What did you do in the Apiary today?

[birdsandbees]

You've reminded me mate: the only time I speak to a worker is when she has stung me. And I apologise to her in her dying agony. In my book every sting on a beekeeper is the beekeepers fault.

Hahaha, I guess you could say that after all it is us that decide to go near them, though I disagree that the only time you get stung is when you do something wrong, I've received quite a few stings when just being in the vicinity of bees, for example looking up at a swarm on a tree branch 15 feet above my head and got stung on the end of my nose! needless to say they stayed there!
As for feelings of Empathy, if that bee decides to sting me, well, it was her choice.

 

[oliver90owner]

Bako fondant currently just over £6 for 12.5kg... and free delivery.
Easy to cut with a spade.

Amazing how much some ______ will pay!

 

[Beefriendly]

Amazing how much some ______ will pay!

Some of us generate so much honey we need to buy expensive fondant for tax purposes....not a problem you will ever have
I also prefer to support beekeeping suppliers in their quieter winter sales period; rather than a baker or fondant manufacturer.

 

[mike99]

Managed to replace the Fondant in the hive. When I took the roof off, there were a lot of bees in the space created by the absent Fondant so I cut a hole in the plastic and smoked them back down. There were a few that got stuck in the remaining bit of Fondant but managed to free most of them and they were cleaning themselves off on top of the roof.

 

[Tom Jay]

Re Fondant. I made my own yesterday, to the Edinburgh association recipe. Is that crazy? I'll see tomorrow if they have wanted to eat it.

So 48 hours after this first fondant feed of the season, I discovered today that three colonies had hardly touched what I had supplied, and a fourth colony had gobbled the lot. Strangely I was glad that one colony had eaten it all, as it's evidence that the recipe I had found is ok. They got another couple slabs right away. Glad too that the other three, I suppose, have their own winter store still to use, and it's better than what I whacked on them two days back!

 

[oliver90owner]

Some of us generate so much honey we need to buy expensive fondant for tax purposes....not a problem you will ever have
I also prefer to support beekeeping suppliers in their quieter winter sales period; rather than a baker or fondant manufacturer.

Another idiotic reply from an obviously uneducated ————.

If you think expensive fondant is any better than exactly the same product at less than half the price, it clearly demonstates a real lack of understanding of basic life.

These days, I only need enough honey, not a huge surplus, so I don’t strip out every last bit of honey from my hives and then feed back expensive fondant. Making donations to deserving charities would be a far better way of reducing your profit/tax burden - the stupidly extra monies that might be paid to suppliers will only create a greater taxation cost, so the government will get the money one way or another.

 

[Beefriendly]

Another idiotic reply from an obviously uneducated ————.

Olly, you seem to be going a bit senile...nowhere did I say fondant from a beekeeping supply shop was any different from that from a bakers.

You are a sad man who obviously can't start the day without trying to denigrate someone else.

 

[masterBK]

Not another pot calling the kettle black moment! Please gentlemen, keep it civil for the more sensitive readers.

 

[Beefriendly]

Not another pot calling the kettle black moment! Please gentlemen, keep it civil for the more sensitive readers.

I was simply replying in kind to an insulting post directed at me.
What was your excuse for butting in?

 

[steve1958]

Spent the afternoon reading the new catalogue Thornes sent me.

 

[B+.]

I was simply replying in kind to an insulting post directed at me.
What was your excuse for butting in?

He's got more sense than both of you put together. This isn't the place to spar with each other. Find a playground or a bicycle shed (if you can still find such things)

The point is: if you want to spar, go somewhere else. WE DON'T WANT IT HERE ANY MORE!!!!!

 

[Beefriendly]

And to get back onto the thread topic....took a long trip south to Thornes today to do some wax exchange...now have enough foundation for the foreseeable future.. Managed to reign in the credit card bill by only buying items I had on my list, plus a pollen trap that caught my eye and some of this and that and one of those ....you know how it goes.i.e.I failed miserably.

One very interesting observation was the amount of blackthorn in flower 100 miles south of me. Looked like my area in May.....wow If the bees in that area get a good couple of weeks foraging the first supers should be ready for harvesting.

 

[Beefriendly]

WE DON'T WANT IT HERE ANY MORE!!!!!

And what's your excuse for getting involved in something that has NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH YOU??

 

[Wingy]

Finished making my last couple of floors & painted them while watching the bees coming and going in the rain (I was under shelter). Just got 2 more roofs to make and 5 crown boards then that’s 5 new hives good to go.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Spent the afternoon reading the new catalogue Thornes sent me.

I had mine sent the other day it's looking good this season , it could do with a few more poly hive options though.

 

[Curly green fingers]

And what's your excuse for getting involved in something that has NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH YOU??

Just ignore him N he wants you to bit them folk do .

 

[Millet]

Finished making my last couple of floors & painted them while watching the bees coming and going in the rain (I was under shelter). Just got 2 more roofs to make and 5 crown boards then that’s 5 new hives good to go.

I have been doing similar through out winter..i did not have enough equipment last year to do the necessary swarm control so it got me into gear to buy what i could not make for this year..i have made enough floors/crown boards and stands so i have enough hives to have a spare for every colony and a couple more spare to so i can split a colony and make more hives with bought in Queens.

 

[For want of a better word]

Spent the afternoon reading the new catalogue Thornes sent me.

Wish I had a nice warm cosy bee shed to read catalogues and take my afternoon nap in.... but SWMBO got me carrying out an inventory of brood boxes, supers and costing out the new frames we need and the foundation to fill....and the number of frames yet to be finished, boiled, steralised....

And the renewal for the yacht insurance came in today MS -Amlin and the boat yard make a fortune out of me!

 

[Wingy]

I have been doing similar through out winter..i did not have enough equipment last year to do the necessary swarm control so it got me into gear to buy what i could not make for this year..i have made enough floors/crown boards and stands so i have enough hives to have a spare for every colony and a couple more spare to so i can split a colony and make more hives with bought in Queens.

Yes I want to be prepared, this will be my first full season with 3 strong hives coming out of winter (last year I only had 1 Nuc. I’ll have 5 spare full hives + 1 as a bait hive and 3 spare nucs. Just need a few more frames & foundation for some of the supers or I’ll be extracting in small amounts to free up frames (presuming we get a good flow). Plan is to go into winter 2019 with 6-7 hives and 2-3 nucs.

 

[Beefriendly]

And the renewal for the yacht insurance came in today

I suppose it's tax deductible for weekly inspections if keep hives on open water.