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Well the two nucs out on the farm are doing well and have moved into 14x12 boxes using the converters available from Thornes. Both seem to be building up well and the field/orchard is a mass of buttercups at the moment. Had a bit of a drama when the farmer who owns it moved his calves there to graze and forgot to warn me. Two knocked over hives later they are now fenced in with barbed wire and a metal gate or two, so no long term damage done. My overwintered colony on the branch aipary have been building up well, stopped to check them on the way to our branch meeting last week and bingo, found quite a few swarm cells. By co-incidence our talk that night was on swarm control, returned the next day armed with the info from the night...

Left Hive 18 frames of brood. Top super full. 2nd super 3/4 3rd super 3/5 4th 1/5 Removed 7 Play cups. Right Hive. Had a quick look to see if any more Q/C were made. Still only have the one Q/C.

Is this weather ever going to break ? A man can only build so many bee boxes when the sun does not shine. I think we may be a little spoilt in this part of the uk because we can often get out with the bee's within 2-3 days but its been a week since my last inspection and I am starting to go stir crazy.

well, the bee inspector rang me this morning and re-arranged our appointment for next friday due to the weather that was forecast and in typical british weather fashion, when I got home it wasn't too bad at all, a bit overcast but not cold or raining so over to the apiary I went. I took the roof off and all was nice and quiet, the population has jumped a bit this week, they have drawn out more of the foundation and the queen has started laying on it, happy days :coolgleamA: I didn't seen the queen (again) but did see loads of eggs soo I'm not too bothered about not seeing her. Talking about eggs, this weeks photo is of some comb that had been built under the bottom bars containing some eggs, no need to magnify x400 to identify these...

Not much work going on tonight on the backend of the website as I have had a busy day making Brood boxes and supers. I finaly managed to make myself a nice cross cut sled for my table saw so production should go up a gear now. The saw table does not take a Dado blade so next up will be a jig for the router table to make the box joints.

I thought I had possibly introduce myself and put up some information about my past beekeeping. I worked in the offshore oil business for 28 years in a number of capacities, Roustabout Roughneck, yep the guys that throw the pipe around, Helideck work, Cleaning Foreman and latterly Materials Man. In 1987 my ex wife and I started beekeeping and by 1990 we had some 8 colonies or so. B. Mobus was the last Bee Advisor at the North of Scotland's College of Agriculture apiary at Craibstone estate, and he was being pushed into retiring early so the unit could be closed down. This famous Apiary was where the disease we know as Acarine, was diagnosed thanks to a gift of money from a Mr Wood, of some £6000, which in the 20's was a very...

and it was the regional bee inspector. That was quick I thought, I registered on Beebase on monday and had a call on tuesday evening. We had a chat and he wants to come and have a look at my hive, we made an appointment for this weekend. There are 3 different beeks in different corners of the orchard and one of them had disease problems last year, I think its a good thing to be in contact with the RBI so that any problems can be communicated quickly to every one else that could be affected by what I do

Left Hive 18 frames of brood. Top super full. 2nd super 3/4 3rd super 1/2 4th Small amount of honey. Removed 6 Play cups and found an open Q/C.:confused: If I missed a Q/C last week this Q/C should not be open for another 2 days. Unless I missed it on the 29th also. Saw eggs, so will wait and see what happens. Right Hive. 2 frames of brood. Super 1/5 I found 15 Q/C and could not tell witch one I left behind.:svengo: So picked the one I think I left behind and removed the rest.

(Friday) the bee's are settled in quite nicely, fully covering 5 frames, they have drawn out 1 side of foundation either side of the 5 and they are both 1/2 full of nectar/pollen. Saw eggs, larvae and pupae, lots of capped brood, they were generally well mannered, I didn't use too much smoke except when they started going bonkers on one of the rails, turns out there was a wax moth grub crawling along from under one of the spacers. I also changed the roof that didn't have any ventilation holes for one that does, I didn't notice the lack of ventilation initially so thats another little job that'll need doing at some point. Sunday we went for a walk over to the orchard and sat a few meters away from the hive watching the to-ing and...

Originally posted on the 26-4-09 and i've never been stung :svengo: 'tis true, every word and there's not many beekepers can say it the truth is slightly less glam, today is the first day of me owning bee's and I've been through the hive for the first time this afternoon but I still managed to do it without stressing anyone out. the bee's came from a 5 frame nuc and were bursting at the seams, they've got plenty of room now that they have a few frames to draw out. When i arrived at the hive I stood and watched the entrance for a minute and didn't see a single bee so started thinking they'd buggered off, I lifted the roof off and cracked a corner of the crown board and heard a buzz, thank gawd for that. I worked my way through the...

Went to do an Artificial Swarm today. Moved the hive (left) and placed a new hive with foundation in old place (right). But could I find the Queen!!!! NO!!!!:( 2 hours I looked for and even tried shaking the bees thought a Q/E on top of the supers I moved to one side. But still could not find her. Yes there were eggs in the hive. So just ended up putting the hive back together and leaving 1 Q/C in the right hive. I did this last year as I could not find her. The hive did not build up well and was dead in spring. Right Hive. 2 frames of brood with QC. Super empty. Left Hive. 16 frames of brood. Top super full. 2nd super 3/4 3rd super 1/2 Added another super.:) Removed 6 Play cups and 9 Queen cells.

I did change the floor on the 21st 18 frames of brood. Top super 3/4 almost full. 2nd super 3/4 3rd super 1/5 Removed 4 Play cups and 2 Queen cells.

It's been so long........so much has happened.......where to begin? Well I'm pleased to report I have 3 happy and fullish hives, 2 have supers on but nothing is in them yet. I have also aquired 2 trainees, which is amusing. They are keen and have done some work today going through the hives. The weather is pleasant although often overcast and the wind this week has been very strong, but never the less the amount of bees in my hives seem to have doubled since last weekend. I'm slightly envious (and disheartened) by beeks on the forum who are reporting 2 and even 3 supers on and filling rapidly. But I am more confident this year in knowing what I am doing and going about it all the right way - I'll rephrase that I have a vague idea what...

I tried to have check how are they doing but probably got timing wrong, they were like little devils. three stings in one arm. left them alone, will have look an other time. I think the weather change had its part and too late in the evening ( after five). Also set up a bee box with swarm lure to catch passing swarms. Placed it about six foot high on the pine tree branches. will see...

Bees were flying in and out - means they have accepted the hive. Hopefully will start comb building and will get some brood in. Placed half a litre of sugar syrup for feeding - hope it helps.

18 frames of brood. Top super 3/4 almost full. 2nd super 3/5 Added another super. Removed 3 Queen cups. Loads of brace comb. Some from the brood frames to the OMF. Going to have to change the OMF tomorrow.

Joined both hives. Now have 2 supers 1st 1/2 full 2nd 1/4

this morning I spent a bit of time clearing the site that I've been offered, it has been unused for quite some time and had a number of trees that needed cutting right down to ground level, there are 3 large patio slabs already down but they idealy need leveling off. as one of the photo's show, to the front there is a large well established orchard, and behind there is a newly planted orchard, to the side there is a drainage ditch with plenty of dirty water which I'm sure the bee's will love, I will also have a bucket of water there. All I need to decide now is wheather to try to buy bee's or wait for a swarm that may/may not materialise :confused:

I've missed the bloggs - even though there wasn't much to say through the winter. I put syrup on my hives today, had a quick peek inside and saw all 3 queens, there was capped brood but rather worryingly nothing uncapped, although I only looked at 1 frame in each hive and the weather was much colder last week. The hive with the unlaying queen in the autumn is the strongest and had lots of nectar in. Also worrying was the fact that I counted and killed 13 mites on one omf on Friday night, non on another and about 5 on another, more this evening...........drat. The chickens are laying well and finally I have a stag turkey who appears to be doing all the right things to his lady so hopefully she may lay fertile eggs. I had Amco in the...

originally posted on the BBKA forum on the 4-4-09 Yay, I've just been to see a farmer and he's offered me a spot in his orchard, it is where he used to have 3 hives himself and is very happy to have a couple of collonies there again :sifone: I feel like a kid at christmas