What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Millet]

I have been away for the past several weeks lambing with no internet access but i have still been checking on the bees, last week the willows started flowering and the pollen was piling in with all three hives so i presume they have all got through winter ok, i have not opened any up yet as the temperature still has a little nip in the air, the wild cherry trees are starting to get masses of flower buds so hopefully the temperature gets up a little next week so i can sort a brood + half hive out and remove a nadired super.
Hooray by the way No OSR this year.. farmers.

 

[Wingy]

Saw the first drone leave the hive today. Dead & carried out by 2 workers

 

[Finman]

I share pollen patties to hives. They are getting first pollen too from willows

It is 10C now

 

[thibault]

7°, light rain, bees flying...

Sent from my SM-J710F using Tapatalk

 

[Finman]

Need to check the queenrightness of one and swarm prevention checks but its now below ten degrees and raining. So not today. Crossing fingers time.

Cut the queens wing

 

[Millet]

Cut the queens wing

That is exactly what i will be doing when i do my first inspection next week weather dependent, it is still taking a bit to warm up here through the north easterly breeze on the North east coast.

 

[Beefriendly]

That is exactly what i will be doing when i do my first inspection next week weather dependent, it is still taking a bit to warm up here through the north easterly breeze on the North east coast.

Welcome Back Millet, wondered where you had been

 

[Millet]

Welcome Back Millet, wondered where you had been

 

[Brigsy]

Thanks. Thankfully I always do that, so at least I won't lose the bees.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Demareed up 4 and 5 frames in my strongest hives in 10C. The second one lost patience: not fun. But no disasters I hope. It's funny how different colonies can build up so differently.

 

[madasafish]

Sold an overwintered queen. United her now Q- half of of BE double mating nuc with the Q+ half into a 5 frame larger mating nuc (home made from Cellotex.) using air freshener. Success although bees were not best pleased at it was 7C and slight drizzle..

Had to pick up Q from bottom of box as she's a runner (her bees are as well which is why I did not sell her ) but will use her to populate more mini mating nucs with bees prior to Queen Rearing and Queen Cells. I hate runny bees - a real PIA. She hides...

 

[Curly green fingers]

Sold an overwintered queen. United her now Q- half of of BE double mating nuc with the Q+ half into a 5 frame larger mating nuc (home made from Cellotex.) using air freshener. Success although bees were not best pleased at it was 7C and slight drizzle..

Had to pick up Q from bottom of box as she's a runner (her bees are as well which is why I did not sell her ) but will use her to populate more mini mating nucs with bees prior to Queen Rearing and Queen Cells. I hate runny bees - a real PIA. She hides...

I've had two attempts at catching mine 3rd was the charm she was on the floor when I moved them to a new brood.. I want to get another hive/ Nuc or two I'll have to ask at the association,

 

[Helen]

Had a quick look at the overwintered nucs as I want to combine one with what I think is a Q- hive. Checked all 3 for the strongest, placed Her Maj into a cage for the night.

Gave the suspected Q- colony a frame of brood last weekend, so will see tomorrow if they've created queen cells. If so, will use the Airwick Combine Method to merge the Nuc with the colony.

This year, I noticed that bees seem determined to squeeze themselves under the arm/wrist protectors I wear over the gloves/suit. Don't remember them doing it last year. Maybe they've been studying new methods over winter on how to defeat bee suits?

 

[deemann1]

Collected a ow nuke today nice black bees and also had my first go at clipping last year's queen which I was very nervous doing

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Looked into two hives to see if bees had gone through the QX into the supers. They hadn't. Dismantled third hive for scorching and cleaning for re-use following loss of colony.

 

[Zante]

Looks like the acacia flow started early this year. My bees are a bit higher up, so there might still be a day or two, but one thin's for sure: I have to add a super. Now to decide whether to insert the QE or not.

 

[drex]

Surrounded by OSR and blackthorn but too cold and wet for many bees to be out.. Thanks heavens I did what I had to in the recent warm spell, and only added supers to the poly hives

 

[madasafish]

Pear,plum blossom out in garden. Crab apple as well. And dandelions. Need the weather to warm up a bit..fruit yields last year were very good..My hands like beekeeping in the cold as much as the bees do.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Checked 86 mini splits for emergency cells ready for adding grafted queen cells later.

 

[Zante]

Hmm... more bees than last week, still the same amount of brood.
Ok, not the same amount, it is a little bit more, but I didn't spot the queen and didn't see any eggs or small grubs. The latter might have been because of the black wax (note to self: the effing torch!) but still I'm a bit worried.

Spotted a couple of drones, and a small cluster of capped drone cells, four or five altogether. They seemed to be a bit bigger than I expected, suspected they might be small emergency queen cells, but it all could be my worry amplified by my inexperience. I'll have to get someone with more experience to come and have a peek, and inquire at the LBS about mated queens, just in case.

It could be also that they came out of the winter worse for wear, and now are behind with the buildup, but now, with the acacia flow, there will be probably more forage than they can handle, so, queen worries aside, they should be fine, and even if they don't get the crop they could have otherwise, it will still be plenty for myself.

In any case, I added a super. With the temperatures we're having here the extra space in the hive won't be an issue, and in case they really get going with the acacia, they'll have the room they need.

I would have set up the swarm trap as I intended to do, but as I was adding the super it started raining, so I finished closing up and left. I'll do that during the week.
Of course it stopped raining as soon as I got off the dirt road and onto the tarmac