What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Curly green fingers]

This is what is driving me nuts. And the forecast for the next week is only just reaching double figures.

by the weather again .
Much the same weather pattern here also for the next week very frustrating..

 

[thibault]

Had to do inspection couple of days ago in 2 hives, found nearly capped queen cell, under the rain, they were not happy but it had to be done. Very tricky this year as the weather has been very good too early, hives are too strong, and now 2 weeks of rain with low temperature, like you said, owned by the weather...

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[taurus]

Having said how lousy the weather is which doesn't help moving to a new rural location so everything is different.....when I went through them in the cold it was apparent they were piling in honey.

In my last place I had nothing until late summer so I'm not used to extracting in spring. But I've just had to do my first extraction as I'm running out of supers. The one box that went missing when we moved house? Yup, the one with all my jars in it. No sign of it anywhere.

 

[jeff33]

Quick 5 minutes checked turned into an hour with 2 hives being a day or 2 away from swarming. Trying a vertical temporary split on 1 and removed the queen into a nuc on the other as it may be trying to supercede the queen... But then again, they may not!!

 

[Millet]

I bit the bullet and went into one today..far too cold and I will have lost lot of bees but it had to be done..the colony in question is a angry hive that was made hopelessly Queenless ten days ago from a artificial swarm..this was the Queen cell side that had all Queen cells knocked down and no chance of making anymore..
A frame of eggs from a nice colony was given to them also ten days ago and around ten sealed Queen cells where removed leaving only one..saying the bees where not happy is a underststement..just about half of the colony burst from the top bats and covered me..one sting thanks that I can live with.thanks to oz armour.

 

[Finman]

.
I made today pollen patty. Whole day and night it has dropped some snow and temps are about zero. Mapples are in full bloom. Bees were not able to pick drinking water to brood.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Captured my third swarm today, but having run out of kit, have housed them in temporary accommodation until a nuc ordered today, arrives.
Had a natter with a local keeper of 50 years experience - he reckons this is the most swarmy season he's known.
I just don't need any more as it's a garden apiary and will be doing a lot of combining later in the year.

 

[Finman]

Captured my third swarm today, but having run out of kit, have housed them in temporary accommodation until a nuc ordered today, arrives.
Had a natter with a local keeper of 50 years experience - he reckons this is the most swarmy season he's known.
I just don't need any more as it's a garden apiary and will be doing a lot of combining later in the year.

Join the swarms and you get good productive hives.

I noticed long time ago, that when I joined 2-3 swarms (4 kg), they occupied 2 langstroth boxes and the colony got a good start and got 40 kg honey.

 

[B+.]

.
I made today pollen patty. Whole day and night it has dropped some snow and temps are about zero. Mapples are in full bloom. Bees were not able to pick drinking water to brood.

Do you mean maples or apples?

 

[colinc]

Do you mean maples or apples?

Genetic hybrid to cut in on the toffee apple industry.


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[Finman]

Do you mean maples or apples?

I mean maples, Acer platanoides

 

[madasafish]

Set up QR hive with Cloake Board.(2 x 5 frame nucs).

10C with occasional rain. Bees not amused.

Blocked lower nuc with Cloake floor. Added (bare) nicot cup frame. Started feeding.

9C, sunny, 20 mph wind. Bees not amused (again)

 

[colinc]

12.5degC but sunny. Didn’t want to inspect but not been into the big hive for 2 weeks. Good job I did. Sealed cells across 2 boxes. Split off queen into a nuc, created another nuc with brood and 2 QC’s as insurance, left main colony with a couple of cells.
Would have been a big swarm if they had gone.


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[jenkinsbrynmair]

No beekeeping as such - delivering bulk honey to a retailer and attending the PBKA bee auction. Mad prices, some colinies were going so cheap it was worth buying them, throwing the bees in the hedge and going away with a brand new Maisies nuc!!!

 

[Millet]

Again today I have things that need doing in the apiary but the weather is brutal..frost this morning and snow on the hills.. the Swallows have gone and the only things flying are the resident birds..I dred to think what I will find when I eventually get to check on the colonies..super wise they are ok it is what is going on in the brood box that has me on tender hooks..

 

[madasafish]

Again today I have things that need doing in the apiary but the weather is brutal..frost this morning and snow on the hills.. the Swallows have gone and the only things flying are the resident birds..I dred to think what I will find when I eventually get to check on the colonies..super wise they are ok it is what is going on in the brood box that has me on tender hooks..

Never worries me.. i know they are unlikely to swarm....space, genetics..

I do not breed from swarmy bees .. and actively requeen them... And give space..
Make Spring a lot less hassle..

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Checked my colonies today to check which had swarmed. The culprit is a colony from a swarm captured last June which became a very large colony quickly.
Clearly of swarmy temperament and now appearing queenless. No eggs and no unsealed brood but with a lot of drones.
Need to provide a frame of young brood so I need the weather to warm up.
The bees were angry in the breeze today and 12C temperature.

 

[Ian123]

if they swarmed why are you surprised to find no eggs, you should have a virgin running around or did they swarm weeks ago?

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Hi Ian,
It was a week ago.
I take your point and the same had occurred to me - it's just that I couldn't find a queen or a sealed queen cell.

 

[Angry_Mob]

Cool wind here today but it was glorious in the sun.

Started this morning buying some legs for a hive stand that I'm going to build, I think this might prove to a very easy to build, adjustable and effective stand at reasonable cost.

Added supers to a couple of hives. Went into the colony unite I did via newspaper and added a queen excluder. I intend to go back and see which box she is in eventually. Deliberating about buying another queen.

Put out another bait box as I had to use the national box I had originally aforementioned for a colony unite.

Watched the bumble and honey bees crawling over the Rhododendron, was covered in them.

Built another 20 super frames using jig v.2 I knocked up last night; much better than v.1.