What did you do in the Apiary today?

[B+.]

I put an old t shirt over my steering wheel which grips the frame and have all my bars on the top of the dashboard or the one I'm working on resting on my thighs. My breeding material and finishers are all on the same site away from my workshop.

I usually sit on the back seat of my car (which has darkened side windows) with a poly roof on my lap and the grafting frame inside. Its a bit uncomfortable but its worked well for me in the past. I'm just looking for a bit more comfort while I work. If your method works for you, that's great. I'm not knocking any other method.
I have my 2a mothers and cell raisers together too (for convenience). The only difference is that my queenless cell raisers nurse the cells until they're sealed. Then, I move the sealed cells to the incubator until the virgin emerges from her cell. I don't use starter/finishers. The same queenless colony raises the cells until they're sealed.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Similar to Steve here, do all grafts sitting in the front drivers side of my truck, always hold the frame I'm grafting from in my left hand, plus the grafting bar in the same hand and hooked over the top with my thumb, then take grafts with my right hand and into the cells, each bar is then put onto the passenger seat and covered with a damp cloth until ready to put into the cell raiser.

 

[B+.]

Similar to Steve here, do all grafts sitting in the front drivers side of my truck, always hold the frame I'm grafting from in my left hand, plus the grafting bar in the same hand and hooked over the top with my thumb, then take grafts with my right hand and into the cells, each bar is then put onto the passenger seat and covered with a damp cloth until ready to put into the cell raiser.

I'm just trying something different (for me). If it doesn't work, I'll go back to the way I worked before, but, if we don't try anything new, we don't learn anything new. We've all developed similar, but slightly different, methods. They all work. I'm just trying to make things a bit more comfortable. If it works, great. If it doesn't, no great loss.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I'm just trying something different

Be interested to here how you get on with the frame rest, if your used to resting the frame your grafting from anyway, I reckon you will get on well with it.

 

[GuyNir]

if we don't try anything new, we don't learn anything new.

Absolutely right.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Watching them pile pollen in... First of the year

 

[mike99]

Watching them pile pollen in... First of the year

Yep, here too.

 

[ShinySideUp]

Yes they are very busy today.

 

[nantmoel]

Checked on the sugar blocks, one hive that needed a clear crown board change to one with a hole in so I could put a sugar block on were not very happy with me changing it! Picked up 4 stings, two on fingers! Ouch

 

[Poly Hive]

Spotted one of mine on the snowdrops with a small ball or orange pollen on her baskets. First real sign of Spring.

Took delivery of my foundation order and within minutes some bees were circling the boxes. Pheremones eh?

PH

 

[Millet]

Checked the garden nuc early and the bees have finally started collecting pollen from the crocus i have planted for them..also warmed around ten bees up that must have been caught short and chilled when the sun started to go down..some of them had little pollen baskets and quickly marched back into the nuc which was nice to see..

 

[Curly green fingers]

Checked the garden nuc early and the bees have finally started collecting pollen from the crocus i have planted for them..also warmed around ten bees up that must have been caught short and chilled when the sun started to go down..some of them had little pollen baskets and quickly marched back into the nuc which was nice to see..

How did you warm them up Steve in your hands ?
I've crocus Envy

 

[Millet]

How did you warm them up Steve in your hands ?

I warm them up in a little takeaway carton above the gas ring..i breath warm air on them first and if the antenna move a little bit i know they are salvageable..it might seem pointless to many but i like to help what/who i like..
My lady friend does warm them up in her hands at another spot but for some reason she takes very little stings compared to what i have had.. maybe a hormone thing .. she poured some pee of hers on a dry fly when fly fishing once and she was the only one to catch anything..weird them other half i tell you..

 

[Ian123]

That could of course been a little to much information

 

[wightbees]

Same here PH, orange seems to be the colour of pollen coming in!

 

[Millet]

That could of course been a little to much information

She sure is Game..
Fishing wise that is...dear lord what have i got myself into..if you do not hear from me again i no longer exist..

 

[Wingy]

Very busy garden hive this afternoon, at least 3 different pollen sources going in bright orange, yellow & a cream coloured one. As the temperature dropped you could hear the buzz coming from the hive, sounded like an electricity sub station

 

[GuyNir]

As the temperature dropped you could hear the buzz coming from the hive, sounded like an electricity sub station

I know exactly what you mean. One of my very lively double nuc has a feeder on top with fondant in it. I can hear this sound from 2-3 meters away...

 

[Curly green fingers]

I know exactly what you mean. One of my very lively double nuc has a feeder on top with fondant in it. I can hear this sound from 2-3 meters away...

sounded like an electricity sub station .
If only you could tap into this energy it would save having to pay npower extortionate amounts of money.

 

[Beefriendly]

. she poured some pee of hers on a dry fly when fly fishing once and she was the only one to catch anything.

She cheated....cos it was then a wet fly....and you can't use a wet fly on "dry fly only" beats.