What did you do in the Apiary today?

[StephenT]

Watched some bees tonight fly off to dispose of strips of paper after uniting two hives last night. What lovely creatures

 

[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.

Plastic? No good. As you say they re loose and the bees burrow in easily

 

[Erichalfbee]

Plastic? No good. As you say they are loose and the bees burrow in easily

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Another full day with the SBI getting my DASH benchmarking squared off - made even busier by the fact that the bees are bringing the nectar in by the shedload so plenty of toing and froing to the truck for more supers.
Quick heart stopping moment when I found a pepperbox brood pattern and sunken cappings in one hive but quickly remembered they were AMMS and this particular source is notorious for chalkbrood. I was right, a bit of probing around with the tweezers found each and every sunken cap revealed a chalky mummy. this was repeated in all the other colonies of those genetics. If it wasn't for the other good traits they had I would certainly be having a rethink on those.

 

[gregior]

Lifted the crownboards and checked a few super frames to confirm my suspicions that there is indeed a very very big nectar flow on .Bramble is pretty much finished here now some is coming from the clover and willowherb but the nectar they're really piling in is coming from the creeping thistle which is pretty abundant round here and is in full flower. Plenty of moisture in the soil and very good weather forecast for at least the next week -looking good !

 

[StephenT]

Took the QE and remnants of paper off a unite from a couple of nights back from hive 2. Put 2 pieces of paper in this time but they were still through by the following morning. Checked and the Queen was still there and laying. Beginners paranoia. Checked hive 1 as we gave the newish queen a rather liberal paint job last weekend and she was fine. Lovely fat and long orange beauty. More beginners paranoia.

 

[Angry_Mob]

Running out of supers despite me buying in more frames and wax than I thought I ever needed - so the only place I could find reasonably priced frames was C Wynne Jones. Arrived this morning and after dinner this evening made up another 100 frames. Intend to add clearer boards to get some extracted and gave back.

 

[drdrday]

Transferred three of my queen cells into mating hives - fingers crossed they emerge ok and get successfully mated!
I think my Buttercup hive will be extremely grateful that their part in queen rearing is now over. I had a couple of bees pinging my veil constantly while I inspected today, and my bees don't usually do that.
I don't think they've appreciated the multiple visits by me over the last couple of weeks - setting up the Ben Harden BB, doing grafts, checking for acceptance, checking for sealed cells, getting bees to fill the mating hives and transferring the QCs. Much more disturbance than they usually have to suffer through, and with four heavy supers on top it's not been as quick as I would have liked.
Hopefully they'll be back to their usual selves next inspection - which won't be for a while!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Let my last new queen out of her push in cage.
Checked a few broods all stuffed with nectar. Spun out frames just get filled again. Grrrrrrr

 

[Angry_Mob]

Started inspections around 9:00 this morning as I knew it was giving a great day, glad I did as this afternoon was boiling; a new record was set for hottest day in NI beating the 1976 record of 30.8 °c; at 31.2°c.

All supers put on; put clearer boards on multiple hives with the plan to spin out supers and put back on hives tomorrow. Supers are all being drawn out and filled very quickly, really caught me out this year espically given how poor last year was. I thought I had more supers and frames than I ever needed....

More queens came on lay; "crowned" a VQ white as well.

Then I melted.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Started inspections around 9:00 this morning as I knew it was giving a great day, glad I did as this afternoon was boiling;
………Than I melted.

Same here. I understand now why folk have ventilated suits.
Imagine doing it for a living

 

[Angry_Mob]

I do have a ventilated but barely a breeze.

Not sure how they do it in places like California.

 

[elainemary]

Checked the mating nucs at the farm apiary, two weeks since the last virgins were run in. Queens all laying
One from 1st June has failed. Added full compliment of frames to another that has four frames of brood.
New queens from today ...

Lovely queens, well done

 

[elainemary]

V hot, long day. Had a failed unite, no idea why, lovely young queen on 3 frames brood, some sealed. United with newspaper and queenless colony on top. This colony had been queenless for a week and I had removed cells. Left the unite for a week. Emergency cells, most not on the frames that the queen had made, one cell with royal jelly on one frame the queen had been on originally. No eggs & no sign of a queen. Any thoughts?
Was cheered up when eventually took a shower that evening, to find a barn owl that had flown into our bathroom. Flew back out through the window but managed to catch a shot through a crack in the door.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I don’t know if it matters but if the queenright colony is small I always put it on top where the queen seems safer and leave them three days max. Go through the bottom box before I remove the QX

 

[elainemary]

I don’t know if it matters but if the queenright colony is small I always put it on top where the queen seems safer and leave them three days max. Go through the bottom box before I remove the QX

Thanks I put the small colony on the bottom, at the back with some empty frames in front. I will try it above next time.

 

[GuyNir]

I normally put the one moved on top. Not sure it makes any difference though.

 

[GuyNir]

V hot, long day. Had a failed unite, no idea why, lovely young queen on 3 frames brood, some sealed. United with newspaper and queenless colony on top. This colony had been queenless for a week and I had removed cells. Left the unite for a week. Emergency cells, most not on the frames that the queen had made, one cell with royal jelly on one frame the queen had been on originally. No eggs & no sign of a queen. Any thoughts?
Was cheered up when eventually took a shower that evening, to find a barn owl that had flown into our bathroom. Flew back out through the window but managed to catch a shot through a crack in the door.

Cracking pic

 

[GuyNir]

Lots going on today. Verified 2 new Q’s are laying. One colony seem Q- (no open brood and BB full of nectar, all frames), so gave them a test frame just to verify before giving them a Q.
Heavy flow is on. 2 Ross Round boxes given, we’ll see how this goes…

 

[Newbeeneil]

Interesting few days.
Was booked to remove a colony from a flat roof on Friday and when I got on site I found a second. Removed both by 2, one into my box and one into their flowhive already on the roof.

Went to see a woman who has bees in the soffit of her £2m+ house which she bought in November. (The couple are in their mid thirties!!!) and convinced her to live with them rather than pay the best part of £1500 to remove them.

Got a call from a neighbour at one of my apiaries to tell me bees are all around their big oak tree. I check my bees and there are no cells and no evidence of swarming. Check the tree and find bees have taken up residence in a ex squirrels drey in a knot hole. So....... I pop back home to make a mesh cone to put over the hole and a nuc with a comb of brood in it screwed to the branch. Fingers crossed it won't take long to get them out since they don't have brood or stores yet.

Sitting with a drink waiting for SWMBO to sort out my list of garden jobs!!!!!!!