Same here!Ah.. thot it was goin tae be aboot touring Scotland and Midgies.
Is that even possible……??
AFAIK each hive will have a single queen and they are larger than the normal bees so shouldn't prove too difficult/onerous.Is that even possible……??
They're quite easy to pick up between your thumb and forefinger. They don't sting and you just clip off a small part of the end of one wing. That way when they leave the hive with a swarm they fly around in circles. The swarming bees give up and return to the hive.Only if you can catch the b*ggers first!
Yes, you could but it's quite a big ask. I've got eight hives and to spot the signs of swarming it's necessary to go through each hive in some detail at least once a week. And, then, if those signs are present it's a reasonably big job to sort out so they don't swarm.
If you were to read up on it then when they are swarming they are at their least likely to cause you any concern and once settled in a tree or similar even lesser concern than the less concernI wish the beekeepers at our allotments would clip the queens wings at or before the swarming period, its a bloody nuisance when they do swarm, everyone gives up working on their plots and has to go home.
One year we called up one of the beekeepers (supposed to be an expert) when his bees were swarming everywhere, when he eventually appeared and saw the massive swarm, he just stood back and said......Ah! isn't nature a wonderful thing!
I thought it was because another queen bee had been born, and only one is allowed to live in the hive, its a fight to the death to see which one stays. They sometimes swarm and the queen attaches itself to something like a tree branch, and thousands of other worker bees follow it and surround it in a great big living clump.
I need to read up more on this, as I want to try and get the beekeepers to do something to stop the swarming, especially for those who claim to be allergic to bee stings.
LES
Well, you can take precautions to reduce the likelihood of swarming but swarming is the way bees reproduce so that's a strong urge that will always be likely to surface in the end. The trick is to try and manipulate the hive so that the bees think they've swarmed - that takes practice, skill and time. No-one gets it right every time.I wish the beekeepers at our allotments would clip the queens wings at or before the swarming period, its a bloody nuisance when they do swarm, everyone gives up working on their plots and has to go home.
One year we called up one of the beekeepers (supposed to be an expert) when his bees were swarming everywhere, when he eventually appeared and saw the massive swarm, he just stood back and said......Ah! isn't nature a wonderful thing!
I thought it was because another queen bee had been born, and only one is allowed to live in the hive, its a fight to the death to see which one stays. They sometimes swarm and the queen attaches itself to something like a tree branch, and thousands of other worker bees follow it and surround it in a great big living clump.
I need to read up more on this, as I want to try and get the beekeepers to do something to stop the swarming, especially for those who claim to be allergic to bee stings.
LES
I ought to add, I have never clipped nor have I ever sugar fed bees (unless it was a late swarm and i imported pollen infested icing sugar for that purpose)
Yes, I confess, I'm a little uncomfortable about clipping the queens' wings. But I keep bees in my garden and I do not want to upset my neighbours, possibly frightening them, by having them swarm when I'm not available to try and collect the swarm.
Yes, I've had a bait hive around for a couple of years. No interest has been taken in it yet but I think it's a reasonable precaution to take.
Unfortunately mine did upset some neighbours.
There are local Beekeeping associations which are probably a better source of helping each other out.
That is an interesting idea - a kind of hive swap. I can see a problem though, my other half's not terribly fond of them!
You may jest.Many of us take our pets, dogs, cats, parrots, away in our vans, just a thought!
Reminds me of clipping chicken wings, only do one otherwise they just flap harder and can still make it over the fence.
I did once see a camper van in Tobermory with chickens in the back and we take our dog with us.Many of us take our pets, dogs, cats, parrots, away in our vans, just a thought!
I wasn’t trying to put any side of a picture. I am trying to be a responsible beekeeper and solicit ideas from others on how they marry their hobbies of beekeeping and motorhoming.My other half TinaL is the Site Rep at our allotments, we have many beekeepers across the many allotment sites here in Surrey Heath.
It has become a requisite to show proof by way of a certificate that anyone wishing to keep bees has the correct knowledge of how to keep bees before allowing them to bring hives to the allotments. They also have to erect small fences around their hives and place safety notices giving out contact details of where the can be contacted.
We have learnt several lessons about allowing beekeepers to take up valuable plots on the allotments, as they are primary there for people to grow crops,& cultivate regularly, however we have had instances where some were only interested in keeping their hives and not maintaining their plots, allowing them to become overgrown & weed infested .i.e A bloody eyesore & nuisance to the neighbouring plots.
Having had one (expert) Beekeeper vacate his plot due to moving overseas, we had the mammoth task of clearing the plot to make it ready to be handed over to a new tenant. We discovered that his plot was not only covered in weeds but also Rhubarb & Globe Artichoke plants, as apparently the bees love these plants, it took us volunteers ages to clear, only bonus was there were plenty of Rhubarb plants to be shared out afterwards.
All we can do is ask beekeepers to be mindful of their bees swarming, and try and manage it better, we appreciate is a natural occurrence, but we are sick & tired now of all the complaints we receive from other plot holders each time it happens, its almost like TinaL is being accused of not managing the beekeepers strongly enough, in other words not doing her job properly.
There are children at times on the plots, they should be fully supervised at all times, but we all know what kids are like, we are just hoping that they stay away from the hives, and not throw sticks at them!
I think that after many years of managing the site, TinaL is on top of things, but you cannot please everyone all the time, and when someone gets stung, you never hear the end of it, and the list of their allergies etc.
I know beekeeping is a rewarding hobby, and Bees are great pollinators etc lucrative also at £7.50 a jar, but its a pain in the posterior to everyone else that not interested, especially after a swarm episode.
What are we supposed to do, carry an Epi Pen round our necks, we have already been asked when we are going to have defibrillators on every allotment site, everyone know we have a first aid kit in our shed, its not unusual for us to have run out of plasters & anti histamine cream for nettle stings & insect bites.
Boots The Chemist springs to mind!
Sorry just had to give the full picture from all sides.
LES on behalf of TinaL Allotment Site Rep.
and then get a motorhome if it’s an issue, it’s a little alien to me that you actually cut a part of the queens wing off. Maybe it’s just me, but man can be quite cruel to nature for our own gains.Well, there's lots of issues with using a motorhome and other aspects of your life. That doesn't mean they can't be managed with a little thought and compromise.Most people take their pets on holiday with them …….
This clipping and then flying around in circles, sounds quite mean
Why keep bees
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