Natural Beekeeping

To populate your Warre bee hive properly you have the choice of purchasing a nucleus, capturing a swarm often with the help of a fellow beekeeper if you’re new to beekeeping or setting up your very own bait hive.

To make your bait hive attractive to scout bees from a colony preparing to swarm you should build a simple box approximately 14”x 15” (40 L) with an entrance hole no bigger than a few inches just above the bottom of the box.

Scout bees see this as a good size home with an entrance that can be defended against potential robbing bees.

Your bait hive will be even more attractive to the scout bees if it’s easier to find. Suggestions included-

. Position your hive at head height or greater to simulate a knot in a tree

. In dappled shade so the bees are not tempted to abscond due to heat

. Place a large white board behind your bait hive so it’s visually more outstanding

However as important is for your hive to have the right scent: that of bees.

If you can borrow / steal used comb from a friendly beekeeper this would be ideal, if not try rubbing orange or lemon peel around the inside of your bait hive.

Lemon Grass commercial bait hive lures are also available, try Thornes. Also if you can, use old wood.

I personally would install top bars from your Warre hive in the bait hive to make later bee transfer easier.

It’s properly worth having a number of bait hives to increase your chances of success, but do please ensure you are able to visit them regularly not only for a potential bee colony, but also to ensure any bait comb is healthy and free from potential problems like waxmoth.

Do please let us know how you get on, photos welcomed and as always any bee hive or beekeeping questions please feel welcome to telephone.

Best regards, David.

PS- I noticed a reader of Biobees found a good bait hive feature, try-http://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/2653/2/Bait%20Hives%20for%20Honey%20Bees.pdf

Stop Press- Registration is now open for the- First UK Natural Beekeeping Conference 2011.

This event is brought to you by the Natural Beekeeping Alliance – a co-operative venture by Friends of the Bees and the Natural Beekeeping Trust. It will be held from Friday 5th to Sunday 7th August 2011.

Please view their websites for further details and registration.

www.biobees.com and www.naturalbeekeepingtrust.org

Many thanks to these two organisations for what should be an excellent event.

Best regards, David

ALL-PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUP ON SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE

MEETING INVITATION

‘Bee Health and Pesticides’

Monday 4 April 2011, 4.30-6.00pm, Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster.

Keynote Speaker:

Dr Jeff Pettis, Research Leader, USDA Bee Research Laboratory

Guest panel:

Dominic Dyer, Crop Protection Association; Dr Chris Hartfield, NFU; Tim Lovett, British Bee Keepers Association.

An open invitation is made to all interested beekeepers to attend the next meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture on the afternoon of Monday 4 April 2011.

Guest speaker Dr Jeff Pettis, Research Leader at the USDA Bee Research Laboratory, will present the findings of his recently published research into agricultural pesticides and bee health. Amid calls for a ban on certain types of insecticides, Dr Pettis‘ work has been widely reported in the British media and debated by MPs in Parliament. This meeting will offer the chance to hear about his research first-hand, as well as his views on how its conclusions have been received and interpreted in the UK.

Dr Pettis‘ presentation will be followed by question and answer panel session – to include farming, crop protection and beekeeper representatives – on the issues raised by his research and the wider factors impacting bee health in agriculture.

It seems to be an open invitation, could be a real insight into Government!

Best regards,

David

There have been lots of questions about the advantages and disadvantageous of the two common woods that you can buy your natural beekeeping Warre beehive in.

Here is a quick summary for you-

Cedar beehives-

+ We use Western Red Cedar. This wood has a high natural oil content, relatively tight grain and this makes it ideal for water resistance and outdoor use.

+ No linseed oil or paint treatment is required.

+ In comparison to Pine, Cedar is maintenance free and will potentially last many times longer.

- The wood is soft to machine / plane and this does mean the finished product tends to have a rougher surface finish than Pine. This is cosmetic only and does not affect the performance of the wood in terms of beehive suitability.

- Cedar is a more expensive wood than Pine.

Pine Beehives-

+ Affordability. Pine is significantly lower in price. On average each beekeeper has 3 to 5 beehives!

+ Its effectiveness as a beehive is the same as Cedar. I did read a feature that suggested Cedar might be a better insulating wood for over-wintering, but I think the strength of the colony and hive position outweigh this suggestion.

+ When regularly treated with preferably Raw Linseed oil (www.woodfinishesdirect.com) the life of the wood can be extended many times.

- The wood needs treating before being exposed to the weather. We do this for you with two coats of linseed oil.

- Ongoing maintenance is required if you wish your beehive to look new and to gain extended life from the wood.

- Typically with the rotation of bee hive boxes, a box could be in the field for up to 3 years. This box would need a good sanding and then two new coats of linseed oil applied.

- Even with maintenance, a pine bee hive is unlikely to outlast a Cedar bee hive.

I hope this summary helps you with the choice of either a Cedar or Pine Warre bee hive. As always any questions please do not hesitate to call.

Best regards, David

It’s been warm and cold and when possible both our garden Warre beehives have been active with bees returning with pollen.

However all this activity does mean what only a month ago looked liked ample stores is now possibly not sufficient, and through the top inspection window on our Warre beehive we can see the bees have physical moved right up towards the top of the beehive and are also active!

Therefore tomorrow (if a warm day) we are going to supply the bees with feed as a measure to remedy what is currently looking like a possible starvation situation before the spring nectar is more readily available.

We are only feeding as my judgement sees the situation as critical; normally we try to avoid feeding.

I will feed a mixture of 1.5 or 2 part cane sugar to 1 part water. The feed will be placed in a bag on top of the hive bars and a small slit put into the bag. A minimum amount of feed will be made available, approx a pint.

We don’t want to over stimulate the hive or clog cells that should remain empty for spring brood. (Initial lack of space could possibly create an early swarm.)

PS- I also use an insulation box with a quilt that is fitted deliberately loose so the bag is not squeezed when the roof is put back on.

Very best regards

David