What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Ian123]

An amazing day here today and a distinct hum from the hives this eve, loads of laurel and dandelion out.

 

[manek]

Not just dandelion...cherries in full blossom, hazel, horse chestnut will be in the next day or so ... loads of garden plants - hellebores, lavender and still spring bulbs going strong .. rape in some parts about a week away and there's other stuff as well. 18 degrees today and rising ...

Sure, good question. Only one (the smallest) has feed - I want to build it up quickly. But it's the last feed until after extraction...

Sent from my Mi A2 Lite using Tapatalk

 

[E&MBees]

Spotted a Tawny Mining Bee feeding from the Damson Tree. I haven’t seen one before, it’s colours were beautiful.

 

[enrico]

Just been through all my hives. All strong and nectar coming in. Hopefully a decent year.
E

 

[Michael Palmer]

Finished unwrapping production hives and nuclei in Vermont. <5% loss. Feeding very few. First pollen on March 25. First willow pollen seen yesterday. Clusters very large. Soon we'll be playing catch-up.

 

[B+.]

Finished unwrapping production hives and nuclei in Vermont. <5% loss. Feeding very few. First pollen on March 25. First willow pollen seen yesterday. Clusters very large. Soon we'll be playing catch-up.

Despite the Covid-19 lockdown, I'm trying to stick as close to my usual pattern as possible. So, I have 100 6-frame Langstroth nucs staged ready in this apiary.
In a month, I usually start queen rearing but the OSR I had planned for these colonies to work failed (the farmer just re-drilled the fields with linseed a week ago) so maybe I'm being optimistic but they have hedgerows at the moment. There are drones is some colonies but I find these early drones produce little sperm. It's not just diet though - its the temperature they are reared at. My apiaries have seen some bitter winds recently (ontop of storms Kiara and Dennis flooding - although, today, we're forecast for 20C. That's British weather for you!

 

[Tim.S]

Feeling mighty smug that I went and put another box on my hives last week. I can't see any fields of rape around here but when the wind drops early evening the smell is unmistakable, and the yellow noses tell me that the girls have found it.

 

[Jafer2]

Completed first inspection of the year following my first winter, quite a tricky one! Removed the ‘empty’ nadired super from under the brood box which the bees had filled with wild comb. The wild comb was mainly drone, with some stores. Frames filled with brood at all stages. Stores on outer frames. I put a super on top. The foundation is not drawn.

There was a good mix of bees in the brood box, including quite a few drones. There were a number of queen cups on the wild comb only, but no eggs or larvae. I did not see the queen, but assume that she is present due to the presence of eggs and even laying pattern.

I would like to split the colony. Would now be a good time, or should I wait until later in the season? The hive did seem fairly full, there were bees on all of the frames. However, this will be my first full year, and the colony was a small cast swarm which I was given in June of last year, so I do not have a feel for what a really full hive is like. I have a nuc, ready for when the time comes.

Many thanks,
Emily

Yes. If all frames are full with plenty of bees at different stages than now would be the best time! It will give them a chance to build quickly for summer and have a fighting chance for winter!

What type of hive do you have? Also are you going to buy a queen or let them rear own queen?

 

[Ian123]

If your buying in a mated queen then you could split now if your expecting a queen to mate it’s still to early for a proper chance of success. Give them some space and wait. To many variables at present why the rush.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I've just put my first supers on moved a 14x12 colony to home and have been very daring started my first demaree, and I've two more to do.

Changed some comb on a single brood, opps foundation in the middle of the nest ow I'm brave!

The colonys are building up very fast this year I'm trying to keep one step ahead.. I thought I was good at chess.

 

[B+.]

. I thought I was good at chess.

One step ahead? That's nothing. The bees have already planned their closing moves ;-)

 

[Curly green finger's]

One step ahead? That's nothing. The bees have already planned their closing moves ;-)

Well I'm hoping for less swarms A humm..
Im thinking how many nucs I've got for all these queens that I could potentially have.

 

[B+.]

Well I'm hoping for less swarms A humm..
Im thinking how many nucs I've got for all these queens that I could potentially have.

There is one universal truth....you can never have enough equipment. You'll always be short of something.

 

[Curly green finger's]

There is one universal truth....you can never have enough equipment. You'll always be short of something.

To true, brood boxes and drawn brood frames after I've done these demarees.
Question B+ this will be my first season using a demaree on colonys to produce queen's from my best colonys.
Any pointers?

 

[E&MBees]

Yes. If all frames are full with plenty of bees at different stages than now would be the best time! It will give them a chance to build quickly for summer and have a fighting chance for winter!

What type of hive do you have? Also are you going to buy a queen or let them rear own queen?

I’ve got two National cedars, one occupied the other in reserve and a poly nuc which is for the split.

I am planning on moving the current queen to the nuc and leaving the parent hive to requeen themselves.

 

[B+.]

To true, brood boxes and drawn brood frames after I've done these demarees.
Question B+ this will be my first season using a demaree on colonys to produce queen's from my best colonys.
Any pointers?

I'm probably not the best person to advise on that as I don't raise queens that way

 

[Curly green finger's]

I'm probably not the best person to advise on that as I don't raise queens that way

No worries thanks for replying.
On my own here.. Well not really I've had some good advice from Mike. s.

 

[Goran]

Wind eased and bees are really serious in business, wild cherries and ( wild) pears smell around hives and in the hives.. Manna ash is opening its buds, but not yet to flower - with it you never can count. But when it decide to offer nectar, it can really stuff the hive really fast.. Nice addition to spring multi floral honey..
True service trees also preparing to flower, if weather behave it is covered with bees.. Our aronia shrubs also want to be in the game, I don't mind. The more, the merrier..
Today saw really nice colonies and queens which I reared last year with jenter/cloake - really promising and seems know how to do business..
One yellow queen still doesn't want to be called old, 7 frames of brood but this is her final season.. Maybe will have some more reared from her, will see..
So far at this apiary no signs of chalk brood ( nor within brood or on bottom board), EFB and AFB not to mention - never got first hand experience and hopeful to remain so.
It was pure joy to work with them yesterday and today. Not few already gone down in bottom box with brood. Queen excluders soon, so far just sealed down and open up - for ones which can cover it ( so far all here are full with bees)..

 

[philipm]

All my bait hives had loads of bees checking them out Yesterday, Not mine I'm glad to say much darker in colour . Hopefully may have a swarm or two this week.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Nothing today. Snowing again. The ground is covered and we're having a gale. Special day