You look overjoyed. Well done…love the ribbons.
Carniolan and Carnica are the same by the way…Apis mellifera carnica.
Watch those F2s they have a reputation. They have a nice orange stripe though…pretty bees.
@dangerous The Sapphire is one generation F1 from pure bred Carniolan. The Carnica because just Carnica type bee not necessarily Pure is how I understood it If not I stand corrected
Nice, it would have been a hygienic/orientation flight so James need not worried about a veil or suit. Are you planning to install the Nucs into the full size hives at some point? I am not familiar with those bee species, are they european bees bred to handle the cold? You could use some lidded tubs for your spare frames and wax, something you can seal up to stop the moths, rats and mice from getting to them, that way you can store them under your hives if you like. Funny how “A honeybee hive” ends up being two hives, then three…
@Rodderick I have gone from 1 Complete Flow Hive, hopefully coming very soon, to what you see - and already I’m going to get have to get another Super - deep poly I’m looking at - and enough to make my Full Flow box I ordered at the end of the campaign into a 3rd Hive.
Carniolans are Italian bees but these were from south of me with breezy weather off the entrance to the Severn River so quite a bit of moisture. I’m in the Midlands - Not as breezy slightly more stable weather but I probably get a bit more snow.
I’m looking to Poly boxes as it had come to my attention in the winter they should be warmer than the wood and I wont need to lag them also light to lift.
Until I saw the poly boxes I was a bit dubious, but they seem sturdy as well as light, and insulation benefits. Bonus is they are cheaper and my Carpentry skills are fairly amateur so win all round
@Rodderick sorry meant to say Rod - the girls will move into proper hives by the end of July. The Nucs just need to build up stores and get stronger - I will peek at them Sunday as I’m off to work Monday for another 10 days even though I can Pop home daily if I want.
Depending on the weather, stores and speed of growth - I’m hoping my first Flow arrives for the transfer
Wynne Jones do some poly Langstroths. …a roof, a floor with varroa board, a deep brood box and a clear inspection plastic cover board is £58.32… Then add vat and delivery. Has anyone got these…opinions?
Yes, Carnica comes from Slovenia and The Balkans. It’s a grey bee though as you can see Valli’s F2s, being granddaughters of a pure Carnica, have some orange in them.
In the UK the Carniolan bee is popular as a beginner’s bee as it is gentle to handle and doesn’t run on the comb. It however likes to make bees so is regarded as a “swarmy” bee. A trade off really…the beginner has an easy bee to handle but faces other problems of swarm control in the following season.
Carniolan crosses past F2/F3 have a bit of a reputation in turning aggressive, just like Buckfast crosses but not always. Hobbyists here tend to end up with local mongrels which is probably the best thing.
The Italian bee Apis mellifera ligustica is much lighter in colour…an orange bee. It is a Mediterranean adapted bee and tending to make lots of brood in the autumn it uses a lot of stores over winter. It is not that popular here.
I lifted the feeder lid on Sapphire and all the syrup was gone - good job I looked - so suited up and checked both hives - I filled it yesterday about 1 litre - so filled it again and filled the feeder beside the Emerald we don’t have much in the garden - loads of things have gone over so they may be hungry especially as Sapphire has a lot of comb to draw.
Be aware that feeding the bees …they may make comb and fill it with syrup and the queen might have nowhere to lay. Walk around your neibourhood and look what is in flower. Once the blackberries are out…no need to feed.
@Horsehillhoney Thank you I got a Full Poly Langstroth, Couple of Langstroth feeders for winter and a couple of cheap honey Buckets, and some Wired Wax - All to add to my expensive habit - I need to go back to work to pay for all this. LOL
Need to Hone my Frame wax mounting skills - any one know where I can get cassette type plastic Langstroth Frames from? I have seen Nationals but I haven’t seen anyone do Langstroth.
I like the idea of starter strips in cassettes I can do nice cut comb from
