a queen in the four of my five hives that survived. Not a hope, even in the smaller nuc that only had one or two frames of brood...will have to keep trying! Any tips on how to locate her?
    Also, like you, bpmurray, I have one hive that is rapidly running out of space. Am I better to put full brood frame on it or a super for extra room? I took out a couple of ivy filled brood frames and replaced with foundation for them to draw on. Is that enough?


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    #10
    hfallada
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭hfallada


    Mellifera wrote: »
    Hello! New to this forum, (and to beekeeping), but have already gotten some interesting pointers re the floors! I went in last weekend (balmy 18deg) and tried to find a queen in the four of my five hives that survived. Not a hope, even in the smaller nuc that only had one or two frames of brood...will have to keep trying! Any tips on how to locate her?
    Also, like you, bpmurray, I have one hive that is rapidly running out of space. Am I better to put full brood frame on it or a super for extra room? I took out a couple of ivy filled brood frames and replaced with foundation for them to draw on. Is that enough?

    Why are you trying to locate her? You will know she is there if you see them bringing pollen and see eggs. If you see the tiny eggs that are the size of a top of a pin. You know she was there in the last 3 days


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    #11
    solargain
    Registered Users Posts: 330 ✭✭solargain


    If you mark and clip her now you can cut down your inspections during the year , if not you have to go in every 7 days


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    #12
    soccercrew
    Registered Users Posts: 116 ✭✭soccercrew


    solargain wrote: »
    If you mark and clip her now you can cut down your inspections during the year , if not you have to go in every 7 days

    every 7 days now or in may,june,july aug ?


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    #13
    solargain
    Registered Users Posts: 330 ✭✭solargain


    From now , a few Swarms have already been reported from block up brood nests


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    #14
    soccercrew
    Registered Users Posts: 116 ✭✭soccercrew


    solargain wrote: »
    From now , a few Swarms have already been reported from block up brood nests

    bit cold for it is it not?

    Whats the signs of swarming anyway, can one tell if their going to swarm if cant enter hives because of weather


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    #15
    solargain
    Registered Users Posts: 330 ✭✭solargain


    It was 14C here today. Queen cells are signs of swarm preparation. Have you joined an association & done a beginners class?


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    #16
    soccercrew
    Registered Users Posts: 116 ✭✭soccercrew


    solargain wrote: »
    It was 14C here today. Queen cells are signs of swarm preparation. Have you joined an association & done a beginners class?

    Yes but if its under 13c then not able to enter and today where i am, it was under and to be like this for the rest of week. I know QCs are a sign, but what if one cant go in, what then?


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    #17
    tmg52
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭tmg52


    Following the thread from Solargain time to open etc, my single hive on opening was essential dead with a bare cupful of bees still collecting pollen. I was always told that if you see pollen coming in the queen is there, now I know it's not always the case. I found no queen, not clipped having been last seen late Sept early Oct of last year, my original clipped queen from when I started beekeeping in June was lost. I have loads of Ivy crystallized honey. Some keep it for the bees to feed off, will do similar too. Found Chalk Brood in the Brood Comb, read where it can be caused by dampness and / or lack of ventilation. Had small amount of condensation on the roof, had the open mesh closed off over winter and full width bee entrance left open. Hive not in damp location so I am at a loss re the condensation, should I have left part of the mesh floor open. There is also one other thing that I did for the winter and it was I had tied on some 2 inch insulating cavity wall board on 3 sides of the hive, thinking my first hive would have a head start for spring. Wont do it again, told no need etc by fellow beekeepers. With all the Ivy honey stores I didn't give any feed but now know it crystallizes when temp drop below 10 degree, so is it useless for bees when the temp drops and you need to feed them. One other issue re mite treatment, I placed 2 Bayoral strips in 14th Feb when it was a rare warm day, some say I may have lost my queen then. Could I have done better with my management. I now have a new box of bees and hopeful on doing a split so that I have more than one hive to fall back on when disaster strikes.


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    #18
    bpmurray
    Registered Users Posts: 1,275 ✭✭✭bpmurray


    I would have closed off the entrance with a mouse guard - anything could have got inside. You also need to be careful with feeding - "isolation starvation" is the term given to where there's loads of honey but the bees are isolated from it because they won't leave the cluster. That's why you should feed directly on top of the frames over the cluster. They simply couldn't reach the honey.

    BTW, they have no problem eating ivy honey although they need water.


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    #19
    solargain
    Registered Users Posts: 330 ✭✭solargain


    Following the thread from Solargain time to open etc, my single hive on opening was essential dead with a bare cupful of bees still collecting pollen. I was always told that if you see pollen coming in the queen is there, now I know it's not always the case. I found no queen, not clipped having been last seen late Sept early Oct of last year, my original clipped queen from when I started beekeeping in June was lost.

    You most likely lost the queen after this point

    I have loads of Ivy crystallized honey. The bees would not have brought it in if they were queenless prior to that

    Some keep it for the bees to feed off, will do similar too. Found Chalk Brood in the Brood Comb, read where it can be caused by dampness and / or lack of ventilation.
    You will find both where bees have died out

    Had small amount of condensation on the roof, had the open mesh closed off over winter and full width bee entrance left open. Hive not in damp location so I am at a loss re the condensation, should I have left part of the mesh floor open.
    Condensation is caused from warm air rising & hitting a colder surface
    There is also one other thing that I did for the winter and it was I had tied on some 2 inch insulating cavity wall board on 3 sides of the hive, thinking my first hive would have a head start for spring. Wont do it again, told no need etc by fellow beekeepers.

    Unlikely to have made any difference , a lot over winter in poly hives/nucs , but open mesh floor in these are open

    With all the Ivy honey stores I didn't give any feed but now know it crystallizes when temp drop below 10 degree, so is it useless for bees when the temp drops and you need to feed them. If they had enough bees the condensation would have been used to break down the ivy stores

    One other issue re mite treatment, I placed 2 Bayvarol strips in 14th Feb when it was a rare warm day, some say I may have lost my queen then. I don't see why you went into the hive on the 14 Feb , what was it going to achieve. I don't see why you gave 1/2 the recommended treatment at that time of the year either

    Could I have done better with my management. I now have a new box of bees and hopeful on doing a split so that I have more than one hive to fall back on when disaster strikes.


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    #20
    conor t
    Closed Accounts Posts: 154 ✭✭conor t


    tmg52 wrote: »
    Following the thread from Solargain time to open etc, my single hive on opening was essential dead with a bare cupful of bees still collecting pollen. I was always told that if you see pollen coming in the queen is there, now I know it's not always the case. I found no queen, not clipped having been last seen late Sept early Oct of last year, my original clipped queen from when I started beekeeping in June was lost. I have loads of Ivy crystallized honey. Some keep it for the bees to feed off, will do similar too. Found Chalk Brood in the Brood Comb, read where it can be caused by dampness and / or lack of ventilation. Had small amount of condensation on the roof, had the open mesh closed off over winter and full width bee entrance left open. Hive not in damp location so I am at a loss re the condensation, should I have left part of the mesh floor open. There is also one other thing that I did for the winter and it was I had tied on some 2 inch insulating cavity wall board on 3 sides of the hive, thinking my first hive would have a head start for spring. Wont do it again, told no need etc by fellow beekeepers. With all the Ivy honey stores I didn't give any feed but now know it crystallizes when temp drop below 10 degree, so is it useless for bees when the temp drops and you need to feed them. One other issue re mite treatment, I placed 2 Bayoral strips in 14th Feb when it was a rare warm day, some say I may have lost my queen then. Could I have done better with my management. I now have a new box of bees and hopeful on doing a split so that I have more than one hive to fall back on when disaster strikes.

    Wouldn't worry about the condensation, chalkbrood or what way the floor was, wouldn't think any of that affected them.
    Had they brood when you last inspected last year? How big was the cluster in February when you stuck in bayvarol? They should be well able to overwinter on ivy, the only problem is they usually end up with too much stores


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    #21
    Joe Brennan
    Registered Users Posts: 62 ✭✭Joe Brennan


    tmg52 wrote: »
    Following the thread from Solargain time to open etc, my single hive on opening was essential dead with a bare cupful of bees still collecting pollen. I was always told that if you see pollen coming in the queen is there, now I know it's not always the case. I found no queen, not clipped having been last seen late Sept early Oct of last year, my original clipped queen from when I started beekeeping in June was lost. I have loads of Ivy crystallized honey. Some keep it for the bees to feed off, will do similar too. Found Chalk Brood in the Brood Comb, read where it can be caused by dampness and / or lack of ventilation. Had small amount of condensation on the roof, had the open mesh closed off over winter and full width bee entrance left open. Hive not in damp location so I am at a loss re the condensation, should I have left part of the mesh floor open. There is also one other thing that I did for the winter and it was I had tied on some 2 inch insulating cavity wall board on 3 sides of the hive, thinking my first hive would have a head start for spring. Wont do it again, told no need etc by fellow beekeepers. With all the Ivy honey stores I didn't give any feed but now know it crystallizes when temp drop below 10 degree, so is it useless for bees when the temp drops and you need to feed them. One other issue re mite treatment, I placed 2 Bayoral strips in 14th Feb when it was a rare warm day, some say I may have lost my queen then. Could I have done better with my management. I now have a new box of bees and hopeful on doing a split so that I have more than one hive to fall back on when disaster strikes.
    I had a very similar situation. My queen went missing in mid Sept they made an emergency QC but I guess she did not get mated as it was so late in the season. I was so sure all was good within the hive, as there was a good buzz coming from the hive all through the winter. With lots of pollen going in on warm days in early spring. But alas when I did get the chance to inspect there was no brood or queen. What I have learned in all of this is having just 1 colony is useless. If I had 2 or 3 hives
    I would have been able to unite the Queenless colony with a weaker 1. So I have put it down to an expensive learning curv.


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    #22
    Mellifera
    Registered Users Posts: 249 ✭✭Mellifera


    hfallada wrote: »
    Why are you trying to locate her? You will know she is there if you see them bringing pollen and see eggs. If you see the tiny eggs that are the size of a top of a pin. You know she was there in the last 3 days

    Just because I'm new to it really...
    You're right though, there's plenty of pollen coming in and there are eggs. One is nearly full to the brim...Will need to put more brood space on I reckon.


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