What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Skyhook]

i-ball - they're lovely pictures. Cute looking bees!

Good point- quite furry, not old and bald. Could this years bees be foraging already?

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

I setup a dozen bait hives today.
I know it's a bit early, but have a date with the sugeons knife and will be out of action for the next 8 weeks.
Talk about bad timing.
But set them up as per this forum, off the ground, up in bushes and trees, a brood and a super per setup, old used frames and comb, lemon grass etc.
So fingers crossed I catch one.
Lets hope it's not one of my own, I would kick myself if that were the case.....lol

Brian

 

[Busy Bee]

Drunk 1/4 bottle of Jameson and coke LOL

Busy Bee

 

[For want of a better word]

Stood under an umbrella!!

 

[Mike a]

I setup a dozen bait hives today.
I know it's a bit early, but have a date with the sugeons knife and will be out of action for the next 8 weeks.

Brian

Good luck with the OP Brian.
TBH its a good time to have surgery no temptations to go poking around in the hives.

 

[oliver90owner]

But set them up as per this forum, off the ground, up in bushes and trees, a brood and a super per setup

I was wonderin' where you got the 'brood and super' from on this forum? Not seen it myself and would not make it that big.

They could have waited - if that were the first thing you were to do after your 8 week holiday and the date is in the next week! Good luck for the op. Serious, or just annoying (the op)?

RAB

 

[nonstandard]

........ but have a date with the sugeons knife and will be out of action for the next 8 weeks.
Talk about bad timing.

Brian

Good luck with the OP Brian.
TBH its a good time to have surgery no temptations to go poking around in the hives.

Hope all goes well Brian.

I know the feeling, I had my shoulder op in early Jan (right shoulder & right handed), but am still in a sling and will be for at least two more weeks I am managing to do some tinkering at the moment but when I went to see the physio yesterday he suggested that it may be six months till I'm fit and at least twelve till I'm back to full strength. Good job I bought Mrs B a beesuit, I've just got to talk her into using it.

Today
Managed to lefthandedly paint some WBC parts and run some Vaseline round the edges of some supers.

Oh and wipe up the Vaseline that spilt onto the floor when my six year old 'investigated' the pot that I had put on the hall radiator (to melt and drain down into the bottom of the pot).

 

[drstitson]

bait hives

"But set them up as per this forum, off the ground, up in bushes and trees,"

and i hope you dowsed to find appropriate "earth vibration" areas to site the hives? if not then perhaps you should be next on list to borrow the new John Harding book!!!!

 

[Finman]

.
Yesterday I look my one frame nuc. It was outside -20C.

Electric heating was cut. I hope that it works again. 3 weeks up to cleaning flights.

WOW, this morning -28C 1,5 mile from my bee yard. 8:40
Traffic camera area -31C one mile from me.

http://alk.tiehallinto.fi/alk/kelikamerat/kamera-C0351901.html

 

[Vergilius]

Watched loads of bees taking in pollen in both hives.


Ben P

 

[Storm™]

I've not seen a single bee hornet or anything yet this year. Catkins come and gone. Snowdrops come and gone. But nothing. Wonder where ours are.

Good luck with the OP. 8 weeks is a long recovery time.

 

[drstitson]

"quite furry, not old and bald. Could this years bees be foraging already"

i thought i'd commented on this yesterday - obviously post didn't happen.

AFAI understand it winter bees emerging for their first forage are biologically young (winter bees being similar/identical to nurse bees physiologically).

baldness is down to wear and tear out in the field rather than age per se.

so in a few weeks time it is likely that there will be a mix of old bald winter bees and new 2011 hairy bees until all the winter bees have died.

 

[Ely]

I spent a little time in my apiary planny where to put my hives and what to plant etc, maybe build a path with some left over slabs I have. I'm going to have to plant a hedge or something because the hives would be quite exposed to wind that comes straight over the marshes. Any reccommendations on what type of hedge would be great.

I also want to plant espalier apples along one boundary, is it best to buy pre trained or train your own?

 

[Jim Lavie]

"quite furry, not old and bald. Could this years bees be foraging already"

i thought i'd commented on this yesterday - obviously post didn't happen.

You did comment yesterday I read it, can you dows for missing posts?

 

[drstitson]

found it under a different thread referring to furry bees.

 

[tonybloke]

I spent a little time in my apiary planny where to put my hives and what to plant etc, maybe build a path with some left over slabs I have. I'm going to have to plant a hedge or something because the hives would be quite exposed to wind that comes straight over the marshes. Any reccommendations on what type of hedge would be great.

I also want to plant espalier apples along one boundary, is it best to buy pre trained or train your own?

get some bare-rooted apple trees Simon, I'll come over and give you a hand to set them out.

 

[tonybloke]

watched a few bees bringing in crocus pollen.

 

[drstitson]

squashed a wasp crawling across bedroom floor tuesday pm (aged parents obviously keeping house too warm).

 

[mbc]

I spent a little time in my apiary planny where to put my hives and what to plant etc, maybe build a path with some left over slabs I have. I'm going to have to plant a hedge or something because the hives would be quite exposed to wind that comes straight over the marshes. Any reccommendations on what type of hedge would be great.

I also want to plant espalier apples along one boundary, is it best to buy pre trained or train your own?

I've done some willow wattle fences to break up the wind and a few of the uprights have taken well, and will probably give extra early forage for the bees before too many years have passed.

 

[Ely]

Cheers Tony. Do you know where the best place is to get them? I called into Cherry tree but their plants have seen better days.