What did you do in the Apiary today?

[BigAshW]

New queen arrived by post today. I've run out of mated queen's and have one colony that have become positively horrid last quick look in had three stings through the suit before I'd even lifted a frame.

So tomorrow I have the fun job of requeening them.

Plan is to double suit and glove and move the hive ten feet away and put a box in its place then leave them a while. Hopefully that will remove most of the flying bees from the equation and let me work through to find the queen and introduce her to the fence post.

Then I'll pop the new queen cage in straight away and hopefully they'll accept like for like and release her intact.

Just not sure how long it will take to clear all the flying bees out of the hive after I move it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Beware Horrid bees can be equally horrid in accepting a new queen
The least I would do is introduce her in a push-in cage over some emerging brood

 

[Nannysbees]

Watched the bees shooting out of the hives in the glorious sun

 

[Swarm]

New queen arrived by post today. I've run out of mated queen's and have one colony that have become positively horrid last quick look in had three stings through the suit before I'd even lifted a frame.

So tomorrow I have the fun job of requeening them.

Plan is to double suit and glove and move the hive ten feet away and put a box in its place then leave them a while. Hopefully that will remove most of the flying bees from the equation and let me work through to find the queen and introduce her to the fence post.

Then I'll pop the new queen cage in straight away and hopefully they'll accept like for like and release her intact.

Just not sure how long it will take to clear all the flying bees out of the hive after I move it.

Put her in a small nuc with nice bees and let her start laying and gradually remove sealed brood from the bad lot to help build her numbers. When they are looking chipper, kill the bad queen and unite.

 

[BigAshW]

Beware Horrid bees can be equally horrid in accepting a new queen
The least I would do is introduce her in a push-in cage over some emerging brood

I have some of the cages from bee equipment but they don't fully push in around the edges just using pegs at all four corners.

 

[BigAshW]

Put her in a small nuc with nice bees and let her start laying and gradually remove sealed brood from the bad lot to help build her numbers. When they are looking chipper, kill the bad queen and unite.

This is a possibility as I have one space left in one of my mating nucs but it's only a two frame slot so she wouldn't have much time in it before running out of space.

 

[Swarm]

Better safe than sorry in cases like this, is my approach. I've invested money in a queen so I want her to be ok, so last thing I would do is put her in with a nasty bunch.

 

[drdrday]

I could have, if I'd bought some, but the plan was always just to move them to their own mating hives before they emerged.

Cages ordered and on their way - just in case!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have some of the cages from bee equipment but they don't fully push in around the edges just using pegs at all four corners.

Make your own

 

[REDWOOD]

Just the usual, nothing exciting

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Had more or less the day off from physical beekeeping today, did a bit of haggling in the morning with my HMI for some time off to work on Bees Abroad projects and funnily enoguh as if there was some psychic link working, within five minutes of coming to an agreement I had two calls, one from my link trustee and the other from one of my in country trainers asking for some assistance on two projects!! so that was my day taken. Spent the evening loading up the truck with supers and washing my beesuit in readiness for another day of DASH benchmarking with the SBI tomorrow

 

[Newbeeneil]

Went to the in-laws and took a look at the nuc I gave them a month or two ago (they wanted to start beekeeping and I'm advising). Seems I've given them the gentlest queen I've bred and they're doing incredibly well- filling a brood box and about ready to think about going up so super on today.

Wife insisted on taking a look without any PPE despite my protests that it wasn't worth the risk. This is the first time she's looked in a hive. I'm never going to hear the end of this... (secretly a little bit proud).

She looks like she's enjoying it!........... another beek in the family?

 

[Swarm]

Added supers and hived up a few new queens who have out grown their nucs. I seriously considered just adding a third six frame extension, I took two through last winter like that last year but had the boxes with me.
Copped a boot full of bees, that wakes you up
Shook out one that had failed and another is due next visit, DLQ.
Could be forgiven for thinking the bees were pinging but it was simply the traffic, as soon as you left the stand it was quiet. Might have to think about some more supers ( or would that just be tempting fate? )

 

[Wilco]

She looks like she's enjoying it!........... another beek in the family?

I'm starting to hope!

 

[tonyofarr]

Checked the bees at the home apiary yesterday and noticed that the mating nucs that I had set up last week had no activity around them so in the evening I had a look and all but one had swarmed, one had even swarmed and left behind the vq which was now dead.

The nucs I set up at the same time are ok but it looks like I will be grafting again.

 

[Wilco]

Spent the day driving between around between apiaries. DLQ hive shaken out, nucs generally looking good, hive by the heather gearing up very nicely. Wishing I'd reared more queens from my two favourite colonies though!

 

[E&MBees]

Checked on a newly mated queen. A frame and a half of nicely sealed worker brood . Plenty of eggs and larvae seen too.
Not sure about the other new queen. Early days yet, she is a little behind her sister time wise.

 

[Swarm]

Landlord rang earlier, he put his last super on today. I know the hive he is talking about, Cherub, () split away to a nuc at the end of May and now in a hive with two supers. He is off for a weeks hiking and seriously worried they don't have enough space as he couldn't believe the amount of bees she has now. Looks like a few deep supers this year I'm out of shallow frames and foundation.

 

[The Poot]

Landlord rang earlier, he put his last super on today. I know the hive he is talking about, Cherub, () split away to a nuc at the end of May and now in a hive with two supers. He is off for a weeks hiking and seriously worried they don't have enough space as he couldn't believe the amount of bees she has now. Looks like a few deep supers this year I'm out of shallow frames and foundation.

Sounds like you’re having a productive season

 

[Markthebuilder]

Had half a beer and enjoyed the sun then decided to put a brood frame back in the hive that only has flying bees and by now an emerged qc and return some drawn comb to my producing hive. When’s back to finish my beer and got Walloped in the roof of the mouth. Not sure if bee or wasp but it hurts. Couple of burufen and a couple of histamine and a fresh beer are helping but lesson learnt.