Grow Your Own Magazine

They have done it as per Book! surely not???? it never normally works that way for me and my bees.

What a beautiful evening for opening a hive, still and warm.
So with smoker alight and gear on I set off for the bottom of my plot. A gentle puff at the hive entrance just to let them know I am there. Wait a moment or two then open the lid gently. First job- take the empty 'super' off - this is where they will store the honey, Queenie cant get in here to lay eggs as I have an 'excluder' on, she is way to fat to get through the gaps in the wire. Keeping the queen out helps insure that there are no eggs and larva in with the honey! a very good thing as nobody wants bee bits in their jar of honey
They would normally have started to fill this by now, but alas it's just as I put it in, just empty frames - they have not even 'drawn' it out yet....(you start with a wooden 'frame' with a flat sheet of wax held in it. The bees then make, 'draw out' the wax honeycomb, using the flat wax as a 'foundation') 10 or 11 of these in hang in the 'super'
I digress....sorry
So, one by one I look at the frames of bees in the 'brood chamber' (Attilas residence) first couple of frames are honey stores and very heavy, next I find EGGS and Larva, she is LAYING! that is the best sight to see, It means my hive is as it should be, all is well. I have a mated and laying queen. next few frames are the same, then on the next frame....there she is, my beautiful Attila 2nd!
Out with my little queen catcher (plastic tube with foam plunger)
Book says-- catch your queen and mark her!
I say--chase poor little Tilly round the frame, got 5 other bees in plunger and no Tilly, she is still on frame, another go and it's 3 bees - no Tilly.
next try 2 bees and Tilly! result, that will do
Book says-push soft foam plunger up thus trapping queen at top of plunger, this has wire mesh on top so you can put queen marker pen against this and mark her on her thorax - back of head almost
I say -- 2 bees and poor little Tilly , who is now belly up against the wire, great now I need a plan....how do you turn a queen over.
Book says --er nothing!
I say-- so a gentle shake and yes, the bee god is with me, and what luck, she is right way up, quick splodge of red (colour code for 2008) let her go on the same frame she was found on, careful eye out that the other bees don't 'ball' her cluster around and kill her. All seems well, so back into hive- don't squish her! and put hive back together! .......phew
ps- other two bees caught in the 'queen catcher' now have lovely red legs!!!

Anyone one know of a good teach yourself how to knit book?

Mr HF appears on plot coffee mugs in hand......Now i am in heaven, happy bees - happy me, and a mug of coffee to boot!

Have to start collecting elderflowers now, wine making is my next job!

How wonderful. I love reading about your bees HF, the way you write I am there with you! Glad your hive is 'bee-having' as it should

Take care that you don't gather any elderflowers that smell of cat wee or you will get grotty flavour wine.

__________________
Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Thanks Shirley, my flowers smell ok (I hope)
I did not have any luck with this wine last year so it's fingers crossed!

What a lovely account Headfry. I am so glad that Tilly 2nd is doing well and that she is sporting a lovely new red coat (fit for a queen)

Keep us posted.

__________________
A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

My you have been buzzy!

__________________
Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Oi! That's my job.

You should get yourself a blog HF, I reckon you'd have loads of subscribers. Writing's quite therapeutic isn't it, especially if it's about something you love - which you clearly do!

Well done on "spotting" Tilla 2.

__________________
A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - Updated - 25th August

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev036pr___.png