What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Curly green fingers]

Went down to the river apairy yesterday took the camping stove and metal pan a 10ltr, also took water and 2,kgs of washing soda. I had an afternoon boiling used frames to get them clean ready for the new season .
Watched ducks being chased by drakes up and down the river . 9 c in the afternoon cleansing flights observed.
No pollen as yet going into hives, the two nucs will be having fondant on the weekend .

 

[Newbeeneil]

Spent a couple of hours this morning removing a colony from a church roof. Massive old nest but small number of bees. In fact so small when I got them home I put them in a poly mating nuc to ensure they don't chill in the coming weeks.
I couldn't find the queen and no brood evident so they may be a lost cause.
I have another one to remove from the same church later this month so I may combine if they are Q-.
I removed masses of stores from the roof, the cluster of bees were in the central section, the stores filled most of that section and both the adjacent ones.
I could see evidence of comb in further areas but I ran out of buckets and bags to carry it in!

 

[bpmurray]

I really outdid myself today. The thermometer said 9C so I thought it's warm enough to put a box of ivy under the hives in the garden - they are probably a bit pampered so they were strong and had blasted through the stores and were a bit light. So I came along, lifted up the (light) first hive, put it to one side, dropped a box of ivy on the floor and put the hive back on - really smooth, really quick, and no flying bees.

Then I started the hive beside it. I lifted up the hve from the floor and put it in the middle of the stand. I picked up the box of ivy to place on the floor and the entire stand fell over!

Both hives on the ground, with declustered (or perhaps unclustered) bees flying. Panic. Trying to understand why the stand collapsed. Trying to get the hives up. More panic.

A deep breath. Stand up the stand. Put hive one together and balance it on he unstable stand. Get the second hive together and balanced. Whew!

Now the whole thing is back together, I have lost confidence in the 4x2 legs and I'm going to replace them with a couple of breeze blocks at each end. And they have promised potential Force 10 storm force winds tonight, so I'll be down there first thing to make sure they're still OK.

Oh, and I got one sting.

 

[Millet]

Spent a couple of hours this morning removing a colony from a church roof. Massive old nest but small number of bees. In fact so small when I got them home I put them in a poly mating nuc to ensure they don't chill in the coming weeks.
I couldn't find the queen and no brood evident so they may be a lost cause.
I have another one to remove from the same church later this month so I may combine if they are Q-.
I removed masses of stores from the roof, the cluster of bees were in the central section, the stores filled most of that section and both the adjacent ones.
I could see evidence of comb in further areas but I ran out of buckets and bags to carry it in!

Well done... i really hope they pull safe..warm feed is on the menu i am sure.

 

[Millet]

I really outdid myself today. The thermometer said 9C so I thought it's warm enough to put a box of ivy under the hives in the garden - they are probably a bit pampered so they were strong and had blasted through the stores and were a bit light. So I came along, lifted up the (light) first hive, put it to one side, dropped a box of ivy on the floor and put the hive back on - really smooth, really quick, and no flying bees.

Then I started the hive beside it. I lifted up the hve from the floor and put it in the middle of the stand. I picked up the box of ivy to place on the floor and the entire stand fell over!

Both hives on the ground, with declustered (or perhaps unclustered) bees flying. Panic. Trying to understand why the stand collapsed. Trying to get the hives up. More panic.

A deep breath. Stand up the stand. Put hive one together and balance it on he unstable stand. Get the second hive together and balanced. Whew!

Now the whole thing is back together, I have lost confidence in the 4x2 legs and I'm going to replace them with a couple of breeze blocks at each end. And they have promised potential Force 10 storm force winds tonight, so I'll be down there first thing to make sure they're still OK.

Oh, and I got one sting.

Gardening sound like a good Hobby.

 

[Etton]

Me too! Hive knicked over when I was clearing up after adding fondant to hives and left the apiary gate open for one min whilst loading the car. A sheep went in and of course all the others followed. In encouraging them out they knocked a hive over, broke the Abelo brood box and bees emptied on to the ground. Rebuilt the hive put as many as poss back in but many left out . Hopefully it might survive, don’t know if unmarked Q there. Loads of stores, prob all sugar syrup from the autumn! Was no need for fondant.
No brood present. It was on brood and a half and the bottom super was empty with some mold in frames. Not the ideal way to do an inspection!!
Bloody sheep!

 

[Goran]

Me too! Hive knicked over when I was clearing up after adding fondant to hives and left the apiary gate open for one min whilst loading the car. A sheep went in and of course all the others followed. In encouraging them out they knocked a hive over, broke the Abelo brood box and bees emptied on to the ground. Rebuilt the hive put as many as poss back in but many left out . Hopefully it might survive, don’t know if unmarked Q there. Loads of stores, prob all sugar syrup from the autumn! Was no need for fondant.
No brood present. It was on brood and a half and the bottom super was empty with some mold in frames. Not the ideal way to do an inspection!!
Bloody sheep!

Sorry to hear. At my very beginning one hive also overturned by the playful sheep. I had a lot more luck, it was in season and in strong flow, so were no problem with robbing, or losing many bees. Hive survived if I recall all right..

 

[B+.]

Last night was very windy so I went to check my nearest apiary. Despite being protected by a hedge from the prevailing wind coming across the Downs and having a house-brick ontop of each roof, two of them had blown off.

 

[Murox]

Added some security against the winds - blowing a real hooly at 150m above sea level on the west coast - nice and sunny right now though.

 

[Wingy]

Like many others popped up to the allotment apiary, on my way to work, to check on the hives, thankfully both ok. Surprisingly the greenhouse is all in tact as well, unlike two others that I saw, and they laughed when I put up a high fence, covered it with scaffold netting & planted a thick hedge along it.

 

[Beefriendly]

Alas one of my fence panels wasn't so lucky......

Topped up two nucs with fondant and found one hive had got quite light so added a few kgs of Fondant,,,,,big big healthy looking colony inside.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Checked all my hives this morning, all still intact! Most of my hives are protected by hedges so I wasn't expecting to see any roofs missing.

 

[Millet]

I went to the hives today to check on three for fondant levels and the weight of three others colonies..the colonies without any fondant still pack a bit of weight and two others with fondant have touched very little but are full of bees..
The third hive with fondant that was a suspect colony has confirmed my suspicions today (i think) and looks to have dwindled away..the fondant was hardly touched and i spotted several dead bees on the top of some comb and a few live ones which i presume where robbing the fondant (nice flying day today) .. if they have died of it is no surprise to me...after a good start in summer i started spotting far to many drones and they took less than 4 litres of sugar syrup during the Autumn feed...the other colonies took between 12 and 24 litres..i did not open them up just incase the cluster has gone down into the brood box area of brood + half but it does not look good to me..could it be a possibility that they have moved down or am i just clutching at straws..? .

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Checked three colonies - two (shaded) had a few flyers, one (in the sun) flying like a summer day.
Carried out an inventory of equipment in a first step towards being prepared for Spring.

 

[simonforeman]

Checked fondant on all 4 hives, all ok.... warm but blowing a gale so only the odd ones flying and then having trouble getting back to the hives.....

 

[Goran]

Yesterday and today.. bees had some weird weather. It is around 10C but wind is wiping really hard. I thought my eyes burn due to strong wind as we were pruning hazels for two days.. Now I think it is more due to abundance of hazel pollen which ends in the eyes also..
Bees despite the wind are all over the hazels..

 

[citrus]

Spent a couple of hours this morning removing a colony from a church roof. Massive old nest but small number of bees. In fact so small when I got them home I put them in a poly mating nuc to ensure they don't chill in the coming weeks.
I couldn't find the queen and no brood evident so they may be a lost cause.
I have another one to remove from the same church later this month so I may combine if they are Q-.
I removed masses of stores from the roof, the cluster of bees were in the central section, the stores filled most of that section and both the adjacent ones.
I could see evidence of comb in further areas but I ran out of buckets and bags to carry it in!

how interesting ... will you be able to make anything of the stores and comb ... or just melt it down for wax ?

 

[Curly green fingers]

Checked inspection boards this afternoon fresh gorse pollen on them.

My better half and the 4 year old watched the gorse being worked by the bee's which is metres from the hives , they get all the fun . The bee's have been very active today , I come home and all's quite .

 

[Millet]

Checked inspection boards this afternoon fresh gorse pollen on them.

My better half and the 4 year old watched the gorse being worked by the bee's which is metres from the hives , they get all the fun . The bee's have been very active today , I come home and all's quite .

Same here ha.. at least they are working the Gorse apparently it is excellent pollen for the bees..

 

[Brian Bush]

With the help of a friend and a co-operative hedge cutting contractor cut the hedge, strimmed the grass and cut down the blackthorn brush in an out apiary. It looks great. We are going to do another tomorrow.