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General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #1676  by NigelP
 11 Jan 2019, 18:34
Patrick wrote:
11 Jan 2019, 14:58
several seen bringing in small orangey-yellow pollen loads, I suspect of snowdrop pollen. I am very close to a nursery who specialise in snowdrops, so we have plenty locally, which is a bonus.

We also have a small field of commercial cobnuts (hazel) next door covered in long catkins
You live in a very different world. 4-5C here no bees flying no sign of snowdrops nor hazel catkins.......Like the bees I'm staying put and keeping warm.
 #1677  by Patrick
 11 Jan 2019, 21:07
Nigel, you are not the first to observe I live in a different world.. some have even suggested (not always charitably) an alternative Universe! :lol: :lol:
 #1679  by Jim Norfolk
 13 Jan 2019, 17:30
Meanwhlle next to the North Sea the temperature nudged up to 9 C today but the bees weren't fooled and stayed in out of the wind. I have seen little in the way of flowers on offer and no hazel out yet. I did take the opportunity to weigh my 2 hives and weights are now dropping around half a kilo a week. I counted 6 and 7 seams of debris on the Varroa board extending across 3/4 of the width of the brood box, so they could use a lot of food by spring.
 #1681  by NigelP
 14 Jan 2019, 09:31
Had one that was very light....fondant added and bees working away at it. I was surprised by how large a colony it was, which might explain it's lack of stores.

Image
 #1682  by AdamD
 14 Jan 2019, 09:59
As is often the case the weather on the coast is behind inland Norfolk - I see no hazel out near me but around Norwich (Southern bypass) I saw some yesterday. There's a little gorse around.
I have just put a kg of fondant on one of my plywood mini-nucs which was very light. As it was cold, the bees didn't move at all and stayed in cluster - no veil required. This is one of those colonies that I don't really need - the queen was an emergency one of some sort - although of a fair size - however if she survives she might help someone out in spring if they have a DLQ.
 #1683  by Patrick
 14 Jan 2019, 15:10
AdamD wrote:
14 Jan 2019, 09:59

I have just put a kg of fondant on one of my plywood mini-nucs which was very light. As it was cold, the bees didn't move at all and stayed in cluster - no veil required. This is one of those colonies that I don't really need - the queen was an emergency one of some sort - although of a fair size - however if she survives she might help someone out in spring if they have a DLQ.
Sounds familiar.. I am consistently rubbish at reducing numbers in the Autumn - always end up keeping a few “just in case” colonies. But have had reason in the past to occasionally be pleased I did come Spring.
 #1685  by NigelP
 14 Jan 2019, 17:42
Reduction is not easy ;)
Assuming all goes well I intent to sell off some surplus hives and nucs at the beginning off the season....so I can make increase again during the season ;)
 #1686  by Patrick
 14 Jan 2019, 18:26
Good thinking Nigel 😁

My granny used to eat reduced fat yoghurt to be healthy but didn’t like the flavour, so would stir in some cream. Very wise.

Strangely, she was unable to suck eggs. I would have been ideally placed to teach her had she thought to ask..
 #1687  by Cable_Fairy
 15 Jan 2019, 11:46
It is good to see all the bees on the top, mine have been like that for weeks on one hive and I thought there was something wrong. In my other hive they are clustered between the frames which is what I was expecting.
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