What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Obee1]

last week the prime swarm that I caught from my apiary only 16 days previous had the cheek to swarm again - they hadn't even drawn all the frames and were in the middle of an OSR field. They must have chosen to make swarm cells the second queenie started laying. I did see a swarm depart last week as I drove past but never considered this hive could be the culprit. I only realised when they issued a cast swarm right in front of me as I was at the apiary this week. Upon inspection I found two emerged qc (at three weeks since being hived up). I caught the cast swarm but the prime was long gone. I'm thinking the queen is not much of a loss!

Is this a record for the swarmiest bees ever! Prime swarming on day 16 after swarming previously.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

last week the prime swarm that I caught from my apiary only 16 days previous had the cheek to swarm again - they hadn't even drawn all the frames and were in the middle of an OSR field. They must have chosen to make swarm cells the second queenie started laying. I did see a swarm depart last week as I drove past but never considered this hive could be the culprit. I only realised when they issued a cast swarm right in front of me as I was at the apiary this week. Upon inspection I found two emerged qc (at three weeks since being hived up). I caught the cast swarm but the prime was long gone. I'm thinking the queen is not much of a loss!

Is this a record for the swarmiest bees ever! Prime swarming on day 16 after swarming previously.

I caught a swarm on the 19th into a 6 frame polynuc. 9 days later it was fully drawn out and almost full of nectar. Swapped it into a full sized brood box yesterday afternoon. Hopefully the extra room and some work drawing foundation will occupy their minds.

 

[beekake]

Checked on a modified snelgrove II phase 2...everything as expected...bees calm and productive and queen rapidly refilling brood nest with eggs. Stark contrast to last week, when I found that the bees were still in two minds (queen had been returned to original site and was laying well, but one brood frame was covered in sealed emergency QCs!).

Signs of a mating flight from the parent colony too, but I arrived just at the end of the party, so not quite sure...a lot of excited bees around and on the front on the hive.

 

[Anduril]

Hived cast swarm into a nuc box

 

[colinc]

Hived cast swarm into a nuc box

That's a nice sized cast.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Anduril]

That's a nice sized cast.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

The photo makes it look bigger than it is, going back this evening to pick it up.

 

[oGri]

24C, lovely but hawthorn is fading and bees much more aggressive..

Inspected everything today except recently hived swarms/requeened TBH. No QCs ( I have given all hives new foundation to work on through the weeks).

Two fourth generation carnie hives each with three supers decided it was time I had new innoculations against bee venom in my fingers and up one trouser leg. The thumb one was especially painful - it was on my good hand whilst holding a jumbo frame of bees & brood so I could not let go..my left hand would have not carried the weight. I then put on nitriles and got more of the same!

By then I was on my last hive so at least it all ended quickly...Asda hydrocortisone cream for stings sorted the swelling on my ring finger..

Not the most stings I have received at once but one of the more painful sessions. All ok now. The joys of beekeeping.

Collected two tree bumble nests in bird houses and rehoused in our garden...(£20 callout fee for everything)

Tats a great idea, from now on I'm rehousing all bumbles in bird boxes to my garden

 

[madasafish]

Tats a great idea, from now on I'm rehousing all bumbles in bird boxes to my garden

I refurbish the bird boxes at end of year.. and use them for our birds....

 

[enrico]

Basket bees

Or you can plant them up in a hanging basket!!!!
E

 

[Beefriendly]

Released a new virgin queen from her cell into the hive, was very pleasant letting her run over my hands before setting her down into the hive I hope she will "rule".....now the wait

 

[philipm]

Checked my hives today all pretty nasty but I suspect it is because it is heavy and thundery weather. oh well hope they are better next inspection.

 

[einsteinagogo]

So this is my secret Apiary through this gate, it's like Mr Ben through this gate I enter my Beekeeping World again!

it was an Apiary set aside for mating nucs (2015), and queen rearing, but my Primary Apiary site (2016), the site was sold, and I had to move off, not asked or seen the new owners yet, to ask them if they would like bees on the site! That just happen to coincide with my road traffic accident! So nothing really lost!

Scythe at the ready and carefully cut down some of the nettles in the apiary, which had become overgrown....now I'm back!

I've only cut down the nettles that were getting in the way, to leave for other wildlife.

I now think I know why this swarm which I collected of the blue wheelie bin, were there, because I think that on the 24 May 2017, two swarms headed for the same bait hive, leaving the ones on the wheelie bin homeless, until a friendly Beekeeper came along, and put them in a box!

Lots of activity on both hives, by not seeing any pollen going in yet.

 

[Tremyfro]

I now have a special conversion board for my Flow super...which is a langstroth...so I can put it on any of my Nationals. Now I just have to decide which one will be the lucky one.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I had such a quick visit planned to the apiary.
Routine bits.....................
I can't begin to explain how I ended up spending two hours there

 

[bjosephd]

I had such a quick visit planned to the apiary.

Routine bits.....................

I can't begin to explain how I ended up spending two hours there

I call it a 'B-hole'... "How long was I gone???! Who's the president??"

 

[B+.]

I had such a quick visit planned to the apiary.
Routine bits.....................
I can't begin to explain how I ended up spending two hours there

I know what you mean:
Apiary 1: made gaps between frames of brood in cell builder.
Checked on introduced virgins - lost a couple
Apiary 2: Grafted larvae
Found my phone which I'd taken out of my pocket to take a photo of something, left it ontop of a hive - couldn't remember where I last had it when I arrived home and it was nowhere to be seen. That could have been expensive!
Apiary 1 again: insert grafted larvae in cell builder (I'm always amazed how quickly they cover the frames.
Went home and started putting some more foundation in frames. Some hives have drawn and filled 3 boxes of Langstroth deep so they need more.

Very impressed with 55-2-70-2016 (mated on Vlieland). Not so impressed by 55-9-89-2016 (II NL-Line). It builds up too slowly for my area. The Celle-lines are not so good this year either - On the whole, they're making large colonies and filling lots of boxes with honey - BUT - they're followers this year.

 

[Swarm]

I had such a quick visit planned to the apiary.
Routine bits.....................
I can't begin to explain how I ended up spending two hours there

I can begin to imagine.

 

[pargyle]

I can begin to imagine.

I think my apiary is in a time slip void ... I stand there watching them with a cup of coffee and an hour passes in about 5 minutes ... goes even quicker if I actually do anything ! It's another burner of Brownie Points ... "What were you DOING around there for the last XX Hours ?" It's not a question I find easy to answer sometimes .... I can't admit that I've been in a bee induced time warp.

 

[einsteinagogo]

Weather has turned, no bees flying from both hives, weather is raining, decided to feed. So will feed some 1:1 feed later this evening, with feeder. Outlook for the week does not look good.

 

[colinc]

Strange weather for bearding???
15degC and persisting down. Can only assume few optimistic foragers can't get back in for chilly bees hogging the warm bit of the brood nest. This is on double brood too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro