Saturday 6 June 2009 Summer Demonstration at Balbinney.
The weather man had given out rain and thankfully he was wrong and we had a very pleasant time looking at Jim’s bees. He started by showing crown boards that he uses to put on top of the roofs when moving the boxes so that the bees were not crushed. I got hold of the smoker to assist and Jim showed his use of wet towels to keep the bees down while examining a frame.
Balbinney was a difficult place to find and the beginners came straggling in to join us and we had a good group of twenty plus around the hives. The bees have had the benefit of oil seed rape also they are situated in a grove of young trees so there has been a lot for them to forage. Adjacent is a field of clover, there may be a gap and Jim will feed some of his weaker colonies.
At the first box Jim saw the bees were preparing to swarm, he moved a new box onto the old site and the other box along side. He found the marked queen, she was not clipped. He picked her up gently with his right hand and transferred her to his left holding her by her thorax. With a pair of scissors cut half of one wing one side and gently put her in a new box with two frames of sealed brood, larva, honey and the rest of foundation. He made sure there were young bees to look after the brood by shaking a frame on top, and then he closed it up. We were interested to see his method of feeding using a seed tray with straw inside. On top also was pollen substitute that Jim had made up earlier in the year and the bees were still feeding on it. We looked at a few other hives, frames of interest passed around to the beginners who hadn’t seen the bee eggs or larva before. Finishing my job at smoking at one hive I turned to see a couple our senior members standing together in front of a hive quite undisturbed about having bees completely coving the top half of their bee-suits. A missed photo opportunity, Jim said to them “Leave the bees behind when you go!”
At the final box the queen was very quick and second time around the frames she was spotted on the wall of the hive. When she was captured and put into a new box she was unwilling to settle by climbing out, but Jim lifted her again and set her on a frame and covered the box with his wet towel. Afterwards Jim invited all to come to tea, there Henry asked for clap of hands to show appreciation of the work in preparation by both Jim and Rosemary. We enjoyed the chat and encouraged our interested ones. An older couple came for the first time as they were being helped by Henry. They have to catch their swam of bees and wanted to know how to look after them. Another couple came with their daughter who stood beside me during the manipulations at the apiary and quietly watched. There were others and we happily talked and got to know one another as well as catching up on news of old friends.
The weather man had given out rain and thankfully he was wrong and we had a very pleasant time looking at Jim’s bees. He started by showing crown boards that he uses to put on top of the roofs when moving the boxes so that the bees were not crushed. I got hold of the smoker to assist and Jim showed his use of wet towels to keep the bees down while examining a frame.
Balbinney was a difficult place to find and the beginners came straggling in to join us and we had a good group of twenty plus around the hives. The bees have had the benefit of oil seed rape also they are situated in a grove of young trees so there has been a lot for them to forage. Adjacent is a field of clover, there may be a gap and Jim will feed some of his weaker colonies.
At the first box Jim saw the bees were preparing to swarm, he moved a new box onto the old site and the other box along side. He found the marked queen, she was not clipped. He picked her up gently with his right hand and transferred her to his left holding her by her thorax. With a pair of scissors cut half of one wing one side and gently put her in a new box with two frames of sealed brood, larva, honey and the rest of foundation. He made sure there were young bees to look after the brood by shaking a frame on top, and then he closed it up. We were interested to see his method of feeding using a seed tray with straw inside. On top also was pollen substitute that Jim had made up earlier in the year and the bees were still feeding on it. We looked at a few other hives, frames of interest passed around to the beginners who hadn’t seen the bee eggs or larva before. Finishing my job at smoking at one hive I turned to see a couple our senior members standing together in front of a hive quite undisturbed about having bees completely coving the top half of their bee-suits. A missed photo opportunity, Jim said to them “Leave the bees behind when you go!”
At the final box the queen was very quick and second time around the frames she was spotted on the wall of the hive. When she was captured and put into a new box she was unwilling to settle by climbing out, but Jim lifted her again and set her on a frame and covered the box with his wet towel. Afterwards Jim invited all to come to tea, there Henry asked for clap of hands to show appreciation of the work in preparation by both Jim and Rosemary. We enjoyed the chat and encouraged our interested ones. An older couple came for the first time as they were being helped by Henry. They have to catch their swam of bees and wanted to know how to look after them. Another couple came with their daughter who stood beside me during the manipulations at the apiary and quietly watched. There were others and we happily talked and got to know one another as well as catching up on news of old friends.
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Newsletter: East of Scotland Beekeepers
May 8th 2009 Spring Demonstration at Barry.
Stan led us to his garden and showed equipment he uses, wax extractor, nucleus adapted on a standard floor that he called semi-detatched. He described how to catch swarms and then took us up to his site on the hill and he just had a peek into some of his hives leaving the bees undisturbed. Talk was endured by a heavy stream of cold rain, afterward we went back to the tent for tea. The beginners met up and chatted with older members who were offering encouragement.
Stan led us to his garden and showed equipment he uses, wax extractor, nucleus adapted on a standard floor that he called semi-detatched. He described how to catch swarms and then took us up to his site on the hill and he just had a peek into some of his hives leaving the bees undisturbed. Talk was endured by a heavy stream of cold rain, afterward we went back to the tent for tea. The beginners met up and chatted with older members who were offering encouragement.
