A pleasant afternoons beekeeping.

[Poly Hive]

Rape in full flower. Flowing well in the afternoon sun today.

Went to put a nuc into a full hive and they were more than ready to move up. Queen laying well and the foundation I gave them four days ago pulled out and laid up.

Inspected a colony that was on two broods and not that busy in the super so suspecting trouble sure enough there were swarm cells. I found the queen and popped her in a nuc, used a cell for another nuc, and thinking that there were still far too many bees in the situation I put the remnants of the top brood box as a unite on the nuc I had just moved into a hive. She is a good queen so will push that colony on and quite possibly I will be able to get another couple of nucs off them.

Next colony was thinking of supercedure so I did a split on them. Made up a nuc with the queen and left the supers on the parent stance, then took away the top box to a new site and they will be up and running by the end of the month.

Then supered three colonies so a very pleasant afternoons work.

I should mention one hive I A/S last week had a real commotion at the front door with bees coming out to cover the front so I strongly suspect that their virgin was on the wing. I just hope she didn't take note of me as a land mark!

PH

 

[Grub]

I had a "pleasant" afternoon as well got the hive in position ready to pick up my package tommorow , even had 3 bees visit the hive , first time I have saw bees in the garden all year!! When I needed them for my two apple trees !!.
I have the entrance closed up, first I noticed one buzzed round for 10 minutes then came back with two mates , do you think they were just being nosey picking up the smell of the foundation as it was realy hot here at 2.00pm I will be gutted if a swarm thought this looks good just my luck !!

Grub

 

[Heather]

Well, I had a s... afternoon... I had been so busy collecting swarms from all and sundry in the past 2 weeks ( remembering we have 20 on our list wanting starter colonies) I finally got to my WBC on an out apiary. Thought they seemed less busy - they must have swarmed as not bursting at the seams- and 2 empty Q cells - bum... Well I removed all extra 7 queen cells- gently gathering them up to take home to incubate.
A queen hatched as I walked to the car, but she stayed within my hand. I opened the door successfully and put them all in a large plastic box- praying she wouldn't sting all the still encapsulated queens. Wafting off bees still interested in me- I started the car - and ran over a super full of empty frames I had taken in case they needed to move up! Came home to a large brandy/coke and hot bath- bee free evening for me
p.s - 3 hatched queens as I write.

 

[garethbryson]

Sorry Heather but i just had a good laugh at your expence. especially the bit about running over the super... I'm sure you didnt find it funny..

 

[Rosti]

A good up beat thread this ( you still have your queen / cells Heather!) and what beeking should be! Likewise a good positive inspection! Life is good (and Admin recognises that donations from Yorkshire & Scotland should be lower than anywhere else into the bargain).

Inspected this afternoon, 19'C nice views, nice bees and I was home!

H1 (my only over wintered colony) - Dealt with a probably deceased queen. Luckily demaree'd 2 weeks ago so national brood box with queen cell (lucky, saved nicking a frame from elsewhere) moved down below QE so hopefully they are sorted. Wait and see what the queen is like if she gets that far, otherwise will recombine with nuc.

14x12 5 frame Nuc from H1 going like a good'un, queen laying, 4 frames drawn, not ready for a full box yet, removed nuc feeder.

H2 May 10 swarm, first must be a prime swarm because in place 2 weeks and brood at all stages, queen found and marked, good feeling about this one, nice laying pattern and great temprament. Miller removed.

H3. May 10 swarm (caught whilst away), moved last night, no signs of laying yet, queen not seen, miller & a gallon put on, wait and see.

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

I too had a splendid afternoon. A very helpful bee inspector helped me get my colonies a little straighter.

The swarm I had posted about earlier, that then came home and glued itself to the underside of the hive, turned out to have been the entire hive (don't ask - I don't know why, either). They were returned to their rightful place inside the hive (and the weather is keeping them there this morning, so fingers crossed).

The AS I did a few weeks ago turns out to have been slightly confused, in that the Queen I moved may have been a hefty drone (my eyesight has deteriorated since I died). But the hive I had tried to AS from now had two laying Queens (one either side of the QE). One of these has now been moved, thus relieving my hefty drone of the responsibility to lay eggs (he was not much good at it).

And in the evening we even managed to extract a modicum of honey.

So now I appear to have three rather than two hives: they all seem content: we have a few jars of our own honey (each one worth about £1000 given the investment!): and I have decided to postpone a decision about giving up bees in favour of quilt-making for the time being.

Thank you bee inspector, you turned things round for me in only a couple of hours.

 

[Somerford]

DD - reading your experience made me laugh - you said "" thus relieving my hefty drone of the responsibility to lay eggs (he was not much good at it)""

I am not sure if you were joking, but a drone layer is a queen that has run out of sperm and lays unfertilised eggs into normal worker cells - small drones appear and can fool many a beekeeper. The other is a laying worker, characterised by multiple eggs found in cells, often up the sides, caused when a queen dies/new queens don't hatch and a worker assumes the role of a queen (again unfertilised eggs)

Drones, to my knowledge, don't do alot, but they definitely don't lay eggs !

regards

S

 

[Heather]

Somerford- I think DD's tongue was firmly in his cheek.

 

[iball]

I had a great afternoon as I picked up my very first nuc. This is now adjacent the hive and will be installed as soon as it stops raining.

Sunday forcast is good so it may have to wait until then.

I am now a keeper of bees, I suppose it's downhill from here?

Ian

 

[Rosti]

will be installed as soon as it stops raining.

This is an English summer remember and given the weather Friday, Friday 'was' that Summer. If it is still raining come July 14th then I would get on and instal anyway Ian!

 

[susbees]

This is an English summer remember and given the weather Friday, Friday 'was' that Summer. If it is still raining come July 14th then I would get on and instal anyway Ian!

We've been wondering how bees will react to large umbrella? Colour? Got fairly soaked during a cloudburst on Wednesday here. It was just at the spray bees with water for mininucs stage. Very bl**dy funny. Parent hive was not amused but they're very nice bees (luckily).

Do they mind umbrellas ???

 

[iball]

This is an English summer remember and given the weather Friday, Friday 'was' that Summer. If it is still raining come July 14th then I would get on and instal anyway Ian!

They will be installed this weekend, the forcast for tomorrow afternoon is more favourable with some sunshine, but either way it has to be done as it's a very strong nuc.

Ian

 

[Rosti]

We've been wondering how bees will react to large umbrella? Colour? Do they mind umbrellas ???

Very hush, hush of course but I understand that the bee unit at DEFRA, York have been breeding with the UK summer in mind. Early F1 hybrids are showing much promise.

 

[Grub]

I had a "pleasant" afternoon as well got the hive in position ready to pick up my package tommorow , even had 3 bees visit the hive , first time I have saw bees in the garden all year!! When I needed them for my two apple trees !!.
I have the entrance closed up, first I noticed one buzzed round for 10 minutes then came back with two mates , do you think they were just being nosey picking up the smell of the foundation as it was realy hot here at 2.00pm I will be gutted if a swarm thought this looks good just my luck !!

Grub

Well its not that today

Went to pick up package bees today all booked with you know who.
And I turn up and he sold them all last week
He didnt even expect me
Anyway to cut a long story short another £30 quid and I have a nuc , he lived up to reputation foul mouthed I can excuse one but not every 3 word.
If I would of known I could of got one 25 miles away so lucky I have a converter kit for the frames for my Langstroth and add insult to injury got stuck in trafic jam M5 2 1/2 hours for a journey that should of taken 60 minutes !!!
But at last I have bees
over
Grub

 

[VEG]

Grub you could have got them from Tonyrefail. http://www.tonyrefailapiary.co.uk/

 

[susbees]

@ Rosti...

 

[Mike a]

Well its not that today

Went to pick up package bees today all booked with you know who.
And I turn up and he sold them all last week
He didnt even expect me
Anyway to cut a long story short another £30 quid and I have a nuc , he lived up to reputation foul mouthed I can excuse one but not every 3 word.
If I would of known I could of got one 25 miles away so lucky I have a converter kit for the frames for my Langstroth and add insult to injury got stuck in trafic jam M5 2 1/2 hours for a journey that should of taken 60 minutes !!!
But at last I have bees
over
Grub

Oi..! you got my bees !!!

Oh well back on the waiting list again for the 3rd time
Glad to hear your finally up and running.

 

[Grub]

Grub you could have got them from Tonyrefail. http://www.tonyrefailapiary.co.uk/

I know
But wanted a package
And its raining
But have bees now

Thanks Graig


Grub

 

[VEG]

No probs good luck with them.

 

[Bates]

Well its not that today

Went to pick up package bees today all booked with you know who.
And I turn up and he sold them all last week
He didnt even expect me
Anyway to cut a long story short another £30 quid and I have a nuc , he lived up to reputation foul mouthed I can excuse one but not every 3 word.
If I would of known I could of got one 25 miles away so lucky I have a converter kit for the frames for my Langstroth and add insult to injury got stuck in trafic jam M5 2 1/2 hours for a journey that should of taken 60 minutes !!!
But at last I have bees
over
Grub

What would you rather? A nuc with live bees and brood etc or a package full of dead bees? You forget they cannot sit around for long they will be slowly dying off so they have to be shook into a hive as quickly as possible. You make your own decision.