Ask SeñorGonbe About Keeping Bees

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Zasso Nouka
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Ask SeñorGonbe About Keeping Bees

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Sorry Eric I didn't see your post till just now, perhaps we should merge the bee posts here into the one already in countryside living or we can create a another bee thread. Iain started the conversation here so I guess it's up to him, would you like these posts merged or start another conversation on bees Iain ?
Eric in Japan wrote:I don't know if Japanese bees and European bees have the same size comb....
That's an interesting question, I seem to remember reading somewhere (but can't for the life of me remember where) that Japanese bees have a smaller cell size so the question may bee (excuse the pun :oops: ) whether they would use larger cells comfortably in a Flow Frame hive. Am also wondering now about the wax base sheets in a conventional hive, would Japanese bees try to make larger cells utilising the pattern already on the wax sheets or would they ignore the pre made pattern and build their normal size cells or would it be a good idea to just run a warm knife over the sheet before use to rub out the hexagonal pattern and make the sheet smooth ?

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Ask SeñorGonbe About Keeping Bees

Post by ifd66 »

Would be happy for this post to be merged with another bee post but no idea how it can happen.
Update: I was persuaded by a local beekeeper/NGO founder to get traditional boxes to try and attract native bees. He seemed very skeptical that the flowhive would accomodate native bees so I will try at a later stage to get a european colony for that hive.
Anyway, no luck yet. We now have two traditional style Japanese hives out in the back garden in some undergrowth and under trees and one up at the edge of a nearby forest. To attract them he gave us 3 blocks of wood with melted wax on.
Anyway, I have learned enough over the last few weeks to realise that keeping goats is a lot easier than it will be keeping bees, but looking forward to the challenge. Now waiting.

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Re: Ask SeñorGonbe About Keeping Bees

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Anyone know what species of bee this little fella is ?

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Re: Ask SeñorGonbe About Keeping Bees

Post by gonbechan »

Hard to say at that angle but the antennae look to long to be a honeybee.
It looks rather like ヤマトケアシハナバチ (which I have no idea what they are called in English, but some kind of Miner Bee)
If it is a ヤマトケアシハナバチ, then they live in the ground.

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Re: Ask SeñorGonbe About Keeping Bees

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Thank you,

We have loads of them around at the moment, they are busy inside and outside the vinyl houses fertilising our tomatoes, nasu, zuchinni and kabocha. Here are a couple more pictures in case that makes identification any easier

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Re: Ask SeñorGonbe About Keeping Bees

Post by gonbechan »

That's better.
It's a cousin of the yamato, but also a miner bee and lives in the ground.
アラカワヒゲナガハナバチ

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Re: Ask SeñorGonbe About Keeping Bees

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Awesome, that's the puppy. At this time of year they actually outnumber A. Cerana and later on the balance will shift towards having lots more bumblebees.

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Re: Ask SeñorGonbe About Keeping Bees

Post by gonbechan »

They're great pollinators with those very hairy legs.

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Re: Ask SeñorGonbe About Keeping Bees

Post by gonbechan »

A good way to attract bees of any kind is to have a watering hole for them.
If you are keeping bees, then this is a must.
A great way to do this is to get some kind of container and fill it with pebbles and and little rocks so they have a place to land and drink without drowning. Fill with water but leave rocks and pebbles sticking out here and there.
If you already have a water source but it doesn't have bee landing pads, chuck in a bunch of (washed) wine corks. They make great bee rafts.

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