What did you do in the Apiary today?

[ianorsven]

First full inspections carried out.
Rearranged some frames to provide space for laying, removed some frames full of stores and replaced with frames of drawn comb and transferred one colony from poly nuc to poly national.
Two main colonies with 6-7 frames BIAS and bees on all frames. Some nectar coming in and OSR showing yellow nearby so super on each.

 

[mike99]

Painted a new Maisemore Poly Nuc. I just need to make up a few extra frames and I can put it out to see if I can entice any discontent colonies. Otherwise, I will be splitting my hive later on.

 

[Poly Hive]

Nothing again as it is too cold. Again.

Getting frustrating but it is what it is and the bees come first.

PH

 

[BMH]

Painted a new Maisemore Poly Nuc. I just need to make up a few extra frames and I can put it out to see if I can entice any discontent colonies. Otherwise, I will be splitting my hive later on.

Make sure you block the mesh floor if chasing swarms.

Also just have 1 frame of old brood in there and 5 empty frames with starter strips.

You wont catch a swarm with a box full of foundation.

Nuc box is also a bit small to be honest

 

[Swarm]

Called at the apiary to pick up a floor I'd left behind, it was like mid Summer with the air conditioning going full blast in the hives. Blossom on the Damson trees looking spectacular, it was destroyed this time last year.

 

[Anduril]

At 2 apiaries added an extra brood box underneath each hive, some of them are double 14x12 now, back breaking work. 4 of these hives will be requeened with better temperament queens.

 

[deemann1]

Did first full inspection today 9 hives bursting with bees and brood one of the nucs is only on 1 frame of brood...
Added supers on , one hive on 8 frames brood thinking on going double brood with this hive , do I put second brood box on top or bottom.
Here some pics
https://ibb.co/3MT1rCX
https://ibb.co/XybL7p3
https://ibb.co/mv6jJj5
https://ibb.co/x1JbQDV

 

[Macdee]

Sealed queen cell

First inspection and what do I find, a sealed queen cell and a few queen cups !!!
This is my first full year of beekeeping, is this normal so early in the year ?

I have read about hives swarming, but thought it would happen later in the year.

I have spilt the hive, into the main hive and two nuc. Bit concerned about the cold nights, but the other hive does have drones, so hoping that the queens to be will get mated

Any advice on what I did, or what to do next ?

Al

 

[Ian123]

Do you mean 1 cell and uncharged/play cups or did the cups/cells have anything in them. If there was only 1 cell the you proabably have them trying to supercede

 

[Macdee]

It was one sealed queen cell, 1 other open queen cup with a larvae in it and 5 others with nothing in them. They were all along the bottom of the frames.

 

[Tom Jay]

First inspection and what do I find, a sealed queen cell and a few queen cups !!!
This is my first full year of beekeeping, is this normal so early in the year ?

I have read about hives swarming, but thought it would happen later in the year.

I have spilt the hive, into the main hive and two nuc. Bit concerned about the cold nights, but the other hive does have drones, so hoping that the queens to be will get mated

Any advice on what I did, or what to do next ?

Al

Al this is proving to be an extraordinary beginning to the season on all fronts. Yes this is very early indeed for swarming but with there being the sealed cell and even just one other QC with a larva that I would say is swarm activity rather than supercedure. The position of the cells suggests that too, as a supercedure queen cell will usually be central on the frame.

My concern is that so early on in the season you have tried for two nucs out of it. My guess [from limited experience] is that the house bee population could do with being all together so see this through, with just one queen - the still unsealed one - left for them to raise, the early one carved out. But I'm a relative newbie. I hope you hear from others on here. All the best for a good first whole year! Tom

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

a supercedure queen cell will usually be central on the frame.

Bollox

 

[Tom Jay]

First full inspection of the two colonies that have overwintered in huge number, one double brood the other double-and-a-half [why I did that in the Autumn escapes me this minute, it will be in my notes.] Today I introduced the QE below the 'super' which does have brood but not too much, and no drone brood, so I trust those larva will make it ok.

The other huge colony got a first super two weeks back which seemed crazy but even without lifting frames then, I could tell they were short of space with the 22 standard frames. Today that super has full bee activity on all its frames. I lifted just one of them to find it heavy with uncapped gold in every single cell. 29th March, North East England, and I'll be taking them a second super to start on tomorrow. Crazy or what.

Both these colonies had a few whole frames in the brood boxes really heavy with fresh store, as well as stacks of spare pollen. Big areas of brood capped, open, and fresh laid eggs. I came away amazed.

 

[Tom Jay]

Bollox

Jenkins are you this rude face to face? I have a lot to learn but two years back I made the decision to learn none of it from you, because of your uncivil tone on this site time and again.

I was taught by a genuine expert to expect a supercedure cell usually central on a frame. The twice - just twice - I have had supercedure, that is where the cell was formed. This is my background to the bollox.

 

[Walrus]

First look in my hives today (14 Celsius and sunny). 2 out of my 16 were drone layers but the rest are fine. Dandelions and some fruit trees in flower.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Jenkins are you this rude face to face? .

yes, if someone keeps rolling out the same mantra which, in many cases is far from the truth.
Your so called 'expert' has just trotted out the copybook answer, and you, after admitting you have not much eperience, now do the same. It's this kind of blindly mumbling the same dubious advice, making beginners believ it is gospel that means newbies come to grief down the line.

two years back I made the decision to learn none of it from you

Nor from anyone else by the looks of some of the rubbish you have posted lately, I bit my tongue at first seeing you admitted to being a beginner, but it's gettting increasingly obvious you have decided to carry on regardless.

Here's one 'classic' supersedure cell for you she's still seems to be doing well although I wisely have not opened up any of the hives yet.

 

[masterBK]

Here are four examples of what I consider to be typical supersecedure cells

 

[blackcloud]

I did nothing in the apiary today,went to the Welsh show instead
Brought a van load of bargains and listened to a varroa lecture with a discussion afterwards which at one point almost kicked off!
Great day out.

 

[bontbee]

Added more wax to the solar extractor

 

[Poly Hive]

I'm with you there masterBK.

It also pays to remember:

Bees do NOTHING invariably.

PH