Yep I’m aware of biosecurity and have had a good look at government websites regarding that matter. I understand that checking the hive regularly is necessary. The truth: I am nervous about transferring my new bees into my hive myself. That is why I am looking for someone locally. I’ve read about it but it is that process which is giving me anxiety, Could ask the local guy I’m buying from but a bit worried he won’t approve of flow hive. Is that a realistic worry with older more established apiarists? Plus of course he’ll charge me more so I thought if I could link up with someone local who has gone the flow hive way it may solve my problem.
Other questions that have come up in my mind since starting this journey. The whole manuka and jarrah honey thing does not make sense. Who knows where bees go and feed. I live on property with jarrah trees but theres no guarantee bees will go there if they find something better to eat. It is the same with organic honey. How can such a claim be made? Do they enclose their bees?
Does anybody know if there is a way to test each batch of honey for its antibacterial content? That seems to me what is needed. Anyway I said it is that initial bee transfer that’s doing my head in.
Hiya Jen, part of the bio security is registering your hive with the Ag Dept. In doing so you will receive a Bee Informed magazine quarterly. Too much Capilano product selling for my liking especially with their pitiful no country of origin stand but I digress, in the magazine there is an article briefly discussing mono cropping, the fines involved and where to get it tested. I agree with you, how can you be 100% sure the bees have only collected one type of nectar unless it’s the only thing flowering at the time or if there is no other plant in the area, the latter being the reason for Manuka in NZ I believe.
This and other forums have been my mentors as I’m not a member of a bee club due to time restraints and am not prepared to pay someone to give me a hand with the bees. If I find something seriously amiss I will reach out as there are a few on gumtree who will happily take my money…
Certainly inspecting your colony can be daunting however once you start and work through the hive it’s not that bad and when you see something you’ve read about, like seeing a waggle dance or the queen, those couple of stings you got will have all been worth it. Like anything it’s a matter of building confidence and if you have the bees you’re half way there.
Fortunately, here in the West, we don’t have the pests that the rest of the world has thanks to our bio security laws and this makes keeping bees soooo much easier and gives us a head start in beekeeping, imagine having to test and treat your bees on a regular basis!! Here, late winter and spring we should regularly check for swarm signs to protect our honey crop and monthly through summer and autumn for colony health although smoking your bees through summer isn’t always possible. A lot can be learned from just watching the hive entrance also and once a bit more hands on experience is gained a greater knowledge will lead to less need for such regular inspections.
Soon you will have an oportunity to capture a swarm or do a cut out to save some bees as once you become a bee keeper bees find us.
As for the Flow negativity, it’s just a langstroth really so no difference from anything else around here.
I’m sure once you do the transfer you will be proud as punch.
Thanks Skeggley I will definitely be registering with Dept of Ag when the time comes. Can’t ever imagine myself capturing a swarm but we’ll see. Yes I guess I do feel a bit like an expectant mother with nerves of the arrival of her new babies. Very much appreciate the help and encouragement from all on this forum thing. By the sounds of it we’ll be able to have some lively and interesting conversations.
Don’t be daunted by the transfer from the nuc to your brood box. It is a simple process, you can get all the equipment together and even do a couple of practise runs. When you do it with bees you just need to go at a steady pace. Not fast and not slow.
There are now two chapter of WA Aparist Society in The SW. One based around Margs and the other Capel. They meet monthly and I know both have people of both persuasions harvesting honey and range from hobbyists to commercial.
WAAS runs courses for members with talk of one or two down this way before your bees are due. I’ve also seen on the WA/SW FB pages a couple of courses advertised with one from memory on 20 Aug with a couple of spaces.
If you have a Flow Hive Classic 6 then this is the same size as a Langstroth 8 beehive. This is all the beekeeper will need to know.
When the bees are transferred to the brood box, the super does not need to be in sight (with the Flow Frames).
The bees need to be established first in the brood box before you can add your super. The guy you are getting your bees from will know this. And if he asks if you have a super, you can say you already have one in storage ready to pop on once the brood box is fully established and bursting full of bees.
Your brood box will look like a normal brood box, with 8 standard foundationless frames (unless you have bought foundation etc, or wired them).
We have also launched our bee club directory. It shows on a map the Clubs & Associations we have engaged with. : https://www.honeyflow.com.au/pages/bee-club-directory
You might be able to get in contact with someone local to you who has a Flow Hive that way.
Just did a hive inspection, because I noticed the drones are flying again. We left the hive over winter with an almost empty Flow super, and a 70% full traditional super on top.
It looks like the queen has just started laying solidly again. 1 frame mostly full of capped brood, 2 more frames with a pretty solid pattern of uncapped larvae. A couple of pollen and honey frames each side. Interestingly the colony has migrated to the north side of the hive (the hive is oriented east-west), and three of the frames on the south side are mostly empty.
The traditional super is almost full, and they’re starting to fill the Flow frames.
A few questions:
They don’t seem to be interested in the sides of the Flow or traditional frames that are closest to the walls. They’re just not filling them. Why?
There was a bit of black mould looking stuff under the lid of the hive. Should I be worried?
The bees haven’t drawn the brood comb right to the bottom of the frame, which makes them pretty fragile to handle. I’ll probably swap out the brood frames for foundation frames at some point unless there is some way to persuade them to finish building the comb?
Some bees are like that. Even with traditional frames, they just don’t fill the edges. I don’t think anyone knows why, but it may be so that they have the option to chew the edge to make a hole either to assist with vibration communications, or to help traffic/air flow. Obviously they will find making a hole through the plastic hard work, but I guess they haven’t learned that yet!
Very common, it is just mildew. The bees will remove it if they don’t like it. I wouldn’t worry, but if you really don’t like it, dilute some household chlorine bleach 1 in 10 in water, and spray or pour liberally over the black stuff. Leave it soaking wet in the sun for 30 mins, then rinse off. That will kill the mould, and often it removes it too.
Nope. They will do what they want. Eventually they will draw it out when they need more space, but there is no way to force it. If you want to stay foundationless, you can wire the foundationless frames and the bees will build the wires into their own comb, strengthening it.
Look at the traffic. If, after a couple of days of traffic jams with excess bees on the outside trying to get in open it up.
I have opened up during the day on the couple of sunshine days this month but closed up to 50mm at night.
@Timbo2 personal preference to some extent but I’m personally more inclined to a similar approach to @busso (although I’ve not yet removed it during the day for any considerable length of time). My intent is to remove it completely once we start getting 13-15degC of a night fairly consistently.
@Michael_Bush, on the other hand, has previously indicated he keeps a reducer in place permanently regardless of season.
Did a quick inspection last Sunday on my 8 frame hive, in preparation for putting the FH on.
Saw a frame of capped drones, most capped and in the middle of the frame. Is it due to the oncoming spring or is it a swarm indication?
It currently has 2 decks and I have put the QE and added a third box. Moved 3 frames of capped brood from BB up to the rotation box (RB) and inserted fresh frames for space. Also moved 4 frames of honey and pollen from the RB up to the super
@aaron_y it is a sign of spring. Queen cells indicate swarming. Drones indicate a coming or current abundance of nectar and pollen.
However, to my knowledge (and I’d hope others correct me if I’m wrong) drone cells are not common in the middle of a frame. They are more common on lower edges. Are you sure they were convex drone cells and not brood cells amongst honey?
Let’s hope that you are accurate in the abundance of nectar and pollen!! LOL
I guess there is a first for everything. I did wonder about the placement of the capped drone cells but it is what it is. Smack in the middle, on both sides of the frame. The dome on the cells are like bullets and much bigger that the capped brood.
@aaron_y
I noticed a patch of drone brood on a frame last inspection. Masses of flowers in suburbs now here. Should still be a good 4 weeks left before it starts to wind down somewhat.
@aaron_y
I think it wasn’t smack in the middle but not on the side either. I was doing a very quick check. Sort of surprised to see it but that hive now has the odd drone or two flying in the middle of the day.
Like anything it’s a matter of building confidence and if you have the bees you’re half way there.
