What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Millet]

Worked all day in the rain, warm and wet, should be good for the heather.

Lucky Git (rain), we have a hose pipe ban coming soon and wild fires south of me burning for weeks.

 

[mickbees23]

When I was fishing last week the reservoir was still full to the brim so they can bu??er off with any talk of a hose pipe ban yet.

Lime trees in flower now here but I don't think they will give any nectar as its bone dry.

 

[EdNewman]

Found a few QC's in the hive I did a bailey on earlier in the year (yet another method to try and stop the annual swarm failed!). To be fair, they are in a 14x12 with 4 supers all totally full of bees so I'm not surprised, I have personally never seen a hive jammed with so many bees.
Saw the Q happily laying so tore the QC's down and will check again mid-week when I have more time to deal with it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Found a few QC's in the hive I did a bailey on earlier in the year (yet another method to try and stop the annual swarm failed!). To be fair, they are in a 14x12 with 4 supers all totally full of bees so I'm not surprised, I have personally never seen a hive jammed with so many bees.
Saw the Q happily laying so tore the QC's down and will check again mid-week when I have more time to deal with it.

You’ve possibly got two days before they go. Having torn queen cells down the bees will make more and likely some will be on three day old larvae, capped two days later and they’re off. I’d AS tomorrow

 

[EdNewman]

You’ve possibly got two days before they go. Having torn queen cells down the bees will make more and likely some will be on three day old larvae, capped two days later and they’re off. I’d AS tomorrow

Thanks for the heads up. I will take a look tomorrow.

Ed.

 

[Millet]

When I was fishing last week the reservoir was still full to the brim so they can bu??er off with any talk of a hose pipe ban yet.

Lime trees in flower now here but I don't think they will give any nectar as its bone dry.

Tree roots go fairly deep Mike..

 

[Roola]

didnt do much today... flows all seem to be over now... was hoping for a bit of sweet chestnut nut unsure on how much this year due to lack of rain. Other than that i down to local gardens which won't be much.

 

[B+.]

Tree roots go fairly deep Mike..

I took this photo on 24/6/18. The lime was in full flower but the bees were heading in the opposite direction. Normally, this tree would be covered in bees - not this year!

 

[colinc]

Couldn't check the bees at the weekend so thought I better look tonight as next chance could be Thursday.

Good job I did the old girl was setting up to scarper, 6 capped queen cells from only play cups 8 days ago.
So one A/S performed and now have 5 hives.

I had a poor spring and the supers were all pretty light but in 1 week that has changed. the new girls are filling their upper Brood boxes with stores and now have supers on, the old girl has a near full capped super in a week and the big hive have nearly filled and mostly capped 3 whole supers.

Looks like I will be extracting at the weekend as I don't have enough supers spare now.

 

[Hivemaker.]

... flows all seem to be over now...

What a difference in locations, fantastic honey flow here, lime trees just flowering, lots of clover, bramble just starting to flower but 90% of it still in bud, rosebay just starting and lots of bell in full flower, sweet chestnut and ling yet to flower.

 

[Swarm]

Are yours capping it, Pete?
I have hives with five full supers but very little capped and they need more

 

[Beefriendly]

They aren't capping it because they don't have time to. Normally you get several days in a month when bees don't fly...wet windy...etc...Not in this heat wave...it's constant nectar income with only the nights to process anything and it's not giving them enough "free time" to process and get stuff capped.
I'm checking mine with refractometer and they are fine...extracting supers and sticking straight back on again. Bloody mayhem...but nice mayhem.

Enjoy it....it's paradise. and it doesn't happen like this very often.

 

[Roola]

What a difference in locations, fantastic honey flow here, lime trees just flowering, lots of clover, bramble just starting to flower but 90% of it still in bud, rosebay just starting and lots of bell in full flower, sweet chestnut and ling yet to flower.

It's been a weird year in the South East. Very cold it existent spring with slow colony build up then straight into summer with no rain. Everything pretty much came out together and lasted maybe a week and a half here in London. In previous years I've had a bit of dark reddish honey in late July which I've taken to be chestnut but I don't hold much hope on it this year.

I've been thinking constantly that if this current weather had been interspersed with a few wet days we'd have had an epic flow/yield this year but I'd say it's below average for me.

 

[beeno]

[QUOTE
I'm checking mine with refractometer and they are fine...
[/QUOTE]

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

bees still piling it in here - supers filling to the brim in five days, backfilling in the broods and I'm struggling to keep up with them. Marathon extraction session next week to A) free up some supers B) reduce the height of the hives. Nearly popped a bollock today taking down Demarrees and supering up

 

[Newbeeneil]

In one of my out aparies by eight this morning to avoid the hot sun. By nine thirty I had finished and sat and watched the red kites mewing above!
Beautiful birds!!

 

[foghornleghorn]

It's been a weird year in the South East. Very cold it existent spring with slow colony build up then straight into summer with no rain. Everything pretty much came out together and lasted maybe a week and a half here in London. In previous years I've had a bit of dark reddish honey in late July which I've taken to be chestnut but I don't hold much hope on it this year.

I've been thinking constantly that if this current weather had been interspersed with a few wet days we'd have had an epic flow/yield this year but I'd say it's below average for me.

Similar here, will definitely go down as somewhere between a poor to below average year here

 

[philipm]

Checked my hives today swarm that I caught just over 2 weeks ago have already filled one super and are now starting their second one. Didn't think I would get any honey this year but things are looking good.

 

[gregior]

Inspected my 7 production colonies today,honey really piling in from mainly the clover I think.Best colony had 90lbs in 5 supers (average around 40lbs) and I took 60lbs off it 6 weeks ago to extract the OSR.

On my previous inspection i had swapped some deep frames of honey for foundation to give the Queens some room to lay but they have just rammed them full of honey.

Unless some disaster happens this will be my best ever season by a long way!

 

[B+.]

Unless some disaster happens this will be my best ever season by a long way!

Strange the way things work out....it was all gloom and doom in March.