What did you do in the Apiary today?

[beeno]

the hybrid version montbretia is all over the hedges, ditches etc. Grows like a weed, probably spreads by seed these days as well as underground corms. Much like the fuschia round here it has naturalised. Very hard to get rid off. But if my bees are getting anything from it, I will give it a pass. Checked again today and saw a honey bee going for nectar in one.

Got some in the garden which have now received increased status. Shall keep an eye out for my bees on them.

 

[beeno]

Just got started to check through the hives, but the sky turned an ominous colour and the bees were acting strange. Then I heard the thunder.
I have been sandbagging the driveway, clearing the single drain in absolutely atrocious weather, under an oak tree in thunder. I failed to stop the huge volume of water running in from the road, getting into an integral garage. Now mopping, sweeping and cursing the highways agency who refused to do anything about this issue when I alerted them to it.

Got the same problem with the highways agency. They don't give a hoot if people get flooded.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I've divided a 14 x 12 front and back with a division board when I was short of kit and the colony had built a few queen cells. I drilled a new entrance on the back, put the queen in one half and two queen cells in the other, turned the box round by 90 degrees to confuse them a bit but left it in the same spot.

It was a bit of an experiment but as I'd divided and split swarm cells off in my Long deep hive I reckoned it was worth a try until I got more kit ... it worked, they didn't swarm, raised a new queen and I moved the new queen and her colony into another box once she had got mated and was laying.

More than one way to skin a cat ... I'm not saying it's a good idea or it would work every time .. but it got me out of a hole.

All things are worth giving a try.. With a little luck.. It would even save on a few nuc boxes.

You could do it maybe with a mated or virgin queen even!! ow I will be playing about next year.. Thanks for the idea.
Mark

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Bottled a load of soft set honey in the sweltering heat (I do choose the bestest weather!) back in the warming/now cooling cabinet for another 24 hours before it gets put in the dining room to fend for itself.
Gave a regular customer who had called in for a dozen jars a quick tour of the apiary, smell of heather is strong and all hives have the aircon going flat out, even got bearding on the hive from hell - for a pretty poor year across all apiaries this one hive is looking at giving me seven or more supers. It's going to be hard requeening the buggers after this performance!

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

It’s often put about that aggressive colonies make more honey than calm ones, I thought it was another myth?
Seven MORE supers? That’s more than the total output of my four this year.

 

[Michael ECB's]

Nice photo. Tell me, what brand of beer is that hive having? Looks refreshing on a sunny day.

Sugar Cane Syrup.. (Brewers yeast inside though! - ).. Inside lid is a tin foil bowl of home made pollen substitute in powder form.... (Soya, mineral packs, yeast, Bran etc etc etc) I find after feeding like this for the first 2 weeks even the most aggressive bees calm down and focus on building new comb and prepping brood frames...
In my opinion, the Queen gets straight down to business... Happy days for them I imagine?
When moved away in a few weeks they will get another brood box on top, move all stores up and hopefully make a nice healthy split in a few weeks..
Works for me....

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It’s often put about that aggressive colonies make more honey than calm ones, I thought it was another myth?

It is - they were like lambs when most of it was collected, They've just had a sudden change of temperament.

 

[Swarm]

It’s often put about that aggressive colonies make more honey than calm ones, I thought it was another myth?
Seven MORE supers? That’s more than the total output of my four this year.

Calm down Poot, don't go feeling a lesser mortal. He said seven OR more.
The so called myth does get proven more often than not, though.
My landlord has a big 'orrible colony that we will need to deal with, they have four supers and a deep to come off They were lovely darlings in Spring and nice enough to Demarree. Not so nice now and therefore sealed their fate, silly creatures. If this queen sees 2021, it will only be the early part.
Just to offer the other side, I have a beautiful black queen who has six full supers and also produced a strong nuc and this tower can be taken down and put back up and they don't even buzz you.
JBM,
Not a difficult decision. ... Squelch!!

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Cheers Swarm. I’ve had a lie down and regained my composure
You seem to have cracked it with your blacks, but don’t you miss the adrenaline rush good old mongrels give at inspection?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Sort of Apiary related - ventured the furthest from home since the start of lockdown today - 16 miles to the nearest B&Q to top up my stock of 460x460 12mm OSB to replace the blanking boards the rats trashed this spring, could probably have got it slightly cheaper nearer to home, but less hassle as it's all neatly cut for me at no additional cost, and it was two full sheets. The girls at the checkout seemed not too taken by my mask though, strange, everyone loved it when I went trick or treating last Halowe'en.
Stopped in Amanford on the way back to get some fresh bread and a few butchery items.
After seeing how everyone else was behaving today, I think it will also be my only long trip since lockdown - went home to start prepang for lockdown part 2 and the second wave

 

[Swarm]

Apiary related, though it was a couple of weeks back but worth a mention for Poot's adrenaline fix
I had a text from landlord about a cluster of bees under the mesh floor on his hive1 (orrible ones), could we take a look at it. I won't go into why that happened but there were loads of them. We needed to block off their return but the blocks supporting the stand were partially under the hive so the plan of spraying them and brushing into a box went out of the window and was changed to get as many onto a sheet of cardboard as possible and then blocking under the hive, cardboard in front of stand so they find home. I thought it went quite well but I was probably high on alarm pheromone by then.
It started well, I sprayed, he brushed, I scooped. It would have been nice to leave then but we had to stop them going back. Entire colony riled and bees piling at the sprayer and smoker. Checked it was ok then left under a cloud of angry bees.
We went and checked how a swarm were doing because the cloud of followers were showing no signs of getting fed up anytime soon. No stings but I can't say they didn't try, putting clearer boards on is going to be fun.

 

[understanding_bees]

Went round to the apiary at about 9.00pm (I know - sad isn't it ?) and the girls were all having a party on the landing boards .. very hot, very humid and thunder storms predicted for the early hours.

Here you are .. untreated, unhealthy, diseased, varroa ridden, weak on the verge of dying out colonies ... I don't think so ...

The other colonies - even the new white queen nuc - are all the same.

Please allow me to ask a question, concerning the hives in your photograph.
What rules do you have in your part of the world concerning the number of hives you may have in the one location?
Here in Melbourne the regulations allow two hives on a residential block of land which is more than 500 square meters, but less than 1000 square meters. The number of hives permitted goes up on larger plots of land.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Please allow me to ask a question, concerning the hives in your photograph.
What rules do you have in your part of the world concerning the number of hives you may have in the one location?
Here in Melbourne the regulations allow two hives on a residential block of land which is more than 500 square meters, but less than 1000 square meters. The number of hives permitted goes up on larger plots of land.

There are no rules

 

[pargyle]

Please allow me to ask a question, concerning the hives in your photograph.
What rules do you have in your part of the world concerning the number of hives you may have in the one location?
Here in Melbourne the regulations allow two hives on a residential block of land which is more than 500 square meters, but less than 1000 square meters. The number of hives permitted goes up on larger plots of land.

Yes ... as JBM states there are no rules ...I have a large garden ... the total plot including the house is about 1/3 acre ... my apiary is about 12 feet x 20 feet and the maximum number of colonies I can manage is about 8. I live in an estate but my apiary is about 30 metres from my nearest neighbour but they are shielded by 6 feet fences, walls and trees in my neighbors garden. Never had a problem in any respect. Good mixed urban/semi rural forage for them.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

.I have a large garden ... the total plot including the house is about 1/3 acre

Define large.....

 

[Curly green finger's]

OK.....

of considerable or relatively great size, extent, or capacity.
"add a large clove of garlic"
Or larging it up!! In my youth.
Maybe I should of said " giving it large".

 

[Erichalfbee]

Went miserably through the supers

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Went miserably through the supers

Oh dear... I will be doing the same if the rain stops this week. Not very optimistic.

 

[drdrday]

Extracted (probably) my last two supers today. That makes 48Kg off of one hive this year, which I'm really chuffed with Hopefully my second hive will start contributing to the beekeeping fund next year too!

 

[Tim.S]

Something tells me the girls are not too keen on the smell of apilife var, not to mention the yearly overcrowding problem!