What did you do in the Apiary today?

[The Poot in Somerset]

Inspected my colonies today. Swarm captured in June doing well - lots of capped brood, but few unsealed. Found the unmarked queen, so not the queen I thought had swarmed from one of my other hives.
Buckfasts still have capped brood distributed around three boxes with plenty of stores. Two outer frames both sides of brood but x not even drawn out! Found the queen - again unmarked, so not the one who started out this Summer.
Third hive - swarm captured last year - still has two supers on - added clearer to remove tomorrow. Will then finish inspection. One sting from hive 3 (because of a fast movement) but other two colonies as good as gold.

 

[enrico]

Markings wear off, beware!
E

 

[simonforeman]

Checked all 4 hives today... 26 degrees, when is this summer going to end.
Hive 1 on single brood plus a drawn part empty super has 8 frames of brood
Hive 2 same as Hive 1
Hive 3 on double brood 14 frames of brood
Hive 4 same as hives 1 and 2

Looks like all hives going into winter very strong. Going to start to feed next week when ivy starts.

Loving this bee keeping lark

 

[Hachi]

Loving this bee keeping lark

Its for exactly this the sting is in the tail

 

[Spikedog]

Its for exactly this the sting is in the tail

You better believe it!

 

[Goran]

Rain after rain.. All ground is so soaked.. This year we got weather alike yours.. Bees.. don't need smoke, they hardly notice me while I am digging into boxes. Some which fly to buzz around head avoid stinging, just to distract me to I leave them alone - always wrong thinking..
Through whole season they were mad ( I was in belief that I have mostly calm bees), and now barely noticing me.. If I don't go till spring somewhere away there will be mass dethroning in spring and merging.

 

[enrico]

Rain after rain.. All ground is so soaked.. This year we got weather alike yours.. Bees.. don't need smoke, they hardly notice me while I am digging into boxes. Some which fly to buzz around head avoid stinging, just to distract me to I leave them alone - always wrong thinking..
Through whole season they were mad ( I was in belief that I have mostly calm bees), and now barely noticing me.. If I don't go till spring somewhere away there will be mass dethroning in spring and merging.

Don't believe it! We are so dry I still have huge cracks in the ground. So little rain here!
E

 

[B+.]

Rain after rain.. All ground is so soaked.. This year we got weather alike yours.. Bees.. don't need smoke, they hardly notice me while I am digging into boxes. Some which fly to buzz around head avoid stinging, just to distract me to I leave them alone - always wrong thinking..
Through whole season they were mad ( I was in belief that I have mostly calm bees), and now barely noticing me.. If I don't go till spring somewhere away there will be mass dethroning in spring and merging.

It's always the average behaviour that you need to look at.
Over the years, I've seen lots of docile colonies. However, some may change when their honey is taken or the nectar flow changes/stops. I measure aggression every time I open the hive. If they're not happy on one day, their average score falls.

 

[Podilia]

Rain after rain.. All ground is so soaked.. This year we got weather alike yours..

I read the autumn forecast on AccuWeather. They predict rains and unstable weather in Italy and Balcans, wildfires in Scandinavia and "never-end summer" in Eastern Europe. Sometimes they err but at least the next 10 days summer will be with us. Now is almost 30°C. I think we don't need cold winter at all. Utility bills are expected to skyrocket especially of natural gas using for heating while the crisis seems never-end as well.

 

[Beefriendly]

Same here. Taken a few days off. Currently sunning on beach near Skipsea, swimming weather and colds beers in cool box .

 

[Hachi]

Did the feeder rounds today, all nice large colonies getting ready for winter. Found activity in a hive That I thought was empty so took a peak. A Q and a couple frames of bees have took up residence, a cast probably. Q now is what to do with them?

 

[colinc]

Did the feeder rounds today, all nice large colonies getting ready for winter. Found activity in a hive That I thought was empty so took a peak. A Q and a couple frames of bees have took up residence, a cast probably. Q now is what to do with them?

Move into a nuc if you can. I have a small colony that I would like to nuc over winter as they were a late split but the frame size is wrong for my nucs...!

Damn.

Made 25l of thymolated syrup flipped the hives and floors to get ready for the OA.

Colonies look good and we shall see what food they take.

This year went fast.


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[Stiffy]

Move into a nuc if you can. I have a small colony that I would like to nuc over winter as they were a late split but the frame size is wrong for my nucs...!

Damn.

Made 25l of thymolated syrup flipped the hives and floors to get ready for the OA.

Colonies look good and we shall see what food they take.

This year went fast.


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I agree where did that year go ?...
Treated and fed 20 hives yesterday and 15 nucs today, all looking good. Rest will get sorted over the next week or so after I shake off a rotten cold!
S

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Shook out two failed colonies at the castle apiary (a series of unfortunate events - hive stand toppled during some gusty winds and squalls, or maybe playful sheep - back in July with two newly emerged queens waiting to mate) at least it made things easier to abandon that site and move the stand a few hundred yards around the base of the castle to a much better fenced, gated and Sotuh facing apiary site where the other hives are.
Finished sorting out all the other apiaries in readiness for treating and feeding, most colonies are really strong and rammed with bees.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Markings wear off, beware!
E

You could be right Enrico, but neither answered to their names either

 

[Wingy]

Learned a valuable lesson today. Just done an inspection as normal on the garden hive, no issues. All packed up and made a cup of tea. As I sat down felt something in my bellybutton and as I put my hand there got stung right in the bellybutton. Poor little bugger must have crawled up my leg and under my T shirt. Next time I’ll tuck my T shirt in my jeans.

 

[Goran]

Don't believe it! We are so dry I still have huge cracks in the ground. So little rain here!
E

It ripped off road to our property, even were slicing stone blocks in layers from the road.. Mostly when raining " the river" flow on the road, with sound of fast mountain rivers..
It prevent us from picking/gathering hazelnuts also..
It won't stop soon, now as temps goes down I am worried about landslides..

 

[Goran]

It's always the average behaviour that you need to look at.
Over the years, I've seen lots of docile colonies. However, some may change when their honey is taken or the nectar flow changes/stops. I measure aggression every time I open the hive. If they're not happy on one day, their average score falls.

Generally when think about this or last season.. huge difference.
Part of later aggressiveness may be due lime honey, as due low honey prices and time I left them all, I didn't took single drop of it. When is lime flow here every season bees are mad.
But mostly I believe is my not doing more serious in bee breeding, frankly I have no more will and strength since everything You make has no value.. My moral is in the level of my ankles..

 

[Goran]

I read the autumn forecast on AccuWeather. They predict rains and unstable weather in Italy and Balcans, wildfires in Scandinavia and "never-end summer" in Eastern Europe. Sometimes they err but at least the next 10 days summer will be with us. Now is almost 30°C. I think we don't need cold winter at all. Utility bills are expected to skyrocket especially of natural gas using for heating while the crisis seems never-end as well.

Que Será, Será..

 

[JWF]

Took the last two supers off and stuck nine back on over three hives for cleaning.

I will treat them with Certan and get them stored for winter.

Hope to vape with OA tomorrow, the first treatment, to be followed up with another two treatments.