What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Courty]

Added second brood box

Second brood box went on today, the aim being to make a split later on in the year and turn my single hive into two. I put the new box on top.
Brace comb between the roof and bars made things difficult, lifting some frames up before it broke, bees not too happy at being jolted.
I chose two frames with a small amount of brood and stores to go in the top, siting them above the main brood frames in the lower box, and put it all back together.
Hope it works out ok, I’m still new to this beekeeping malarkey.
Very sunny and warm so hopefully they will be ok with the sudden extra room.

Courty

 

[GuyNir]

Back to exercising Patience.

PH

I sure know what you mean

 

[mike99]

Removed all mouse guards as so busy
E

So did I. they are bursting with Pollen at the entrance.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Second brood box went on today,

Bit early for that

Brace comb between the roof and bars made things difficult,

Don't you have a crown board?

I chose two frames with a small amount of brood and stores to go in the top, siting them above the main brood frames in the lower box, and put it all back together.

You're asking a lot of your bees - all that extra space to heat up, then expecting them to draw wax, all that and totally changing the configuration of the brood nest.

 

[simonforeman]

Anybody adding supers And QE today?

 

[SuffolkPaul]

was going to, but now will do tomorrow

Hello all,

I did plan today to visit my two hives and do a number of things as weather in Suffolk was predicted to be 14c:

1/ Check fondant levels
2/ Remove mouse guards to avoid stripping the girls yellow legs
3/ Remove the super below one of my 14x12 brood boxes
4/ Quick hive inspection, if the bees were going mad bringing pollen back / flying.

However the 14c didn't happen, and it remained cloudy with a chill breeze so i had a Bacon Sandwich instead

Tomorrow is forecast as 15c and Friday 16c so I expect to get on and, as im paranoid about QC's and Swarms! :-(

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Anybody adding supers And QE today?

No

Today I took a sad trip down to the Garn Cottage Apiary to tell the bees that their host Mrs T passed away early this morning after a mercifully short but awful illness.
My first out apiary, the cottage and the orchard has been part of my life since I was a kid, sleeping over with my best mate, sneaking out to roost pigeons, sneak the odd woodcock or pheasant or just get horribly drunk on his father's best champagne and malt whisky whilst smoking Simon Bolivar cigars (but then we went to secondary school).

It's a lovely apiary and today, already the damsons and plums were well in blossom whilst at home, just a few miles as the crow flies, they are nowhere near.
Whether his brothers can persuade my friend (and more importantly his wife) to take over the property I don't know, so it may be the last summer I take honey from there

 

[Beefriendly]

B;oddy Hell guys it's only mid March......
A brief inspection to check laying queen and only on a day when lots of bees are flying is about as much as you need to do. In my area at least.....

 

[simonforeman]

17.5 degrees today here Beefriendly and OSR about to burst, odd flower out now......

 

[simonforeman]

No

Today I took a sad trip down to the Garn Cottage Apiary to tell the bees that their host Mrs T passed away early this morning after a mercifully short but awful illness.
My first out apiary, the cottage and the orchard has been part of my life since I was a kid, sleeping over with my best mate, sneaking out to roost pigeons, sneak the odd woodcock or pheasant or just get horribly drunk on his father's best champagne and malt whisky whilst smoking Simon Bolivar cigars (but then we went to secondary school).

It's a lovely apiary and today, already the damsons and plums were well in blossom whilst at home, just a few miles as the crow flies, they are nowhere near.
Whether his brothers can persuade my friend (and more importantly his wife) to take over the property I don't know, so it may be the last summer I take honey from there

Sorry to hear that....

 

[Newbeeneil]

No

Today I took a sad trip down to the Garn Cottage Apiary to tell the bees that their host Mrs T passed away early this morning after a mercifully short but awful illness.
My first out apiary, the cottage and the orchard has been part of my life since I was a kid, sleeping over with my best mate, sneaking out to roost pigeons, sneak the odd woodcock or pheasant or just get horribly drunk on his father's best champagne and malt whisky whilst smoking Simon Bolivar cigars (but then we went to secondary school).

It's a lovely apiary and today, already the damsons and plums were well in blossom whilst at home, just a few miles as the crow flies, they are nowhere near.
Whether his brothers can persuade my friend (and more importantly his wife) to take over the property I don't know, so it may be the last summer I take honey from there

Sad tale JBM. Hopefully it's not your last year there.

 

[Swarm]

No

Today I took a sad trip down to the Garn Cottage Apiary to tell the bees that their host Mrs T passed away early this morning after a mercifully short but awful illness.
My first out apiary, the cottage and the orchard has been part of my life since I was a kid, sleeping over with my best mate, sneaking out to roost pigeons, sneak the odd woodcock or pheasant or just get horribly drunk on his father's best champagne and malt whisky whilst smoking Simon Bolivar cigars (but then we went to secondary school).

It's a lovely apiary and today, already the damsons and plums were well in blossom whilst at home, just a few miles as the crow flies, they are nowhere near.
Whether his brothers can persuade my friend (and more importantly his wife) to take over the property I don't know, so it may be the last summer I take honey from there

 

[Murox]

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/picture.php?albumid=844&pictureid=3982

 

[Hivemaker.]

Anybody adding supers And QE today?

Yes.

 

[SDM]

two apiaries checked, 1 hive light on stores, will feed tomorrow. All in good shape a single capped drone cell in one hive but none elsewhere.
A few queens needed re marking and all were clipped.
A pleasing way to spend the first afternoon of spring !!

 

[Angularity]

Saw the first wasp of the year nosing about.

 

[Wingy]

Inspected my last hive today, I know it’s only mid March but the weather is telling the bees mid April! 14*C lots of bees flying and pollen going in by the bucket load.
Found 5 frames of BIAS in the bottom brood box, 4 frames BIAS in the super frames above, plenty of stores, a few drones wondering around, some capped drone cells and a few play cups.
Found the Q and put her in the bottom box, no drone brood in super so QX on. All tidied up. Now let’s hope the weather holds as I feel we are on 5 - 6 day inspection intervals from now

 

[enrico]

Saw the first wasp of the year nosing about.

Opened a bag of old toilet roll inards that I keep in the potting shed for sweet peas, About 20 queen wasps!!!!!!

 

[Stedic]

First proper beekeeping day of the year for me.

Started putting excluders and supers on my mentors 12 hives. Sadly one had starved despite fondant etc. so maybe weakened by varroa beforehand. Others in varying states but all looked well enough.

Then up to my out apiary. The weak colony is building and using fondant. The iffy nuc appears strong and needed an interim super as I hadn’t got a full hive with me. They’re on 2 x 14x12 in a poly nuc so should get going nicely when they move.

Other hives were, in my mentors words, incredible. All have bucket loads of bees and pollen, reasonably well behaved too. All got a QE and a super. There might not be much flow but they’ll be needing the space.

We didn’t pull many brood frames but the odd one had some scattered drone brood.

The season feels like it is about to get going - what will it hold?

 

[Poly Hive]

Planted the pussy willow the wife bought as a present for the bees, and even before it was in the ground it was being harvested.

PH