What did you do in the Apiary today?

[grahambee]

The Wisdom of the Hive by Prof Tom Seeley,
an eye watering £80
The bookseller apologised for the price!

Free
http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_wisdom_of_the_hive.html?id=zhzNJjI2MqAC&redir_esc=y

 

[Hebeegeebee]

This is very early for Oxalic- surely still brood in there

My thoughts too.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I saw a couple drones yesterday.
And they weren't being pushed out of the hive. Flying from a strong colony.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

I saw a couple drones yesterday.
And they weren't being pushed out of the hive. Flying from a strong colony.

Me to (though colony not especially strong), which surprised me as I've not seen any for a few weeks and judging from the amount of decomposed bodies at the entrances the kick out took place some time ago

 

[oliver90owner]

MA,

New drones would ring alarm bells. DLQs and all that.

RAB

 

[TOBY-3652]

Put mouse guards on hives /bees active and watched bees bringing pollen in

 

[Russel]

MA,

New drones would ring alarm bells. DLQs and all that.

RAB

I fairly new to all this, my first winter but is there a chance they too have been fooled by the weather, loads of pollen going in, taking syrup and fondant?

 

[victor meldrew]

Took the removable alighting boards off the Dartington floors !
Bees extremely busy today . No wind , sunny +18 in the shade .
Bees soon picked up on changes to floors .
The removable alighting boards are just to maybe frustrate the wee timorous beastie
VM

 

[oliver90owner]

I fairly new to all this

Hives generally have drones for two reasons. First, they are fully developed broodnests from late in spring through the summer, or much later in the year, they may be into supercedure. Either of those is for potential mating purposes. Normally, drones will have been ejected some weeks ago. The second is queen problems, as in DLQ or Q-.

Sometimes drones can be retained all through the winter, but not often.But retained, not re-appeared as fresh brood.

So yes, they could have been fooled by the late unseasonal start to this last month. However, that would not stop the alarm bells ringing. Likely little to do about it now, but one thing it is certainly not - and that is 'normal'.

RAB

 

[Mel]

Saw bees flying in and out of 5 colonies in huge numbers, more appropriate to spring - it actually gave me quite a shock. Masses of pollen going in. Gave my 2 hives more syrup as it's so mild here and the usual ivy hasn't delivered this year, and with all this flying they are using up stores faster than I would like.

Unseasonal activity apart, all looking good.

Mel

 

[Erichalfbee]

Same here. You'd think it was a summer's day!
Lots of ivy still. 2 hives very heavy, one lighter is dummied down to 7 frames and has fondant on.

 

[Easy Beesy]

Mine were on this fatsia and loving the sunshine!
Eb

 

[hallshoney]

went up to out apiary just to get away from moaning wife and kids. Nice to just sit and watch bees work still busy at 3.30 this afternoon temp was still 15.5 c

 

[darren64]

I put the mouse guards on both hives,removed two empy brood frames and replaced them with a dummy board from hive 1,removed the empty apiguard trays and opened the floors.the bees were very busy(almost like summer activity).

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

MA,

New drones would ring alarm bells. DLQs and all that.

RAB

That was my first thought RAB - but I stayed and watched for a while and saw a lot of workers and just the one (admit to previous exaggeration) drone.

I will go back out and have another look - probably next weekend, effing clocks having gone back - to see if more drones appear, but I'm thinking there is little I can do about it now anyway

 

[Poggle]

Went and stood for half an hour in the sun watching the bees from both hives and one nuc going about their business. Not loads n loads but a good couple of hundered from the main hives going back and forth with pollen. We still have loads of flowers in bloom on the allotments so they are working like heck during fine weather. Still a few wasps around though, although they were just wandering about on the wood underneath Hive 2.

 

[Russel]

Went and stood for half an hour in the sun watching the bees from both hives and one nuc going about their business. Not loads n loads but a good couple of hundered from the main hives going back and forth with pollen. We still have loads of flowers in bloom on the allotments so they are working like heck during fine weather. Still a few wasps around though, although they were just wandering about on the wood underneath Hive 2.

Same here mainly taking away what the undertaker bees have thrown out and the odd one chancing its luck and loosing to the guard bees.
Isn't it a bit late in their season to be collecting corpses? Strange year?

 

[bee82]

Removed empty feeders and take a pictures. Still a lot of brood present.

 

[dickndoris]

Took the caps off me big green feeders and let them in to mop up, with the lids n roof put back on of course. Still lots of pollen going into two hives and just a little worried about my third weak hive. They seem subdued somehow....
Checked the varroa drop and its ok. only 2 on one, 8 on the other and 15 on the weak hive which isn't so good I guess as the Apiguard has been on for near 4 weeks now.
Hung the washing out just to show willing;-)

 

[wondervet]

removed couple of polycarbonate see-through crown boards and replaced with wooden ones for the winter (already starting to get a bit of condensation on polycarbonate). gone with plain flat ply a la RAB. met by a hail of protest from baddest hive resulting in bit of a botch. forced to retreat without scraping top bars so crown board perched on top of bur comb. No need for matchsticks for ventilation in that one, should meet BBKA ventilation criteria now.

blinking cows have been nudging hives again -probably explains why they're so horrible. straightened hives and reinforced the fence again.

bright yellow pollen going in but balsam has packed up properly by look of the bees.