What did you do in the Apiary today?

[user 819]

Ivy aroma is unmistakeable certainly nothing like poultry poo or muck spreading. I might not be the only one, I love the rich strong aroma of ivy and quite like the taste of ivy but in small doses. Had some last year in pristine white comb, I left an eke on top after vaping and they filled it by early November.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I noticed a pretty foul smell coming from my hives yesterday. I can only describe it as poo. Is this Ivy?

No - ivy has a distinct smell (as does heather) but it cannot be described as foul or unpleasant

 

[user 819]

I noticed a pretty foul smell coming from my hives yesterday. I can only describe it as poo. Is this Ivy? Or is it more likely to be something from the chicken farm 400m away or from the muck the farmers have spread on the field next to the apiary?

Lets hope not otherwise you may be stuck with poo honey.

 

[Nannysbees]

Our two hives are taking just under a kg of syrup a day. My question is one of the hives has only three drawn frames with uncapped stores, is it worth leaving this super on for the winter or removing it?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Our two hives are taking just under a kg of syrup a day. My question is one of the hives has only three drawn frames with uncapped stores, is it worth leaving this super on for the winter or removing it?

chuck it under the brood box, they'll shift it up and they'll have space to move down if needs be.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Fourth and I hope final vape between rain showers.
Saw ghost bees coming home for the first time this year.
Ivy still not out around here.

 

[beeno]

I noticed a pretty foul smell coming from my hives yesterday. I can only describe it as poo. Is this Ivy? Or is it more likely to be something from the chicken farm 400m away or from the muck the farmers have spread on the field next to the apiary?

No, Ivy has been said to smell medicinal, so one of the other two or both perhaps.

 

[Curly green finger's]

No - ivy has a distinct smell (as does heather) but it cannot be described as foul or unpleasant

It's quite a pungent smell if that is such a smell

Fourth and I hope final vape between rain showers.
Saw ghost bees coming home for the first time this year.
Ivy still not out around here.

Hi Mr Poot, how have you found the mite loads this season, I've had reports that the association apiarys have had minimal varroa and haven't treated.. My own have been very low enough to not completely treat about half of all stock.
Im wondering a bit why?

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

It's quite a pungent smell if that is such a smell

Hi Mr Poot, how have you found the mite loads this season, I've had reports that the association apiarys have had minimal varroa and haven't treated.. My own have been very low enough to not completely treat about half of all stock.
Im wondering a bit why?

Hi Curly. The two colonies that have had no brood breaks have a fairly high load, the two with brood breaks, through supercedure or making a new queen, minimal.
I’ll be counting the 24 hour drop tomorrow and see if further vapes are needed.
This year I managed to do the four vapes at the right time each time - last year was erratic.

 

[Antipodes]

Moved hives for pollination very early. On the way home, the Derwent and surrounds reminded me of a Constable painting. A little bit of England down under.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Lovely pictures
I can feel spring in the air

 

[Murox]

Predicted to be wet and windy all next week so topped up the syrup this afternoon - another dry day, a bit blustery and cool though.

 

[Swarm]

Topped up all colonies and nucs and then sorted through some spare boxes to clean and stack. Remembered why I don't use polycarb crown boards!! Put an old one on top of the stack of boxes and placed my hive tool on top of it before turning for a spare roof. Whoosh, wind blew the board and my hive tool down the bank and into the brambles

 

[Somerford]

Hi Curly. The two colonies that have had no brood breaks have a fairly high load, the two with brood breaks, through supercedure or making a new queen, minimal.
I’ll be counting the 24 hour drop tomorrow and see if further vapes are needed.
This year I managed to do the four vapes at the right time each time - last year was erratic.

Not sure what the temperatures were like in rainy Wales this year but there is a link between higher temperatures And humidity in the colony and higher varroa mortality. I wonder if the hot temperatures may have affected their numbers during the peak when it was peak summer ?

 

[Curly green finger's]

That's an interesting analogy... And worth some thought or discussion??

I had a fellow hill Billy beek, say to me that altitude and high humidity makes a difference when varroa are concerned??

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

That's an interesting analogy... And worth some thought or discussion??

I had a fellow hill Billy beek, say to me that altitude and high humidity makes a difference when varroa are concerned??

Hi Curly,
Varroa counts after 24 hours - after fourth vape.
H1 (no brood break) 120
H2 80
H3 (no brood break) 300
H4 14

Needless to say, vaping will continue on 1,2 and 3. Results were much worse than I expected

 

[Newbeeneil]

Spent this morning organising my bee shed in my main apiary. Do I really need all that kit?
Cleaned up all my queen excluders, I have a mixture of framed, galvanised steel and plastic. The framed ones are a real pain to clean, the steel ones easiest.

 

[pargyle]

Watched a few bees flying this evening ... struggling a bit in the strong breeze - at least it has stopped raining. Ivy in the garden not quite there yet .. days away but looking back it's usually first or second week in October that it blooms. Fished all the feeders out of storage and gave them a wash ... won't put them on yet, hives quite heavy even after taking the supers off ... haven't really looked inside properly but I can see some fat brood frames of stores either side of the brood nest through the clear crown boards. Put the inspection boards in to see what's dropping out, sugar roll on Sunday if there is any real sign on the boards. No sign of mass drone eviction at present - still some coming and going.

 

[Barbarian]

Fed a couple of hives with wet crumb cappings from my extraction. Used a shallow layer in a top tray feeder with a central small hole for the bees to come and go. A couple of days and the cappings will be dry.

 

[Hachi]

spent the day feeding all my out apiaries their 3rd and 4th feed. Will keep an eye on the nucs. Still lots to do out there.