What did you do in the Apiary today?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Had a lie in this morning - got up about 0830, so after a quick breakfast of a handful of cold leftover sprouts and a cup of tea, scooted off to do the first hefting round of most apiaries. all colonies looking good with just the handful of colonies I expected to needing a slab of fondant.
Now back home for a lunch of cold turkey and stuffing sandwiches, a pickled egg and some pickled onions

 

[E&MBees]

Looked out of the window at the driving rain and felt utterly fed up! Spring can’t come quickly enough for me.

 

[madasafish]

Fed my mini nucs. The stores in the feeders at the end of the nucs were still full - but the bees in double minis were deep in the combs. The single one had eaten all the fondant on the top of the bars.

So I left fondant on the top bars... and will re-feed in two weeks. (Mini nucs in winter are high maintenance.

(-4C 24th December.)

 

[Antipodes]

Looked out of the window at the driving rain and felt utterly fed up! Spring can’t come quickly enough for me.

You guys are in the right direction, now you've had your longest night. I'm sad because we are starting to go in the other direction

 

[GuyNir]

Had a pick through the poly CB on several of my colonies. Clusters looking good.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

After the storm.....
Lovely sunny morning so popped out of the top of the garden to check the home apiary, bees in the nucs (they get the full blast of the morning sun) out in force and are still heavy with stores, not many hives hefting anywhere near light bar one which was feather light, it was a supersedure colony that I had doubts about in the autumn - obviously the queen had eventually failed and they'd dwindled to next to nothing the last month or two - then stripped of stores by robbers. All new fresh comb in there though so all cleared and sealed up ready for use in next season's Demarrees.

 

[E&MBees]

Checked both hives. No storm damage thank goodness. Both hefted nice and heavy. Rectified mistakes made yesterday when painting the UFE with wrong preserver. Built some more brood boxes as I would like to demarree the hives next year.

 

[Angry_Mob]

Feed all my nucs some fondant, some were quite light. Found a dead colony, was one that I knew was being robbed at the end of the season unfortunately.

Packed two pallets of new Abelo poly hives away into my container, built shelving and got more stuff packed in yesterday. Leak I need to fix however right above where I want to place a unit. Great having a (almost) weatherproof area to store all my things in one place in close proximity to the home apiary; I've had quite a few items damaged by the storms this year.

Feathering of sleety snow here today so was cold.

 

[Swarm]

No damage, most colonies flying in the sun today. Spent some time watching the birdlife.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Gassed the Surrey bees yesterday; gorse flowering but no flying bar a few wasps, up inside two nuc feeders as well!

 

[Moobee]

Very happy that my heavily strapped hive survived the storm. Apparently 106mph off the Isle of Wight which I can see from my bedroom window

 

[madasafish]

Well it has snowed so indoor beekeeping only today (6 frame jumbo lang nucs to make).

First picture is of double kieler mini nuc with cover.

 

[Antipodes]

Was in the western rainforest today, and as we drove from the bees at about 1pm, the temperature was only 7 degrees. Mid-day in mid summer.
View attachment VID_20201228_113552249.mp4
No wonder I didn't feel hot in the bee suit! Between showers, the powerful summer sun at 42 degrees south came out and the almost instant mist evaporation looked great. I tried to capture it...

 

[Goran]

For weekend we had a little snow. I didn't disturb them for now. Still we didn't start to make fondants, in coming days we should organize ourselves to start.. Lot of rumors about lost colonies, we will see till spring. One beek called me if I have colonies to sell with worrying tone, there is some true about losses..
This morning earthquake woke me up, usually I sleep over it. But this one woke me, first I heard distant rumbling like storm is coming then later a bit of shaking for couple seconds. It was about 70km from me 5.0 magnitude. At my place not some problem but where it came from some damage happened..

 

[pargyle]

Very happy that my heavily strapped hive survived the storm. Apparently 106mph off the Isle of Wight which I can see from my bedroom window

Yes we had the howling gale night before last, my apiary is pretty sheltered - I don't need to strap my hives down, I don't even have bricks on the roofs but at 3.00am the doors and windows were rattling, I could hear stuff blowing about in the garden and I couldn't sleep so I got up and went round to check the hives. The rain was horizontal and the noise of the wind in the trees (I have a 100' Lawsons Pine in the garden amongst other trees) was horrendous. Not as bad as the '87 storm but I reckon even inland a bit where we are in Fareham the wind at tree height was 50 to 60mph. My neighbour lost ridge tiles off his roof and there were a lot of trees, fences and branches down yesterday morning. Wet ground does not give a lot of grip to the roots ...quietened down now and after a cold day yesterday it's raining again !!

 

[Erichalfbee]

This was our only damage, across the drive. The tree next to the owl box.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Part of the roof of the barn my honey room is in disappeared and left the side of the room and the electrics exposed. I've been up to wrap the whole room in tarpolines.
I've also just had a call from one of my landlords who said that a tree missed a hive by inches.... I think I'll pop up and have a look!

Edit. Just got back and the hive is ok but it was close!

 

[Apple]

Just had a call about a "swarm" of bees in a tree that has fallen across the road near Upton Cross.... gave the guy a couple of phone numbers of beekeepers who live considerably nearer to that neck of the woods than me... hope they can deal with it!
Don't fancy their chances very much... or that of the bees!

Chons da

 

[OldFarm]

Relieved to see that all of the hives are intact - have lost the odd roof in the past despite weighting down/straps. Gave three of the hives a quick wrap of left over insulation (the stuff that looks like bubble wrap with a reflective surface) to try and keep them dry because it has been so very soggy. Now testing two different insulation methods and one hive left in the buff. It will be interesting to see the difference in the spring. Building some half size supers to hopefully trial next year because this year the hives were too tall for me -
the joys of being a shorty.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Spent a few hours up at the range apiary (all shooting suspended during the lockdown so I can go whenever I like) dealing with a dead ash that could have been a problem for the hives, Saturday's storm had helped to make it easier to deal with, Mr Husky did the rest