What did you do in the Apiary today?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Fairly mild today - Had a mooch around the hives, plenty of dead chucked out this morning, all very quiet but the odd bee in all of them popping out for a sedate buzz

 

[drstitson]

About to put a litre box of fondant onto my late (oct) swarm as an early xmas pressie.

Got home late last night after seeing Saxon & Hammerfall @ Koko in Camden only to realise that i needed to quickly slap a coat of paint onto the MB poly super that was to go on as an eke.

2nd coat drying as i write and kingspan filling ready to cut to size.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Wandered into the garage and looked at my kit.

Scratched my head.

Wandered out again.

Roll on spring.

 

[drstitson]

"Wandered into the garage and looked at my kit."

Won't the OH let you "look at your kit" in the house?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Not in front of the fairy on the tree.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

"Wandered into the garage and looked at my kit."

Won't the OH let you "look at your kit" in the house?

Maybe she doesn't know it's there? - well not al of it anyway!

 

[Firefly]

Bees everywhere!!!
Made my day

 

[Erichalfbee]

10˚ here
One lot chucking out their dead. Quite a struggle through the mouse guard.
Some disappearing into the blue yonder and bringing back white pollen.

 

[Black Comb]

No blue yonder here.

 

[For want of a better word]

Bashing together a Chinese National sized beehive ... Chinese Cedar looks like some kind of pine... 2 supers OK... brood box.. never seen one with entrance in a cutaway at bottom... will modify that.
advertised with an open mesh floor! but buyer has to provide mesh.. Crown board is a sheet of hardboard with 2 porter escape sized holes.. clearer board really... roof OK.. galvanised flat roof...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

The queen excluder is a wooden piece of art... thinking of hanging it on wall!!!

But saying that all for the price of a Forns KD brood ''''''''''''''''' inexpensive addition
and a solid floor that will convert into a catcher hive roof!

 

[iand]

still cold here but much warmer frost is coming out of the ground now, ground very sticky though . Only ice to break on the track down to the bees. A bit of activity clearing a few dead bees out, made sure entrances were all clear but no flying. Then back to sorting out wood for sawing tomorrow.

ian

 

[susbees]

Maybe she doesn't know it's there? - well not al of it anyway!

Cough. I think one may have missed the point....Probably just as well

 

[susbees]

Fortnightly amble across to the apiary...the odd bee flying from all 17 boxes. One nuc had a bee returning with a small load of mid-yellow pollen.
One hive (superceding when I showed my young nephew through it mid-October) had a returning drone.
One hive was in a right tizz....checked for fondant issues as they weren't high on stores. Fine so left them. Pass...
Rest, mostly clustering near the bottom of the boxes.
11 degrees C. Nuts!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Cough. I think one may have missed the point....Probably just as well

Got the point just (for once) steering the subject away from the smut as it's Christmas.
Think I'll just go back to normal as it's more fun

 

[Chris58]

Just a question, as it is cold, wet and damp (very) here, is it wise to open the hive to check on the bees or should we leave them? We put some fondant into a while ago, but they don't seem to touch it. They seem to always want the syrup, which is now empty. When last checked there were some stores - and the fondant. But we don't want to let any heat out the hive by opening un-necessarily(? spelling sorry).

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Leave them - they'll take the fondant when they want it

 

[Chris58]

When we last looked, beginning of last week there were a load of dead bees in the feeder, but no syrup and they were not taking the fondant. We still dpon't know if they're taking the fondant though. As it's our only hive at present, didn't want to lose it.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Nothing you can do, leave them be

 

[MuswellMetro]

Midday was 12c sunny so did a tour ( via a nice pub..sat in sun in the beer garden!!!)

All of the 20 odd hives inspected showed life but a friends, he was advised to combine but declined, looked a bit low with just a few toilet flights..felt a bit "i told you so" but dont want to gloat as we could all loose a few yet

But the rest of the hives were buzzing with bees, perhaps a 100 bees out on the landing board and a 50 or so in the air on most hives

Decided to give one overwintering 14x12 nuc 500g of fondant,just seemed light

 

[MJBee]

Chris - you have a PM