What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Beescenter]

I would like to make couple of entrance blocks for my WBC.
I remember seeing different style some were! Does anyone could send me some pictures please?

 

[The Poot]

My Uncle Dan who lived in a static caravan on the Blackpill in the Mumbles (now one of the most sought after residential areas in Swansea) won a prize for the best kept garden and lawn in the area many years ago, the Mayor whilst presenting the prize asked him what is secret was he said 'simple - I have a watering can for a p!ss pot'

There are “sought after residential areas in Swansea”?

 

[Newbeeneil]

Got a call from a local beek couple that have only just arrived in the village and who I met recently when they were playing with their hive in their garden.
"Neil, are you busy at the moment?" - "Not really" - "You couldn't pop down and help use with our bees that have swarmed?"
So I drove the 1/4 mile to find a large swarm on a small apple tree not 25 yrs from the double brood hive. They only started keeping 2 years ago and are a bit clueless so I showed the how to collect the swarm and rehome it. After 30mins all was good and I left them to inspect their existing hive.
I had to pick up a crown board from my main apiary and as I walked across the field I noticed a load of bees in the air above a hedge so went to investigate. There was a small diminishing clump of bees hanging in the hawthorn so I went to investigate the hives and found a mass of bees filing into my 14x12 hive.
Looking around the area I found the clipped queen in a cluster of bees and went to retrieve her only to find the bees seemed to be balling her and as I cleared the majority off one bee was trying to sting her.
I've never seen this sort of behaviour before. Why would the workers try to kill the queen?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

There are “sought after residential areas in Swansea”?

Mumbles and the Black Pill aren't technically Swansea. a few millionaire residences at Blackpill now, with it's maginficent sea views the Mayals is pretty upmarket as well

 

[Erichalfbee]

I spent one new year at the Singleton in Sketty. My bed was by the window and I could see the mumbles and all along the coast. They had some bloomin decent fireworks there

 

[Brown Beek]

Last thing this evening I moved a nuc with a newly emerged queen from the Gelli apiary to home as there's a better chance of her mating here.
Slack day today - meetings all morning so did Llety'r Deryn, the smallest apiary this afternoon. the hives are in an unused part at the far end of their 'Orchard garden' half an acre or so of newly reclaimed piece of wet land which they bought to match the front gardens. Noticed some orchids growing there now and fair play he's given them a chance by mowing around them all.


View attachment 26594View attachment 26595

Oddly enough, JBM, I came across this on the verge of my local footpath yesterday. However, the dog insisted on being in the shot as well. Marsh Orchid I am led to believe.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I spent one new year at the Singleton in Sketty. My bed was by the window and I could see the mumbles and all along the coast. They had some bloomin decent fireworks there

I spent a few night there when I was ten after an argument between my bike and a car (they put me in an adult ward with a man who'd had a hip replacement, one who had been hit on the head with a cricket ball, and a man who had managed to get run over and crushed by his own car). Lovely view, but trying to sleep with the mumbles light flashing four every 20 seconds was a nightmare!

 

[elainemary]

Got a call from a local beek couple that have only just arrived in the village and who I met recently when they were playing with their hive in their garden.
"Neil, are you busy at the moment?" - "Not really" - "You couldn't pop down and help use with our bees that have swarmed?"
So I drove the 1/4 mile to find a large swarm on a small apple tree not 25 yrs from the double brood hive. They only started keeping 2 years ago and are a bit clueless so I showed the how to collect the swarm and rehome it. After 30mins all was good and I left them to inspect their existing hive.
I had to pick up a crown board from my main apiary and as I walked across the field I noticed a load of bees in the air above a hedge so went to investigate. There was a small diminishing clump of bees hanging in the hawthorn so I went to investigate the hives and found a mass of bees filing into my 14x12 hive.
Looking around the area I found the clipped queen in a cluster of bees and went to retrieve her only to find the bees seemed to be balling her and as I cleared the majority off one bee was trying to sting her.
I've never seen this sort of behaviour before. Why would the workers try to kill the queen?

Here’s a thread from earlier in the year about it. 2 types of balling - to protect the queen or to kill her. Will be pheromone driven. Not enough known about why. Only thing you can do (if you have it to hand) is spray with water or in a hive situation close them up.
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/queen-balling.49235/

 

[Newbeeneil]

Here’s a thread from earlier in the year about it. 2 types of balling - to protect the queen or to kill her. Will be pheromone driven. Not enough known about why. Only thing you can do (if you have it to hand) is spray with water or in a hive situation close them up.
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/queen-balling.49235/

Thanks Elaine,
Thinking about it I think the bees we’re trying to get her to fly (she was clipped) and when I got rid of most of the bees a couple were trying to drag her to encourage her I suppose.
The stinging attempt only started when I tried to get the last couple off.
I made up a two frame nuc and put her in. The bees seemed perfectly happy with her in the nuc.

 

[elainemary]

4 virgin queens emerged yesterday, into their roller cages, 12 days after I transferred the larva. V exciting to see the result of my Cloakboard / grafting.
Made up 4 x 3 frame Nucs each with frame of open nectar/honey, pollen and frame of sealed / emerging brood with nurse bees from same box as grafts, plus one shake of bees per box.
Brought the graft frame indoors and transferred each queen into a cage with a fondant plug I’d made of organic icing sugar and my own honey to a v stiff paste. Put the cages on top of the bars and no reaction from the bees except a bit of curiosity. Wasn’t expecting anything negative, as from same colony, though as this is my first time doing this I didn’t want to run her in, might try that next time.
Released the caps and left overnight. Plan to transfer today to a different apiary down in the valley for mating, where there will be more drones.
V. enjoyable rewarding experience so far.

 

[GuyNir]

4 virgin queens emerged yesterday, into their roller cages, 12 days after I transferred the larva. V exciting to see the result of my Cloakboard / grafting.
Made up 4 x 3 frame Nucs each with frame of open nectar/honey, pollen and frame of sealed / emerging brood with nurse bees from same box as grafts, plus one shake of bees per box.
Brought the graft frame indoors and transferred each queen into a cage with a fondant plug I’d made of organic icing sugar and my own honey to a v stiff paste. Put the cages on top of the bars and no reaction from the bees except a bit of curiosity. Wasn’t expecting anything negative, as from same colony, though as this is my first time doing this I didn’t want to run her in, might try that next time.
Released the caps and left overnight. Plan to transfer today to a different apiary down in the valley for mating, where there will be more drones.
V. enjoyable rewarding experience so far.

Fresh VQ have no pheromone (I believe up to 48hr). You can run those in straight, bees won’t notice her. I’ve done it several times.

 

[user 819]

Another colony sugar roll tested today varroa showing up as 0, so any infestation looks low still.
At another apiary site took my 3 CEH honey samples posted them this afternoon.

 

[GuyNir]

All this week cloudy, drizzly and windy. Bees not flying.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Spent an interesting day with the SBI. Incinerating my EFB infected hive then back to my village to check 36 hives over the next 5 hours and found no more infections.
Back to to my place to supply him with tea and biscuits while he completed the paper work.
Great weight of my mind and enjoyable day.

 

[drex]

Later than usual in taking my spring crop off. Was away for two weeks to celebrate wedding anniversary. Thankfully the nearest OSR is over a mile away this year. It usually makes up the bulk of my spring crop.
Because of this and the abysmal weather at start of year, have only taken 9 supers off and some are only part filled ( 6 production colonies) Better crop than I predicted but still poor .
Not lost any swarms to my knowledge ( yet) . The colonies ( except one) are really strong though. Fingers crossed for summer. Never experienced a June gap here thankfully.

 

[Murox]

All this week cloudy, drizzly and windy. Bees not flying.

Yes you have had awful weather, luckily here there have been some sunny breaks though the wind has mostly persisted.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

celebrate wedding anniversary.

Bit of an oxymoron if you use the modern definition of 'celebrate' I suppose or are you celebrating the fact that you haven't buried her under the patio yet?

 

[StephenT]

More QC's in a hive with a fairly new ok laying queen and plenty of room, that we did an AS on just under 2 months back. There was at least 8 cells over 3 frames so assumed swarm cells. Can’t find the Q and run out of brood boxes so did an early morning vertical Snelgrove 2 modified with a makeshift floor and as the hive was double brood, we used one of the brood boxes. This QC’s lark is a gift that keeps giving.

 

[Erichalfbee]

New blood.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

More QC's in a hive with a fairly new ok laying queen and plenty of room, that we did an AS on just under 2 months back. There was at least 8 cells over 3 frames so assumed swarm cells. Can’t find the Q

Sure she's not just gone and you have EQCs?