What did you do in the Apiary today?

[colinc]

Went through all the hives, all brimming with bees, as my hives are wood today was the first time I have ever seen brood on a face adjacent to a box wall. Biggest hive is back filling a super that was previously nadired has filled another super and making inroads in a third in 1 week.
2 supers on the other hive that is not needing to draw out foundation. The other 3 are drawing comb quickly.


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[mike99]

First inspection of the year yesterday and the BB was bursting with only 2 frames of stores. There didn't appear to be any queen cells. I added another BB, QX and super. They were as calm as could be.
They seem happy enough today. I couldn't find the queen but there was open and capped brood. it was later in the day and with the lighting subdued I didn't witness any eggs. I lifted the roof early this morning and there were bees coming through the openings on the CB so they seem to be exploring their new extension.

 

[taurus]

We moved house in March and now live in a rural location - the bees have a fruit garden overlooking a field and a stream with the nearest house half a mile up the hill.

All very lovely.

What I hadn't bargained on was how totally different everything is in this new location. There is one field of rape about a mile away but that's only just come into flower - yet even during the past couple of chilly weeks they've filled three supers. I never had anything until late summer in our last house.

If it is rape they've found I guess I need to extract it as soon as it's sealed?

 

[Angry_Mob]

First inspection here as well today.

My main hive from last year appears queenless, no sign of brood and the population is quite low. Added a frame of brood from another hive. Of my three remaining buckfast colonies only one is doing very well, the other two are below expectations so far.

First super went on one of my black colonies which are all motoring along.

Yesterday made up some frames, this evening I painted some nuc boxes. Probably more of the same tomorrow.

 

[oliver90owner]

If it is rape they've found I guess I need to extract it as soon as it's sealed?

If not before!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

First inspection of the year yesterday and the BB was bursting with only 2 frames of stores. There didn't appear to be any queen cells. I added another BB, QX and super. They were as calm as could be.
They seem happy enough today. I couldn't find the queen but there was open and capped brood. it was later in the day and with the lighting subdued I didn't witness any eggs. I lifted the roof early this morning and there were bees coming through the openings on the CB so they seem to be exploring their new extension.

Openings in a crownboard? I'll leave it there for you to think about

 

[Machonachos]

First real inspection since the poor weather last week.
At least one hive was quiet at the entrance so knew I was gonna see some swarm losses.

Hive 1 was in great shape loads of bees on BB+1/2 unable to find Q so left as Bb+1/2 and supered on top.

Second hive has swarmed and possibly cast as well. 3 QC found all close to each other so left them select the one they want. Not too upset as this was my aggressive hive.

Last hive had swarmed also with one QC so closed back up and super added so we’ll see.

Interesting tho that the two swarms caught last year swarmed early. Feel less stressed now they’ve swarmed as opposed to worrying about swarming for weeks.


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[Stedic]

Got round to my other three yesterday. Two hives I had expected to find cells in were behaving. Old queens though, so they will get replaced before too long.

3rd hive was odd. No eggs, no brood, no queen found. Two QCs found, one new looking and one old. Old one was empty. There were polished cells like they expected a queen, and they were calm. So maybe this is supercedure and they are waiting for the virgin to mate? Anyway, I put in a test frame from my best hive and will see what they do with it. Loads of bees, food and pollen so they’ll easily raise a queen if they need one.

 

[colinc]

We moved house in March and now live in a rural location - the bees have a fruit garden overlooking a field and a stream with the nearest house half a mile up the hill.



All very lovely.



What I hadn't bargained on was how totally different everything is in this new location. There is one field of rape about a mile away but that's only just come into flower - yet even during the past couple of chilly weeks they've filled three supers. I never had anything until late summer in our last house.



If it is rape they've found I guess I need to extract it as soon as it's sealed?

Once the flowers are fading on the rape the flow will stop from it so extract within a couple of weeks and it should still be good. Get a refractometer as they are cheap, it need to be calibrated for honey obviously, my last rape extraction was less than half capped but when extracted and mixed and in buckets the water content was still 17% on mostly open comb. Shake test is a good guesstimate though when the frames come out but it is messy.

Give the big colonies some space when you take their supers obviously as well.


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[Millet]

First inspection of the year yesterday and the BB was bursting with only 2 frames of stores. There didn't appear to be any queen cells. I added another BB, QX and super. They were as calm as could be.
They seem happy enough today. I couldn't find the queen but there was open and capped brood. it was later in the day and with the lighting subdued I didn't witness any eggs. I
lifted the roof early this morning and there were bees coming through the openings on the CB so they seem to be exploring their new extension.

Hello Mike..do they need another brood box ie is the first brood box jam packed with brood..also do you have a super on..I have been doing the opposite and reducing a couple of over wintered hives on double brood down to a single brood box..regarding adding another brood box if needed..the bees build down normally so the second brood box is best put below..it also stops them having a empty box above to keep warm that they might possibly fill with honey.

Ps just seen you added a super.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Anyone point me in direction of the guy that makes copper vaperisers... Is it Tom
Cheers

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I lifted the roof early this morning and there were bees coming through the openings on the CB

so close off the openings then - problem solved.

Only time there should be openings in the crownboard is if feeding or clearing bees.

 

[madasafish]

Queenless nuc I added a frame with BIAS to approx 3 weeks ago has a laying queen which I marked today. (whether properly mated remains to be seen)

 

[Angry_Mob]

Anyone point me in direction of the guy that makes copper vaperisers... Is it Tom
Cheers

John T

---

Checked the queenless buckfast colony today again after giving a frame of brood, they had no QC on the brood frame but the next frame over I spotted an open QC with larva and royal jelly. So got a spare national hive body and moved a nuc of AMM onto the the queenless hive in a newspaper unite. Also found the Queen and marked her red.

 

[Walrus]

Found queen cells in one hive; big and strong and bringing in loads of nectar. That is the earliest I have ever had QCs. Took queen away in a nuc and removed all cells.

Most of my colonies are really booming. I hope we don't have to pay for this good Spring with a wet Summer.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I hope we don't have to pay for this good Spring with a wet Summer.

So do I... but it has only been a good spring here for five days so far.

 

[Millet]

Earliest artificial swarm done today 3wks ahead..checked the United colony and doing good..infact every colony is doing too good..I have ran out of supers today so I stuck a brood box above one colony..
Of for a 3hr round trip to get more boxes and things tomorrow..

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Found queen cells in one hive; big and strong and bringing in loads of nectar. That is the earliest I have ever had QCs. Took queen away in a nuc and removed all cells.

Most of my colonies are really booming. I hope we don't have to pay for this good Spring with a wet Summer.

a few swarm calls the last few days - Swansea way - one colony in the association apiary had swarmed - about the same time as last year.

 

[simonforeman]

Earliest artificial swarm done today 3wks ahead..checked the United colony and doing good..infact every colony is doing too good..I have ran out of supers today so I stuck a brood box above one colony..
Of for a 3hr round trip to get more boxes and things tomorrow..

Have you got OSR around Millet? Mine have found it 0.2 miles away and going mad on.it. the field has been out in flower for nearly 3 weeks now and no sign of flowers dropping yet. Got another field 5 miles away that is z couple of weeks behind so may move a hive there soon. I'm like you need more supers.....

 

[Murox]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Millet
Earliest artificial swarm done today 3wks ahead..checked the United colony and doing good..infact every colony is doing too good..I have ran out of supers today so I stuck a brood box above one colony..
Of for a 3hr round trip to get more boxes and things tomorrow..

Have you got OSR around Millet? Mine have found it 0.2 miles away and going mad on.it. the field has been out in flower for nearly 3 weeks now and no sign of flowers dropping yet. Got another field 5 miles away that is z couple of weeks behind so may move a hive there soon. I'm like you need more supers.....

Try to avoid using just foundation - if the flow is really good they will bring nectar in faster than they can build comb - before you know it they're off.