What did you do in the Apiary today?

[madasafish]

Quick visual inspection - external -all hives fed fondant last week and still with plenty (clear CBs).
Two 5 frame nucs - weak going into winter dead...not enough bees. One min nuc -the smallest ditto.

TBH? uncertain.. no bees seen but I am not going to look.(loads of stores..)

 

[Helen]

I have lost three out out of four this winter in Suffolk, one I thought might have been queenless going into the winter but the other two heavy and fed.

Ouch! I've got 5 nucs which have all made it through. Wooden plywood ones, insulation on top. All flying. Haven't looked inside yet - will check levels of stores and bees quickly this weekend.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Just checked the last of my 7. All looking good thank goodness...... can't wait for decent temperatures and some nectar.

 

[simonforeman]

Allot of you will see on other threads that I moved 2 hives I bought just over a week ago from Kent to East Lincs....No sign of them for a week with the bad weather Then....

Monday they were out for the first time orientating them selves. Yesterday was too cold for them.

Today they are collecting lots of pollen from the daffodils and snowdrops. Good to see them happy in their new home.

 

[Heather]

Had to move a hive across a field to my car and rebuild at home apiary. Challenge as was a deep brood, standard brood, super and insulation/feed eke.
I broke into 3 sealing each in securely, as could only just lift each part. Wheelbarrowed to my car individually and they are now settled safely in their new abode, with old deep on the top above a rhombus to push bees down. In 1 week the deep brood will be removed.
Only 2 more hives to move to home, and fortunately they are not so big. Phew.
Rain never arrived and all hives enjoying the crocus.

Honey bees dont use daffodils in my understanding.. Bumbles do.

 

[simonforeman]

I'm new to this but they were certainly spending time in the miniature daffodils....

 

[Heather]

Ah, maybe the miniatures...didnt think of that.
Sun shining here, off to move last 2 hives from field and bring to my place... downsizing my work load

 

[bontbee]

I've seen them working tete a tete, but never on the King Alberts

 

[Erichalfbee]

Checked fondant and one hive that’s quiet.
Took their cosy off to get a picture. Still there.

 

[Brian Bush]

I have just been around the apiaries checking the hives and adding candipolline gold. Predictably I have lost a couple of hives. In one apiary a woodpecker has made a hole through an old brood box. This is a nasty colony that are due for re-queening this year. I imagine woody had a shock. They had a go at me this morning?
I was going to remove the frames from a hive that I lost in January and was surprised to see some unusual mammal droppings. I had expected there to be signs of mice but these were unknown to me. I looked them up and they are weasel droppings or possibly a stoat. Hence no mice in the hive!!!

 

[Wingy]

Planned to spend a day on the allotment today but woke up to snow this morning. By midday sun was out all snow gone & 8 degre C. The nuc was busy with pollen coming in some bright orange and some a dirty grey / blue colour. All quiet again by 1600 hrs as temperature started to drop.

 

[thibault]

She is just one of my black locals, they've always been beautiful bees to handle, even when I found them knocked over. Very frugal too, they felt a bit light when I got the boxes back together so I gave them half a gallon of invert which they ignored and they haven't touched their fondant either. First inspection will find them on about three combs usually but they build up nicely.
I'll be sorry to see her go.

Brilliant, yes mine are nice too, defensive when they have to be but never had an issue with them, kids play in the garden... no issues. One of the nuc is loaded with honey, still heavy, in general they overwinter well.

Sent from my SM-J710F using Tapatalk

 

[Harley1]

Just a quick visit to check on fondant. None needed and bees flying from all hives with a little pollen coming in. A bit cold and blustery but everything looked good. I could feel a big smile on my face, driving home. Can't wait to open up and have a proper look but I shall be patient until things get warmer.

 

[Millet]

Had a look today and all three where very lively one not as much as the other two but good too see activity all the same, i was worried with the slower one but it seems to have pulled safe fondant still available for them and they where flying well on the crocus and snow drops... hopefully i am doing something correct..
Here is the entrances of two not the best i know but these phones are.. s**te.

 

[gregior]

Lifted the crown boards on all mine today to check stores and because i'm nosey. All have plenty of stores and are all doing really well ranging from 6 to 8 frames of tightly clustered bees. Not much flying going on but one or two coming back with pollen.

 

[taurus]

All the hives flying well today. One of them I missed changing the frames in the lower brood box last spring so I lifted the top box, removed the lower one and will leave that one as single brood until the weather warms up a bit more.

Then spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up the frames out of the box I removed - I wonder if it's ready worth it? Especially as I sliced a chunk out of my thumb in the process.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Spent today organising the "bee shed"!
How on earth have I got 16 nuc boxes when I only have 7 colonies..... I must stop making them!

 

[Beefriendly]

Then spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up the frames out of the box I removed - I wonder if it's ready worth it? Especially as I sliced a chunk out of my thumb in the process.

I often wonder the same; having just cleaned about 70 brood frames and over 200 super frames in the last few days.........but at say approx £1 a brood frame (it's an approx...okay!) and you have 50 to clean. Or scrap 50 and make up 50 new ones?
I can clean them faster than I can make them, so time wise and money wise it does make sense to re-use them. Plus the wax recovered is sold via blocks/candles so offsets costs even more.
Yes it is worth it! Although I rate it as the most boring job there is in beekeeping.

 

[Goran]

These days.. from 14C to 19C.. Bees really busy. All seems OK, even 6-7 colonies were attacked by birds/weasels of whatever.. Luckily the damage was at the entrance while bees were in the upper box ( winter configuration) - one of the reasons I overwinter on 2 boxes - with bees in upper..
Bees all over the box - but seems as from 5-8 seams of bees. Over 92% young 2017 queens - a lot to observe preformances..

 

[Tomlow bee]

Honey bees dont use daffodils in my understanding.

But the bees don't always read the same books! This morning with very light winds and strong sun with temperature in low teens, my bees were very busy working 4 early large trumpet daffs that are in full bloom and obviously providing something that they want as they were queuing up to get inside the flowers. Few others on the snowdrops but these are past their best.

No idea what variety of daff except that it is all yellow and the earliest of the daffs that i have.