What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Swn58]

Yes it may be a bit early for Apilife var as it requires temperatures above 18 degC to be effective.

A bit of an experiment. It will be interesting to see if there is a varroa drop in the next week. The bees are quite fit and relatively varroa free there anyway.

 

[Monbees]

but they do taste a bit nicer on the barbecue

Sounds like you have compared ...

 

[GuyNir]

I’m very gullible.
I may have to order a Mr Potato Head for posterity.

Not allowed to call it ‘Mr’ soon, in our crazy woke world...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56200811

 

[ericbeaumont]

i thought thymol products not recommended as spring treatment and not soley because of temperature?

Perhaps the movement of tainted honey up into a spring super is likely?

 

[beeno]

Went back to the stricken hive today. Managed to lift it into position after loads of smoke. The bees were surprisingly calm. The real surprise was how heavy it was. My partner would never have been able to lift it up on to its stand. Before anyone uses the 'sexist' word.....she is ten times fitter than me, an ex marathon runner and still runs three miles a day. However, I'm 14 stone and she is 8 stone. You need bulk backing you to lift that sort of weight! It must have been an easy sixty pounds.
The bees seemed to accept their new position, not that far from there old one. The colonies are bringing in crocus and snowdrop pollen. I decided to apply Apilife Var, whilst I was messing them about. It's a bit early to do that. I usually do it in mid March/April, but what the heck, it's fairly warm and might give me a head start with varroa treatment, there at least.

Nothing like a bit of thymol to spice up the OSR honey. It is an autmn treatment!

 

[beeno]

Thought my colonies were bringing in some Blackthorn pollen. Saw some in flower on my way to get my jab. Must get out a bit more often.

 

[B+.]

Collected my first set of natural mite drop boards - this year, I've been asked to continue the weekly counts all the way to the end of August. I know nmd is not usually considered accurate once there is sealed brood in the colony - but this is for a special project.
The bees were flying pretty well, collecting early pollen - cold first thing but it warmed up fast (13C at 1pm)

 

[Swn58]

Nothing like a bit of thymol to spice up the OSR honey. It is an autmn treatment!

If there was OSR growing in Birmingham I would think again. The farm does not grow OSR, due to two crop failures. I treat with Apilife-Var generally in late March/April, depending on the temperature, then in about November. It's always proved very effective. It is not just an autumn treatment.

 

[Nannysbees]

Sublimation on our two hives today, will be interesting to see the drop, used apiguard for the autumn treatment. So pleased they have survived up to now

 

[beeno]

If there was OSR growing in Birmingham I would think again. The farm does not grow OSR, due to two crop failures. I treat with Apilife-Var generally in late March/April, depending on the temperature, then in about November. It's always proved very effective. It is not just an autumn treatment.

I have supers on in March/April, even though I don't have OSR. There is still a chance of thymol being moved up from the brood box into the super. No good practice.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have supers on in March/April, even though I don't have OSR. There is still a chance of thymol being moved up from the brood box into the super. No good practice.

Well, if I were you I wouldn't use thymol, seeing you pile on the supers in April
SWN 58 doesn't put his supers on at that time, so your statement about 'good practice' is totally erroneous

 

[Swn58]

Well, if I were you I wouldn't use thymol, seeing you pile on the supers in April
SWN 58 doesn't put his supers on at that time, so your statement about 'good practice' is totally erroneous

Thank you JBM. This person is making too many assumptions, based on his own actions. I always make sure that all traces of treatment are removed, then leave quite some time before putting on supers, to crop honey.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Went through an apiary today hefting. When I hefted about 3 weeks ago most were heavy but today three were very light so I cracked the crownboard to find all three had 9-11 seams of bees and very little stores. I checked for brood and found that they had between 4-6 frames of BIAS. They are going to be crowded out by mid March. Slapped on extra fondant and closed up.

 

[BigAshW]

Painted the last supers that needed doing. All now full of frames. Moved them all up to the new apiary and then more excitingly moved the first two colonies onto my new site. Will move another tomorrow.

My nuc rescued from a tree fall late last year feel a bit light so will top up their fondant tomorrow.

 

[Moobee]

Oscar my Springer Spaniel ate a mouse alive and whole in one gulp yesterday.... and then knobbled a grey squirrell which was dragged off to its fate still wriggling by the collies...
Does this mean the veggie and nere do well vegan police wierdos will come around and give me a good ticking off ????

Wow! Our cocker eats mice as well. We thought about changing her name to Mouseater...

 

[Moobee]

Hefted the hive, still a good weight and lots of bees out collecting pollen. Spent most of the day making new veg beds and several bees seemed very interested in buzzing around. I heard they ‘like’ human sweat, is that why they kept flying around me?

 

[Somerford]

but they do taste a bit nicer on the barbecue

Actually there is some evidence that if you swap red meat for squirrel meat you can get a brain disease - it’s been found in various isolated farmsteads in redneck areas who eat squirrels...!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Actually there is some evidence that if you swap red meat for squirrel meat you can get a brain disease - it’s been found in various isolated farmsteads in redneck areas who eat squirrels...!

well, you can't Trump that (although they probably voted for him )

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Oscar my Springer Spaniel ate a mouse alive and whole in one gulp yesterday

Wow! Our cocker eats mice as well. We thought about changing her name to Mouseater...

Years ago we had an old springer spaniel who would eat anything, hence my brother still referring to her as fat meg to save confusion with all the other megs we have had (grandparents were never very original with name choices but probably because the first dog they had when they got married was a lovely black cocker spaniel called Meg) one day, my grandfather and uncle were clearing a stack of firewood that had been maturing in the lane between the two houses when the came across a rats nest jam packed full of still blind ratlings, before my grandfather had a chance to deploy the shovel, in swept Meg and in one gulp, hoovered the whole litter up!!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Had a lovely day up at carreg apiary, was up stupidly early so decided to take the opportunity to chat with Juma in Tanzania to sort out a few issues with the new project, felt a lot more positive after that so, wrapped my fried egg sandwich in foil for my lunch, real comfort food, cold fried egg sandwiches were a real treat when I was out working with my dad, it was his morning break breakfast every day on the buildings, and scooted up to the range. Finished clearing all the cut trees which has left loads of room for more hives, I do my best thinking when doing that kind of work and I had another brainwave about the Tanzania project. So a brief WhatsApp conversation with Juma again over lunch, by this time the apiary was alive with bees so I donned my beesuit and went to remove the nadired boxes. All hives bursting with bees, even the weakest ones were bursting and still really heavy with stores - I know that apiary always has a later spring, but I can see me having to take some frames out later on to make laying room for the queens