What did you do in the Apiary today?

[user 6228]

cant do anything without some apis mellifiera sticking its antennae in....

soldering copper pipes, buzz buzz (what all this then?) 3 of them

connecting pipes on the roof, buzz, buzz 4 of them

digging in the garden, buzz buzz (who's got a nice warm head)

 

[Swarm]

Wish I had a camera with me today when a bee landed next to the thermometer as if checking the temperature.

 

[nosmoking]

Removed Apistan strips (I know, I was late putting them in) and blocked up one entrance hole as neighbour said he had seen some wasps around. Bees very busy taking pollen in, had a quick look at me and carried on. I haven't used anything to subdue them the last few times in the hive. I think the last time I used a water spray was way back in July. Hopefully they are getting ready for winter. Still warm here today, about 18/19c.

 

[user 6228]

Removed the last wooden component from both the hives, by removing the empty wooden super with the api var treatmentand replacing it with a Polyurethane ecke and removng the queen excluder. Hive 1 is now a poyurethane/ polystyrene hybrid (Mb poly floor and brood box, PU super, Ecke, roof.) Hive 2 is 100% Polyurethane homemade.

 

[victor meldrew]

Removed Apistan strips (I know, I was late putting them in) and blocked up one entrance hole as neighbour said he had seen some wasps around. Bees very busy taking pollen in, had a quick look at me and carried on. I haven't used anything to subdue them the last few times in the hive. I think the last time I used a water spray was way back in July. Hopefully they are getting ready for winter. Still warm here today, about 18/19c.

Have you monitored mite drop? and do you think Apistan still effective in Southampton area?
VM

 

[beestie]

Inspected and removed final treatment of Apiguard...one hive full of capped stores with one frame of brood in the centre - all looking good for the months ahead.
The other looks weakish; not taking down the syrup with much enthusiasm. 3 frames of drawn but empty comb. Maybe the Apiguard was putting them off.
Topped up the feeder with syrup with HoneyBHealthy added. Has anyone had experience with this?
From my perspective, it seems to work well - smells good too. I suppose the Lemongrass stimulates the bees and clears the bronchial tubes - after adding to the syrup they seem to feed better and also apparant increased activity outside the hive. But, if it is a stimulant for the bees, I is this the wrong time to be adding it to their syrup - or does it not matter that much?
I ask primarily because I haven't seen this product mentioned on the forum, but recently met someone who recommended it

...If it works as a stimulant and clears the bronchial tubes, perhaps there is a way I can use it on myself?

 

[Mike a]

do you think Apistan still effective in Southampton area?
VM

Had an interesting talk given by a scientist and a bee keepers of one of the big varroa treatment producing companies last week. At first I thought it would be some what biased but was very surprised when the speaker was open and honest about his companies brands and their competitors brands.

His take on all the different types of varroa treatments (including his own companies brands) was almost all of them are only effective for around 4 years with ever decreasing results. So best advice is swap to another type after 2 years which will be far more effective to help prevent varroa resistance build up. I asked once the varroa have build up a resistance to one treatment does that mean its no longer going to be effective?

Reply: After a break of 3-4 years you should find the older varroa treatments will be effective provided they are new and not made several years ago even if they are kept in a sealed packet.

His advice was treat with one brand for no more than 2 years then swap to another brand for a further 2 years then another brand for 2 years before going back to the first brand again, but also talk to other bee keepers and see what they are using and their results. The important factor to be aware of is the chemical used in each brand, several of which are based on thymol in recent years so many bee keepers should find if they go back to using the strips (like A&B) provided they are new they should find them very effective again as those strips were not thymol based.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Mike, do you know of any cases of mites that are resistant to thymol, formic acid,or oxalic.

 

[Mike a]

Mike, do you know of any cases of mites that are resistant to thymol, formic acid,or oxalic.

Hi Pete.
I went on to ask him about some of the thymol based treatments and if there was any known resistance build up, he said they were still monitoring their effectiveness but to date they are still getting very good results after a few years. (Short answer) However like all things they are limited on how they can deliver each dose of treatment to be effective over a given length of time, a wider temperature range and various rules and regs in each country.

I didn't think to ask about formic or oxalic acid treatments.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Thank you Mike. I have not noticed any resistance to thymol based treatments myself, even after using it each season for ten years,and i believe formic has been used for over 30 years, with no resistance found yet.

 

[Gardenbees]

Bees were getting sluggish at the (chilly) weekend, so I lovingly fitted mouseguards and tucked them in for the winter - only to have a look this lunchtime and find the apiary thermometer at 22C and the bees piling in and out of the hives, shedding pollen everywhere in their haste to get in!
Gaah! Ya can't win!

 

[hallshoney]

treated 19 hives with oxalic acid vaporiser all went well very pleased now to monitor mite fall

 

[drstitson]

Very autumnal/winter. Nothing done to bees. spent day in the kitchen readying entries for the NHS. All have survived journey to work this morning.

 

[drstitson]

again not bee related but just heard that the OH tumble dried a cat this morning.

only 5 mins luckily - Piggle is shaken and bruised but ok.

given the occupation density (upto 28 in 56m2) it was bound to happen sometime despite best efforts.

oh and saturday night i had a mouse nibble my scalp. eventually caught it - was able to squeeze under a door that i couldn't get a pencil under. perhaps it's time to mouse guard the house.

 

[Gardenbees]

Poor Piggle! Perhaps you should rename her Fluffy

!Nothing to do for the bees today, but on a walk up to my little end-of-garden apiary today I noticed that some helpful creature has prised the mouseguard off one of the hives. It's a standard metal strip with round holes, held in place with 6 drawing pins. The pins have been levered out at one end, leaving faint scrape-marks. It doesn't look much like rodent teeth. A beak, perhaps? I dunno. It's quite inaccessible to passers-by (and invisible), even assuming they could get past the dog, so most unlikely to be human intervention. Maybe a jay?

The other hive has a castellated mouse guard which fits into two small brackets on either side - my preferred sort, I just hadn't got around to putting one on the new hive. I will now, I think.

 

[user 6228]

hive 1 which has now lost its final wooden bits is now as active if not more active than hive 2... now what happens with all those bees in hive1 not needed to keep it warm? consultation then P45s?

 

[For want of a better word]

Dr S that was a Catastrophe !


Got 4wd bogged in at out apiary... b mouse guards!

 

[drstitson]

"Poor Piggle! Perhaps you should rename her Fluffy"

Piggle's fine. HE"S a big lad now. Also I'm not sure that Fluffy (a boy) would be too happy having an interloper with the same name.

 

[For want of a better word]

Got the little b*****s locked in with foam!!!
easy peesy.... usually I attempt to turn the entrance reducer to prevent their escape!
Now all taped up, and in back of 4WD ready to go to far far away once upon a time stone-age hill fort in deepest darkest Kernow..... if anyone molests them there they will be out stinging for Trelorney.. or whatever his name was!
Re~queening next year!

Twas a real swine getting out of the piggies field but putting my trust in my great off roading skills. and the little Suzuki's superior handling, managed to eradicate myself from what could have become a sticky situation.!!!!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Watched the bees - very busy today bringing loads of yellow and deep orange pollen in I'm assuming ivy and maybe gorse as that is flowering with us again!
Attended our BKA honey show, my light honey got first - highly commended by the judge it also won second best exhibit in show (as first was a candle I think i may claim best honey in show as well ) just as well really as Mrs J is selling my honey for £5.00 for 8 ounces and getting it! pity theres only 18 jars of the stuff