Frogs, Lichen and bees with loads of pollen

The trees are fine, some have started to change colour and the leaves are beginning to wilt. The leaves themselves on some varieties of cherry trees have started to turn a nice orange/red.

The grass is way too long and hasn’t been cut and the hay not been collected. I reckon that the farmer is going to let me down and not get it done.  On the positive mind the grass will rot down and become a green fertiliser and as most of the tall stuff still has seeds it may be a promising year, next year.   With so much grass rotting down it maybe that in some places the ground will be rather muddy, next year if we have loads of rain. When that amount of grass falls down it blocks the light and everything beneath it dies down. I am hoping that some of the clover will great through and flourish.

The bees are doing well they seem to have found a decent pollen source and are bringing in loads of the stuff. The pollen is a nice bright yellow. I didn't actually go into the hives, so I'm not sure how much of the sugar fondant they have taken down. My guess with the amount of pollen they are bring in the queens are still laying and are still filling the comb with honey for the winter period.

 

I had a slow wonder around the orchard and a mooch to see what’s happening and examine the seasonal changes. I found some pears still in the trees and a rather handsome frog with a circular ring or crown  on his back in the area that’s rather damp. The willow ring is doing really well on all the pollarded willow I planted earlier this year.  I have more that a meter’s growth and the branches can be stretched out so that they touch one another. I should have a reasonable withy ring next year but will probably plant more.

I also looked at different types of lichen on the trees. The lichen is thriving. I’m not sure what types of Lichen I have in and around the orchard but as some is yellow in colour It means that the soil is high in nitrogen. I can also see lots or more pale lichen, which is again a good sign. I really like the pictures of the lichen.

Bees get last dose of Api Life Var for 2012

The weather on Sunday was not pleasant, it also looks like its going to be wet and windy for the next couple of days.

I applied the last dose of Api Life Var which I did successfully, even though it was raining. I had no choice really the treatment must be applied every seven days and this was the last dose.The reason for the regularity is, if you can hit the varroa mites every week for 4 weeks you are attacking the varroa for the entire justation period of a bee; from when the egg is laid to when it emerges from it cell. If the varroa mite can be reduced for this period then the new bees that emerge have time to develop and should be stronger to fight of the any varroa that are still in the hive.

Bees are never happy when you enter the hive when its raining. I entered all three hives and to my surprise the bees wern't that aggressive, even though it was raining lightly. The fondant that I gave them last week has been greatly reduced, I would guess that about 3 kgs of the fondant has been eaten. I may need to get more fondant this year.

The orchard is pretty quite the leaves are begining to to fall and I reckon that in a couple of weeks all the leaves will have fallen from the trees. I have also seen large amounts of horse poo in the orchard. It looks like the horses from the stables have been getting into the ochard. They seem to keep themselves to the far end. It's worrying, but they seem to have kept to the grass and not touched any of the trees. I need to talk to the stables owners and find out whats been going on. In reality I don't mind the horses eating the grass, it will bring it down, as it has grown out of control. However they should not touch the trees. I would hate to lose any growth on the trees.

I also worry about the horse poo, I would prefer bovine manure in the orchard and at this point I do not want to build fencing around the trees. Perhaps in a couple of years I will get sheep and they will keep the grass down.

Started feeding the bees and lesson learnt.

Fondant block placed into the hive

So over the weekend I removed all the supers and the queen excluders. I have applied the next dose of the varroa treatment and place a 12.5 Kg block of fondant on each hive. I have enough to apply two does on each hive and if  I need more then I will start feeding syrup.

Fondant block in less than a minute

I was down at the orchard on Saturday and checked on the bees I can see capped brood and eggs in all the hives. The weather has been generally warm but the mornings and nights are getting colder. The last dose of varroa treatment will be applied this coming weekend.

When I put the fondant into the hives, which was a straight forward task i noted that within minutes I could see that the bees had started clustering around it and had immediately started to consume it, and bring it down..

The suppers that I removed did have some honey in them but not large amounts so its probably the right time to start feeding the bees. So I took the supers home and the plan was to place them in the garage.This is when I learnt a lesson. I place the empty equipment next to the garage door and opened the garage door and I was distracted by friends coming to visit. I didn't return to the garage for about 45 minutes. When I got to the garage what should I find to my horror, all the suppers were covered in thousands of bees, some had even gone into the garage where I keep my spare suppers, and extra hive and my nuc box and the fondant, it was like a large swarm had descended onto the equipment.

My smoker, which many bees found interesting

I closed the door to the garage, which meant inside the garage its reasonable dark and we have a side door which lets in light. The bees had gathered around the window and when I open the door the majority went out. I did the same again about minutes later and all the remaining bees came out.

I started then to deal with the suppers I had to literally remove each frame from the supers one at time brush off the bees and then take the frame away. Then the actual super itself. It took a while but was a learning experience. The bees, I'm not sure who's bees they could have been were very docile and a pleasure to handle. When I managed to remove the suppers I fund that the small quantities of honey that were still in the frames had all been removed and the supers were completely dry. The bees had even uncapped and removed some of the crystallised honey that was remaining in a couple of the frames.

The bees remained for am hour or so or more, I didn't received a single sting in fact, I sow the bees fighting each other for the honey and found a number of dead bees on the floor. The bees were even trying to remove any extra wax that they found lying on the floor from capping etc.

I learnt a lesson this week, don't leave equipment out and about, after use, it far to dangerous. Its a good thing my neighbours didn't the masses of bees that had gathered on the suppers, they may have truly had a shock.

I didn't managed to get around all the trees this weekend. I was hoping to but its was a busy weekend.

Sutton Honey Show

Some of the Exhibits at the Sutton Coldfield Honey show

 I had never entered a honey show however all that changed this week. I went and deposited at first two jars of granulated honey. I then realised that I could enter a couple more categories so I rushed home and grabbed another jar and entered another category. I have entered the novice class  and the granulated honey categories. The honey show was held at the Belfry golf course a very nice location for the show. Not sure how many members of the public attended, but it wasn't that published from what I saw.

Next year I may enter a picture for the best photo entry and perhaps a couple of candles for a candle class and hopefully a couple of jars of honey depending on the harvest next year. The pictures show my honey with those that they are completing with.

I also applied the next dose of varroa treatment at the hives in the orchard. This means that all the hives at the orchard have been treated for varroa this year. From later this week I will start feeding the bees to get them though the winter even though they are still bringing in nectar and pollen. The plan is to put the mouse guards in place in a couple of weeks. I have seen lots of capped brood in the hive but no eggs.

Bees clearing the wax of honey

I took some of the excess honey comb out of the hive this week and as you can see from the pictures a couple of bees followed me or perhaps they followed the scent of the wax and the honey and then cleaned out some of the comb. This weekend the weather was lovely, it was hot and it felt as if it were the middle of summer not the start of autumn. The bees were lovely to handle not a single sting and when I was taking the picture I had removed my gloves and face mask. The bees were very friendly to handle, and a pleasure. This year what with the bad weather, and poor conditions they have been a lot grumpier.

I have a cherry tree that was damaged earlier in the season so I trimmed it back and I can see new growth on the tree. Which I am very pleased with, at least I have not lost the tree, I may have lost a couple of years of growth but not the tree.

New Growth on a damaged cherry tree

The grass is yet to be cut and I can see other farmers still bailing straw etc, So I am hoping that mine will be done soon. I also found horse manure in the orchard, looks like one or more of the horses from next doors stables has managed to get in and have a wonder. I didn't see any damage to the trees though. Also some of the cherry trees leaves have started  to loosen and the leaves will probably fall off in a couple of weeks, and the leaves are beginning to change colour so autumn is fast approaching.

Conkers and more candles

Last week I said how I had enjoyed making candles, well this week I found my other silicone moulds and I started to make more. I have two other moulds one of a teddy bear sitting on a hive and the other is a bear next to a bee hive. They are nice and cute, my kids really like them and I hope others do to.

I may actually sell some perhaps nearer to Christmas and some of the others will be given away as Christmas presents. So I made six more candles this week.

More candles made my me

As the picture shows they are nice. I am not sure how many I'll be able to make. I can make more of the smaller ones obviously so I will probably will make more of them, they contain less wax. The larger ones that I made last week contain about 100grams of wax, that's a lot of wax. I gave one to my mum and she is going to test and give me feedback perhaps this week.

I have started the varroa treatment at the orchard and the three hives have all received the first does of treatment of ApiLifeVar. The other doses will be applied over the next couple of weeks.

Chicken in the woods mushroom

Over the past I have found a fungi on one of trees its a chicken in the woods mushroom that can been eaten, it about 10 feet of the ground so its pretty high up and in truth I won't be collecting it. In past I have eaten one a couple of years ago now, while in Belgium. From what I remember its tastes nice, I had it in am omelette and the one on the tree is big enough to make several omelets.

Apples in the orchard

I have found more pears on the trees and I may be making the same mistake again by letting them ripen and will pick them next week. They are still small lets hope them ripen and are ready for picking next week.

Lots of spiders about I took a couple of pictures. Some of them are pretty big. My hand was tangled in a web over the weekend and I had the contents of the web all stuck all over my hand. Hence the interest.

I picked a couple of apples which I took home, havn't tried them let.

Me having at rest at Conkers

I visited conkers this week. Conkers was a coal mine that has been converted into a nature reserve people pay to visit it, or become members. Its very modern and well worth a visit, They have re landscaped it and put various attractions and things for people to do. like interactive exhibits I liked and assault course,my son liked the small train that gets you from one site to another it a quick ride. Lots of indoor activities for wet days in the various education buildings. They also have outdoor interactive exhibits like getting water to run down various channels and getting fountains to work. The kids enjoyed wondering around the labyrinth. They also have various hides and rest areas, which are nice. Nothing that stands that I haven't seen before but they have brought them all onto one location. Its a place that adults and children can have fun. Well worth a visit if your in the midlands check it out. http://www.visitconkers.com/