July 2004
A new beesuit for John
July began with John getting a surprise parcel from BBWEAR - a specialist firm who manufacture and supply clothing for beekeepers - a new apiarist's veil tailor made to fit over him in his wheelchair. Hopefully this will not only make life alot easier and safer for him but it should be quicker for John to get among the bees. Unfortunately John only got to test it once during July as a summer cold laid him low for most of the month. Weekly inspections therefore were left to Paul but all the colonies which are normally quite active at this time of year were thankfully quite settled, so he he had no trouble. Only Hive 2 is making queen cells but there are only one or two suggesting the colony is trying to superceed, producing a new queen to replace the old, failing one in the hive rather than trying to swarm.
Suited up in his new suit the bees cannot get in there!
Unfortunately the swarm which moved into the spare hive boxes in the year
is not as docile as we thought, these bees are very aggressive if they
are disturbed, stinging anyone who ventures near them - something must
be done about this hive!
We also found some other bees during July - bumble bees.
A nest of bumble-bees had moved into a blue tit nest box on the garage.
The funny thing is we already have plenty special nest pots for bumble
bees in the garden, supplied as part of a bumble-bee research project
at York university.
The bumble-bees have ignored them and chosen a bird box instead!
We also had trouble with wasps. We found a large wasps nest in an apple
tree behind the apiary at Monk Avenue! Usually we would leave wasps alone
as they help reduce garden pests but these wasps were aggravating our
bees.
Action had to be taken!
Dad and Paul dressed in their full beekeepers' outfit plus extra protection
one evening and sprayed the wasps nest. There is still one wasps nest
the eaves of the neighbours house but hopefully the bees will soon settle
down for Winter.
Wasps can be a nuisance to bees in Autumn as they try to preserve their
honey stocks.
Before and after shot of the wasps nest in the tree next
to our apiary
A
wasp attacks the hive entrance
A
bee looses out in a fight with a wasp
The last job in July was to strim the long grass and weed growing round
the hives at Flaxton. Paul and Lynn also did the annual job of removing
all the Ragwort in the area.
Flaxton
before strimming
Lynn collects the ragwort
After
strimming
The
bees did not like the yellow strimmer!