What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Swarm]

well you've been pretty lucky is all I can say - I've been trialling his bees for three or four years now and varying degrees of chalkiness is apparent. got two genetically separate ones here now and I'm clearing literally piles of chalkbrood mummies out.

Maybe you've been unlucky?
Not had a problem with chalk brood with any of his queens, my mate can say the same and we've 'trialled' one or two . I've a four year old still going strong, they are beautiful queens.

 

[Antipodes]

Spent a month touring Tassie back in 2007 in a 31/2 ltr Bluebird hire. Loved every minute except for Port Arthur. Just one more blot on UK's history of course. Play about "The Boat that Never Was" was really clever!! Afterwards crossed to mainland and did a 3-4 day Murray River cruise, then to Perth, north to Murchison Gorge and 45C in the shade and south to Albany and around. Fantastic. That was our third 3 monther in Oz but too old to do it again - just wish I had had the courage to chuck it here back in 1965-ish and opted for the £10 POM passage.

That's terrific Afermo!
Camped out last night with the bees in the forest. The distant mountains in my little video, are in the SW National park. Not a house from here to the coast and then.....South Africa. It would be a frightening place to be lost in.
View attachment VID_20210404_151239740.mp4
I wonder if you heard of convict Alexander Pearce when you were here? He had food with him when he escaped in the forest, and that food carried itself
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Pearce

 

[Erichalfbee]

That's terrific Afermo!
Camped out last night with the bees in the forest. The distant mountains in my little video, are in the SW National park. Not a house from here to the coast and then.....South Africa. It would be a frightening place to be lost in.
View attachment 25245

How wonderful. I am green with envy

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Maybe you've been unlucky?
Not had a problem with chalk brood with any of his queens, my mate can say the same and we've 'trialled' one or two . I've a four year old still going strong, they are beautiful queens.

What? constantly and repeatedly unlucky?
I've trialled a lot more than 'one or two' and it's not just me that's noticed it, even Murray McGregor, when Jolanta trialled some of his queens a few seasons ago saw fit to mention it.
It is a fact that AMM are more suceptible to chalkbrood than other varieties so it's something you accept, I won't be writing them all off, but this amount, on multiple queens on different years and strains it's obvious there is an issue, and with a few it was a serious one.
And it's not just chalkbrood, there are other traits that I'm not happy with as well
But there again, as we know there's also a strain of zealotry with these bees that blinds many to even the smallest, 'acceptable' idiosyncracy

 

[Curly green finger's]

What? constantly and repeatedly unlucky?
I've trialled a lot more than 'one or two' and it's not just me that's noticed it, even Murray McGregor, when Jolanta trialled some of his queens a few seasons ago saw fit to mention it.
It is a fact that AMM are more suceptible to chalkbrood than other varieties so it's something you accept, I won't be writing them all off, but this amount, on multiple queens on different years and strains it's obvious there is an issue, and with a few it was a serious one.
And it's not just chalkbrood, there are other traits that I'm not happy with as well
But there again, as we know there's also a strain of zealotry with these bees that blinds many to even the smallest, 'acceptable' idiosyncracy

Why is that emyr?
We had two colonys last season that had small amounts of chalkbrood.. Is it the purer stock that's affected? because my Italian mongrel x amms are all good.
This was the first time I've seen chalkbrood I'm starting to think that trying to introduce purer amms isn't the way to go but just keep rearing from the hybrids.. As soon as the purer stock have superseded you have lost some of the genetics anyway... And if any one says that pure lines breed true they are talking sugar honey ice tea... Unless of cause you are isolated on an island.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Why is that emyr?

Because its a well known fact that AMM are susceptible to chalkbrood, it's not something I've decided. it's something you have to accept if you keep them. Apparently the Colonsay bees are really bad for it.

 

[BugsInABox]

Ok I’ll jump in (bump me if I’ve hijacked you Mark).
can anyone cover hybrid vigor for me. There was a thread about 6/12 ago but everyone regretted B+‘s non participation at the time. If I buy in some pure(ish) queen, will my first and/or second generation from them have a good chance off being feisty due to hybrid vigor - regardless of which pure(ish) line I've bought.
Relevant to me now as I'm considering some well regarded west Wales AMM Queens. They are open mated but Ive heard reports of about 50% 1st generation needing culling due to temper.
My hives are in the garden.

 

[Swarm]

I had hoped the would make you realise that there are a lot more than one or two. You don't accept being unlucky but you want me to accept we have been lucky.
There is a huge difference between susceptibility and problem. We don't have problem chalk brood colonies, our locally reared colonies and Amm colonies are so similar as to be identical in most ways. I once had a colony with problematic chalk brood, the nest was never neat looking and there were mummies on the mesh. These were very black bees from a local queen and it always seemed to clear up before the main flow, where they also held their own honey wise. I decided to nip her in 2012 after three years of the same but she disappeared that Winter. Not had a repeat since then.
I've no idea what these other traits are, as I've said before, I don't see a difference between these Amm and our local colonies. Calm on the comb, gentle to work, hardy, productive and frugal. Some better than others but no slackers, no horrid bees.
Your last comment seems to be questioning my credibility as well as my ability as a beekeeper.

 

[Swarm]

Ok I’ll jump in (bump me if I’ve hijacked you Mark).
can anyone cover hybrid vigor for me. There was a thread about 6/12 ago but everyone regretted B+‘s non participation at the time. If I buy in some pure(ish) queen, will my first and/or second generation from them have a good chance off being feisty due to hybrid vigor - regardless of which pure(ish) line I've bought.
Relevant to me now as I'm considering some well regarded west Wales AMM Queens. They are open mated but Ive heard reports of about 50% 1st generation needing culling due to temper.
My hives are in the garden.

I put a blue disc on a fourth generation queen down the line from this certain source only last Wednesday, the bees still have a very nice nature.

 

[Angularity]

We went through the hives on Sunday, when it was 14C, with a view to checking queens and the varroa situation. We found the one queen who had evaded making last autumn, and marked her. The poor thing had a mite on her thorax, so I covered that beggar with blue paint too. Damn me those things can move quickly. That hive had a good treatment of thymol fondant. The others were good, including drops and checks through drone brood.

 

[Goran]

After couple days of cold spell, flowers of wild cherries turn brown.. there goes my honey.. ehh.. waiting next to flower and also more frosts..
There are in theory few plants which might give some spring extraction, but this is more theory than reality.. If black locust is also struck, well I can start to prepare them for overwintering.. and wait next season.. These were not only frosts, these were days with low temps and cold northern winds.. Wish no one like it.. When I was watching mountains/hills in white ( due to snow and flowers of wild cherries) it gives You some spooky feeling.. Few pics I took before this cold spell..

 

[robmort]

So many bees today despite the cold temperature, that it worries me they're swarming, but sure they can't be.
View attachment Untitled.mov

 

[Antipodes]

So many bees today despite the cold temperature, that it worries me they're swarming, but sure they can't be.
View attachment 25344

Looks good . I suppose though that they've had best part of three and a half months since the shortest day, building up. They seem to do this based on daylight length.......

 

[robmort]

After two cold cloudy days, they seem to all come out in the sun even if it's ony 10deg. Don't know if it's for orientation of young bees or toiletting or.....

 

[Erichalfbee]

Mine were out this morning in 6degrees collecting water

 

[Nannysbees]

Watched the council mow the grass verges with all the lovely dandelions growing

 

[BugsInABox]

Mine were out this morning in 6degrees collecting water

lots of water collection here too yesterday I think - 8degrees, but sunny

 

[madasafish]

3rd vape of my poorly nuc.
11am cloudy, not a bee in sight

 

[Newbeeneil]

Got a call from one of my landlords to say that their neighbours had cut down part of the dividing hedge and bees were buzzing the tree surgeons. "Could I do anything or move the bees?" I said I'd go over and put up a piece of net to get them to fly above head height.
When I arrived the hive on brood + 1/2 was extremely busy so I thought I better have a look in. On cracking the crown board it was obvious this was a rammed box. I checked the super and found plenty of drone brood. When I went into the broodbox everything looked good until I spotted the queen and sealed queen cell on the same comb. Since this was the 5th frame I assumed this was probably a supercedure but over the subsequent frames I found another 6 cells in various states. I decided to do a thorough search, leave one unsealed cell, remove the queen to a nuc with lots of bees, two combs of sealed brood and some combs of stores.
I added a super but if it had been warmer I would have added two!
So it begins!

 

[F.F.Stung]

Watched the council mow the grass verges with all the lovely dandelions growing

Lisburn council does the same. Probably they hate all living things, but take it out on the dandelions because they are gentle and never complain.