What did you do in the apiary today??

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tonybloke

Queen Bee
Joined
Mar 4, 2009
Messages
3,474
Reaction score
1
Location
Gorleston-on-sea, Norfolk
Hive Type
Commercial
Number of Hives
3 Commercial hives with National supers, Top Bee Space. + 2 Nucs
well, today I united a queenless colony with a strong hive, so now have a double commercial !!
 
Sat watching the 'Home Bees' in the sunshine today for two hours. One hive was so busy, removed the entrance block. Then inspected a colony at one of my out apiaries. and generally felt very pleased with myself.
Inspections of the other two out apiaries planned for Friday.
 
Watched a colony in the yard coming and goings. lots of pollen coming in. great sight to see but only for 10minutes
 
My son and I took the empty feeder off along with the queen excluder. We checked the double brood chamber and there are plenty stores, capped brood and larvae present so HM is there, but did not make herself known, but that's OK. We put a super right at the bottom of the stack with 6 frames of Thymol tainted honey (failed to read the instructions!) We put the frames 3 on each side so left the middle empty. Then we put the mouse guard on and insulated the top of the hive.

The bees were still bringing lots of Ivy pollen, still some HB and some had a nice orange pollen on their legs. The weather was warm in the North West but a bit breezy. Some were so loaded up they struggled to get through the mouse guard.

We don't plan to open them up again until OA time.
 
  • Checked the feeders (they are more interested in the ivy than syrup) cleared out some aging syrup before it went off
  • Smiled as I saw that the wasps that had found their way into a Miller had all drowned
  • Gobsmacked at the level of activity from all 4 hives that I will winter (we had 20'C and the girls made the best of it). No inspection beyond that.
  • Enjoyed the sunshine
  • Was amused by the pheasants - do they have a death wish?
  • Pruned back the trees that fringe the wood I am on the edge of so that I have shade but early morning sun
  • Did a running repair on the rear fence
  • Trimmed the hawthorn that screens the hives

Just enjoyed the opportunity to get out, there wont be many more this season.
 
cut grass in all 4 apiarys then sat and watched the beeson my allotment they were very busy.
 
Yeah, watching the bees come and go.The weeds on the alottment are taking over, well, tomorrow, I'll tackle the weeds, well, unless its sunny and the bees are out again.:blush5:
 
Steamed a whole load of dross to recover some wax.... was boring but worth the effort!
 
Having changed the feeders on Saturday nothing to do except sit and watch them for a bit after slogging around the garden for a couple of hours. Then to the pub and it all went downhill from there.
 
Watched the bees being busy, cut the grass, decided being busy was for bees only, and so sat down in a chair and fell asleep.

(My excuse is the 8 mile run in the morning!)
 
Spent 4 hours Sunday afternoon making a new cedar roof for my WBC.
 
counted my daily varroa

hive 1: two
hive 2: nil
hive 3: two
hive 4: one
Hospital case::banghead: one hundred and one (759 for the week, now starting week 8 of treatment, 3891 in total mite drop) never accept a free gift
 
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Hefted all 6 hives. 5 were good, one is a bit light so they will get another bucket of syrup. They are all working the ivy flat out. A proper day yesterday, hods of bees flying, felt like summer.
 
Added yet another feeder of syrup and removed QX...how long till they empty this one...any bets?? Last was 20 hours...
 
Took advantage of the great weather to do another install of Apiguard. Bees had a terribly heavy count in late August, so thought I'd give it another bash. Also placed and filled feeders, to be checked again later this week and re-filled if necessary. Worried about the potentially Q- state of Hive 1, and the low stores on the Q+ Hive 2. Wonder if they'll fill those empty super frames I popped in ....

Spent a blissed-out peaceful half hour checking out the busy-ness at the front of the hives. Incredible amounts of pollen still going in to both hives.
 
Bit of weeding as I promised myself I would, then sat and watched thebees, still working the ivy. and kicking a few wasps off the landing board.


If I get in the right spot, I can see the bees appearing from over the treetops. :)
 

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