What did you do in the Apiary today?

[YorkshireBees]

Finished my honey warming cabinet!

Just have to order the jars now and FINALLY get the honey that has been sat in buckets since extraction into jars before Xmas!!!

 

[Rosti]

Checked fondant, replaced a block without wearing protection, paid for it, 1diot!

Sting the hand that feeds you and all that.

 

[Beeline]

Took last feeders off and finally fitted mouseguards.

top tip - either fit the two end brackets before installing bees......

Good tip. Sounds so obvious but would not have considered it until faced with the same problem next Autumn. Used drawing pins this year. Much easier to fit now whilst I'm assembling the new boxes for Spring and avoid a bunch of angry bees piling out the front in response to my cordless driver.

 

[Goodwood]

Big activity after fondant feed

2d ago placed fondant slab on top of brood in eke.
Big action today admittedly unseasonably mild.
Lots in the air and settling on front of hive and on top.
Not overtly aggressive and no obvious fighting going on.
Pollen being brought in.
Slab covered with bees now and lots settled on me as i had a quick look.

Could this sudden change in activity be due to the fondant and weather?
Or could i have inadvertantly stimulated a robbing raid?

 

[Chris Luck]

Amazing....

Pembrokeshire, 19th November, pollen bring taken in and my bees here in La Belle France have been bedded down for winter for weeks now, nothing for me in the bee keeping line until the end of Feb - mercifully.

Back out to the tree felling again now.

Chris

 

[MJBee]

Wall to wall sunshine all day All hives were active with pollen going in BUT in the last 14 days all hives have DECREASED in weight by an average of 2kg.

This unseasonable warmth is keeping the bees active but there is not a lot of forage available for them, Not wishing to hex myself but I wish for a cold snap to get them into a cluster and stop HM laying.

Chris - still loads of leaves on the trees here so a bit early for felling - I usually start after Christmas. What altitude are you? We are only 176m amsl.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Checked the bees today - air was full of them zipping back and fore bringing in pollen, was a bit too hasty when I said the foraging had finished the other day! still no sign of them settling down for winter.

 

[Headnavigator]

Checked the fondant, still a little left but time to make some more to put in at the next check. A bit of ****, dead drones etc., under the landing board, scraped this away with the hive tool and found a torrent of angry workers streaming out of the hive at me, obviously this upset them for some reason, maybe the scraping sound of metal against paving slab? Usually the calmest colony imaginable, very glad that I observed protocol and was fully suited and booted as my face would have been the target. later today they are happy to ignore me at the hive entrance - just goes to show you never can tell.

 

[itma]

Warm in the sunshine and still air this morning, so had the bonnet up for likely the last time before New Year.

Yesterday my course tutor dropped by to see how things were going. Agrees that they could do with a trickle at Hogmanay, otherwise thinks they are doing nicely and have enough stores. Also confirmed that they are unusually sweet tempered - "quiet on the comb", not stinging and not following at all. Fumbling when supervised, I didn't have the castor sugar handy, so that was the excuse for today's opening. Its not meant to be a 'proper' treatment, just a help tiding over until they are broodless and the mites can be hit hard. Doing something rather than just waiting.

Still two different pollens coming in ...

Left it until after 3, when the activity seemed to be just a few stragglers returning late, before cutting the grass. (Its been the last cut at least twice before.)
About a dozen of them came out onto the hive wall to watch, but didn't interfere at all, even when I pushed the petrol mower up to only a couple of feet from the entrance.
Good urban bees, I hope!

 

[Chris Luck]

Chris - still loads of leaves on the trees here so a bit early for felling - I usually start after Christmas. What altitude are you? We are only 176m amsl.

About 150 metres and plenty of leaves on the trees here but I'd rather crack on while it's nice, I hate it in the cold and wet. Interestingly enough I cut some poplar for a mate yesterday AND they were starting to come into leaf with rising sap.

The problem isn't the day temperatures which aren't that unusual, it's the nights being too warm BUT my bees seem to know what time of year it is.

Chris

 

[Queens59]

Put some wet combs on a few days ago for the bees to clear - only 2 frames mind...one at each side of a super...mistake (!) Should have put them above crown board...Opened up to get them out...and in 4 DAYS the super has been filled with a) wild comb...b) honey...ooops!

 

[Hivemaker.]

4 DAYS the super has been filled with a) wild comb...b) honey...ooops!

Thats good going to fill a super with comb and honey at this time of year,whats it from?

 

[TOBY-3652]

Put last mouse guard on hive put some fondant on 5 hives as insurance others ok at the moment

 

[Queens59]

Hi H - Not sure - bright yellow going in...but can't see much ivy flower around...so any guesses?? I live near a common if it's any help...

 

[hallshoney]

put on fondant on 5 hives that are light quite a few bees flying still max temp13 c

 

[Bob Bee]

Put up first hive stand on out apiary 3. Went back to the office and bought loads from the thornes sale. Asda tonight for glucose syrup and sugar.

 

[MuswellMetro]

called into a new apiary site that the owner agreed to run a scrub cutter over............nowt done, can not push it as I don't want to annoy them

toured around my other sites and found wasps still trying their luck....how many days to christmas is it!!!!!!

they are the smaller german wasps not the common wasp, i wonder if they tolerate lower temperatures

temp was 13c with 3c over night so hopefully tonight is going to be colder

 

[jezd]

removed last few feeders, left one or two that still had bees taking syrup down - crazy bees, applying fondant to all hives and straps shortly too.

JD

 

[Queens59]

Bought some sheet polystyrene to insulate WBC roofs...or bunny shed...yet to be decided...

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Checked all the hives at home. Cold, wet and windy in Wales today but still a few bees flying. I was pleased to find that all the hives still had bees present, but they were all feeling a bit light so I added fondant.