"Lazarus Cooke" wrote in message
news:140720072225048218%lazaruscooke@britishlibrar y.invalid...
As a beekeeper (brixton, london) can i just say that this year is bad
for some, not so bad for others. As someone said, the varroa mite has
been here for a while, and most beekeepers use a number of strategies
to manage it.

Possibly more troubling is that the recent run of hot, dry summers has
encouraged many beekeepers, (including me) to favour the yellowish
italian honeybee (apis mellifera ligustica) over the british black bee
(apis mellifera mellifera). the aml bees do fine when the weather's
good, but when you've had a june like the past one, the queens at least
just sit inside, unlike their amm counterparts ( now probably only
existing around the galtee mountains in ireland) who are used to
struggling out to gather nectar, pollinate, and make passionate love
even in irish weather.

Colony collapse disorder is generally held to be an american
phenomenon. there are reports of it here but a lot of people have
doubts. Bee colonies die, from time to time, and they always have done.
Americans move bees all over the country, all the time, which is asking
for stressed bees and sudden, violent, rampant infections.

So all in all , bees are like plants - some years good, some years bad,
some years VERY bad.... but in the end a stronger group will probably
pull through.

Lazarus

In my posting I referred to "my bees" but in truth the colony lives in the
roof space of the house and has done so for the last 100 years (previous
owners family still live in the village and they say the house was bought in
1904 with the bees in residence!), so are they likely to be the apis
mellifera mellifera you refer to? if so it would certainly explain why mine
are doing so well, they are always active even on wet days like today

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

"David (Normandy)" wrote in message
...
It just seems a bit sudden. Last year the flower borders were positively
buzzing. All I've noticed this year are a couple of very large "bees"
with some red on them - which presumably may be hornets? I avoided
looking too closely as they buzzed near me, choosing instead to put some
distance between them and me! They were bee/wasp shaped but about twice
as long.

I can't identify it from that description :-)

They were flying solitary. The shape of a wasp but around 1" long, maybe
slightly longer. The thorax and abdomen did not appear to be seregated
though like a wasp. The yellow and black was less distinct. I seem to
remember the red was like a band around it but I didn't study it very
closely. The buzzing was lounder than that of a wasp or bee. It took a
brief interest in me circling around me a couple of times. Normally bees
and wasps ignore me.

It might have been a solitary wasp. There are hundres of different varieties
of vespa, apis and bombus!

Solitary wasps don't sting.

Mary

"David (Normandy)" wrote in message
...
There are plenty in my garden even during the rain - both bumble bees and
honey bees. There's many wasps.

Mary


I've not seen many (any?) wasps this year either. Normally the Virginia
creeper smothering our house is full of them. I think it gives of some
sort of sweet sticky sap that they like. I don't know if it is nectar but
the small green "flowers" are sticky.

It's called 'extra floral nectar' and can be collected by wasps which don't
have long tongues because it's on the surface (as you've observed). Some
plants, notably laurel, have two littld holes towards the base of the leaf
on the underside which exude this stuff.

Mary

"JennyC" wrote in message
...

"David (Normandy)" wrote in message
...
Are they just not venturing out after the recent cold wet weather or
what?
Went for a walk around the garden today and not a bee in sight. The
runner beans are smothered in blossom but no bees and no little beans.
The flower borders are full of blooms but no bees.
David.

I seem to have a fair amount of bees buzzing around the garden.....

Found this which might be interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder


That's in USA, where beekeepng methods are mostly very different.

Mary

"David (Normandy)" wrote in message
...




Interesting article. It doesn't mention if it is limited to bees or
includes bumbles and wasps too?

David.

It's honey bees.

The wet weather this year has affected bumble bees, according to 'Shared
Earth', and it certainly has affected the bumble bee next in our garden but
that was an artificial one.

Mary

"dominic Lucas" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"David \(Normandy\)" wrote:

Are they just not venturing out after the recent cold wet weather or
what?
Went for a walk around the garden today and not a bee in sight. The
runner
beans are smothered in blossom but no bees and no little beans. The
flower
borders are full of blooms but no bees.

David.

Plenty here, I disturbed one nest,

That will have been a bumble bee nest.

but there's still another one in the
garden .. they don't venture out when it's cold or wet (most days this
month, and most of June), but when it's warm, the air's thick with them

They've been flying here even during the rain.
..

And a very welcome sight they make. No beans setting yet, I put that
down to the bad weather stopping the bees.

I've had lots of runner beans and seen many bumble bees on the many flowers.

Mary
Leeds, Yorkshire

"Lazarus Cooke" wrote in message
news:140720072225048218%lazaruscooke@britishlibrar y.invalid...
As a beekeeper (brixton, london) can i just say that this year is bad
for some, not so bad for others. As someone said, the varroa mite has
been here for a while, and most beekeepers use a number of strategies
to manage it.

Possibly more troubling is that the recent run of hot, dry summers has
encouraged many beekeepers, (including me) to favour the yellowish
italian honeybee (apis mellifera ligustica) over the british black bee
(apis mellifera mellifera). the aml bees do fine when the weather's
good, but when you've had a june like the past one, the queens at least
just sit inside,

So you're the only one to blame!

unlike their amm counterparts ( now probably only
existing around the galtee mountains in ireland) who are used to
struggling out to gather nectar, pollinate, and make passionate love
even in irish weather.

According to Michael and other Irish breeders :-)

Mary

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
...


In my posting I referred to "my bees" but in truth the colony lives in the
roof space of the house and has done so for the last 100 years (previous
owners family still live in the village and they say the house was bought
in
1904 with the bees in residence!), so are they likely to be the apis
mellifera mellifera you refer to? if so it would certainly explain why
mine
are doing so well, they are always active even on wet days like today

There are many kinds of a.mellifera, without looking at their DNA or
examining particularly wing venation under a microscope you can't tell. The
colony might well have been there for generations but they won't necessarily
be the same kind of bees - the queens could have mated with several drones
and there will have been many queens over the years.

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
. net...

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
...


There are many kinds of a.mellifera, without looking at their DNA or
examining particularly wing venation under a microscope you can't tell.
The
colony might well have been there for generations but they won't
necessarily
be the same kind of bees - the queens could have mated with several drones
and there will have been many queens over the years.

Mary


Thanks for that Mary, I don't expect I will ever get around to getting their
DNA checked! I had always assumed that the drones were produced "In House"
so to speak but that would of course not be in the bees long term interest.
I was aware that the queens would have been replaced over the years and its
also possible that the colony may have died out and another swarm moved in
to ready made accommodations.
But I had not realised (not being a keeper of bees) that there were many
kinds of honey bee. I find their habits fascinating and when they swarm to
somewhere you can get close to that is incredible to see how they form a
rain proof shield.
I presume bee keepers try not to let theirs swarm?

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
...




Thanks for that Mary, I don't expect I will ever get around to getting
their
DNA checked! I had always assumed that the drones were produced "In House"
so to speak but that would of course not be in the bees long term
interest.

They are produced in house but the queen always mates on the wing and some
way from the hive, it seems that drones congretage in some places and the
queen makes her way there. The drones can come from anywhere and she can
mate with up to eight (it is said) drones, it avoids inbreeding. Unless you
practise artificial insemination (yes, really!) you can't guarantee a line
in this country at least.

I was aware that the queens would have been replaced over the years and
its
also possible that the colony may have died out and another swarm moved in
to ready made accommodations.

Yes, it's difficult to know without continued observation :-)

But I had not realised (not being a keeper of bees) that there were many
kinds of honey bee. I find their habits fascinating and when they swarm to
somewhere you can get close to that is incredible to see how they form a
rain proof shield.

In rain or lower temperatures they cluster more tighlty.

I presume bee keepers try not to let theirs swarm?

We try. There are many methods, trouble is the bees don't read the same
books :-) Every beekeeper thinks s/he has the ideal system.

As someone said, just like gardeners, really :-)

Mary

"Anne Jackson" wrote in message
...
The message from "David \(Normandy\)"
contains these words:

Are they just not venturing out after the recent cold wet weather or
what?
Went for a walk around the garden today and not a bee in sight. The
runner
beans are smothered in blossom but no bees and no little beans. The
flower
borders are full of blooms but no bees.

My hebe hedge was 'alive' with bees, just yesterday...haven't checked
today.

Last year someone here identified a hebe for me and advised what I should do
with it. I did but it still hasn't flowered :-(

Mary

On 15/7/07 14:46, in article , "Anne
Jackson" wrote:

The message from "Mary Fisher" contains these
words:
"Anne Jackson" wrote in message
...
The message from "David \(Normandy\)"
contains these words:

Are they just not venturing out after the recent cold wet weather or
what?
Went for a walk around the garden today and not a bee in sight. The
runner
beans are smothered in blossom but no bees and no little beans. The
flower
borders are full of blooms but no bees.

My hebe hedge was 'alive' with bees, just yesterday...haven't checked
today.

Last year someone here identified a hebe for me and advised what I should
do with it. I did but it still hasn't flowered :-(

I didn't actually recognise this particular plant as a hebe when I first
saw it. It has very elongated leaves, which come to a point. I am more
familiar with 'round-leaved' hebes. However, I struck a few cuttings,
and they all took, so I now have a hedge...the bees love the flowers,
(they are white) and looking out, it seems as if there has been a heavy
fall of snow, so crowded is the plant with flowers... I musy remember to
take cuttings when the flowering ends, as I have had so many requests for
some plants from friends and family...
'

I wonder if this is actually one of the Veronicas? Used to be known as
Hebes.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 15/7/07 13:03, in article , "Charlie
Pridham" wrote:


"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
. net...

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
...


There are many kinds of a.mellifera, without looking at their DNA or
examining particularly wing venation under a microscope you can't tell.
The
colony might well have been there for generations but they won't
necessarily
be the same kind of bees - the queens could have mated with several drones
and there will have been many queens over the years.

Mary


Thanks for that Mary, I don't expect I will ever get around to getting their
DNA checked! I had always assumed that the drones were produced "In House"
so to speak but that would of course not be in the bees long term interest.
I was aware that the queens would have been replaced over the years and its
also possible that the colony may have died out and another swarm moved in
to ready made accommodations.
But I had not realised (not being a keeper of bees) that there were many
kinds of honey bee. I find their habits fascinating and when they swarm to
somewhere you can get close to that is incredible to see how they form a
rain proof shield.
I presume bee keepers try not to let theirs swarm?

There are various methods of managing a colony but I was taught that it's
desirable not to let them swarm because it reduces numbers and vigour,
according to the long-experienced bee keepers who advised me when I kept a
colony. They went through the hive a couple of times each spring to check
for developing queen cells and destroy them. I had my bee colony for about
9 years and never had one swarm because we aimed for natural 'succession',
which seems to have worked. What the bee keepers I knew do, if they want
to 'propagate' a good strain, is to take a nucleus from a colony and let it
develop a queen cell and go on from there.


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 11:32:46 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:

snip

Solitary wasps don't sting.

Mary


I beg to differ

In article ,
(David \(Normandy\)) wrote:

Are they just not venturing out after the recent cold wet weather or
what?

They are on my Echium pininana x Wildpretii hybrid.

It looks to be near the end of flowering soon.

Apologies!

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/