What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Worker bee]

Where do I start? collected a swarm that was successful. checkerboarded several hives for swarm preparations, checkerboarded hives just because of the sheer amount of nectar coming in. Checked some splits that were queenless for a few weeks, some are now laying queen right and I put some eggs in some to test them. It's all going on. Loving it. At this rate illl have all my frames for splits drawn in a week and still have a honey crop. Bring the brambles on

 

[B+.]

Lots of pollen coming in at the moment. I'm finding whole brood boxes choked with it!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not in the apiary but in the garden
Lots of bees out on the front of the box and the whole thing sounds like an AC unit. They are managing all this with two small entrances the size of wine corks.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

just took a turn around the home apiary after shutting the hens in. Still a lot of bees flying in the dusk and the smell of hawthorn from the hives is so overpowering it's almost sickening.

 

[user 819]

Checked a colony to see that the VQ has emerged and to see that no other games are being played. Last checked 5 days ago, old Q and brood and bees removed to a nuc and original colony were getting by on nectar foraged, what a difference the sunny weather has made the five boxes (2 x BB & 3 x super) had brood over 4 of the boxes which most now have been back filled by approx. 70% nectar, lobbed on two more supers for good measure today. They are on it at the mo big time.
Same goes for the diy long hive with two supers on, nectar and foundation less combs being drawn and filled. Haven't checked others yet, Thursday or Friday will be there turn on a 7/8 day inspection. More supers will be taken to add to all if required.
Hopefully I can see some sealed honey soon to get my sample off.

 

[GuyNir]

2 x AMM Q’s installed on 9h May (with only 2 frames of brood) are doing really well, both needed additional nuc brood box (6 frames) today.
Another 2 nucs with Q removed to prevent swarming, one is doing well and one (most recent) I couldn’t find the Q (should be marked) or eggs + they aren’t polishing cells + they’re nasanoving on the comb. So I suspect they might be Q-. Gave them a test frame.

 

[Brian Bush]

Sat at home building some frames in the sunshine. SWMBO calls and says one of the 2 hives at home is swarming. I could not believe it. Walked up the drive to see a swarm arrive and enter my empty hive. Now have 3 at home. One will have to be moved!!!!

 

[user 819]

Some of my colonies in above but one post.

Getting taller.


My Winnie the Pooh themed experimental PIR Long hive with additional one super on each side.

 

[Moobee]

Popped out to shut the greenhouse doors about 10pm and the girls were hanging around outside and there was a lovely contented hum.
Inspection today revealed they are expanding nicely (8 frames of brood in main box and already 5 frames of brood in half box) and no QCs. Lots of BIAS and stores and one super filled waiting to be capped, 2nd super just starting. Lovely and calm.
Mite drop of 33 after two vapes but think ants have been carting them off
Today I found out someone local is getting rid of bees due to house move so sharing three colonies with my lovely mentor who lost hers this winter. Picking up at the weekend, very excited!

 

[GuyNir]

Popped out to shut the greenhouse doors about 10pm and the girls were hanging around outside and there was a lovely contented hum.
Inspection today revealed they are expanding nicely (8 frames of brood in main box and already 5 frames of brood in half box) and no QCs. Lots of BIAS and stores and one super filled waiting to be capped, 2nd super just starting. Lovely and calm.
Mite drop of 33 after two vapes but think ants have been carting them off
Today I found out someone local is getting rid of bees due to house move so sharing three colonies with my lovely mentor who lost hers this winter. Picking up at the weekend, very excited!

Are you vaping with supers on?

 

[masterBK]

Checked 9 mating nuclei in mhy garden today. results 6 queens laying OK, one nucleus robbed and died out (bees all dead in heap on floor and stores all eaten with cappings torn down typical of robbing) , One queen in Apidea seems to have disappeared (saw her a couple of weeks ago) and has probably absconded with half the bees and finally my first 2021 unmated drone layer (see brood photos). I expected a few more considering the weather in may (and maybe will see more when I go to the out apiary where I have many more mating nuclei.
The drone laying queen is laying one egg per cell but in very patchy pattern. Bees have raised supersedure cells in response but on unfertilised eggs so nucleus is doomed. Will take it down to outapiary tomorrow and shake it out.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Nuc'd one queen. One swarm cell capped but queen still at home.
One QC with an egg spotted so back to that one on Sunday
More supers on two
One colony I'm trying to move up into a standard box have filled the brood with honey so back to the drawing board.
Then the rain came down so the rest being done tomorrow.

 

[Moobee]

Are you vaping with supers on?

No, took them off and put back on afterwards. I heard some people leave them on? I believe OA occurs naturally in honey but I don’t know at what concentration and thought that was the safest course of action.

 

[Erichalfbee]

No, took them off and put back on afterwards. I heard some people leave them on? I believe OA occurs naturally in honey but I don’t know at what concentration and thought that was the safest course of action.

Yes that works if you really need to treat.

 

[elainemary]

Put roller cages on sealed queen cells from Cloakboard top box. Should emerge early next week so will check virgin queens all ok, then cage and put into 3 frame Nucs with excess nurse bees and sealed brood

Glad I checked the bottom box below the Cloake board again, as found 3 swarm cells so did swarm control, making a large split from the bottom box using a spare polyhive a friend gave me just last week. Hadn’t had the chance to paint it yet. Gave that split a frame of eggs and young larva from a green queen I like

Put a Horsley board under the box with the grafts and moved to the top of the pile above the supers. Turned the entrance to the back. Had to use a large eke to fill the gap between wbc lifts and inner boxes. All 3 supers getting full so added a super with foundation to keep all the emerged bees busy

Ive not done some of these techniques before, so now see the downside with building a large hive to use a Cloakboard with, takes some managing! Leads to hive being close to swarming but upside should be very well fed cells and good quality queens, if you can hold it all together. Plus complicated in WBCs!

Will have made 7 new queens - 5 grafts, 1 supersedure cell when I first set up Cloakboard and 1 queen with larva donated from a separate queen, given to the split, from doing swarm control

Now got to crack on with making up extra super frames, the flow is pouring in. Despite poor start to spring it’s turning out to be the best spring I’ve had

 

[madasafish]

Roller caged 8 QCs into incubator.
Made a nuc from one frame BIAS+bees from two nucs with air freshener , united with Queen Right Kieler mini nuc.

 

[Moobee]

Buzzed excitedly around my bee cabin doing an inventory check. Picking up more bees on Saturday evening which are in polyhives so want to eventually transfer them across to wood nationals. Just making sure I have enough stuff plus plenty of spares
Also checking out wood stores to make some more cover boards. I find them really useful when doing inspections to keep the exposed boxes nice and calm.

 

[W0otz]

Installed my first nuc... and so the adventure begins!

 

[Angularity]

Checked a large swarm we boxed a week ago. They have filled every cell in a 14x12 brood box with nectar, in seven days, so if they have got a queen, she's not laying anything. I put a drawn super on in hope rather than expectation.

Four swarms of varying ages, and only one with eggs in. I think we're feeding the swifts with our queens.

 

[The Poot]

Installed my first nuc... and so the adventure begins!

May the buzz be with you