What did you do in the Apiary today?

[enrico]

Seems to have been a year for uncapped honey below the moisture level.
E

 

[colinc]

Seems to have been a year for uncapped honey below the moisture level.
E

Yup. I had a bit too. Good year til the tail end for the honey.


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[jenkinsbrynmair]

With no rush to get to the association apiary any more, spent a relaxed morning going through the apiary at the range (haven't been up there for a few weeks, and quite a few supers still on, plus the chance of heather) first hive could have been better - queen up in the supers but not long sorted, the apiary is a fair way from the heather but sometimes I get a few drops there and it's more of an indicator as to what to expect from the hives at the foot of the mountain. Every hive had the strong smell of heather and bees still ripening away and starting to cap, all I can expect is a heather/floral blend so I'll just have to be organised when I take the supers off.
As I was there, I decided to take home the spare supers I keep up there, when I took the roof off the stack lo and behold, a field mouse who had decided the hive strap might make good winter bedding, I don't know who jumped higher, but it was the mouse who landed slap bang in to the bucket where I keep the hive tools soaking, as it was a Sunday, I fished it out and left it in a warm corner to dry off and go on its way.
I'm expecting a decent result now from the 'real' heather apiaries so another few days test for 'the beast' the new extractor

 

[Beefriendly]

I'm expecting a decent result now from the 'real' heather apiaries so another few days test for 'the beast' the new extractor

What are you using as a heather honey loosener these days?
I'm afraid I'm still into crush and strain.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What are you using as a heather honey loosener these days?
I'm afraid I'm still into crush and strain.

still using the hand loosener, it's still manageable for the amount I expect

 

[Beefriendly]

still using the hand loosener, it's still manageable for the amount I expect

Thanks.

 

[thedozzer]

Put Clearer boards on Saturday, took supers off today and extracted 18kg of honey from 2 hives so not bad for late crop?
Put in Apivar and extra roof insulation, next week remaining super on each hive gets nadired, and start feeding, but hive still busy and lots of orientation flights, they still think its summer!!
Winter is coming.

 

[colinc]

Watched the bees making out that it was still summer.




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[Helen]

Clearer boards on yesterday afternoon; all supers removed this morning, feeders on and syrup distributed.



A&E this afternoon to find I fractured my finger yesterday morning. I had found it quite painful moving the supers from apiary back to home - now I know why.

 

[nantmoel]

Went up to feed a few Nucs and there was a small clump of bees in the roof of one, when I looked there was a queen there that I had marked a few days ago! Went to the Nuc she was in only to find that Wasps had attacked it. popped her into a tiny swarm I picked up on Wednesday, I removed the queen as my plan was to use them to unite. Thats two nucs now attacked and done for by wasps.

 

[madasafish]

Cleaned out the last of my mini mating nucs..(3 frame Apidea size).. That is eight wiped out bt wasps.
Larger ones appear unaffected.
Feeding hives and nucs - when it is not raining -(it is as I write)..

Weighed all hives -Saturday.. all over 30kg (floor + jumbo lan brood+super +CB) so close to target of 40kg ish..

weighed half of jumb nucs - a;; over 11kg which is target.

HB coming in - when it is not raining...

Feeding TBH which had virtually no stores- no longer trying to weigh it - my body dislikes the effort..:-(

 

[XYZ]

Watched the bees making out that it was still summer.

Looking good!

I started a newspaper unite on Saturday. Yesterday I saw what I believe to be tiny bits of chewed up newspaper.

Looking forward to finding out if it's been successful!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

what are those gaping holes in the roof of your nuc?

 

[colinc]

Looking good!



I started a newspaper unite on Saturday. Yesterday I saw what I believe to be tiny bits of chewed up newspaper.



Looking forward to finding out if it's been successful!

I tried a paper unite of a grumpy hive that I made queenless with a strong nuc containing a GM queen.

They killed her.

As a result they are now broodless and either waiting on a virgin grumpy (or if I am lucky a GM daughter) or they are going into winter hopelessly queenless. Forecast good for next weekend so I will check what’s happening then.

Pray for brood


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[Millet]

All colonies have a nadired super barring the three hives nucs..all Queen excluders are of and that is me done with inspections till spring..its weight monitoring and feeding time for me.

 

[Erichalfbee]

what are those gaping holes in the roof of your nuc?

So there are!
Never seen those before?
I’d block them up

 

[XYZ]

I tried a paper unite of a grumpy hive that I made queenless with a strong nuc containing a GM queen.

They killed her.

As a result they are now broodless and either waiting on a virgin grumpy (or if I am lucky a GM daughter) or they are going into winter hopelessly queenless. Forecast good for next weekend so I will check what’s happening then.

Pray for brood


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Oh man not good. Now I'm not so confident with my unite :-(

 

[XYZ]

what are those gaping holes in the roof of your nuc?

They're vent holes - there's mesh blocking access in and out. There's a crown board underneath so nothing will be in the roof space.

 

[Erichalfbee]

They're vent holes - there's mesh blocking access in and out. There's a crown board underneath so nothing will be in the roof space.

Why do need to lose heat from the top of a nucleus colony of all things?
Fill it with PIR

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Why do need to lose heat from the top of a nucleus colony of all things?
Fill it with PIR

no need for any void above the crown board, definitely no need for air circulation