What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Horseradish]

Put in some Apilife VAR and they are torn with putting up with the smell and avoiding the rain, or all piling out the front in protest..

 

[Erichalfbee]

Put in some Apilife VAR and they are torn with putting up with the smell and avoiding the rain, or all piling out the front in protest..

Yes they do
I tried it once
Oxalic doesn’t bother them and it’s what I use now.
When I open the entrance one or two bees come out to look and that’s it.

 

[BMH]

Vaped and fed 42 nucs.

Got to nuc 4 with the GAS VAP before the blow torch started misfiring, so moved over to the sublimox, which worked like a dream as usual.

Think i will stick to that in future.

Nucs were surprisingly light. Some were on the bring of starvation. Two had starved. North Wales weather is becoming a bad joke. Please bring some sunshine!!!

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Extracted one super, put back on the hive. Clearer boards put on two hives.
Put inspection boards in for varroa check.

 

[mbc]

Vaped and fed 42 nucs.

Got to nuc 4 with the GAS VAP before the blow torch started misfiring, so moved over to the sublimox, which worked like a dream as usual.

Think i will stick to that in future.

Nucs were surprisingly light. Some were on the bring of starvation. Two had starved. North Wales weather is becoming a bad joke. Please bring some sunshine!!!

A timely reminder to check stores on all nucs, thanks!

 

[Swarm]

Checked the beautiful, Welsh black queen that went in on Thursday and happy with the behaviour shown towards her by the bees, removed the plug. Hoping she goes on to become a valuable addition to the apiary.
Met my landlord and checked one of his colonies for signs of a laying queen, still no eggs. Emerged July 15th and present two weeks ago, not seen today. Polished cells and bees like babies, they looked far too content to be queenless.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Training morning at the association apiary, lovely sunny morning before the afternoon rains. Bees well behaved and just to prove a point we inspected the last three hives with no smoke at all (not that I allow more than a few puffs anyway) apart from a bit to clear the edges when we put the supers back on.

 

[Anduril]

Checked the beautiful, Welsh black queen that went in on Thursday and happy with the behaviour shown towards her by the bees, removed the plug. Hoping she goes on to become a valuable addition to the apiary.
Met my landlord and checked one of his colonies for signs of a laying queen, still no eggs. Emerged July 15th and present two weeks ago, not seen today. Polished cells and bees like babies, they looked far too content to be queenless.

I've been trialling the quiet and docile Welsh black queens, your recommendation, really impressed, hardly any smoke used. Still got Buckfasts and mongrels in other apiaries.

 

[Goran]

Today I could easily fill full jar with sweat.. 35C in shade.. 1st trimming grass in full gear, bees berserk.. Later checking some acceptance, laying of new " hopes" I reared with jenter+cloake. Surprisingly to night temps of 23-28C, in a daytime bees all day on white clover and goldenrod. One of the reasons is high humidity and heavy dew, also strange and sudden fogs.. All of this is left to bees, plenty of stores ( honey and pollen). We still have a lot of sealed drone brood. Due to huge amount of brood ( never saw at this scale this late), I give additionally some feed before September. Majority still didn't start to make store arches.. Knowing us here and current situation I assume varroa will be main culprit for losses this winter.
Due to abundance of pollen nosema signs not visible, ordered nozevit+ but my supplier is chilling..
Found some qcells in laying worker colony about 2 weeks ago, took pics if someone want to see..

 

[Swarm]

I've been trialling the quiet and docile Welsh black queens, your recommendation, really impressed, hardly any smoke used. Still got Buckfasts and mongrels in other apiaries.

That's nice to know, I'm chuffed you are impressed and it's nice to hear feed back. I'd be interested to hear how they do with mite drop numbers, mine are always lowest. Lovely bees.

The clean cut valve was picked up from an oddments bin at the convention a few years ago, similar looking thing but I had it for a few quid.

 

[user 18806]

Found some qcells in laying worker colony about 2 weeks ago, took pics if someone want to see..

I would.

 

[Hachi]

yes please

 

[Goran]

yes please

..

 

[Goran]

..

 

[Beefriendly]

Visited some of my hives on the heather this PM and as I opened them I was delighted to be greeted by that exotic heady smell of fresh heather honey being piled in.
Bit early to say how much the heather beetle will affect yields as there are lots of brown patches that should be pink....and fortunately lots of pink patches remaining. The amount of bumble bees working them is amazing and very good to see.

These areas below should all be in full bloom but a lot of dead brown plants caused by the heather beetle.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Back to the subject....
Removed two full supers and one cleaned up after extraction. Always chuffed at how well the rhombus clearers work.
Gave rapid feeder of cappings back to the colony that provided it.
My duties are actually on schedule this year - usually I'm chasing my tail

 

[XYZ]

Reduced entrances on poly hives to 2-3 bee spaces. Thinking more about using that extra Abelo floor space for a tunnel entrance. I'll admit straight up I'll be heavily dependent on Millet's tunnel entrance pics

Noticed in the super on one colony they have two frames about 60% capped honey so I have my eye on them for taking out before the flow ends and they start eating into it...

Have some Apitraz waiting to go on. Will look into best time for that. Of course not when I'm planning to take honey..

 

[Horseradish]

One of my colonies really hates the Thymol.. They were throwing themselves in the feeder and drowning. I strained them out and plugged up the hole with a wad of tissue until I can take it off later today. Now all the bees are leaving the hive with mouths of tissue. "You're not going to stop us drowning" they all chant. They've all signed a pact.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Checked a few nucs at the home apiary and marked the queens ready to go to their new owners - regretfully now as these bees are really placid dark beauties and a joy to handle.
Noticed that today (day after the glorious twelfth) that the bees have found the heather, quick run to the castle apiary - the other side of the mountain - scheduled for the next dry day to make sure they have plenty of room for it

 

[thedozzer]

Not quite in apiary but on friends farm, Had to removed bees from a chimney in the old brew house that is coming down, managed to get most of the honey & brood comb out and neatly into cardboard box, they were put in the chimney of and old WW2 concrete shelter that was part of the old airfield. so well protected, couldn't find the Queen, so hope they survive.
Don't advise working in Bee suit with overalls over the top, in a work cage on the end of a telehandler its quite warm!!