BBKA Forum

@Nigel ... I'm finding the bees are starting to work the balsam in earnest at the moment .... Finally

Good luck with the mating, the weather forecast round me looks good this next two weeks.

I took the last two supers from one colony and give them all Amitraz strips i also give one a feeder and topped the rest up with 2:1 thymol syrup..angry little devils is a understatement for three colonies and i took umpteen stings more than i would like to so three colonies will be getting a close eye on them come spring..lets hope it is the robbing season that is making them a tad defensive..

Still feeding 4.5lb per night. Busy girls.

To questions above on formic. No losses, but did in past until done properly. 85% pure formic diluted to 50% suspended 20-25mm above brood on stainless mesh also with space above pads (eg. eke or super will do). 85-100ml per colony size dependent with 15-20ml home made HbH each added at apication time. 6 x 1/4 sponge dish pads in bag, pour in mix, squeeze to soak up all and put in hive on mesh. Close. Remove 8-24 hrs. High nineties % kill rate in sealed cells. 1 treatment every 1-2 years mid Aug- mid Sept. No honey damage.

There is a link somewhere to the paper on it if you want it. V quick. V effective. V cheap.

Ooh I can sense some preachy finger wagging heading your way........

Alfred wrote: ↑

20 Sep 2020, 13:31

Ooh I can sense some preachy finger wagging heading your way........

If it works it works. I think we stay with what we confidently think works. Personal preference is not for formic as it's easy to get it wrong, either dosage or wrong temps.
I take my hat off to those who are happy with it, not for me though. I have other methods that work fine.

Took advantage of great weather today; one hive found a sealed QC supercedure/emergency and 2 unsealed. No Q seen and open brood 3-4 days larvae, no eggs. Left sealed QC and removed the other 2. What do you think the likelihood of a successful mating this time of year (SE England)? Saw a few drones still in other hives but numbers dropping. Never seen a QC this late in the year.. the colony scored about a 3 in temperament.

Welcome to the forum wallerfc.
You might be lucky with mating as you are in the south. With 8 days from a sealed q/c to a new shiny queen, you'll be looking for good weather in early October and a queen laying by mid-month. There should be a few drones about - fingers crossed that it works out! For many, we would not know until spring when we find a DLQ in a very depleted colony so now you have the opportunity to worry about it!

Last extraction of the season completed and applied last of varroa treatments to hives just back from the moors....just a little matter of feeding to take care of and the usual hefting and that is about it.

Checked on two QL colonies to find both now have four - fives frames of brood now and some of it sealed, been fortunate with the weather.

I moved a small queenless nuc to a different apiary so I can combine with the remnants of a couple of mini-nucs and a new queen from one of them. There should be enough bees once all together, to survive the winter. I needed to remove any queencells from one of them before it was too late and got soaking wet with feeding some colonies as well - the rain has been coming down steadily.