What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Curly green finger's]

Mark to use your cattle analogy would you go to your herd and destroy half to prevent disease that they don’t have or those that with normal management practices you can prevent. Ian

Well I wouldnt want to destroy anything if there was other ways of managing disease. Much the same with my bee's
We could start talking about TB for example.

 

[Erichalfbee]

We could start talking about TB for example.

In the cupboard under the stairs you could.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

EFB may be treated with oxytetracycline at the bee inspectors discretion,

That 'discretion' is no longer there

 

[Curly green finger's]

In the cupboard under the stairs you could.

Probably the best place for it we've lost some money over the years with some stock that father had been breading god rest his soul.

Im of now I'm traveling 85 miles to the farm to go check hives.
I've not been there since the 12th of December I've not wanted to set foot there but needs must have a good day.

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[E&MBees]

Hope you have enough bees in the nuc to keep QC warm. I tend to move QC on day 14 when they are more mature.

Hopefully! I added cellotex to reduce the internal space and the frame was full of bees both sides and had capped brood both sides. It’s also in a sunny sheltered position. I didn’t want to leave it as the other queen cell looked almost ready to be capped and there are enough bees in the parent hive to produce a cast swarm.

 

[ericbeaumont]

When I was a kid my Dad said .. "If you climb trees you will fall out and hurt yourself" .. I climbed trees and eventually fell out and broke my arm ..
Sometimes it's better to listen to those who have experience and give sound advice than to try and re-invent the wheel or prove them wrong.

Well, I've been climbing trees all my life, used to get paid well for it, just spent the last two hours pruning a tree, and have never fallen or broken anything. What I have gained is considerable experience to enable me to evaluate risk and achieve an aim; much like beekeeping, really.

It's fair to say that the experienced do not always give sound advice, and that often there's no way to know good from bad without accepting it and finding out. Though oGri may have used an unnecessary method, at least the experience he's gained is his own, and he can celebrate from a glass half-full.

 

[Murox]

Rechecked pollen status today - sunny calm but cold - bees flying and bringing some pollen at last. left them with more pollen sub as well - its been a slow cold start this year, the weeks of gales have blasted the foliage from all exposed plants and they are only just starting to recover now - and its not raining today, hurrah.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Rechecked pollen status today - sunny calm but cold - bees flying and bringing some pollen at last. left them with more pollen sub as well - its been a slow cold start this year, the weeks of gales have blasted the foliage from all exposed plants and they are only just starting to recover now - and its not raining today, hurrah.

That must be extreme beekeeping where you are Murox

 

[Murox]

Atlantic gales and winds at the tip of a rather exposed peninsular with mainly "improved pasture" aka 'green desert' does present challenges; but its not all bad just short season for bees.

 

[pargyle]

Well, I've been climbing trees all my life, used to get paid well for it, just spent the last two hours pruning a tree, and have never fallen or broken anything. What I have gained is considerable experience to enable me to evaluate risk and achieve an aim; much like beekeeping, really.

It's fair to say that the experienced do not always give sound advice, and that often there's no way to know good from bad without accepting it and finding out. Though oGri may have used an unnecessary method, at least the experience he's gained is his own, and he can celebrate from a glass half-full.

Having spent most of my life making mistakes, ignoring advice and then digging my way out of mess I've got myself into .. I'm the last one to criticise anyone for doing it 'their way'. The pain does eventually wear off and the great thing in beekeeping is that the bees usually manage to compensate for what we beekeepers indavertently (and sometimes deliberately !) inflict on them !

It is sometimes difficult in beekeeping to determine what is and what isn't sound advice -you are right, more often than not the bad advice emanates from those sources from which you would expect good advice !

 

[pargyle]

Atlantic gales and winds at the tip of a rather exposed peninsular with mainly "improved pasture" aka 'green desert' does present challenges; but its not all bad just short season for bees.

Yes - where you are there's not much apart from the Atlantic between you and the Inuits of Nova Scotia .. if you were over there you would be building igloos and fishing in ice holes ! Puts your location into perspective doesn't it ? Best be grateful for the Gulf Stream or it would be a whole lot colder !

 

[Goran]

Wild cherries.. But next few days will have temp drop and it will end it. Hopefully won't affect our mana ash which have to start offering nectar in a few days also..

 

[Curly green finger's]

Inspected hives at the out-out apairy yesterday, well it was a quick look really as the weather wasn't really good enough, but being as I hadn't seen them since the 12th of December I wanted to have a look.
Two deep nats hives looking strong.
And 1 nuc which was dead looks like they had starved.. I feel really bad and shouldn't of let my feelings get in the way of going back to the farm.
This beek is feeling a bit cross with him self.
Im moving the hives back to Shropshire this weekend.

 

[gregior]

Inspected the out apiary hives for the first time this year-just in time too! First one I opened up had 16 frames of brood and some sealed swarm cells.Found the slimmed down Q so AS'd them.2 others doing well with 10 frames brood but the last one only had 3 frames of bees and no brood atall,was half way through shaking them out when I saw a beautiful fat black queen.Popped them in a nuc and will give them a couple of weeks to see if she decides to start laying.

 

[E&MBees]

Checked on the colony that swarmed and were caught twice over the Easter weekend. Moved the queen to a cage with a plug of fondant as she now looks fatter so hopefully won’t escape through the excluder under the brood box. The workers have been very busy. Two new frames of foundation drawn both sides, with uncapped stores and a little pollen in one of them. Other frames also being drawn very quickly. By the time the fondant plug has been eaten the queen should have cells ready be able to resume laying.

 

[victor meldrew]

Yesterday I set up 2 lure hives ! Today scouts have been fussing around both of them !
Mid April is a little early for these latitudes!


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[Goran]

Yesterday I set up 2 lure hives ! Today scouts have been fussing around both of them !
Mid April is a little early for these latitudes!


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At my place I tell everyone if they see some swarms around me - they are theirs. I really hate swarms - I see them as my failure..

Swarm season started at my place, sealed swarm qcells found in few hives - bad genes and such queens have no future at my apiary..
If you are closer such light splits I could give you cause I don't need more colonies.. Last year I gave some to one fellow beek..

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Took an early break from the 'office' as I had to start a paper unite of a strong overwintered nuc with one of my AMM queens in with a recently queenless hive at Garn cottage.
Decided, as it was such a nice day and the bank holiday over so hopefully no silly idiots at the castle, I'd check the hives up there. There was no hurry I thought because it takes them a while to build up in that area. How wrong I was, hives bursting with bees and urgently in need of supering!! luckily I had the kit in the truck.

 

[E&MBees]

Inspected the hive from which the swarm emerged last week. Found 10 extra queen cells, some capped in addition to the one I had selected to keep. Removed all 10. The one I selected is now capped and substantial in size. If I’ve got my dates right, the queen should emerge this Sunday or possibly Monday.

Also removed additional unwanted capped queen cell from the nuc. Expecting the queen to emerge on Sunday too.

The colony that swarmed seems to be settling in nicely into their new hive, which is good.

Have seen plenty of flying drones, so hopefully both virgin queens will mate successfully.

 

[Swarm]

Looking very nice there, JBM.
I had some 'bubbly' stores frames to sort out so I dunked them all in a bath and washed them out, I then went to check on a few smaller colonies. One needs a super, the others are okay for now.
The main hives were very busy, they have two supers on, for space as much as anything.
Came from the apiary quite annoyed. I had bees buzzing me when I got to the hives and they remained throughout my inspections. The bees I inspected were not smoked and they didn't leave the frames, this is quite normal.
The guilty bees are from one of last year's queens, a supersedure. I found her and marked her the other day.
Most of last year's queens were bumped off as they were producing some ginger offspring. This colony is the same, not stinging, just pi$$y and ginger so obviously going nowhere.
People will insist on ruining the local gene pool with foreign bees.