What did you do in the Apiary today?

[SWHives]

Glorious day, bees out in droves, very very strong smell around the hives. Completed the insulation so they are now all cwtched up for the winter.

Nice. Looks neat. What insulation are you using?

 

[Nannysbees]

My girls in slow mo

Nice. Looks neat. What insulation are you using?

25mm recticel

 

[user 819]

My last batch of soft set was a bucket that didn't clear after a couple days at near 40c, so I stirred it three times over the course of the next 24hrs and jarred it up.

 

[pargyle]

Moved 4 colonys of the top of one of the hills today there isn't any ivy flowering up there only gorse flowering.
Fed 112.50 kgs of fondant, ivy flow isnt good at some sites, working round to seeing what's happening elsewhere.
Made my first wax cake today ( first process) it weighs 3kg.View attachment 28748
locally??

Crumbs ... that's a horrible colour ... did you not filter it ? If you did filter it then you've heated it too much ..

This is my wax before I've filtered it :

 

[Angry_Mob]

Removed treatment from 5 hives. Fixed a few feeders were syrup was pooling on opposite side.

Checked a couple of the ivy supers, one hive has just started capping.

 

[Anduril]

Crumbs ... that's a horrible colour ... did you not filter it ? If you did filter it then you've heated it too much ..

This is my wax before I've filtered it :

To me the colour is OK, many years ago my overheated wax was a green colour.
We used to have a German/Irish beekeeper on here who said, that the addition of a few drops of sulphuric acid turned the wax yellow.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Overheated wax bleaches nicely in the sunshine even over winter.
ok to make scented candles

 

[pargyle]

I hefted all my hives .... well, actually, I didn't heft them ... they feel nailed to the ground ... so that's an end to feeding - they are still bringing in pollen and nectar ... I can smell it is ripening - not as strong as the ivy earlier in the week so they may have found something else. What a year - at least they are going into winter with more than enough stores - judging by the feel of them enough to last to April ! From the feel of them now I could have probably got away with less Invertbee but ... rather that than having to faff around with fondant in spring.

I can't believe that anyone will be considering slapping blocks of fondant on for them to overwinter - it cannot just be the Costa del Fareham that it's been so good for them since I took the supers off ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Mine reek of Ivy. If I hadn't fed already I'd have put a super on a couple

 

[Wilco]

Mine reek of Ivy. If I hadn't fed already I'd have put a super on a couple

I've chanced it with some of mine... Just to see what happened.

 

[BigAshW]

Popped up to get the mouseguards on our forest apiary. Most felt pretty heavy put some fondant on a couple as it's what I had available and I'm not sure when I can get back to this apiary. Still plenty of activity and pollen going in.

 

[StephenT]

Took Apivar off the nuc and checked for stores. Plenty of brood for winter bees and just need a couple of kg of sugar in syrup to take them over winter. Plan to take Apivar and empty fondant wrappers off the 3 double brood hives next weekend. Still t-shirt weather down in balmy London with the smell of ivy nectar from all hives.

 

[Ian123]

This Nucs packing it in.

View attachment IMG_0910.MOV

 

[SWHives]

Checked the frames in both hives and they weigh twice as much than two weeks ago. A lot of ivy nectar came in the last week or so. The hives are full of bees and honey, but only found what I think is about 2 frames of brood. If it wasn't autumn I would put a honey super on. Two questions if someone could help please: Is this normal at this time of the year? Are these going to be the winter bees? Also strapped the hives to the stands as it will be windy next week according to the weatherman.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Sounds good to me.

 

[North End Bees]

I can't believe that anyone will be considering slapping blocks of fondant on for them to overwinter - it cannot just be the Costa del Fareham that it's been so good for them since I took the supers off ?

You can't believe that some apiaries actually do need feeding (not only considering feeding) ??

 

[pargyle]

You can't believe that some apiaries actually do need feeding (not only considering feeding) ??

What I mean is ... that having fed mine and with such a good flow of nectar the hives are very heavy with stores ... I would assume that (from other posts on here) that this is very general - certainly in the more temperate parts of the country. I've just heard that a local new beekeeper was advised (without considering the present state of his hives) that he should 'slap a block of fondant' on top of the bars 'just in case'.

I suspect that this advice is being proffered elsewhere and there are still people who think it's necessary to put fondant in their hives 'just in case'. As I said, I can't believe that, after the season end we have had that, after being fed, there are still colonies that are light on stores. Mine are nailed to the ground and I rather suspect I will be removing frames of stores in spring.

 

[North End Bees]

I would assume that (from other posts on here) that this is very general - certainly in the more temperate parts of the country. I've just heard that a local new beekeeper was advised (without considering the present state of his hives) that he should 'slap a block of fondant' on top of the bars 'just in case'.

Conversely, a new beek whose hives actually have low stores could be encouraged by your advice that all is well with his own. Don't assume anything.

As I said, I can't believe that, after the season end we have had that, after being fed, there are still colonies that are light on stores.

You didn't originally say after being fed.
Regardless, as it happens, my out apiary bees are, unusually, not collecting any ivy this year. But the warm weather we've had recently has meant that they've been eating into their stores and will now need extra fondant.

 

[pargyle]

Conversely, a new beek whose hives actually have low stores could be encouraged by your advice that all is well with his own. Don't assume anything.

You didn't originally say after being fed.
Regardless, as it happens, my out apiary bees are, unusually, not collecting any ivy this year. But the warm weather we've had recently has meant that they've been eating into their stores and will now need extra fondant.

Welll... perhaps you had better pay a little closer attention to what I actually said then "From the feel of them now I could have probably got away with less Invertbee but ... rather that than having to faff around with fondant in spring. " So ...this is not the Beginners Section - I would have thought it unneccessary to resort to spelling it out in words of one syllabul. But I'll try and be more specific for your benefit in the future ....

I don't think, with the warm weather we've had lately, they HAVE been eating into their stores - just the opposite in most places (and other people's posts confirm it) the bees are mostly packing the nectar in - Ivy, late season balsam and loads of other stuff that is still available.

Clearly, your out apiary bees are in a minority .... and at this stage perhaps should have already been well fed to top up any discrepancy in the stores situation. But, thereagain, I'm not a proper beekeeper so I'll defer to your greater insight ....

 

[North End Bees]

So ...this is not the Beginners Section - I would have thought it unneccessary to resort to spelling it out in words of one syllabul. But I'll try and be more specific for your benefit in the future ....

As you know, the beginners don't just stick to the beginners' section. There are plenty of beginners reading and taking notes from this thread.

I don't think, with the warm weather we've had lately, they HAVE been eating into their stores - just the opposite in most places

Well, my bees HAVE. It may be the opposite in 'most' places but clearly some people don't have bees in 'most' places.