Episode 73: July's Questions and Answers

Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 73 of my podcast, Beekeeping Short and Sweet.

It’s our monthly Questions and Answers session today so stay tuned for some cracking questions and hopefully my helpful replies.

Before we get into the questions my weekly round-up has the distinct taste of disaster about it and not really about beekeeping! As you may have seen by the pictures I’ve posted, the Ranger pick up has had yet another major malfunction, this time it’s the clutch. I was driving along quite happily, had to change down a gear and that was followed by a bang and very rough grinding sound and feel as if I had missed putting it into gear properly. So I took it out of gear and it wouldn’t go back in. I pulled over to the side of the road and discovered a puddle of what I guess was clutch fluid beneath the engine bay. It’s beginning to feel like I’m rebuilding the truck this year, anyway, I was lucky to be able to get the truck transported back to the local garage where it remains currently waiting to have a new clutch fitted. Another major hole in my wallet, oh well.

I must get back to the queen rearing apiary by the weekend though as I have six developing queen cells in one of the queen rearing colonies and they will be well capped and getting ready to emerge. The last thing I want is for those to emerge and destroy each other before I get a chance to sort them out. As with most things in queen rearing, once you start the clock ticking you can’t easily put everything on hold. 

First up is Simon Rice, who asks

When queen rearing with larvae transfers, how do you stop the wax builders from creating burr comb between and around your queen cells please? I have had a number of attempts to raise queen cells this summer and each time they have enveloped the queen cells in this way.

Thank you.

Hi Simon and many thanks for your question;

This is an all too familiar issue when queen rearing and I’ve struggled with this problem myself including this season where I had three perfectly viable queen cells completely encased in brace comb. I spoke to a fellow queen rearing beekeeper who suggested putting a frame of foundation in a couple of frames away from the queen cells to give them something to draw out and the last time I tried it they worked the foundation and not the queen cells, so it might just be the answer! Give it a try and see how you get on.

Next up is a question from  Ben Hoen who says,

For me as a new beekeeper, this year has been hard.  I overwintered all three of my hives, but two swarmed early in the year when I was at work, and then both threw after swarms too while I was away.  One of those did not successfully re-mate so it is hopelessly queenless currently, and the other I am waiting to find out if it mated successfully.

It would be helpful to get a general description for swarm management.  For example, how often do you inspect the hives?  How thorough of an inspection to do you make?  (every frame, or just by tipping the box up)  Do you shake the bees off the frames during an inspection, or do you find you can do what you need while still having a frame covered with bees? Other than queen cups, what are you looking for?  If you find any queen cups do you knock them down?  Is there anything else you can do to reduce the likelihood of swarming? For example, if you learn to "give them more space" do you find that swarm pressures are usually eliminated?  Finally, on this last point, can you outline some of the methods you rely on to "give them more space"?  Thanks!!!

Wow, Ben, that’s quite a question, and one I’m going to save for next week. You ask some really important questions and it would take up an entire podcast to go through all of your questions with the fullest of answers. So, all I would say is, be patient, hold on until next week and