What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Bear]

And cut some drone comb out and fed to my mates chickens! They loved it!!!

 

[E&MBees]

It's a really good feeling when you feel it's gone well ... sadly, the bees are just lulling you into a false sense of achievement while they plot their next move to confound you ! Well done .. it takes a lot to stick af it after what you started off with.

Well, the bees had me worried today!

Came home to find bees all over the outside of the hive, over the floor and under the omf. On closer inspection, they weren’t my black bees, but orange ones. Stuck my head under the hive and heard very loud piping. It’s the first time I’ve heard the noise and I’m partially deaf, so quite an achievement! Brushed the omf a couple of times and spotted a blue marked very large ginger queen, - she’s not mine! HM is now in a nuc and the ginger bees are steadily walking into it. They seem very tired and lethargic, so I’m assuming that they have been homeless for a while.

Will feed them later when the chaos has settled.

Did I manage to catch a usurpation mid progress? The ginger queen was outside of my hive, so hopefully my black queen is still alive.

Everyday is a new experience and a learning opportunity!

 

[drex]

Last week I United several queen less nucs to another queen right colony. Did not bother with paper or air freshener as bees were from four different colonies. Today, queen not seen, no eggs and emergency cells.

All colonies checked and supered as going away for 11 days. No swarm signs. Last inspection there was a capped supercedure cell in one colony, now gone, and a different colony doing the same today. As prepared as I can be for leaving them.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well, the bees had me worried today!

Came home to find bees all over the outside of the hive, over the floor and under the omf. On closer inspection, they weren’t my black bees, but orange ones. Stuck my head under the hive and heard very loud piping. It’s the first time I’ve heard the noise and I’m partially deaf, so quite an achievement! Brushed the omf a couple of times and spotted a blue marked very large ginger queen, - she’s not mine! HM is now in a nuc and the ginger bees are steadily walking into it. They seem very tired and lethargic, so I’m assuming that they have been homeless for a while.

Will feed them later when the chaos has settled.

Did I manage to catch a usurpation mid progress? The ginger queen was outside of my hive, so hopefully my black queen is still alive.

Everyday is a new experience and a learning opportunity!

How exciting to catch something I’ve only ever read about. Maybe they were so desperately starving a ready made colony was the only option and you have yourself a new queen. Lovely.

 

[beeno]

Well, the bees had me worried today!

Came home to find bees all over the outside of the hive, over the floor and under the omf. On closer inspection, they weren’t my black bees, but orange ones. Stuck my head under the hive and heard very loud piping. It’s the first time I’ve heard the noise and I’m partially deaf, so quite an achievement! Brushed the omf a couple of times and spotted a blue marked very large ginger queen, - she’s not mine! HM is now in a nuc and the ginger bees are steadily walking into it. They seem very tired and lethargic, so I’m assuming that they have been homeless for a while.

Will feed them later when the chaos has settled.

Did I manage to catch a usurpation mid progress? The ginger queen was outside of my hive, so hopefully my black queen is still alive.

Everyday is a new experience and a learning opportunity!

How exciting is that! Do keep them away from your other bees though until you know they are healthy.

 

[E&MBees]

How exciting is that! Do keep them away from your other bees though until you know they are healthy.

I’m still trying to get them into the nuc. I’ve caged the queen as she is very active and tried to escape again, but the bees look very tired. I’ve opened up the entrance to wide, so hopefully they will go in. I don’t think there is more than a few hundred bees, if that. They have syrup and frames. Once they are in, I will move the nuc away from the hive, but there are still bees all over the ground, which unfortunately is chipped bark.

Anything else I can do? Suggestions welcome.

Thanks

 

[For want of a better word]

How exciting is that! Do keep them away from your other bees though until you know they are healthy.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If only a few hundred bees then chuck a few in with the queen add fondant and make your own nuc up?

 

[E&MBees]

If only a few hundred bees then chuck a few in with the queen add fondant and make your own nuc up?

I assume you mean take some bees from my existing colony to make up the numbers? Is it ok to do that tomorrow now, as the temp is dropping?

I forgot to dummy down the nuc. Is it too late this evening to do it now?

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you’re quick yes nip up and make them a little cosier.
If you have the resources make a two frame nuc up.
One frame stores one frame brood one drawn frame shake extra bees in. Queen in cage. Dummy down.
If you’ve managed to feed the bees that came with her ( I find pouring some syrup into drawn comb or giving them an uncapped super frame is a good way)
Shake them out in front of your new nuc.
Somebody else will probably come up with a better plan but that’s what I would do.

 

[Angry_Mob]

First inspection at home apiary since 20th June; terrible weather at weekends and after work meant I couldn't get at them, actually tried on Saturday and had to quit as rain started again; very frustrating.

Lucky I did because my biggest colony is riddled with QC; found the queen and placed her in a nuc. A queenless colony got a donated with some QC's.

One of my waspbanes blew over in high winds and the bait chamber broke, trying to decide if its even worth replacing, at £24 probably not.

 

[E&MBees]

If you’re quick yes nip up and make them a little cosier.
If you have the resources make a two frame nuc up.
One frame stores one frame brood one drawn frame shake extra bees in. Queen in cage. Dummy down.
If you’ve managed to feed the bees that came with her ( I find pouring some syrup into drawn comb or giving them an uncapped super frame is a good way)
Shake them out in front of your new nuc.
Somebody else will probably come up with a better plan but that’s what I would do.

Thanks Dani.

I've dummied down the nuc. There are far fewer bees than I had thought, 50 max probably. It looks like a lot have perished. I hope that it's just starvation and not something else. Poor bees.

I've got bark clippings on the ground. Do I need to try and rake up the dead?

 

[madasafish]

Marked another batch of virgins. Went through mini nucs, introducing new virgins to those Q- either due to DLQ being squished or mated Q removed... Approx 50% DLQs due to appalling early June weather. Added more fondant

Inspected (partially) rest of hives interrupted by rain yesterday.. Marked more supers for later extraction .. running out off supers despite the weather.

 

[pargyle]

Thanks Dani.

I've dummied down the nuc. There are far fewer bees than I had thought, 50 max probably. It looks like a lot have perished. I hope that it's just starvation and not something else. Poor bees.

I've got bark clippings on the ground. Do I need to try and rake up the dead?

Don't bother raking up the dead ones ... nice source of protein for all sorts of critters who will appreciate it.

Your swarm sounds like they are on the cusp of survival - probably swarmed and got caught out by the weather ... sometimes the committee dithers about where they are going to make their new home and they run out of the stores they are carrying with them, foraging without a home is a bit hit and miss and if the weather was harsh - even harder.

I was called to one swarm in a holly bush where they had even drawn out three combs in the bush - stupid bees. By the time I got there there was more bees dead on the floor under the bush than left on the combs. I just put the three combs in the nuc I took to collect them but by the week was out they had dwindled to nothing. Some colonies that swarm are determined not to survive.

You have done all you can .. they will or they won't ...

 

[Walrus]

Checked on mating nucs to find some mated, some not. Weather not helping.

 

[Swarm]

Thanks Dani.

I've dummied down the nuc. There are far fewer bees than I had thought, 50 max probably. It looks like a lot have perished. I hope that it's just starvation and not something else. Poor bees.

I've got bark clippings on the ground. Do I need to try and rake up the dead?

I wouldn't advise taking resources from a colony that is in the process of building up to try and save a lost cause.

 

[pargyle]

I wouldn't advise taking resources from a colony that is in the process of building up to try and save a lost cause.

50 bees left from a depleted and distressed swarm have a very small chance of survival .. if the queen lays there are not enough bees to nurse and forage. Odds are they will get robbed out ...

 

[Erichalfbee]

50 bees left from a depleted and distressed swarm have a very small chance of survival .. if the queen lays there are not enough bees to nurse and forage. Odds are they will get robbed out ...

You and Steve have a point. The queen I saved was in April but I did say only if Elaine had the resources
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hed63x29y47rl3y/Video garden swarm.mp4?dl=0

 

[manek]

Pulled off two more full supers last night. That should make about 80 x 454g jars this year - all from ONE hive! The other two are just bumbling along...

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Found a small black queen is laying in a split that I thought had failed.
Inspected other four hives - five supers almost ready to remove.
One is queenless and grouchy, so arranged a queen for Thursday collection, Friday introduction.
Bees well behaved today in much better weather conditions.