What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Teemore]

Phoned my father from work yesterday afternoon to ask him to go and weigh down the roof on a hive we are baby sitting (gabled roof that doesn't sit down very far on the brood box) and was told by my mother that he was out doing just that as the roof had blown off as he was walking past it ten minutes before hand! The crown board never shifted - the propolis was doing its job well and only a couple of bees were visible moving outside the cluster.

 

[MuswellMetro]

spent the morning driving to various out apiaries, no damage but one small colony i am looking after for a friend was still very active

They had gone through a 500g of fondant in a week, so i put a 2.5k slab of fondant on them and will inspect again after Christmas

 

[Erichalfbee]

Mine are strapped to their stands AND have two bricks on. Needed it last night.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Not been to the apiaries today, will have a quick check tomorrow to make sure all the hives are still in place and intact!

Took delivery of my bulk honey jar purchase!

Now I can start getting the honey into jars in earnest and just wait for the labels to arrive next week!

 

[TOBY-3652]

Weighed hives and placed fondant on most for insurance

 

[TBRNoTB]

two countries away from the apiary alas - just sat in Glasgow worrying about them, have to wait until Saturday to check the three hives

I thought you were in Westest Wales? Just had a look at Glanaman looks like Westest England!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Finally arrived home from Scotland, briefly aknowledged the wife then got changed and out to check the hives
All three sitting nice and snug and haven't been bothered by the high winds, although the two MM jumbo feeders I'd absent mindedly left out near the shed had been bowled over (but no harm done)
Nuc clustered nicely and have hardly touched the fondant put on over three weeks ago.
Hive No 1 (with super on) seem to clustered nicely in the brood, so quiet I had to put my ear on the feed hole to hear them although two bees finally came up to investigate and I think they've taken quite a bit of stores down from the super, but haven't touched the fondant.
Hive 2 just finished the fondant although the carton was packed with bees and when I took it of to replace it they came spilling out of the feed hole and kept pinging me (luckily had the sense to don bee suit!) so they obviously don't care there's frost on the ground.
Hives now all strapped down in readiness for Monday's onslaught!!

 

[Vergilius]

Checked both the out apiary hives today. No wind damage thankfully. Hive 1", a small colony with fondant in already, had munched its way through half of it. After hefting, I also gave the larger colony a slab of fondant as purely a precautionary measure...

 

[mystil]

Both hives in the garden are still active abit. Both clustering though. Have not strapped down yet as they are in a sheltered spot.

Other hive have not checked at all, but already strapped down and lots of food last time checked.

Now just making up hive super frames ready for next year.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I thought you were in Westest Wales? Just had a look at Glanaman looks like Westest England!

Never claimed I was Westest Wales, perched on the very edge of the South West Wales coalfield but to the north of the River Aman so a country boy! on the very edge of the Brecon Beacons (they say that West of the River Loughor is West Wales and I'm a mile and a half South from the source but to the East of the river)

 

[oliver90owner]

jenkinsbrynmair,

they came spilling out of the feed hole and kept pinging me

How, why?

This time of the year, if they need fondant, feed lots - may be another 3-4 months of feeding to be done. One kg at a time is only a 'temporary' measure, as you may well find out.

If small cartons, simply slide the next one into place behind the empty one? No escapees from the hive.

Two reasons why I cling-film the carton - firstly, there are only bees inside the cling film and only the odd one under it; secondly, the carton does not stick to the crownboard. The empty carton is then sharply transferrered adjacent to the entrance and most bees find their way back in the entrance, provided the weather is not bad.

I would only 'normally' be doing that if they were light in late February/ March, of course.

Regards, RAB

 

[yeogi75]

just an idea,dont know if anyone has thought about,
corkscrew dog lead ground anchor screw into ground put hive frame over hive on top cheap rachet car strap,well secure and a lot lighter to carry over fields,also might prevent livestock moveing the hive ?

 

[Poly Hive]

I should put this in another thread but if you are feeding fondant get real

We are not talking a "wee suppie" here and there.

I am saying you should be feeding at lest two to four kilos at a time and not over the blasted CB with its "feed holes" ... grrrrrrr..... that is so annoying.

To feed fondant, take a BIG lump covered in cling film and an eke or empty super. Remove CB, put on super or eke, place fondant on top of bees, having slit the cling film a few times, and put a blanket or similar to reduce space and put on CB covering the b****y holes to reduce heat loss, put on insulation and then roof.

Check in two Weeks. If needed replace.

PH

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

RAB, PH
first carton of fondant went on as a top up rather than wait until it was too late - hive was well stored previous to this - sliding the cartons over (my first intention ) all well and good but first time, as there was so many in the carton it just wound them up and made them angry, this time, just decided to pull carton off and plonk next on - was a surprise to see them so active for the temperature and so many spilling out , and I agree they probably need a lot more food (obviously this will be rectified)
Remember, it is a learning curve and of the three hives this was one i didn't expect to be a problem
Also check my post elsewhere - i use solid crown boards as a rule, not ones with B***dy holes in unless i need to put a feed on

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Oh, and I forgot the Kilo of fondant on the 'excited' hive had been there for over three weeks and there was still a little bit left when i went to change the tub - would that be a normal cunsumption time if they were really low on stores?

 

[the naked beekeeper]

What the hell is a 'carton of fondant'???

Also, PH, please elaborate on why placing fondant above the feedholes gets your goat?! I can tell you're itching.......

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's just a plastic carton (like the one you get from chinese takeaways in England) itholds about a kilo of fondant, you put your lump of fondant in ot and invert over a convenient aperture put in a crown board then enclosed in kingspan for insulation

 

[Vergilius]

Why don't you heft Jkbm - then you can see whether your hive(s) is light on stores, and then feed if appropriate. No point feeding fondant to a hive full of stores...

Ben P

 

[oliver90owner]

as there was so many in the carton it just wound them up and made them angry

But...had the carton been covered with cling film? Sounds like it wasn't. If covered the bees in the carton hardly know they have been moved. You could then put a piece of card under the carton to prevent them escaping before positioning it close to the hive entrance. They can then return almost directly to the hive entrance, as they escape from the original slits in the cling film covering.

would that be a normal cunsumption time if they were really low on stores?

Actual consumption might depend on temperatures, wind-chill, amount of ventilation, how far the cluster is away from the floor, how much space above, size of cluster, etc and whether the fondant was the only source of carbohydrate. Seems in the right ball park, would not be much less and could easily be double - who knows, but you will need to monitor regularly with small dollops (another word for the NBK to look up).

Once the bees have found the fondant a feedhole is perfectly adequate for the bees to access it. It is not like they are shifting, it once clustered. Autumn feeding at high rates is different altogether. They can easily remove a kilo through a feed hole in three weeks without recourse to slapping it on the top of the frames.

However I will reiterate, before PH jumps, that this arrangement is what I would use for late winter if the colony were light; not quite the same if it is devoid of stores by mid-December. With a full 14 x12 box in October, they are very unlikely to need extra feed before late February, and not even then, usually. Autumn feeding is to raise the stores levels for the whole of the winter so they can be left without interference, from Novemer to March. That is what I try to do.

Never fed anything at all last year (autumn or winter). I expect to this winter as they are mostly on ten frames only; by late Feb, some are more than likely fed with 1:1 (or sugary water, even) to encourage brooding - to have foragers ready for the OSR in early/mid April.

RAB

carton of fondant
carton - box for goods, so box for fondant
of - preposition meaning concerning, pertaining to
fondant - soft sweet of (flavoured) sugar
carton of fondant = box containing (unflavoured in this case) sugar sweet (large sweet in this instance)

 

[drstitson]

cleaned up a load of feeders that have been sat in the shower/bath for a couple of weeks.