What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Goran]

Yes.. But unfortunately it isn't just croatian problem..

 

[Newbeeneil]

Glad to see the girls haven’t been knocked over in the 60+mph gusts last night (although our phone line snapped in half!)View attachment 25806

I had 2 poly roofs out of 5 come off last so some girls had a damp night but they were both very strong so hopefully will recover quickly. All strapped on now but unfortunately 24 hours late!!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

The sycamore flowers seem to have survived. One year they got completely stripped off the trees by rain and gales

 

[Walter]

I had 2 poly roofs out of 5 come off last so some girls had a damp night but they were both very strong so hopefully will recover quickly. All strapped on now but unfortunately 24 hours late!!! ☹

Here in Yorkshire the queens have gone off laying because of the bad weather so, if where you are is the same, it'll take time. Hope they recover soon

 

[drex]

Same here, a long way south of you. However I am on the east coast

 

[Moobee]

I had 2 poly roofs out of 5 come off last so some girls had a damp night but they were both very strong so hopefully will recover quickly. All strapped on now but unfortunately 24 hours late!!! ☹

Fingers crossed

 

[Moobee]

The sycamore flowers seem to have survived. One year they got completely stripped off the trees by rain and gales

Am I sad to have fleece wrapped all my step over fruit trees? First year they’ve flowered properly since we put them in & was looking forward to seeing the bees on them....

 

[Erichalfbee]

Am I sad to have fleece wrapped all my step over fruit trees? First year they’ve flowered properly since we put them in & was looking forward to seeing the bees on them....

Not at all. We have fleece dotted about here and there and the poly tunnel looks like a bubble wrap factory.

 

[einsteinagogo]

Visited the Apiary today, very cold 7 degrees C, and the lid off an unused Maisemore poly had come off, and feeder full of water!

Glad no girls in them, must use a strap or brick! First time the lid has blown off!

and glad that I've used straps to secure all hives previously when adding supers, last week. Just as a security measure, a few girls flying but not many, OSR field, 200m away !

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Visited the Apiary today, very cold 7 degrees C, and the lid off an unused Maisemore poly had come off, and feeder full of water!

Glad no girls in them, must use a strap or brick! First time the lid has blown off!

and glad that I've used straps to secure all hives previously when adding supers, last week. Just as a security measure, a few girls flying but not many, OSR field, 200m away !

The rain we had yesterday should turn up the rate of nectar production. I should have inspected yesterday and today is bitterly cold in the wind. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an early opportunity to look inside the hives.

 

[Walter]

Am I sad to have fleece wrapped all my step over fruit trees? First year they’ve flowered properly since we put them in & was looking forward to seeing the bees on them....

All we need is a sewing machine, some of your fleece wrapping and someone to design fleece lined winter coats for Honeybees and we're all back in business!

 

[Curly green finger's]

That's excellent going...... I'm serious. How many were yours that you overwintered?

8 the rest are from ceri

 

[pargyle]

Not a lot really ... checked they were OK after the breeze we had last night (only damage was a dead branch off the yew tree fell down and demolished my solar wax melter - it was due for replacement anyway as it has done about 8 seasons and was only a bodge up from a hive cosy in the first place so no great loss).

The sun came out and although it was still very breezy the bees were very busy .... seems to be plenty about to get them excited - horse chestnut and sycamores both now out and my lilac trees are jist breaking bud.

 

[Swn58]

I've walked a swarm on a lawn into a box over a bit of cloth. They got down to a handful still outside when something caused a change of mind (possibly a scout came back with news of a des res). They all came streaming out, orbited the box a few times and vanished over the rooftops. ☹

In the beginnings I had that happen a few times. I'd be all set up to gently tip the bees in front of the hive entrance.....they would begin to move up the board. Most of them would go in.....all good. One of two things would then happen. They would either suddenly fly off, or they would not be in the hive the next day!
Nowadays they are unceremoniously tipped into the hive and locked down for at least 24 hours. I create an entrance for stragglers by tilting the roof above the queen excluder with a bit of wood. . I gather that the queen produces enough pheromones by then to make the new hive seem like 'home,' so they are less inclined to leave.

 

[pargyle]

8 the rest are from ceri

Crumbs Mark ... you are splashing out .... 22 Nucs from Ceri ? .. That's a few jars of honey to get your investment back. What made you go for buying in Nucs rather than packages ?

 

[Swn58]

I had 2 poly roofs out of 5 come off last so some girls had a damp night but they were both very strong so hopefully will recover quickly. All strapped on now but unfortunately 24 hours late!!! ☹

I had set up an awning in the back garden to shelter me from 'spring showers' when working. Despite it being a mark2 version, the storm yesterday ripped it down. I got soaked getting the sheet under control!
This led to worries about the bees of course. I went over to the allotment apiary, thinking that it was 50/50 that my super-hive there would still be upright. Phewwww......it was and the bees were very busy over there!

I hope all is good at the farm tomorrow as well. The apiary there is SSE facing, so should be fine I hope

 

[Newbeeneil]

Here in Yorkshire the queens have gone off laying because of the bad weather so, if where you are is the same, it'll take time. Hope they recover soon

No sign of my queens going off lay! I looked at 5 hives when the sun came out this afternoon. 3 of them were getting ready to swarm and were solid with BIAS and 2 supers on them. Luckily I had 3 nucs in the van to do the splits. I had to take them back to my main apiary and set them up and load up with more nucs ready for tomorrow !,,,,,

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Did the home apiary today. Demarree'd a red and a green queen - not just because I want a nuc off them but because they were packed with brood, also had to Demarree a 2020 queen which overwintered in a nuc but is now brimming with bees, had to give her a third super today just for space and she's working on the tenth frame as well as eyeing up the eleventh.
Had to give a poorly performing hive a frame of stores though as they were running on fumes.
Prepared two nucs for (hopefully) two Demarree'd colonies at the castle - lost a few hives there late last season and over winter so hopefully I can restock from two superb queens i have over there.

 

[Erichalfbee]

We’ve had hail and high winds here today. The sun came out and the bees were going to and from the pond at speed

 

[Anduril]

Added a third super to two hives. Did a full inspection on one of the hives because of drone brood in the bridging comb between the excluder and bottom super, luckily the queen was still down in the brood box and the drone cells were clear of varroa.