13 Brentford Rd 6:19 Tue Jun 18
Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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Anyone else got a hive or thinking about it?
We already have a small pond we put in and a wild flower, vegetable & fruit garden with birdfeeders we created out of what was patio and shingles.
We built a hive this weekend along with 20k bees arriving. My wife did a course and went for it. She opened the nuc box (smaller temp transportable hive) last night to transfer them to their permanent home, never seen anything like it tens of thousands of bees, I had the smoker to keep them calm (she has the protective suit) but I had to go in and watch behind an ajar kitchen door as there were literally hundreds of agitated bees buzzing around me with more taking flight as she opened the lid and transferred the frames full of bees and honey to the bigger permanent hive.
We have a small garden so not sure it was the best idea as when the sun is out there are a fair amount buzzing around the hive and the neighbours gardens. She did let them know obviously, god knows what they think
I did voice my concerns, clearly not enough but am strangely fascinated and concerned about their welfare already and have done a crash course last few days using Google and her Beekeeper manual driven by the need to know and genuine curiosity.
Wildlife is vital but in decline, we wouldn't survive very long without bees & wildlife, bees are right up there among THE most important species.
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Replies - Newest Posts First ( Show In Chronological Order)
13 Brentford Rd
8:24 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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That's fine as I don't have a lawn and have a loo in the house as we live in London 🙂
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gph
8:03 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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"I know next to nothing about lawns."
Don't piss on them. Though, as a (near?) vegetarian you might get away with it.
Carnivore urine, although full of plant food, is just too concentrated
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13 Brentford Rd
7:42 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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Cheers mate, yes weren't sure so stuck the feeder on just incase.
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claret upstart
7:35 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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@13 No as they're usually bringing in enough by then. We've continued into early spring before if it is wet and cold. Regular inspections of stores should tell you when you need to. But when establishing a hive as you are, you probably did the right thing to feed a little at first.
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Aalborg Hammer
6:13 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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cholo...get down to Homebase/Wickes and buy some lawn food-make sure the lawn is well aerated (go round with a fork and put holes in it) unless you can run to a lawn spiker..better still,get the lovely people at Green Thumb to pop round...it doesn't cost much once they've sorted it
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13 Brentford Rd
5:14 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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I know next to nothing about lawns.
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cholo
3:34 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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Any of you green fingered freaks know the best way to revive a neglected lawn? It's patchy, cracked and full of ants nests and thistley weed thingys. I don't really want to returf.
As you can tell I'm not exactly monty titchmarsh when it comes to this shit.
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13 Brentford Rd
3:01 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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Ah ha, cheers. So do you feed them in the summer?
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claret upstart
2:26 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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If the super gets filled up and they need more space you can remove a couple of frames for freezing and replace them with empty ones. We check the hives for honey stores throughout the winter on warmer days. If they are low ie eaten we feed with a bee fondant. The frozen frames were literally been hive savers that first year.
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13 Brentford Rd
1:07 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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Probably won't take any honey this year as the wife just wants to keep them alive.
How does it work? If we leave the honey will we still need to feed them in the winter? We have been feeding them since they arrived but found lots of dead ants in the feed so seeing as the bees are thriving she removed the feeder, do you feed in the summer or winter or both or is it dependant on amount of honey?
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claret upstart
12:53 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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Sounds like your hive is thriving. Do you plan to take honey this year or leave it as stores for winter. Our first year with the one hive we left it all but took a couple of capped honey frames and kept them in freezer. Then replaced them on a warm day midwinter when defrosted.
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13 Brentford Rd
9:15 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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Oh no, poor thing.
Our hive is doing so well we are going to have to add a super as it looks full.
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claret upstart
12:22 Tue Jul 9
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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The chicken pegged it today, had over thirty stings on its face poor bastard. Had been giving it water via syringe but found it feet up in the coop earlier on.
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13 Brentford Rd
3:43 Sun Jul 7
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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Ho ho ho.
No idea what she was doing there, we live in Barkingside / Newbury Park FFS.
Another couple (African) also asked my wife if she needed any help digging yesterday, so busting a few myths too.
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Far Cough
3:33 Sun Jul 7
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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Jap Tourist: This must be where that hysterical hairdresser lives, let's take some pics
:-)
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13 Brentford Rd
2:59 Sun Jul 7
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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Amazing the buzz (pun) they create. Everyone I know is fascinated, even our neighbours are asking how they are.
Seems the same with our garden, must ne a dying thing as yesterday my wife was digging in the front garden and people stop and talk and look, been like that ever seen be we dug it over from that horrible grey slate, it's as if poeole have never seen a cherry tree before or flowers outside a cottage, even had some Jap tourist taking pics. An Asian guy stopped and was talking for ages then he came to look at the back garden and saw the hive and was talking about getting one, brought his wife back later, nice Muslim couple who left nvited us round for dinner which we found a bit forward, but nice to see community spirit still exists.
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claret upstart
8:10 Sat Jul 6
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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Yeah we had 16 one time but down to five or maybe four now! Going to restock next spring. We're thinking it's the opening up of the hive that pissed them off as it always does but it may well be the new queens presence geeing them up. In six weeks there will be all new bees in there and they should be as call as the others, I'll let you know. I'm only a couple of years ahead of you experience wise and everybody's hives seem to be different to some extent. Like west ham team selection, so many opinions and everyone thinks they're right!
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13 Brentford Rd
6:15 Sat Jul 6
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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You have chickens too? The wife has wanted them for ages but we don't really have the space. Thinking of moving to a bigger place so maybe.
Wish the Chicken well, your bees do soundcl a bit angry, keep an eye on that queen, I know you're a lot more experienced than us but she may be making them angry, or some of them?
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claret upstart
5:11 Sat Jul 6
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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We checked today and they have accepted her which is good. Didnt half piss them off though. A load of them attacked our chickens and stung one of them at least thirty times probably going to die. Will check later. Never heard of that before.
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13 Brentford Rd
3:55 Sat Jul 6
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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Indeed. How is the new queen getting on then?
A bigger bumble bee must have tried to get in our hive as found it dead just outside the entrance. Poor thing
would have had no chance.
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claret upstart
3:50 Sat Jul 6
Re: Beekeeping / wildlife garden / encouraging wildlife
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13 we have done this twice now without a problem though what your mrs says is generally true. Our new queens come in a small plastic box with some nurse bees in attendance. The entrance is plugged with sugar which the bees eat through to get out. It takes a few days by which time the resident bees have accepted the new queens pheromones. Otherwise they would likely kill her. Amazing creatures to learn about.
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