What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Parsonage Bees]

I nearly panicked when I saw this.

Temperatures up to 17degC today but I didn't see this amount of bearding in the heat last year. Gave them 7 frames of foundation in the top super 9 days ago and been cool since.

The plan is these guys were going to draw out a box of brood comb but think they're planning to leave me? Checking first thing tomorrow for swarm cells.

 

[madasafish]

Checked the hive of a lady which we united with a mini nuc 2 weeks ago as the hive was Q- and drone laying. Success: eggs and brood.

Helped another lady transfer frames from one hive to a new one. Usually nasty bees but at 17C and first sunny day for weeks they were like pussycats..

Checked nuc of mine which was Q- three weeks ago - added frame of BIAS and eggs then ... Polished cells and good natured.. Suspect very small Queen.. who will do as a stopgap measure..

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Yesterday, checked the hives - first time since end of March.
Added second super to one, on double brood.
Added second brood to one on brood and a half, absolutely chocker with bees and merrily back filling. Felt I might be too late giving extra space.
Third one quietly getting on with life, lots of bias but nothing being stored in the super, that was moved from beneath the brood box in March.

Today around 1:00pm, a cloud of thousands of bees in the air - as I had to leave for an appointment. Returning at 3:30pm normal service resumed, all colonies very active and loads of pollen going in them all.
Both bait hives being inspected by dozens of bees....
Oh dear....looks like I need to intervene tomorrow, or let them swarm and hope they adopt the bait hive. Looks like I missed a queen cell again.
Sometimes I feel very inadequate....

 

[simonforeman]

Nothing again today, very fustrating .... had to take the wife and daughter away this week back home on Friday....

Did check hives before I left for QCs and all was well. All had supers on so hopefully they will need another when I get back....

 

[Swarm]

Packed off a lovely colony of Welsh natives to their new beekeeper.

 

[colinc]

I nearly panicked when I saw this.



Temperatures up to 17degC today but I didn't see this amount of bearding in the heat last year. Gave them 7 frames of foundation in the top super 9 days ago and been cool since.



The plan is these guys were going to draw out a box of brood comb but think they're planning to leave me? Checking first thing tomorrow for swarm cells.

Think they may just be defensive due to the horse living on their porch [emoji6]


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[mike99]

I nearly panicked when I saw this.

Temperatures up to 17degC today but I didn't see this amount of bearding in the heat last year. Gave them 7 frames of foundation in the top super 9 days ago and been cool since.

The plan is these guys were going to draw out a box of brood comb but think they're planning to leave me? Checking first thing tomorrow for swarm cells.

That was exactly the scene I was greeted with yesterday. We have gone from freezing winds and hardly any pollen collectors to full on traffic jams in a day. I will be doing my first inspection of the year in the next day or so and hopefully put my first super on with thin wireless foundation for honeycomb.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Think they may just be defensive due to the horse living on their porch [emoji6]

Had a horrible thought overnight. Is this what defence against Asian Hornet looks like?
. . . . . Ben

 

[enrico]

I nearly panicked when I saw this.

Temperatures up to 17degC today but I didn't see this amount of bearding in the heat last year. Gave them 7 frames of foundation in the top super 9 days ago and been cool since.

The plan is these guys were going to draw out a box of brood comb but think they're planning to leave me? Checking first thing tomorrow for swarm cells.

Don't panic. All the new bees come out at once when the temperature was just right. We have all had it,or at least I have!
E

 

[colinc]

Absolutely. My wife could hear our hives from 30m away on Tuesday when they all emerged at once. She had to check they weren’t swarming as she said it sounded like that.


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[Parsonage Bees]

Don't panic. All the new bees come out at once when the temperature was just right. We have all had it,or at least I have!
E

Yes, glad I didn't dive into them yesterday. Checked carefully today and no QCs just strong colony. Queen laying everywhere solid. She's my star queen. Have given them more space.

. . . . Ben

 

[JWF]

Added an extra super to my three big colonies.

Carried out an AS on one colony which had a charged queen cell, this is the first AS I've had to carry out this year.

Despite loads of OSR around us, none of my colonies seem to be visiting it, and there's a big range of pollen going in at the moment. I assume they're on tree blossom, which is fabulous this year.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

First chance to get into the bees today, all looking great in the home apiary, all hives choc a blok with honey and needing supers, I put an extra brood onto a Maise's nuc before going two weeks ago as it was too cold to muck around with them, there was only a few frames of brood, but too much stores. Today, they have drawn out the top box, are on 14 full frames of brood and begging for a super.
Another hive I'd left on double brood overwinter (queen had managed to get into the top box of a Demarree and neither box could be removed in October) I had planned to get her back onto single brood - again, fifteen frams of brood and begging for a super.
I can see a busy day ahead tomorrow

 

[Swarm]

First chance to get into the bees today, all looking great in the home apiary, all hives choc a blok with honey and needing supers, I put an extra brood onto a Maise's nuc before going two weeks ago as it was too cold to muck around with them, there was only a few frames of brood, but too much stores. Today, they have drawn out the top box, are on 14 full frames of brood and begging for a super.
Another hive I'd left on double brood overwinter (queen had managed to get into the top box of a Demarree and neither box could be removed in October) I had planned to get her back onto single brood - again, fifteen frams of brood and begging for a super.
I can see a busy day ahead tomorrow

Welcome home.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Welcome home.

Thanks it's been non stop so far, and I still have to write my reports

 

[Curly green fingers]

Busy day today ,
Going through the warre hives, transfering two over wintered nucs into single brood boxes, then of to the farm to do s demarre on my biggest buckfast colony then access the other 5 colony's .
Then end the afternoon at home accessing my garden colony's hopefully with a cold cider and ice.
Thankfully my eldest lad is helping me..

 

[Beefriendly]

Mark, why are demarreeing your Buckfast colony? Increase?
If she is a young queen (i.e last year, 2018 mating) they are highly unlikely to make swarm preparations this season as long as plenty of room.
The problem I've always found with Demaree is they back fill the top brood box with nectar....
It's why I use a Snelgrove type board. It means the honey stays in the supers

 

[Curly green fingers]

Mark, why are demarreeing your Buckfast colony? Increase?
If she is a young queen (i.e last year, 2018 mating) they are highly unlikely to make swarm preparations this season as long as plenty of room.
The problem I've always found with Demaree is they back fill the top brood box with nectar....
It's why I use a Snelgrove type board. It means the honey stays in the supers

Yes last year's queen I'm getting a bit concerned as there's play cups being built in the bottom box . both boxes are bursting with capped brood and I've no drawn comb . My plan was to give them a third brood box under the other two with foundation and maybe mix the frames of brood with foundation .
I've not had a colony like this one N and I don't want them to swarm .
The queen looks nice and fat so she's not lost any weight .
My swarm prevention's have been box reversals so far and moving frames between boxes..
You think I should use a snelgrove instead I didn't want to increase yet untill there's mated queen's available.

 

[Beefriendly]

You think I should use a snelgrove instead I didn't want to increase yet untill there's mated queen's available.

Play cups are natural...it's when you find them charged that you need to worry.
I prefer Snelgrove, or some sort of separation board to prevent back filling with nectar. Some even call it a "Demaree Board"
Always difficult to advise on someone else's bees, but I'd give them a third brood box with undrawn. Stick a few sheets on edges of their "nest" and move some brood down into 3 rd box. They can (in this weather) draw and the queen lay a frame in less than 48 hours. And add extra supers for bee parking space if they are this size...Had to add 4th supers to some hives yesterday for exact same reason.
You don't have to get increase with Snelgrove...just knock any queen cells down...but keep brood there if you go this way...to prevent laying workers.
Sounds like you have a decent sized colony there

 

[Curly green fingers]

Play cups are natural...it's when you find them charged that you need to worry.
I prefer Snelgrove, or some sort of separation board to prevent back filling with nectar. Some even call it a "Demaree Board"
Always difficult to advise on someone else's bees, but I'd give them a third brood box with undrawn. Stick a few sheets on edges of their "nest" and move some brood down into 3 rd box. They can (in this weather) draw and the queen lay a frame in less than 48 hours. And add extra supers for bee parking space if they are this size...Had to add 4th supers to some hives yesterday for exact same reason.
You don't have to get increase with Snelgrove...just knock any queen cells down...but keep brood there if you go this way...to prevent laying workers.
Sounds like you have a decent sized colony there

Done, third box added moved frames of brood below, the QCs are not charged, there's three supers on, the first is half capped. I'll leave putting another one on as they will use the nectar for the new box.I'll be looking at this hive on Sunday to see what's happening.
I've never had a triple brood before they should perhaps be in bigger boxes .
I'm surprised there not working the rape as much as I thought but a lot of whit-ish pollen going in.
Thanks.