What did you do in the Apiary today?

[The Poot]

Well, I did and wish I hadn't. Two car accidents and traffic jams everywhere.

I hope you are well insured....

 

[E&MBees]

Perhaps they were all out shopping before lockdown yesterday and now they are back all stocked up?

I’m sure the bees have more sense and respect for others than some of the individuals I observed yesterday! Makes me feel ashamed of us all.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’m sure the bees have more sense and respect for others than some of the individuals I observed yesterday! Makes me feel ashamed of us all.

I get a priority supermarket delivery. I don’t think I’ll ever bother doing supermarket shopping personally again.

 

[Antipodes]

Swarm time here... Always great when a captured swarm fans like this.
View attachment VID_20201104_162403820.mp4

 

[Antipodes]

Some minutes earlier....
View attachment VID_20201104_160214254.mp4

 

[StephenT]

6 degrees, sunny and they’re flying and bringing in pollen. Are London bees just dead hard?

 

[Michael ECB's]

Swarm time here... Always great when a captured swarm fans like this.

Love it when you see those bums up in the air..... Telling everyone the queen's here - Pull In!

 

[Michael ECB's]

Put my first "Passive" trap out in place today. Going to try and get a small black colony to move up out of the rocks....
Plan is all workers have to travel through this box to get in and out... Hopefully it's a bit better than damp cold rocks...

 

[Tim.S]

Finally got around to moving the double stacked hives this morning that I have been going to move for the last couple of months. Now everything is where it should be. It won't last long.........

 

[Antipodes]

Love it when you see those bums up in the air..... Telling everyone the queen's here - Pull In!

Yeah for sure. I love the sound of the thud of a great mass of bees as they fall into the box.

 

[beeno]

I hope you are well insured....

I did not have them! Just sitting in the traffic jams they caused!

 

[The Poot]

Put my first "Passive" trap out in place today. Going to try and get a small black colony to move up out of the rocks....
Plan is all workers have to travel through this box to get in and out... Hopefully it's a bit better than damp cold rocks...View attachment 22851

Fairly substantial weight on top?

 

[Newbeeneil]

Put my first "Passive" trap out in place today. Going to try and get a small black colony to move up out of the rocks....
Plan is all workers have to travel through this box to get in and out... Hopefully it's a bit better than damp cold rocks...View attachment 22851

I'm not sure how these bees work but my experience with these sort of trap outs in the UK is that by using a one way valve between the nest and box you can capture most of the workers ( provided you put some brood in the box). The queen however will not leave the brood and will keep laying in the original nest until she runs out of food. They probably like "cold damp rocks" or would have found a more box like abode for themselves.
If you really want the colony would it not be more effective to dig them out?

 

[Michael ECB's]

Fairly substantial weight on top?

it's to discourage the odd inquisitive cow walking past... you know - nudge nudge !
These young dairy heifers get a

I'm not sure how these bees work but my experience with these sort of trap outs in the UK is that by using a one way valve between the nest and box you can capture most of the workers ( provided you put some brood in the box). The queen however will not leave the brood and will keep laying in the original nest until she runs out of food. They probably like "cold damp rocks" or would have found a more box like abode for themselves.
If you really want the colony would it not be more effective to dig them out?

Yes the cone or one way valve usually gets the work force pretty fast... But as you say, the Queen is usually very reluctant to leave. I actually have 3 trapped out colonies at the moment with laying workers that im trying to sort out... These were problem swarms/colonies were we could not tear down ceilings or brick walls... It happens - we always try our best and successful more often than not... This "Passive Trap Out" is something different im trying. Bees can move freely into original cave but now have to use the 5 frame nuc entrance. (Hole drilled in floor of Nuc) Nuc has drawn out comb and i'm hoping the queen will come up voluntarily and start laying here.... Worst case scenario, they fill the top with honey.
Unable to dig out as entire are was land filled with large rocks and building rubble - Big Rocks..
Also a very large quatity of black bees that I really dont want to risk loosing..
Will it work??? No Idea.... Time will tell
See below - hopefully makes sense...

 

[manek]

Did nothing. Worried about the cold (I know, they'll cope, but I can't help anthropomorphising).

 

[Curly green finger's]

Did nothing. Worried about the cold (I know, they'll cope, but I can't help anthropomorphising).

To big of a word for this hour manek.

 

[madasafish]

Did nothing. Worried about the cold (I know, they'll cope, but I can't help anthropomorphising).

Frosty Tuesday, wet Wednesday/Thursday.
Did nothing.
Worried about nothing.

Thought about next year's plans.
Thought about making my own foundation (again).
Decided it's too expensive to diy properly and diy badly is not worth doing.

 

[gmonag]

...Thought about making my own foundation (again).
Decided it's too expensive to diy properly and diy badly is not worth doing.

Why not go foundationless? Let the bees decide which cells to build and where.

 

[The Poot]

Carried out varroa check after 24 hrs of vaping. Really good results from all four. Happy days

 

[madasafish]

Why not go foundationless? Let the bees decide which cells to build and where.

Not in supers. Extraction problems