What did you do in the Apiary today?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Put more honey in the warming cabinet. Prepared to bottle the stuff I'd just removed from it.
Seems an endless round of bottling and deliveries at the moment, looks like everybody is trying to support local businesses by making up gifts and hampers from locally sourced products.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Put more honey in the warming cabinet. Prepared to bottle the stuff I'd just removed from it.
Seems an endless round of bottling and deliveries at the moment, looks like everybody is trying to support local businesses by making up gifts and hampers from locally sourced products.

Ive had quite a few enquiries locally for 3lb tubs. Haven’t jarred much as we didn’t get much this year. Hanging back with a couple of buckets.
Just done honey and candles for my two doctors along with a bottle of decent red.
Not enough honey for all the support staff and radiographers so they’re getting booze and chocs

 

[Newbeeneil]

Put more honey in the warming cabinet. Prepared to bottle the stuff I'd just removed from it.
Seems an endless round of bottling and deliveries at the moment, looks like everybody is trying to support local businesses by making up gifts and hampers from locally sourced products.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Put more honey in the warming cabinet. Prepared to bottle the stuff I'd just removed from it.
Seems an endless round of bottling and deliveries at the moment, looks like everybody is trying to support local businesses by making up gifts and hampers from locally sourced products.

I've been up to the same.... jarred 45 soft set today and put another bucket of runny in the warmer which I'll jar tomorrow. Gettting to the last 6 or 7 buckets so it looks like I'll have run out by February!

 

[Swarm]

Jarring another bucketful now, at this rate I'm going to run out. Trying to hold back but I'm at Enrico stage now, replaced all sugar with honey and going through it a bit too fast.
I found an old bucket at the back of the shed, assumed it was empty and stored but found it was half full and looked like treacle.
What do you think? Eat it or bin it?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Jarring another bucketful now, at this rate I'm going to run out. Trying to hold back but I'm at Enrico stage now, replaced all sugar with honey and going through it a bit too fast.
I found an old bucket at the back of the shed, assumed it was empty and stored but found it was half full and looked like treacle.
What do you think? Eat it or bin it?

Have you got an official taster?

 

[Swarm]

I did a quick dip test with a finger. Molasses, Christmas pud. This stuff is very dark with granulated lumps that refuse to melt and I've never had dark honey.

 

[manek]

Phew - thought I'd lost two of my three colonies - but no.

I went to see if they needed more fondant and at first, before suiting up, on lifting the lids to look through the glass quilts, I saw one colony eating fondant, most of which was left from the chunk I gave them a month ago.

But I saw no bees in the other two. One of the colonies had eaten most of the fondant, the other hadn't touched it. But after suiting up, I found that both seemed to be alive and well: they were down in the comb using up the stores I had left them (I stopped taking honey mid-July). And they came out to tell me buzz off and leave them alone...

So I left a chunk of fondant for the colony that had almost none, wished them all well, replaced the insulation and tippy-toed away.

 

[gmonag]

Weighed the hives.
All weigh the same as early November. No worries.

 

[StephenT]

Weighed the hives. One is a tad light with about 33lbs of stores and the other two about 38lbs each. One has been eating exclusively from one side of the hive. What's the expected weekly consumption at this time of year?
Also noticed some condensation around the edges of the polycarbonate crown boards on a couple of hives. I've got 50mm of insulation in the roofs so was surprised.

 

[user 819]

Condensation around the edges is fine, it is likely a little cooler at the edges. Any drips will collect in the Gulley's on the sides or run down the walls.

 

[user 819]

These small droplets can come in handy if they need to liquefy solid stores esp ivy, osr or hard fondant.

 

[Somerford]

Cold and damp and rather wet in N Wilts this weekend
Got around 90 colonies over two days and fed with fondant those who needed it. Some very strong hives still and few showing signs of clustering yet but that’ll probably change this month...
Still a fair few more to check in between the puddles and showers
Sadly the server won’t let me upload a movie of the wading through water but the photos below of the Avon at Lacock will give annidea

 

[Antipodes]

Summer is here and I'm inspecting all the hives. This is a packed frame of bees...

 

[Antipodes]

Cold and damp and rather wet in N Wilts this weekend
Got around 90 colonies over two days and fed with fondant those who needed it. Some very strong hives still and few showing signs of clustering yet but that’ll probably change this month...
Still a fair few more to check in between the puddles and showers
Sadly the server won’t let me upload a movie of the wading through water but the photos below of the Avon at Lacock will give annidea

View attachment 23356View attachment 23357

Please send it here . You've had enough now

 

[elainemary]

Weighed the hives. One is a tad light with about 33lbs of stores and the other two about 38lbs each. One has been eating exclusively from one side of the hive. What's the expected weekly consumption at this time of year?
Also noticed some condensation around the edges of the polycarbonate crown boards on a couple of hives. I've got 50mm of insulation in the roofs so was surprised.

Think it depends on the weather, let’s assume cold at this time of year & no brood raising. Very little stores used. If taking fondant could be storing rather than eating. Maybe less than 1lb. The time to watch v carefully is beginning Feb onwards when this rapidly accelerates

 

[GuyNir]

Hefted and cleaned all bottom boards. All colonies looking fine through the CB for this time of year. 1st year I’m overwintering wooden hives (two, all poly except those), already seeing big differences in stores consumption.

 

[The Poot]

Carried out vapes and checked fondants.
One completely finished, added 2kgs. Others still munching.
Glad to see my colony that is too light for comfort, now taking the fondant down.

 

[elainemary]

Vaped all my colonies. Tried vaping from the top for the first time, as well as the usual vap below OMF using slide in varroa trays to hold the pan / wand. Nucs worked a treat using plywood templates to drop the wand and feet in. Head fell off my cheap vaporiser, 3 seasons of use, so need to upgrade next season

 

[Curly green finger's]

Vaped all my colonies. Tried vaping from the top for the first time, as well as the usual vap below OMF using slide in varroa trays to hold the pan / wand. Nucs worked a treat using plywood templates to drop the wand and feet in. Head fell off my cheap vaporiser, 3 seasons of use, so need to upgrade next season

Which one are you going to get? I've got both a varrax and a sublimox..
I much prefer the sublimox.. Its well worth spending the extra money and having your OA all contained.
Good for poly nucs /hives.