What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Erichalfbee]

They're called Blackthorn round here.

It’s a separate species. Not blackthorn.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Not ideal temps today but we added brood extensions to two poly nucs and I've supered some single brood colonys looks like the weather is getting better next week for some proper inspections and maybe some marking going on
Apiarys up on higher ground haven't been touched yet but next week if the weather is better. The daffs have only just come out here.
Cider Apple blossom and cherry are opening hopefully the wind will bugger of for some decent buzzing of the trees..
The male salows are flowering with the female not far behind.

 

[GuyNir]

Looking at the next 2 weeks weather, not higher than 10c with mostly northern winds. Inspections will have to wait... might be the latest I’ve ever did those.

 

[victor meldrew]

Looking at the next 2 weeks weather, not higher than 10c with mostly northern winds. Inspections will have to wait... might be the latest I’ve ever did those.

Tuesday, Wednesday next . 17, 18° I have one colony I need to examine .

 

[Erichalfbee]

Next week is hitting 17 for two or three days then getting cold again. Most colonies flying strongly but no real need to look in yet. One colony looks hopeless so might take a look in there. The rest can wait.

 

[GuyNir]

Next week is hitting 17 for two or three days then getting cold again. Most colonies flying strongly but no real need to look in yet. One colony looks hopeless so might take a look in there. The rest can wait.

Agree no need to check yet. Looking at the bottom boards and the clear CB‘s, I have a pretty good idea what’s going on. I know now that in previous years (when I didn’t use clear CB’s), I inspected too early.

 

[CaptainCymru]

Did nothing in apiary as stuck at sea for a few weeks , however just had a text from my better half , howling wind, lashing rain and hail at home.........makes me wonder if that hive strap will hold out

 

[Goran]

Wild cherry is opening buds... Weather still not right to say that the frosts won't catch it.. If it survives.. there could be some extraction of spring honey.. My favorite..
Or.. if wild cherry got scorched.. I would be able to watch yellow/brown flowers and just to say.. there goes my honey..

 

[RichardBeeW]

I don't know if that is true ... draught reducers around the bottom of the hives - yes .. closing off the mesh floors - not so sure. Mine all have OMF all year round .. the hive stands I make protect the bottom of the hives from draughts .. bees seem to be OK with this arrangement.

Hmm, this is not me saying what a great inventor I am but rather what an inadequate (but attempting to be resourceful) bad DIYer I am. Back in the day - in the 1980s when I began beekeeping with Langstroth's - I'd never heard of OMFs but when I began again last year I'd been reading about the 'Happy Floors' I think they're called (from France). Tried to make them myself but worked out what tubing was required while my health was going through a 'bite you' phase - and got the width wrong Still, pressed on drilling holes 3.5mm apart in wood (which continually split out the little 3.5mm bits) and then thick plastic material (and it turned out some gaps were 3mm and some large enough for wasps and bees to squeeze through) so . . . seeing JBM's under floor entrance hives (thank you again @jenkinsbrynmair) . . . converted the floors, leaving the tubing there as one of their advantages is supposed to be about 85% wind deflection away from the brood box. Anyway, long explanation for what's appears to be successful over ONE winter on just four colonies. As I've got the tubing and the mesh floors and JBM's plans it seemed sensible to carry on with some more this year. Finally settled on quickly drilling a piece of approx. 50mm x 20mm timber with the holes for the pipes at 'regular' (more than 3.5mm) intervals and then cutting in half lengthways and using one half to push down and separate the pipes (sort of opposite to the old Playtex ads) and then screw in place. Seems to work but I wouldn't think it's of much interest to anyone with more than a few hives and lots of time - a lack of drilling skills but a pleasure in tinkering.

 

[StephenT]

Quite a few Drones doing ‘wing stretching’ flights from the hive with the Buckfast queen today. On a single brood box so will be interesting to check for brood space tomorrow or Tuesday. It’s certainly ramping up here in sunny London but temps due to drop a bit after a very warm spell and so need to be prudent about adding space.

 

[Goran]

Surprisingly lot of plum flowers are still white, bees attend them. No frosts these days even night temps are some 2-5C. Wild cherry has slow budding what I really like. But with one nice frost all that turn down. I won't be lulled into good vibes.. Last two days wind was still cold and just staying in the open isn't option, have to be in constant move.. Yesterday temp was some12-14C, but bees went out at large and I smell the " flashy" scent of plum flowers..
Still didn't open the hives, some due to cold weather some due other work around hazels..

 

[gregior]

First inspection on 8 of mine today. Bees very calm in the warm sunshine.All queens laying like the clappers with nice brood patterns ,some are weak only on 3 frames of brood but I think they will be fine. Overwintered poly nuc is doing best with wall to wall brood and will need hiving very soon. Spotted some chalk brood in one colony but nothing too serious. All ok for stores and lots of pollen and even some nectar coming in. Happy bunny here just hope the rest are doing as well.

 

[Beekeeper Brownie]

I opened up 8 for the first time in my lunch break today, pleasantly surprised is how I'd sum up the experience. I'll do my other site tomorrow. 7 out of the 8 were all doing well but one was very small compared to the others with a lot of dead bees on the floor. Plenty of fresh pollen was being bought in and all had stores in their brood frames of varying quantities but all had emptied the supers I left under the broods. Most had 2 or 3 frames of brood but one was motoring away with five, which oddly enough was the most backwards colony going into last spring. Looking back at the notes from my first inspection last year on 24th March the majority of hives were on 4 frames of brood. With the oilseed rape nearly in flower here I'm not expecting the same high spring yields this year. The highlight today was in one hive I saw mother (2019) and daughter, the daughter was a beauty, twice the size of the mother

 

[madasafish]

Opened up 1 hive today which I was concerned with - weak on 2.5 frames? Lots of dead bees. Lots of stores. No signs of disease/varroa. Q and some capped brood.
Placed in 4 frame poly nuc and fed/sprayed with HM recipe..

 

[Erichalfbee]

Opened up 1 hive today which I was concerned with - weak on 2.5 frames? Lots of dead bees. Lots of stores. No signs of disease/varroa. Q and some capped brood.
Placed in 4 frame poly nuc and fed/sprayed with HM recipe..

I’m expecting to find similar in the one colony I have marked for inspection

 

[Murox]

Opened up 1 hive today which I was concerned with - weak on 2.5 frames? Lots of dead bees. Lots of stores. No signs of disease/varroa. Q and some capped brood.
Placed in 4 frame poly nuc and fed/sprayed with HM recipe..

Be good to know how it works out. Fingers crossed for them.

 

[Nannysbees]

Very exciting and unexpected first inspection.Packed with bees,brood and stores.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Blimey she’s orange!

 

[Nannysbees]

Blimey she’s orange!

Yes I know our other queen is darker, when the bees are in the garden we know exactly which hive they come from

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Shook out my first colony loss. No queen, no brood left. Just a collection of ageing, unhappy bees that will have begged their way into other hives.