Re: queen clip: you are probably just stressing her for no gain. I think
when you re open the hive tomorrow you will find a big mass of bees
protectively gathered over her. It could be tricky to get the clip 8)
I would let her out now, and if there is a dark space she can run to in the
hive, she'll stay.
Yes, badgers can knock hives off stands, so can cows and deer scratching
themselves. Were there any tracks in mud? Was there damage to the hive? If
a badger gets a taste for honey it will keep coming back. (Actually they
are mainly interested in eating larvae.)
Cathedral hive: comb between bars and roof, you say? Maybe you could post a
photo of this so we can visualise it better. If it is a serious problem
with Cathedral hives, we should tell Simon who made it. If it was just a
bit of brace comb, and there was no problem getting in, it can be ignored.
I just added a box to my biggest Warre colony (now 5 boxes). I noticed the
bees had nibbled right through the top cloth AND the one at the bottom of
the quilt box, and pulled about half the insulation out of the quilt box.
It had a fist-sized gap down into the nest, where there should have been
wool and 2 layers of hemp. Some scurrying around needed.
Paul
On Tue, 17 May 2022, 14:08 Zuzana Meryova, <zuzanameryova@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Dear all,
just a quick update:
The bait log hive kind of worked ... LOL, the swarm moved not in but on
the outside of it. So Mark went up with the box, on the second hand scoop
spotted queen (and put her into the queen clip) and rehomed into the long
hive nu.2. Queen is still in the clip between two frames, we will let her
out tomorrow - Is this a good idea?
Our first swarm from last week that was hived in the long hive nu.1 got
pushed over probably by badgers??? Is this possible? Either way, someone
pushed the hive off its stand. The same day bee activity was spotted by the
house (video attached <https://photos.app.goo.gl/bCpBv4yFFQSvWRt58>).
This is the house that had bees poisoned last year (unsure if there are
still remains of poison there!!!). We are guessing that my swarm has moved
in (or is it a different swarm?). They are perhaps using two different
entrances: one in the middle of the house and one at the top of the roof or
again are they two different colonies?
Bad news with the cathedral hive nu 1. - it was superlight in the autumn
when we picked it up. We only opened it two weeks ago and there were empty
combs, some full of honey but no sign of a brood nest at all, so I assume
it was queenless. Also they have built the combs between the bars and roof.
Cathedral hive nu2. is very active (and yes, Charlie got stung on the nose
talking loudly reporting to us on the phone that is very busy).
I'll finish on a positive note, our log hive in old oak is also active.
Very small bees moved in and are using both hole entrances!!! I'm most
excited about this news :) We will have to check the second log hive, next
time we are up there!
