Beekeeping Fetchies

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Jun 2022
4:39pm, 11 Jun 2022
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Hanneke
That Boffin, is the plan!
I got a Henry Hoover today and am going to make a bee box out of its perfectly sized box.
I still have the bee suit!
I am going to take the box, dustpan and brush and the lid for the box. I am cutting the box to a size that slides between the gate bars... Then I scoop up all possible bees in the skep, where some alteady are. Then I seal the skep shut and use a dustpan and brush to move the rest of the bers into the flat box, lid on, tape shut. Then I take these bees home. Open up skep and box and join them.
But not until I have checked my other skep, which I will leave, baited, by the gate to pick up stragglers. I have to assume I have the queen... Fingers crossed... But at least it will be more obvious where she is if most/all bees are off the gate...
Jun 2022
7:45pm, 11 Jun 2022
104 posts
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Boffin
Cool Hanneke, fingers crossed 🀞 you collect the girls πŸ™‚
At worst you will irritate them to such an extent that they re-locate and at least the tenant farmer can rescue his quad 🀣
Jun 2022
8:03pm, 11 Jun 2022
90,048 posts
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Hanneke
Boffin exactly!!!
Going to leave it till tomorrow. Only come in from the garden, exhausted, now...
I want to eat at a normal time for a change and still need to water pots and greenhouse then have a bath.
I also haven't done last month's invoicing yet because of the bees taking up every single evening this week!
They may just move if I leave them alone too!!!
I took delivery of a Henry today and will adapt the box into a squatter, lidded bee catching device and use a dustpan and brush to brush the girls lock stock and barrel off the gate, close lid, tape shut, take home, leave in box.
Collect straghlers and bait hive the next day, open box, hopefully they havr dtawn some comb on the gate, which I will put in the skep and either the merge into it or bugger off.
In any case, they will be out of the tenant farmer's way!
Jun 2022
8:05pm, 11 Jun 2022
90,049 posts
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Hanneke
If the queen is inside the gate, she will be left without support... And I have a queenless swarm and will buy a mated queen if that transpires to be the case...
Jun 2022
9:04pm, 11 Jun 2022
105 posts
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Boffin
Does whomever you got the suit from still have bees?
If they do, and you end up with quenless bees, you could put a frame with eggs on (no bees) in with your bees and they will raise a queen.
Depends on lots of factors, not least keeping the eggs and larvae warm during the move- usually done within the apiary....
Just an exploratory thought πŸ€”πŸ™„πŸ™‚
Jun 2022
9:12pm, 11 Jun 2022
90,052 posts
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Hanneke
The person I got the suit from had no bees... Just 2 empty hives he failed to open. Week before last, a swarm moved into one hive but as he cannot open the hives, he cannot give me old comb...
I can keep hold of the suit for now, as they haven't any intention of keeping bees... I may in fact end up with them or at least looking after them...
Jun 2022
9:17pm, 11 Jun 2022
106 posts
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Boffin
I would say seriously consider making an offer on their beekeeping kit if they no longer want it.
Curious, why can they not open the hives?

Caution has to be taken with acquiring old hives as their could be foul brood which you really do not want to introduce to your apiary.

However , on the face of it sounds like you could be well on the way to beekeeping πŸ™‚πŸ€žπŸ‘
Jun 2022
9:25pm, 11 Jun 2022
90,056 posts
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Hanneke
They and the hpuse used to belong to a friend. I love her dearly but... She has a tendency to embrace things enthusiastically and abandon them in weeks.
Her chickens got killed by a fox, as she could no longer be bothered to put in the work so.left them to their own devices.
Her bees?

One bought colony died.
The other colony was left feral and swarmed after a couple of years.
I suspect the hives were closed wonky and the bees propolised them shut!
Jun 2022
9:27pm, 11 Jun 2022
90,057 posts
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Hanneke
I am reluctant to take over their kit. The suit and gloves I am borrowing are poor quality and obviously neglected: stuck together with gaffer tape and brown tape!
I am taking this seriously and want a proper suit I can wash...
Jun 2022
9:28pm, 11 Jun 2022
90,058 posts
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Hanneke
Also no idea what that colony died of!!! I rather start afresh to avoid issues...

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So there's me and Winniefree, are there any other fetchies either keeping bees or wanabee beeke...

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