What did you do in the Apiary today?

[madasafish]

Just took the eke's and fondant off the hives Sunday because they looked busy enough to add supers and now the weather is crap since ....
Looks like I'll have to feed now with this bad weather
How many frames of stores in a single BB is adequate to keep bees going for a week ?

approx 2kg/week so one full frame + a bit - (note: the approx.)

 

[Millet]

Isn't that a shook swarm?

Anyway, this is how the owner of my new bees wants to deal with it, and I have brood boxes and frames all ready, so it's fine with me.

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No it is moving the full colony with frames and bees into another box in the same order they came out of the other hive..

 

[manek]

No it is moving the full colony with frames and bees into another box in the same order they came out of the other hive..

Got it, thanks. I think we'll do a shook swarm.

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[Millet]

Got it, thanks. I think we'll do a shook swarm.

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Do you know what you are doing.. a shook swarm is brutal and not needed in this circumstance.

 

[manek]

Do you know what you are doing.. a shook swarm is brutal and not needed in this circumstance.

Yes, I do understand what you mean, but the person selling me the bees wants to keep the hardware - and I also don't know how old the comb is or what the varroa load is. It's what we've agreed so we'll go with that.

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[simonforeman]

Good news and bad news

Did an inspection on my 4 hives today as first warm and sunny day for a while and wanted to check they had stores as I took some away the other week for laying room.

Hive 1 last year's carniloian queen on brood plus 1/2. 8 full frames of brood of each so strong. Not moved up to the undrawn super yet that went on last week.
Hive 2 14x12 has 8 frames of brood and my strongest hive. Has 1/2 filled the drawn super that went on last week. This hive flies in any weather but is a bit defensive. Will need another super soon if it gets above 15 degrees as OSR out all around.
Hive 3 went into winter on double brood but went down to single the other week with a super. 8 frames of brood and started to draw the undrawn super added at that time.
Hive 4 no queen or open brood or eggs. About 20 queen cells. This hive last week was on 5 frames of brood and the queen was laying 2 eggs in some cells. Do they may be replacing her. Have taken down all QC apart from 2 and will leave them alone for 2 - 3 weeks.

Didn't have to add any frames of stores back so all in all its good.

 

[Angry_Mob]

First time I opened a hive this year, opened a strong nuc with 5 frames of BIAS and moved to a hive.

Built up a feeder barrel mixer system using a sump pump, made up some spring syrup using it. Fed the hive in order to draw out the frames.

 

[Goran]

Spring.

 

[JWF]

Spring.

Looks beautiful Goran.

What are those small bushes in the first picture?

 

[madasafish]

Inspected all full colonies. Moved supers from nadired to super with QE. Most of 6-7 frames of BIAS: two 4-5.
(SUpers - full Oct 20 kg honey, now empty).
Swapped two frames store out for drawn comb to speed growth of smaller colonies.
Marked one out of two queens supersceded since last inspection August 2018. (One escaped into hive depths)
Only 11C but sunny and calm. Lots of pollen coming in.
Knackered with all the lifting

 

[thedozzer]

Had a quick look in clear crown board, first super nearly fully drawn, Better half and i sat and made up another 2 suppers worth of frames. and got Nuc ready for split once weather improves.

 

[Machonachos]

Went into two out of three hives both with super under bb for winter. What a mess with brood comb all underneath super frames.

First time dealing with post winter so wasn’t really sure what to do so moved super back up above bb in the hope that Q will start laying down in the bb then I can put in QE.

Made an awful job of it though, floor came away from the stand bees mad (no stings tho) brood burr comb all crushed and had to be cut out.

Gave up after two hives, luckily the third already had bb underneath.

Any advise welcome.


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[Finman]

.
Super under the brood box is not a real problem.
When queen has layed the brood box, give to the hive a foundation brood and lift the super over excluder.

 

[Wingy]

Went into two out of three hives both with super under bb for winter. What a mess with brood comb all underneath super frames.

First time dealing with post winter so wasn’t really sure what to do so moved super back up above bb in the hope that Q will start laying down in the bb then I can put in QE.

Made an awful job of it though, floor came away from the stand bees mad (no stings tho) brood burr comb all crushed and had to be cut out.

Gave up after two hives, luckily the third already had bb underneath.

Any advise welcome.

What I did this year (I over wintered brood & half, super over BB)
I took new brood box & super and as I removed the frames 1 by 1 cleaning them up I placed them into the new boxes then re built with QX in place ensuring Q in the BB below QX and no drone brood in super above QX. Took away the over winter boxes for a good clean.

 

[SaraR]

Made the most of the sunny but windy weather today and did a quick check of my hives, to remove the winter protection. They'd filled up their brood boxes so added a super with partially drawn comb to each, but decided to leave a full inspection untill next week. Quite exciting to have such strong colonies going into spring for once!

 

[Dodge]

Local mongrel bees on brood and a half, supper's added as no space for bees to overnight, stacks of drone brood. 1 hive full of swarm cells which where capped but fortunately queen still in residence so done a split.

 

[Goran]

Looks beautiful Goran.

What are those small bushes in the first picture?

Hazels.

 

[drex]

First decent day for a while and weather set to go colder from tomorrow, so did my first good inspection of the year. Cleaned off propolis and bit of brace comb. All hives strong, with about 8 frames of brood, ( some even have grubs in lower brood box), except one. This is a poly hive ( I run mainly wood) . The only hive with chalk brood, less bees than others, fair amount of sealed brood, but little unsealed and only a few eggs. Queen might be nosemic. Dummied it down and will see how it goes, but no great hopes.

 

[Goran]

We have some rain now this week, the ground is so dry.. Next week some are starting with jenter, I can't cause lack of time.. I will have to squeeze time for few batches in June - hopefully.. Some colonies are already on 13 frames of brood and had to add third box, when shake a frame it pour as rain..
Finally, winter losses 9,83%, not quite satisfied but as I know where I rushed understandable.. The most queens failed.. I sold ONE colony, what a success.. The losses around are heavy, but no one is buying. Not just from me, from others who sell..
Honey value is going down, imports of " honey" is increasing ( last year is written 1700 tons imported), quite optimistic. If all beekeepers abandon colonies and buy barrels from the ship.. It would be far less stressful, risk free and easy money.. The testing of this imported honey is what I would like to see, it must be really hilarious ( I imagine " New Statesman" as inspector..).
In fact I would ban beekeeping in our country, since our honey is junk and we have to import decent honey to feed our people.. But it is just my bitter mumbling..

 

[GuyNir]

In fact I would ban beekeeping in our country, since our honey is junk and we have to import decent honey to feed our people.. But it is just my bitter mumbling..

Frustrating for sure.
Luckily where I live people do appreciate good quality local honey. I believe this is generally the case throughout the UK, from my limited experience anyway.