Blog – bees, beekeeping & other sticky subjects

Zigzagging?

Last week, The Guardian newspaper ran a story Government bee scientist behind controversial study joins pesticide firm in which it reported that Dr Helen Thompson will leave the UK Government’s Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) to join Syngenta, one of the pharmaceutical companies that has been heavily involved in the bee and pesticides debate.

Concern was expressed in some quarters about scientists “zigzagging” between the regulators and industry and the impact this might have on Government policy.

Dr Max Watkins, Technical Director of Vita, who might be expected to be uncomfortable about such switching is in fact very relaxed about this move. “I know Helen Thompson quite well from my contact with FERA over many years. Helen is a prominent scientist in her field, and of whom I have the highest regard. Her professionalism and integrity have never been in question. I wish her the best of luck in her new role at Syngenta.”

The idleness of drones

Idling drones.

I never realised that drones could be quite so idle!

Every day, in the middle of a frame in the observation hive is a cluster of drones, twenty, thirty, sometimes more … sitting or perhaps standing (I don’t know which) doing absolutely nothing — except maybe keeping some brood warm.

Meanwhile, the workers scurry around them, only stopping to bury their heads in cells to clean them out.

The Queen, which I usually see as a fast-mover in an opened apiary hive, ambles about in the observation hive and can be surprisingly difficult to spot. If she happens to be laying an egg, I cannot see her abdomen, so she remains virtually invisible.

Today, the first batch of worker brood has emerged, so the hive is looking much more populous already.

The summer nectar flow appears to be over, so as the hive increases in population I wouldn’t be surprised to see a queen cell or two appear soon.

Update: Idelness explained

Turlough, Vita’s Guest Beekeeper Blogger

A job that just had to be done

The summer nectar flow is continuing, brace comb has been appearing all over the observation hive and the glass has became murkier.

Windows cleaned, new furniture installed.

So I braced myself for what I knew would be a tricky job: how to replace frames in the hive, remove the brace comb and clean the windows without turning the office into a frenzy of evicted bees.

It’s quiet in the office now, but it was a bit of a struggle.

I removed the the entry tube and quickly sealed both ends and removed the observation hive to the garden below.The returning foraging bees began to collect by the entrance on the wall because they couldn’t get in. So far so good.

Meanwhile I started opening the hive gently — then forceably –because the bees had propolised lots of the joints. Fortunately, the glass withstood the pressure. I moved the frames to a sealed nucleus nearby and started the rapid cleaning job. I’m glad I hadn’t left the job any longer as things were becoming quite sticky and stained inside.

I then re-installed the brood frame which was stacked both sides with solid worker brood — the first batch of which must be ready to emerge any day now. I inserted two partially completed super frames from another colony, sealed up the hive and returned it to the office.

Doors closed!

It was then the problems started! Removing the parcel tape seals from the entrance and exit tube was — how shall I say it? —  a little clumsily and sluggishly done. Bees escaped into the office. I’m glad no-one telephoned as I’m sure it would have been quite audible if I’d answered.

Then the bees wouldn’t go through the entrance that is part of the hive. I think a little pool of water in the tube was a major deterrent. I drained that, but still the bees outside were slow to come in because they couldn’t find the entrance easily — it was protruding from the wall by about three inches.

Eventually all that was sorted, and the bees in the office left by the window and all is now quiet — well nearly.

There was at least one casualty: a poor wasp investigating the frames in the open air became trapped in the observation hive as I closed it up again and was last seen racing around the hive pursued by very annoyed bees.

I’m left with one of the most complete frames of honey my bees have ever produced — although not competition standard, I’m sure. The glass sides of the hive have meant that the frame they filled is beautifully straight-sided.

Almost too good to eat!

Turlough, Vita’s Guest Beekeeper Blogger

Murky picture tells a story

I must apologise on behalf of my observation hive bees for this very murky picture, but it does tell a story.

A murky picture tells a story: a drone emerging into the colony.

The first drones have started to emerge today and you can see how grimy the inside of the observation glass is becoming. The colony has been behind the glass for about one month now.  I would spring clean it, but that’s easier said than done, since it would unleash bees in the office unless I move it elsewhere which will cause another set of problems!

Drones are certainly living up to their lazy reputation (oops, slipping into anthropomorphism here!). They are the only bees in the colony that will stand around doing nothing — all the workers seem to be constantly on the move — or busying themselves at the bottom of a cell.

The Queen meantime is more leisurely than I expected. She ambles around, occasionally dipping her abdomen into cells to lay eggs. Unlike the Queens I’ve seen in regular hives which when opened usually show the Queen scurrying around running away from the light, the Queen in the observation hive seems unperturbed when I remove the hardboard light covers to watch. She doesn’t automatically retreat to the other darker side.

Now I must make plans to clean the glass which is very murky in parts.

Turlough, Vita’s Guest Beekeeper Blogger

Never rush royalty

Healthy slab of worker brood

I should be more patient!

Last week I thought the queen in the observation hive had failed to mate properly and was a drone-layer. She had laid two slabs of drone brood with no sign of worker brood, something I had never seen a newly mated queen do in a full-sized hive before.

So I (wrongly) assumed she had not mated properly.

Well, of course she knew what she was doing and a healthy slab of worker brood has now been laid (picture on left).And nectar is pouring in too, so I may have to think about exchanging a frame to make sure they have space.

Two super frames almost filled with honey. Note the drone brood in the bottom right of the lower super frame.

Vita’s Guest Beekeeper Blogger