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Branch Bees Update April 2020

Dave Bonner inspected the branch bees, so in these times of lockdown, here’s his update:

“I did the first inspections of the Branch Bees on Saturday.  Things are looking good.

Previously I had set them up so that the 5 strong colonies were ready for a Bailey Comb change, 1 medium colony had an empty super on and two were weak.

On Saturday.

4 of the strong colonies had built up dramatically and were into the new brood box, so the next stage of the comb change has been started – with the queen trapped in the new brood box.  Next time the feeders will be removed and a couple of supers put on the hives.

The 5th colony had not got into the new brood box, so I took that away and put a super on. The colony is not strong enough to draw out new comb.  I do not know why that should be.

The medium colony was doing OK and bringing in a lot of nectar, so a 2nd super was put on it.

1 of the weak colonies is starting to grow but the other is declining, I suspect bad Nosema – if there is no progress next time I will be despatching it.

Situation Generally

There is quite a strong nectar flow.  Therefore, a medium to strong colony will require space, so put supers, one or two, onto your hives, drawn comb if you have it, but the bees will draw out foundation .

Give the queen a chance to get a good amount of brood in all stages (end of April) and then think about marking her.  The reason for this is in case you damage her, there will be plenty of eggs/young larva to produce a new queen AND there will be mature drones available for a virgin queen to mate with.

Take care and stay safe.

Dave”

New FAQ Section

Please see our FAQ’s page to see the latest questions and answers from more experienced beekeepers

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How can I access beekeeping advice while Covid-19 restrictions are in place?

Posted by admin on April 5, 2020

While restrictions are in place making it difficult to meet up and share advice / guidance, Coventry BKA is considering establishing a telephone/internet based mentoring system for these novice beekeepers by ‘buddying’ them up with a more experienced beekeeper.

Please check your emails for updates

Categories: Covid-19, General Beekeeping Questions
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I’m a new beekeeper, will there be any swarms available this year?

Posted by admin on April 5, 2020

There are likely to be fewer swarms available this season because of restrictions due to Covid-19, although there may be some.

Coventry BKA will be creating nucs for new members who are waiting for their first bees this year.  If you need bees, please register with the swarm co-ordinator.

Categories: Covid-19, Swarming
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Can I collect swarms during the Covid-19 restrictions?

Posted by admin on April 5, 2020

To confirm CBKA branch advice on swarm collection in these unusual times we are dealing with:

The BBKA swarm collection service will continue, so calls will still be coming in:

“24 March 2020
BBKA Chair Anne Rowberry says: “The swarm collection service will still be in operation during the pandemic.
Swarm collection can go ahead but you must take into account social distancing.
Risk assess the situation and do not take unnecessary risks as health services will be under pressure due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
As always, only collect when it is safe to do so.”

Please use your best judgement when taking a call, and if you can avoid a trip, please do.

Be insistent on identification of honey bees;
Make it clear that honey bees are not protected, and we only offer the collection service as volunteers;
Offer reassurance that the swarm will probably disperse in a coupe of days if it has just arrived;
Only think about attending if the swarm has been there a couple of days or is causing a public nuisance;
Ensure you abide by all social distancing rules;
Do not attend swarms where you have to enter people’s homes

 

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Can I Inpsect my bees with the current Covid-19 restrictions?

Posted by admin on April 5, 2020

You may visit your bees for welfare purposes such as for checking feed or queen cell preparation.

“You must take into account social distancing and safe access

It is RECOMMENDED by your Branch Committee that you

  • print off and carry with you the guidance issued by both the National Bee Unit and also the BBKA.  This is at this link https://www.bbka.org.uk/tending-hives-during-covid-19
    • note that this refers to apiaries which are registered on Beebase ie the locations can be checked/audited.  So if you have not already, GET REGISTERED on BeeBase
  • Take a photo(s) of your apiary sites and have a note of their address/map reference.  You can show this to anyone who is challenging your travel.

 

 

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London Road Apiary update

Dave Bonner has been working hard on his own (keeping up social distancing of course) and has moved most of the equipment from Ryton to London Road.

So the apiary is now up and running and ready for action, but of course our activities are now severely limited by Covid-19.

It was nice to see the bees flying well in the sunshine today, on their new hive stands.

Wolston School Talk

Dr Bill Crofts attended Wolston School to give a general beekeeping talk to the children in March

They were clearly impressed if the reaction of the teacher and thankyou letters are anything to go by.  Well done Bill!

“Oh Bill – what a fantastic afternoon – you were amazing – the children have taken on so much of what you told them – thank you so so much for your time, energy and enthusiasm with this afternoons talk about bees. They were so chuffed with the candles that they rolled and were able to take home with them with pride. An absolutely amazing afternoon spent with you – thank you so so much. ”

Bill later received an envelope in the post with a set of thank you letters the children had written.

Bill Gives talk to Hospice

Dr Bill Crofts attended Myton hospice in early March to give the residents an informal talk on beekeeping.

The talk was well received and Bill received  a nice email saying how interesting they found it, and how they would like a return visit at some point.