What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Millet]

Collected a free hive this afternoon. *smile*

PH

I would also smile..

 

[Swarm]

Hefted the hives and all are fine. Still signs of brooding so I'll give it a week or two before OAV.

 

[Helen]

Finally got to the bees. Added 50->100mm celotex on top of all of them. Added clear crownboards I've been making.

Bees flying even though only 9C today. Not loads of activity, but they are definitely wandering around.

And at last, no signs of wasps near the bees. Quite a few sleeping in my firewood stacks though.

 

[masterBK]

Helped a friend treat his 35 double brood hives with oxalic acid trickle. Was hoping to get mine done today as well but backache from lifting his boxes put paid to that (bees in all but three hives were in the bottom box so had to split the boxes with hive tool and lift top BC off to access the colony in the bottom BC). Most OK for stores but a few were a bit light. Colonies varied in size from 3 seams up to 7 seams but typically 5 seams.

 

[Goran]

Low minus and zero day temps these days.. Some bird activity beneath hives ( great tits and alike).. On the one apiary not so ( due cats I presume)..

 

[Millet]

Helped a friend treat his 35 double brood hives with oxalic acid trickle. Was hoping to get mine done today as well but backache from lifting his boxes put paid to that (bees in all but three hives were in the bottom box so had to split the boxes with hive tool and lift top BC off to access the colony in the bottom BC). Most OK for stores but a few were a bit light. Colonies varied in size from 3 seams up to 7 seams but typically 5 seams.

I can't understand why folk still hurt themselves doing such a thing.. when a much easier method is on the table right in front of them.

 

[masterBK]

Millet: Please excuse my ignorance but not sure what you meant by your comment ? Please explain. Two of us treated 35 colonies in just over an hour. Probably pulled a muscle in my back from poor lifting technique maybe on one or two hives which were sited in awkward places preventing good lifting technique. This time last year all his bees were in the top box so could be easily trickled.

 

[Poly Hive]

I think I know what he is alluding too and I wonder if the MSDS has been read. I did on Friday and its not in my thinking a happy read. It reinforces for me the desire to minimise risk and on that basis, I won't be using it. End of. I have trickeld for over 12 years now and every season I fail to find mites in the drone brood so that is good enough for me.

I discovered yesterday that the free bees I took home have an excluder covered in black plastic still on. Why the excluder is like that I have no idea but it needs to come off. The bees refused to let me remove it without veil and gloves. I am dammed if I am going to light a smoker just to remove it so it can sit there until the 1st and I can then truthfully say I haven't lit a smoker all year. They are very black bees and fiesty with it of course. With them being as yet un orientated I really don't want them boiling out and getting lost which is very much on the cards it seems.

PH

 

[Millet]

Millet: Please excuse my ignorance but not sure what you meant by your comment ? Please explain. Two of us treated 35 colonies in just over an hour. Probably pulled a muscle in my back from poor lifting technique maybe on one or two hives which were sited in awkward places preventing good lifting technique. This time last year all his bees were in the top box so could be easily trickled.

I know you and many other folk have there preferred methods of getting oxalic acid into the hive... the method i use and a lot of others use involves no lifting or opening up the hive..

 

[masterBK]

I won't be tempted to vape oxalic because I have mild form of claustrophobia and so could bear to wear an effective face mask and without one there is risk (wearing a veil is a bit of problem for me even though I have been using one for many decades and I refuse to go into lifts). Trickling is fast (important when there are lots of hives to treat) and alot safer for the beekeeper even if it a couple or so % less effective than vaping.

 

[Goran]

I won't be tempted to vape oxalic because I have mild form of claustrophobia and so could bear to wear an effective face mask and without one there is risk (wearing a veil is a bit of problem for me even though I have been using one for many decades and I refuse to go into lifts). Trickling is fast (important when there are lots of hives to treat) and alot safer for the beekeeper even if it a couple or so % less effective than vaping.

At our place we learned that when is loose cluster somewhat is efficient vaping, when is tight cluster more efficient is trickling. The most of us use trickling, few use vaping. With trickling we had no miss and when is something working properly I don't change..
Also with trickling we don't have to worry about vapor, safer..

 

[Millet]

I won't be tempted to vape oxalic because I have mild form of claustrophobia and so could bear to wear an effective face mask and without one there is risk (wearing a veil is a bit of problem for me even though I have been using one for many decades and I refuse to go into lifts). Trickling is fast (important when there are lots of hives to treat) and alot safer for the beekeeper even if it a couple or so % less effective than vaping.

I have a twin brother very similar to that.. he will not use lifts for the reason you mention.. any small rooms with no windows has to have the door open or he could have panic attacks..
You are far more knowledgeable and experienced than i will ever be.. you know what you are doing and what works for you..please don't think i was having a dig at you as i 100% was not..all i was saying is there's easier method out there to save back ache..that you obviously already know about..
Anyway all the best for the new year..

 

[Millet]

Checked the hives and all seems fine... one was flying but it was a tad cold i thought..obviously the bees know better we would have thought.. .. i walked past my lady friend van on the way back to the cottage and there was a dead bee on her bonnet on it's back.. i picked it up to look at it and decided to blow some warm air on it..lone behold one antenna slowly moved so i went of into the cottage placed it in a tub in front of the fire and it was on it feet after about a one minute..i gave it a drop of my own honey and after another minute it was buzzing around the tub full of life... i then went back out side to the hives and opened the tub.. it done three circles around my head and straight into the hive that had the odd bee flying.. i just hope it does not tell it's sisters that half freezing yourselves to death will give you a free meal..

 

[domino]

Went and checked by poly nucs. I've never worked out to stop them building up so much condensation every year - maybe all hives do it but it's easier to spot on polys?

 

[Finman]

Went and checked by poly nucs. I've never worked out to stop them building up so much condensation every year - maybe all hives do it but it's easier to spot on polys?

You have something wrong in your nuc system, if condensation is heavy. London out temp is now +10C.

In wooden box water goes into wood and makes walls colder than dry wood.

Condensation happens when the box interior is cold. Perhaps you have too much ventilation, too few bees or what ever. +10C is actually summer night temperature. Reason is not in poly.
.

How many frames you have on the nuc and how many frames bees cover.
Have you a mesh floor?

 

[Millet]

Went and checked by poly nucs. I've never worked out to stop them building up so much condensation every year - maybe all hives do it but it's easier to spot on polys?

I only have the one paynes poly nuc now..i have blocked the mesh floor of and it has 4 seems of bees with loads running around elsewhere..it has zero condensation on the clear crown board.. the only time i did see condensation was above the feed chamber when i fed sugar syrup but only a little.

 

[Finman]

Went and checked by poly nucs. I've never worked out to stop them building up so much condensation every year - maybe all hives do it but it's easier to spot on polys?

How thick are walls and how thick inner cover and what material?

 

[Madge]

Went and checked by poly nucs. I've never worked out to stop them building up so much condensation every year - maybe all hives do it but it's easier to spot on polys?

What make is your poly nuc? The roofs of most of them are too thin. Add a poly eke (I think most of them have ekes) and add extra insulation. Condensation will form on the coldest surfaces - the walls.

 

[SDM]

You'll be the cause of condemnation every time you remove the roof, warm damp air will condense on the clear crown board.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What make is your poly nuc? The roofs of most of them are too thin. Add a poly eke (I think most of them have ekes) and add extra insulation. Condensation will form on the coldest surfaces - the walls.

With the Maisies ones you can just leave the feeder on for extra top insulation