What did you do in the Apiary today?

[drex]

See Mike Palmer's idea of " brood factories" . Queens lay well in nucs. If left the nucs would be overflowing with bees and would swarm. A complete frame of brood, or even two, can be taken from a strong nuc, and replaced with foundation. Nucs are good at building out foundation. The removed frames are placed in production colonies and boost the number of bees in those colonies. So production colonies are good and strong and nucs kept right sized. Obviously depends on the strength of hives and time of year etc.

 

[Erichalfbee]

See Mike Palmer's idea of " brood factories" . Queens lay well in nucs. If left the nucs would be overflowing with bees and would swarm. A complete frame of brood, or even two, can be taken from a strong nuc, and replaced with foundation. Nucs are good at building out foundation. The removed frames are placed in production colonies and boost the number of bees in those colonies. So production colonies are good and strong and nucs kept right sized. Obviously depends on the strength of hives and time of year etc.

It’s what I do when I split for swarm control. Keep the nuc a manageable size by transferring brood into the colony with the new queen.

 

[Karsal]

See Mike Palmer's idea of " brood factories" . Queens lay well in nucs. If left the nucs would be overflowing with bees and would swarm. A complete frame of brood, or even two, can be taken from a strong nuc, and replaced with foundation. Nucs are good at building out foundation. The removed frames are placed in production colonies and boost the number of bees in those colonies. So production colonies are good and strong and nucs kept right sized. Obviously depends on the strength of hives and time of year etc.

I'll try this method this season rather than making up lots of nucleus splits.

 

[citrus]

See Mike Palmer's idea of " brood factories" . Queens lay well in nucs. If left the nucs would be overflowing with bees and would swarm. A complete frame of brood, or even two, can be taken from a strong nuc, and replaced with foundation. Nucs are good at building out foundation. The removed frames are placed in production colonies and boost the number of bees in those colonies. So production colonies are good and strong and nucs kept right sized. Obviously depends on the strength of hives and time of year etc.

thanks very much for this detail and will use that this coming season..

At the start of a nuc's existance (from a demaree) I was going the other way round to make sure the nuc was well ... but once the nuc is up and running then it makes perfect sense !

 

[drex]

I populate my nucs with queens I have raised and the bees used to raise them. I overwinter the queens in the nucs ( home made, wood) and in spring the queen lays like stink.
I think the relevant Mike Palmer video is titled " the sustainable apiary" - national honey show videos on youtube

 

[citrus]

I populate my nucs with queens I have raised and the bees used to raise them. I overwinter the queens in the nucs ( home made, wood) and in spring the queen lays like stink.
I think the relevant Mike Palmer video is titled " the sustainable apiary" - national honey show videos on youtube

thanks very much again .... 'Bee Bombs' was the phrase he uses which made me chuckle (brood from nucs in the production colony)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nznzpiWEI8A

really interesting

 

[Barbarian]

Due to personal illness I was only today able to set some of my hives up with under supering.
Some of the supers were quite heavy but the bees did not appreciate the manipulation.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Due to personal illness I was only today able to set some of my hives up with under supering.
Some of the supers were quite heavy but the bees did not appreciate the manipulation.

Supers are put under in the autumn when the bees are active so that they move the stores up. Not really much point in doing this now.
If they are short of stores those supers are best on top with no QX or better still feed fondant and put the supers on top in the Spring.

Edit
Or did you actually move them off the top to the bottom? In which case you should have left them where they were

 

[Ian123]

The whole point of putting supers under brood boxes was only ever done to empty out some filled or part filled supers it’s developed a whole cult following!! Even if done in autumn you move the bees away from the front door and increase the risk of robbing by other bees and in particular wasps as the bees cluster in cold temps.

 

[madasafish]

Checked local allotments' three hives which I "mentor" . Two light, fondant on top bars (eke) partially eaten and replaced. Other hive heavy, not eating much fondant so left.

6C, overcast with mist and fog... horrible weather - like yesterday and the day before... No bees flying before inspection.

All three very strong..and bees active within hives.

Next check 3 weeks time.


(all undersupered - as are my own. Never any issues with wasps - apart from the normal ones.. Have done it for at least 5 winters. Cuts down wind inside hives..we had 70 mph winds recently .. All hives strapped down as standard all year.

 

[Millet]

The whole point of putting supers under brood boxes was only ever done to empty out some filled or part filled supers it’s developed a whole cult following!! Even if done in autumn you move the bees away from the front door and increase the risk of robbing by other bees and in particular wasps as the bees cluster in cold temps.

My bees in Poly have not clustered properly yet well maybe once or thrice in this blatic weather..and when wasps and robbing could be a problem tunnel entrances are in place..this time of the year neither is a problem..but i would not be nadiring supers this time of the year anyway..i have been doing it for several years now with no negative effects what so ever..

 

[Camey]

Checked my 2 hives today 10°C, sunny, no wind and surprised how active they were. No tight clusters here. Looking at tray debris, looked like 8 active seams and evidence of the outer 2 also showing signs of uncapping. Plenty flying and bringing in pollen! looked like ivy or poppy according to the Sheffield pollen chart but I wasn't expecting any pollen being brought in so early! I also have some feed on top as security that they haven't needed to take down as yet.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Inspected the 5 hive at the local educational museum today. One hive had blown over with its stand, but due to strapping, still all intact. I rebuilt the hive, bees well clustered at the bottom, and added extra support to prevent further problems.
All hives looking good and bees came out to greet me when I removed the roofs to check fondant.

 

[deemann1]

Inspected the 5 hive at the local educational museum today. One hive had blown over with its stand, but due to strapping, still all intact. I rebuilt the hive, bees well clustered at the bottom, and added extra support to prevent further problems.
All hives looking good and bees came out to greet me when I removed the roofs to check fondant.

What I advise folk to do
Is drive a small stake into the ground and screw to your stand leg on opposite corners
A short piece of 2x2 with a pointed end

 

[Goran]

Today I gave first fondants. All alive, one loss till now ( robbed a lot earlier), but I saw few odd ones which might decide to " surrender".. But they are bringing pollen as same as better ones..
On the one hive roof saw a lot of torn bee bodies, some bird had feast.. Woodpeckers cruising around..

 

[E&MBees]

Quick peep at the fondant through the polycarbonate crown board, still some left so not replaced. Bees active here today, especially whilst the sun was on the hive. Yellow and cream pollen being taken in by foragers. The rest seem to be on cleansing and orientation flights.

 

[victor meldrew]

Quick peep at the fondant through the polycarbonate crown board, still some left so not replaced. Bees active here today, especially whilst the sun was on the hive. Yellow and cream pollen being taken in by foragers. The rest seem to be on cleansing and orientation flights.

Replenished fondant ! gales here . The bees stayed inside .



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[pargyle]

Replenished fondant ! gales here . The bees stayed inside .

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Hi VM .. looks like you've come out of a cluster like your bees .. nice to see you posting again you've been mostly absent for a few months ... glad you are back.

My bees were flying today.. quite sunny down here on the Costa del Fareham and after all the rain and the dreek over the last few weeks they were making the most of it. Greyand orangey coloured pollen coming in. The catkins are out on my neighbours willow although I couldn't see any bees on it. Some activity around the crocus that are in bloom and the winter honeysuckle ...another neighour has a big patch of heather that is in full bloom and there were a few bees on that as well.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’ll second that.
Welcome back VM
Always remember that lovely Sammie of yours.

 

[victor meldrew]

Hi VM .. looks like you've come out of a cluster like your bees .. nice to see you posting again you've been mostly absent for a few months ... glad you are back.



My bees were flying today.. quite sunny down here on the Costa del Fareham and after all the rain and the dreek over the last few weeks they were making the most of it. Greyand orangey coloured pollen coming in. The catkins are out on my neighbours willow although I couldn't see any bees on it. Some activity around the crocus that are in bloom and the winter honeysuckle ...another neighour has a big patch of heather that is in full bloom and there were a few bees on that as well.

We have mahonia in flower but being ignored .
I’ve been around but kept my powder dry [emoji3]


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