What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Beefriendly]

wearing my speedos yet when inspecting...

Garden apiary is, alas, in public view.....don't want to be arrested for scaring the tourists
But can do naturism at my out apiary....

 

[Millet]

Garden apiary is, alas, in public view.....don't want to be arrested for scaring the tourists
But can do naturism at my out apiary....

 

[Angry_Mob]

Watched the bees fanning at the entrance, seen one land covered in white. Had a walk to the local national trust / river and seen what I think to be Himalayan Balsam flowering.

 

[taurus]

Grrr...I have to travel away for a fortnight due to work commitments and one of my double brood colonies has just started making swarm cells.

The usual AS methods mean I'd need to check again before I can be back home so that's just not possible.

The compromise was to put all the frames with swarm cells, mostly one or two per frame, into a new brood box with the QCs reduced to one. The nurse bees went with them.

Then I've put a brood box of foundation in place of the top box with 4 supers for them to play with. I'm hoping all that empty space will reduce their intention to swarm.

The queen is with the original colony so she's got a whole new box to fill.

Not by the book but this event is a once in a lifetime opportunity so I just have to take it. Fingers crossed!

 

[masterBK]

Added more supers as the honey is still coming in fast. Marked a few more new queens in standard frame nuclei. Lost three pounds in sweat inspecting 28 colonies with temps hitting 29 C ( I always weigh myself before and after inspections in hot weather so I know how much I need to eat/drink to put back the water and electrolytes lost).

 

[Hachi]

Just moved a nuc to my new out apiary. lid shifted slightly in transit and so I was met with bees Grrrr.


Still they're in their new home.

 

[Stiffy]

After checking hives at out Apiary I called into a supermarket to get some grub and a drink.
While sitting munching a sandwich I noticed a beekeeper walk out of the same supermarket, all dressed up in suit, although hood was down. I could see him through rear view mirror approach his car, pulled hood over his head and drove out of supermarket, with 30-40 bees following the car and interior rear glass covered in bees......must have had a mishap transporting!
I am so glad I have my pickup and no longer have to share driving with potentially 100’s of back seat drivers
S

 

[Roola]

After checking hives at out Apiary I called into a supermarket to get some grub and a drink.
While sitting munching a sandwich I noticed a beekeeper walk out of the same supermarket, all dressed up in suit, although hood was down. I could see him through rear view mirror approach his car, pulled hood over his head and drove out of supermarket, with 30-40 bees following the car and interior rear glass covered in bees......must have had a mishap transporting!
I am so glad I have my pickup and no longer have to share driving with potentially 100’s of back seat drivers
S

I'm saving up for a panel Van for that exact reason... That and the bee poo on the dashboard.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Added more supers as the honey is still coming in fast. Marked a few more new queens in standard frame nuclei. Lost three pounds in sweat inspecting 28 colonies with temps hitting 29 C ( I always weigh myself before and after inspections in hot weather so I know how much I need to eat/drink to put back the water and electrolytes lost).

Don’t you just drink till you’re not thirsty any more ?

 

[manek]

Wow! Super bulging with honey. They're loving this weather!

 

[Stiffy]

Don’t you just drink till you’re not thirsty any more ?

I used to drink until I fell over but with age and experience, I drink only a little now
S

 

[enrico]

I don't have to drink at my age, I find it I stand up fast from a sitting position it makes me feel drunk. It's a cheaper way to do it too!
E

 

[Erichalfbee]

Good stuff you two. I’m somewhere between you, if you know what I mean

 

[enrico]

Good stuff you two. I’m somewhere between you, if you know what I mean

In my imagination only!

 

[madasafish]

I used to drink until I fell over but with age and experience, I drink only a little now
S

Now I am old, I don't need to drink to fall over.

 

[Angry_Mob]

Did an inspection. Three nucs building up nicely. The smaller of the two 14x12 buckfast colony (superseding AMM) is getting very orange already and definitely seemed the easiest to work with.

Main have has finished capping the first super. The second super only has 3 drawn frames. I have absolutely no extracting equipment yet so looks like I am going to be doing some shopping...

Main hive has started swarm prep, second time this year. If the Buckfasts prove only half as swarmy as the AMM they will be a good investment.

 

[JWF]

Reorganised a colony which was combined last weekend, all looks fine.

Checked two colonies which had bought in queens introduced three weeks ago. One was fine and was moved from a nice to a full hive. The other had a big fat unmarked queen swanning about which looks like its just started laying, lots of eggs but not much brood. I either missed a queen cell when she was introduced, or they didn't like her. It's the first time I've bought queens, so it's a bit of a disappointment to lose one.

Other colonies are looking good and there seems to be a decent flow on after it being a bit quiet over the last few weeks.

 

[Beefriendly]

If the Buckfasts prove only half as swarmy as the AMM they will be a good investment.

Just make sure you are getting them from a reputable supplier. There are lots of "dodgy" Buckfast bees and dealers out there, giving the real McCoy a bad image.
One of my 3 year old Buckfast queens is being superseded at the moment (although she is still laying like a train) and the other three year old is laying for England still. These 2015 queens have never shown any inclination towards swarming...their daughters are not bad either.... But don't go beyond daughters...the offspring of the daughters of the daughters can be a little spiteful.

One of my old Amm queens tried to swarm in her first full year (she was on double brood), put her in a nuc and let her build up again...they never tried to swarm again until her demise.

 

[Tonyatcwfarm]

80lb extracted at midnight when it cooled down
All going well this year
Already 70lb better off than last years total with the same number hives
Don't think I'm getting any better at beekeeping but switching to poly hives and good weather is helping

 

[Angry_Mob]

Just make sure you are getting them from a reputable supplier. There are lots of "dodgy" Buckfast bees and dealers out there, giving the real McCoy a bad image.
One of my 3 year old Buckfast queens is being superseded at the moment (although she is still laying like a train) and the other three year old is laying for England still. These 2015 queens have never shown any inclination towards swarming...their daughters are not bad either.... But don't go beyond daughters...the offspring of the daughters of the daughters can be a little spiteful.

One of my old Amm queens tried to swarm in her first full year (she was on double brood), put her in a nuc and let her build up again...they never tried to swarm again until her demise.

I'm buying off Ged Marshall who seems to get favourable reviews. If all goes well I might try HM's some day. My AMM queen is 2017 so not overly old either, shes a good layer so I'm going to keep her in a brood factory I think, that and I don't have the heart to nip my first queen.