Finally buzzing off......

I'm sad to say that after much paper shuffling I now have my departure date for Qatar. My last day at work will be Friday 15 February, and I will fly to Doha on Thursday 28 February. Again sadly Thursday 28 is the day of the 'Introductory Meeting' for new recruits at Elvaston village hall and I won't be able to make it. Hopefully Tim, Alison and a few other TBH converts can be on hand to offer advice and support to anyone thinking of taking up a more sympathetic approach to beekeeping.

I would hope that the small, but enthusiastic, core of DaDBeep members will continue to fly the flag for a differing approach to beekeeping and maintain the fledgling local network we've created.

If the weather improves I will try to visit a few of you before the next meeting to drop off some posters for the 'Introductory Meeting'; if not hopefully I'll catch-up with you on Wednesday 6 February.

Cheers for now
Boyd

February Meeting Plans

Hi all - have spoken to the lady that takes bookings for Elvaston Village Hall & 13th Feb is booked, so is most of the rest of February - only dates available around that time are 7th, 22nd, 28th or 1st March, so its either one of those or an alternate venue?  What does anyone think?  Let me know.

Alison

DaDBeeP Meeting - Wednesday 9 January 2013

Massive thanks to those who braved it on this dank evening; a shame that a few more couldn't make it but I know we are all busy people. There was however plenty of energetic post Christmas chat, unusually mostly about bees, and between us we formulated a plan to spread the word about 'natural' beekeeping and Top Bar hives to a wider audience over the next few months. I won't steal Tim Lowe's thunder on the 'recruitment drive' but I hope you can all either help-out in someway or attend a few of the events we have planned!

Regards
Boyd

Its warm and the garden is buzzing

Hi all
It was great to see so many of you just before the festive break.

So the 1st dry day for ages I took my bike out and when I got back I've found that the bees are back to normal (don't buy a white car) . I took a look down the garden and the hive was quite busy.
I've seen bees carry others away so I guess it is like taking the tree down and they are having a bit of a tidy up . I just hope that they aren't lured into a false sense that winter is over .

On another note my brother bought me the Green Guides Keeping Bees book , and we both think it is very good and even mentions top bar hives and plastic variations !
We both look forward to catching up next week
M&M

Activity......

The break in the rain has seen a lot of activity from the colony in my chimney. Not sure if there is much forage around for them but the chance to stretch their wings and look for some late Himalayan Balsam or Ivy won't pass them by I'm sure. How are things with other folks?

Do folks think it might be an idea to organise some sort of promotional/recruitment exercise, in say February, to promote 'natural beekeeping' and encourage new members? Will be a bit short notice but would be keen to give it a try before I leave.

Have finally had confirmation of the job in Qatar (still can't quite believe how much they are willing to pay) so barring the final paperwork checks I suspect I will be leaving at the end of February. Still have lots to sort out but will at least make two more DaDBeeP meetings.

Hope your and yours (not just the bees) have a Good Holiday & Prosperous New Year, and hopefully see some of you on the 9th January.

Regards
Boyd

Feeding fondant - yet another way.

It’s been puzzling me - how to feed fondant to bees when they are clustered in a top bar hive:

• without forcing them to move around their hive too much;
• where my no-floor policy can continue;
• where their stores can be topped up with minimal intervention;
• where topping up causes limited undue stress to the colony;

So here’s what I’ve tried out this year. I started by removing much of the comb that has little or no stores in it. As my colonies have no floor to their hives the bees tend to build down rather than outwards, although the strong colonies will fill a 4 foot Chandler with combs. The follower boards are then put up against the remaining comb simply to give something for the bees to complete their propolising on and to offer just a little lateral wind protection to the comb, although braced comb will do just as well.

Removing the excess comb may help limit the opportunity for fungal growth in comb that might see limited use over the winter months, and reduce the risk of co-habitation by unwanted critters.

So the colony has limited movement within the remaining combs. Towards the centre of the colony I drilled four 10mm holes next to each other, two on each bar. This is best done during a late autumn sunny and warm day, when the bees are less tightly clustered, just in case the drill goes in too far.

Over the top of this hole I placed upside down a clean clear plastic food tray. This provides a way of keeping the ‘bee smell’, warmth and humidity as close to the cluster as possible. I put solid fondant under the tray and directly onto the top bars. Around the plastic tray I placed wooden battens (100mm x 50mm in this case). This provides additional insulation and some protection from any drafts. On top of the battens I placed a wooden plate at least 20mm thick. I then used a brick to weigh down the lid before replacing the hive roof.

I have found that the bees have reduced their cluster movement through the hive, and, because of its close proximity to the cluster, the bees have been very eager to include the fondant within their stores. It is easy to see when supplies need to be replenished as the clear plastic offers a window to the fondant without disturbing the bee smell. Resupply is the only time the plastic need be moved and this can be done without disturbing the main cluster. When feeding is not required the drilled holes can be covered with cloth or paper and the bees will probably propolise the holes from the inside until the following winter.

I hope this helps and someone else can let us know if they also find any success with this method.

Tim.

December meeting

We will be meeting up on Wednesday 5th December at the Tandoori Nights Restaurant, Shardlow at 19:00. A table is currently booked for thirteen but if you are interested in coming along to this pre-Christmas get together just call in; I'm sure we could accomodate a few more.

Regards
Boyd