What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Tim.S]

A nice cool day on the south coast so I might don my bee suit and get the mower going as its all getting a bit rough out there. Plus I see the bait hive outside the office has yet another swarm in it - don't you just love the newby beeks who keep supplying me with free bees!

 

[pargyle]

.... don't you just love the newby beeks who keep supplying me with free bees!

And probably a few well established ones as well - judging by the number of swarms about !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Bit breezy here today although pleasantly sunny and warm - completed the inspections at the home apiary that were rudely interrupted by the thunderstorms yesterday

 

[Erichalfbee]

Checked one nuc for stores
Moved another which was a split off queen 3 weeks ago into a full sized hive.
Now I can spend the next three or four days watching the wind and frost obliterate my spring honey hopes.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

rather than being ignored in the house I thought I'd do a bit more self isolation and sort out the super stores, luckily the damage was contained to one stack although a few of the base boards have had a serious nibble.
Whilst re stacking the boxes I heard a deep throaty buzz like a Hercules transport flying over - then noticed a great big queen hornet resting on my hand hoping for a quick honey snack before I cinched up the stack. We don't get European hornets here so it was nice to see her on her hunt for a new home......... there'll be plenty of derelict rat holes here shortly

 

[For want of a better word]

- don't you just love the newby beeks who keep supplying me with free bees!

Been a weekend of swarms here in the
greatgreygreengreasytamarrivervalleyallsetaboutwithquaranteeningsecondhomerswhomanagedtoescapethesmokebeforebumblingborisshutthecountydown!!

collected four.. one prime monster and three slightly smaller... mostly buckfast like stripey hybrids.

Missed one cast (thankfully) ... was a good 5m up a tree, and there were already 2 "swarm collectors" there all suited up arguing who got the call first!
Facebook and all there social media community mobile phone things are a mixed blessing it seems.
Best one, the prime... filled my 12 frame collecting box... came through on the old fashioned landline... dear old lady in lockdown isolation said she had called several people for help and nobody could be bothered to answer except me... we no longer have an answering machine.
Turned out she was born in Wallington Surrey in 1922 and knew my Mother and my Grandmother!!

Must buy a lottery ticket!!

Chons da

 

[Erichalfbee]

rather than being ignored in the house I thought I'd do a bit more self isolation

What have you done to be ignored?

 

[For want of a better word]

What have you done to be ignored?

Was going to put the old salt on my ignore list... but in these interesting times... we need all the entertainment we can get!!!

Diolch indeed​

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What have you done to be ignored?

Got married?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Was going to put the old salt on my ignore list... but in these interesting times... we need all the entertainment we can get!!!

Diolch indeed​

Well that’s certainly you. The bits that I can understand that is.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Got married?

Oh no!!!
I seem to remember some years ago quite a few folk posted their wedding pictures here. And there you were resplendent in uniform and whiskers.

 

[Ian123]

Got married?

In fairness the good lady in question must have the patience of a saint

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Oh no!!!
I seem to remember some years ago quite a few folk posted their wedding pictures here. And there you were resplendent in uniform and whiskers.

And it still fits!
well, the tie, cap and shoes do

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

woke up to a fine sunny morning although a cold biting wind. bees didn't seem to mind and were going like the clappers so decided, regardless the bees at the castle had to be done.
Now the only thing about the castle apiary is, although it catches the sun all day and has miles of nothing but pasture all round, it does tend to harbour a sharp wind so I put on a thick shirt under my bee suit. However, when I got there, it was absolutely glorious with not a breath of wind, bees piling in the hawthorn which was looking top rate and begging another super, Demarree'd one which looked as if they were twitching to swarm then dawdled for a while in the sun.
Went home and sorted out a few more supers to go in the truck for tomorrow and was supervised by this little cracker.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I've just put my first clearer boards on 4 colony's can i clear 2 supers at a time as the first supers are three quarters capped if so I'll have 6 supers ready?
Checked all nucs two qc have emerged and the other two are both capped the one nuc had 5 capped qc and 1 being capped I've dispatched 4 and left the two best ones .
I'm making frames to do another demaree shortly that will be 4 now .
This is a first for me this season both for having a decent spring crop and using the demaree method and I love it thanks jbm.

 

[Angry_Mob]

You can clear as many as you like in one go but might be worth putting an empty super below the clearer board so they have space to move down.

 

[Curly green finger's]

You can clear as many as you like in one go but might be worth putting an empty super below the clearer board so they have space to move down.

Cheers, my clearer boards have a two inch eke attached.
Im going back down with more supers to add to some colonys so I'll use a super under the two with two supers for clearing.
Thanks again!

Sent from my YAL-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[Erichalfbee]

Cheers, my clearer boards have a two inch eke attached.
Im going back down with more supers to add to some colonys so I'll use a super under the two with two supers for clearing.
Thanks again!

Sent from my YAL-L21 using Tapatalk

If I’m clearing 2 supers I always give them a spare if there are lots of bees.

 

[Alex88]

Only went to the apiary today to add additional supers.. couldn’t help but take a peek whilst I was there.

Slightly stumped by one colony. No sign of queen or eggs, lots of sealed brood and larvae.. I run double national brood, so I took a look in the bottom box and I find one single uncapped queen cell, on the bottom of a frame.

I inspected last week and all appeared in order.. I honestly don’t think I have lost a swarm as the hive was still rammed today and there were definitely no swarm cells last week. Any thoughts?

I left the single uncapped cell just in case they had gone queenless and this was her replacement.

 

[Wingy]

Only went to the apiary today to add additional supers.. couldn’t help but take a peek whilst I was there.

Slightly stumped by one colony. No sign of queen or eggs, lots of sealed brood and larvae.. I run double national brood, so I took a look in the bottom box and I find one single uncapped queen cell, on the bottom of a frame.

I inspected last week and all appeared in order.. I honestly don’t think I have lost a swarm as the hive was still rammed today and there were definitely no swarm cells last week. Any thoughts?

I left the single uncapped cell just in case they had gone queenless and this was her replacement.

This is why 7 day or weekly inspections can let you down. Bees don’t always wait until the Q cell is capped before they go, especially if you have already tried to knock them back previously.
Working on a cycle day 1-3 egg day 4-9 larvae & capped
So if you inspect on day 4 or 5 of that cycle all looks well. Bees then develop a 1 or 2 day larvae and your already at day 4 or 5 so 3-5 days after your inspection and they have gone