Dec 18
The Poly Hive blog as gone under some major reconstruction today, 15/12/12. With the site becoming very popular in such a short amount of time even though the site was still under construction and time to make the changes was very short I am happy to announce the site is finished. Actually the layout is finished, but the good quality articles, guides and stories will keep coming.
I will try in this post to give you some quick tip’s on using this website to it’s full potential.
Jun 04
What should you be aiming at at this time?
Giving the bees what they need. Which translates to:
Have they a decent laying well queen?
Has she enough room? If not how do you know and what can you do about it? Is there empty space on either side of the brood nest? If not give it. Foundation if need be as they will pull it out as required to comb.
If the bees are on a full brood box or double brood do they need a super? I super on eight frames on a single brood box and at 16 on a double.
Have you enough kit to deal with swarming and a plan to work with when that first cell with grub is seen?
Remember bees expect what is normal for them which may well be at odds with your thoughts, learn to think like a bee!
PH
Jun 03
Sustrans.
I cycled part of the Cloud trail today between Breedon on the Hill and Wilson villages. I met a pair of tractors working bashing down the undergrowth on either side of the trail.
The vegetation they were knocking down has in my view no impact on the usability of the trail, and was achieving no useful purpose what so ever.
What was being achieved was the destruction of (approx calc) 3.5 square miles of quality bee pasture and a considerable carbon footprint being stamped on the ground. Large tractors burn a fair bit of fuel, some 14 gallons per hour for the two machines involved. Needless expenditure of time, fuel and effort. All to achieve a negative result.
The benefits being negligible, the damage being considerable, Sustrans needs to have a think here.
Sustrans tell me they have commissioned ecologists to review their program, to which I would say they have better get a move on to save the rest of the forage from destruction. It’s not just honey bees being adversely affected but moths, bumbles and goodness knows what all else is being deprived of their nectar.
Poor show all in all. Very poor.
PH
Jun 02
Just a reminder to the newbies to the craft that when bees get going they can move at a very rapid clip.
One of my colonies last week had four frames of brood. However there were a lot of bees so I gave them empty combs each side of the nest and one in the middle as they had enough bees to cope with that. Please note if you are at all unsure how to judge that kind of strength then you do not have the knowledge to judge the moment.
This week, 8 frames of brood.
Just be aware that you need to give the queens space to lay.
PH
