Troubles with my bees

[Chick]

Well well, my bloody disloyal queen has beggared orf with about one third of my hive. So I am now trying to order a new one. The last one cost ?40.00 and my new supplier doesn?t believe in clipping her wings so the new one might just beggar orf as well. Time will tell.

[????]

blooody women

[Frankito]

What is your work/ life balance policy?

[dbboy]

Off with her head on Peckham Rye Common then!!!!!!!!!!!!

[maxxi]

If she took off with only a third of the hive she must reckon the rest as slackers - doesn't bode well for the future.

[Chick]

New queen purchased and installed after three continuous weeks with no new brood. So I am 95% certain there is no other queen in the hive but at ?40.00 for a new queen it?s a bit of a risk.

Will keep you all informed, I am hoping to see new eggs/brood one week from this coming Saturday.

[Alan Medic]

How would the arrival of a large trampoline look to a queen bee? Have you thought about that? I bet you haven't!

PS

Do the RSPCA have anything to say about this habit of clipping a bees wings?

[dbboy]

?40 was cheap,a friend was quoted ?100 for a queen bee.

[Alan Medic]

?40 isn't cheap if it flies away. Chick has probably paid ?80 for the same well trained homing bee.

[Chick]

Do the RSPCA have anything to say about this habit of clipping a bees wings?

No but the RSPCI might. Will check.

[maxxi]

Fit the little dickens with one of these and see if she wanders...

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSST9NnddFGTY2Ec9QGwe1gDMsZRNxaZmIeWFR1QVoN2AWFJYAN

[Chick]

For GM bees?

maxxi Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Fit the little dickens with one of these and see

> if she wanders...

>

> http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSST9NnddF

> GTY2Ec9QGwe1gDMsZRNxaZmIeWFR1QVoN2AWFJYAN

[maxxi]

Noooooo, a tag is not just for teenagers it's also a way of keeping tabs on wayward little queens. Keep her under hive arrest.

[Dulwichmudlark]

hope there all behaving there selfs know the secound nector flow is just starting so that should keep them busy

[Chick]

I fitted the new queen last Friday and was thinking of an inspection this Saturday but think I will leave it for another week. What do you think?

Thanks

dulwichbeekeeper Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> hope there all behaving there selfs know the

> secound nector flow is just starting so that

> should keep them busy

[Dulwichmudlark]

i would check to day to make sure she was released from her cage

[maxxi]

Has your new Queen taken off again?

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,688223

[Alan Medic]

Given the news on the other thread Chick, does your lost Queen Bee have any identifying marks?

[Tarot]

Good luck with your new bees,if you can grow some lemon balm, and plenty of Lavender they love it,flavours honey well too.

[Salsaboy]

Any news?

[Chick]

Sorry to have taken so long to post.

4/6/11 No new brood (bee grubs) queen not seen.

7/6/11 As above.

9/6/11 bought new New Zealand queen from Hastings 40.00 pounds

10/6/11 installed new queen.

23/6/11 no new brood but lots of bees. Queen seen and ok.

2/7/11 new sealed brood and queen seen

16/7/11 three frames of sealed brood and queen seen. Only about 7000 bees in hive.

I wont get any honey this year unless we have a three month heat wave. This is my second purchased queen. I don?t know what happened to the first. I suspect there was already a virgin queen in there and she would have killed the older queen. I have had at least two swarms this summer.

Virgin queens mate while flying. Several drones, male bees with no sting, from different hives go on mating flights and find a virgin queen. They find the queen from smell, bees are very sensitive to smells of all kinds, some are trained to sniff for explosives and drugs. Seven will mate with her giving her all the sperm she needs for life. Then they drop to the ground paralysed.

[Chick]

23/7/11

Inspected my bees once again and still good news. There are now 5 frames of sealed and unsealed brood. I would estimate about 8000 bees in the colony. No sign of veroa or wax moth. Since it?s not very warm I have reduced the physical size of the hive by removing the honey box (called a ?super?) which helps them stay warm and reduces stress so they can concentrate of producing worker bees. The honey box had a little honey, maybe about a pound and I left that out, all the honey has been eaten by wasps.

[Dulwichmudlark]

chick have u got a quilt for ur hive helps brood rearing buy traping the heat in freeing up the bees do do other things joe

[Chick]

No but will make something up from buble wrap. Thanks for the tip