What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Robbo8916]

Got all plans in place to move them the 3.4 miles or so to their new orchard home. My bee landlady was unhappy that I am taking both colonies but she has been promised some more well behaved bees for her gorgeous garden.

Just got to work the bank hol then Tuesday AM is move time!

First time moving colonies so wish me luck!!!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Ah I thought it was you Emyr. Likewise...
also Ta for advice re sacbrood etc.
Invitation still stands

apart from the bees, which I missed, there was little to note this year. I have a feeling that if there is an auction next year, there will be strict rules on cleanliness of submitted items.
Sadly the few stalwarts who make the auction happen had little help or respect from some vendors who dumped stuff off in a shameful state before scarpering.
One guy left the dirtiest pile of frames I have seen and just plonked his business card on top for Babs and Dai T. Pretty disrespectful and may be one factor in the viability ofnext years auction.

Yes - it will be a shame if this year's was the last auction, but chatting to Dave and Barbara it's looking very likely it will be. Barbara only came back this year (she did say in the last auction that it would be her last, with the death of Tom and no beekeeping connection left) to support David who is past eighty and quite rightly would have expected someone to take over the reins by now.
Great shame.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Went to do the second stage of my 'Wally" today. The queen + side is supposed to have torn down queen cells, not make ten more..... Took her out and popped her in the Q- side after knocking down cells on both sides. Newly Q- side will be left alone to raise a new queen, (still undecided on trimming down to one cell prior to emergence)

Hold your breath and do nothing.
We can hold our breaths together
I will leave the brood side alone and not look in to thin cells down.
Just remember to have that box away from the others

 

[Erichalfbee]

I did two second stage manipulations. First one went like a charm. Knocked down QC's in Q- colony. Found queen in parent colony on second frame I looked at and moved her over - all QC's had been taken down by the bees.
On to the second colony. Knocked down queen cells, went to the other colony. No QC's .
Eggs and larvae, but could not find supposedly marked queen. Went through the boxes ( double brood) three times and still could not find her. Closed up. So I have left the AS side hopelessly queen less. Usually I have no problem finding queens. Do not like to sieve them. I will looke again tomorrow and if I still cannot find her will leave as is and unite the AS with one of my over wintered nucs. Reading through Wallys advice on this procedure, it should work out alright, ( swarm urge should have been satisfied), but does anyone see a flaw in my reasoning?

Have another look tomorrow.
Always catch you queen before removing any QCs but I suppose you know that
Let us know

 

[Brigsy]

Hold your breath and do nothing.
We can hold our breaths together
I will leave the brood side alone and not look in to thin cells down.
Just remember to have that box away from the others

Oh god. Flashbacks!

I have the other half on the far side of another colony so about 2 meters.

 

[coatesg]

Watched today as the swarm I caught on Fri evening came piling out of the hive and started to swarm again. Small ish cluster settled on an apple tree, so started to go and get kit to catch them again while they settled. They never did, but instead all went back into the hive I had put them into, just as quickly as they came out. Hoping they'll stay put now.... Will be on third day after swarming tomorrow...

 

[madasafish]

Checked my cell punching after 2 days and my first try this year appears to have a c30% success rate..

Given that my head torch decided not to work at all (broken battery lug) and I am out of practice# that's about what I would expect..


# out of practice = doddery old man with poor eyesight for short range work...

 

[Helen]

Checked the colony I relocated into a Dartington from a National they were bursting out of. All settled down, but found BIAS in super. Had a hunt, and found Her Maj above the QE! Doh. That was a first for me.

In brood frame, there was a very recently hatched queen cell as well. So, placed HM with attendants into a nuc and let the new queen get on with it in the main hive.

Also collected my first swarm of the year. Medium-sized one in a sparse bush at waist height. Was drizzling as well so not much flying. Easy catch. They are now re-adjsting themselves to a nuc in the back garden.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Minding my own business in the field next to the apiary, a hundred yards from the hives I got stung on the head once twice thrice, before I know what was happening; no warning, no sizing me up.The smell of bananas was overpowering, just from three bees! I spent the next five minutes dodging other bees before I gave up and went home to order a replacement queen.
One colony has been on the verge of a very serious telling off for some time.
Strangely, Stan, who looked into them two days ago when they were really bad tempered and who had the elastic bands round his gloves nearly annihilated with stings, remained unmolested.

 

[Plenty of honey]

Nothing, howling winds and Pixxing down, but hey we needed that rain!
Cell builder stocked and ready, day 11 after adding brood tomorrow, hope they dont go when the sun shines. she's a monster in waiting. Will come home from work early and make it hopelessly queen less at midday!! Thankfully hedge cutting up the road!! oh the drama!!

 

[pargyle]

Minding my own business in the field next to the apiary, a hundred yards from the hives I got stung on the head once twice thrice, before I know what was happening; no warning, no sizing me up.The smell of bananas was overpowering, just from three bees! I spent the next five minutes dodging other bees before I gave up and went home to order a replacement queen.

Not with mine but at another apiary where I was helping with some vile bees last year - I had three bees attack me after I de-suited at least 50 yards from the hive ... went straight for my eyes - took two stings on the eyelid and one on my eyebrow ... very nasty and a bit scary as well. The smell of ripe bananas was incredible and I could see more bees heading my way ... I didn't hang about either, there's times when it's better to cut and run.

 

[philipm]

Checked the hives today at least they seem to be of a better temperment this year.

 

[JWF]

Not with mine but at another apiary where I was helping with some vile bees last year - I had three bees attack me after I de-suited at least 50 yards from the hive ... went straight for my eyes - took two stings on the eyelid and one on my eyebrow ... very nasty and a bit scary as well. The smell of ripe bananas was incredible and I could see more bees heading my way ... I didn't hang about either, there's times when it's better to cut and run.

I've noticed the pungent whiff of bananas with just one grumpy bee buzzing away on my veil. Little buggers.

As for what I did today, I transferred a colony headed by a 2017 (I think) queen to a member of my BKA. She has already laid up 7 national frames, so she looks like a good layer! She came from a queen cell from my early swarmed hive, plus the remnants of a swarm that absconded after I'd hives them.

Thinking about it though, I wonder if the initial big swarm had two queens in it, which would explain why half of them stayed behind and half left for pastures new? Who knows!?!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not with mine but at another apiary where I was helping with some vile bees last year - I had three bees attack me after I de-suited at least 50 yards from the hive ... went straight for my eyes - took two stings on the eyelid and one on my eyebrow ... very nasty and a bit scary as well. The smell of ripe bananas was incredible and I could see more bees heading my way ... I didn't hang about either, there's times when it's better to cut and run.

Well, new queen on her way for Thursday. I'll make a nuc up for her and unite them presently.

 

[Robbo8916]

Got up at the crack of dawn and moved the hives down to the farm! All went well!

 

[Tremyfro]

A few days ago I picked up 2 nucs and a full colony....which we had to split as it was on double brood...the queen went with the top part into a Beehaus...we found her today and marked her.
The second half we inspected today and moved into a jumbo hive. They were quite lively with lots of bees in the air and moving quickly over the comb. However, they were not aggressive. There were a few queen cells...we left them with a queen cell. So after the transfer....we left them to get on with it....but took a few frames out to make more room.
One of the nucs went straight into a Beehaus and are already expanding nicely. The other nuc was bursting at the seams...had lots of queen cells....so we had taken out some frames of bees to put in nucs...the main part we hived up. So a quick look today showed an open queen cell and a closed cell...from which the queen was piping. We closed up leaving them to get on with making a queen.
Divide and conquer...is the motto with these rather feisty bees.
I have 2 Carniolan queens due to arrive soon. So I think some requeening will be happening.
In total contrast ...later in the day we inspected the Carniolan Beehaus colonies...both now doing well in this warmer weather. Quiet on the comb...none in the air.

 

[Teemore]

Added supers (foundation only) to my stocks on OSR on Saturday. A quick check of the brood area indicated that the colonies were about to see an emergence of a lot of new bees. Went back last night when I got home from work and added extra supers - they were needed! 14x12s now on 5 supers, Standard Nationals on 4 with the exception of a couple of stocks that were transferred from Nucs to full boxes on 8th and 15th April: those are now on 3 and 2 supers respectively. Went home to try and get extra supers made up ready for use. Still have some new supers in reserve but the number is declining.
Will need to start extracting in the next week to 10 days. Just need to find time....

 

[Swarm]

This little sweetheart didn't want to leave ...

 

[Plenty of honey]

First Cell Builder of the season yesterday, grafted in the evening. Lovely to be grafting again. Feeling good!!!


http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=14311&stc=1&d=1493844348

 

[Erichalfbee]

First Cell Builder of the season yesterday, grafted in the evening. Lovely to be grafting again. Feeling good!!!

Lovely box of bees.......and none in the air