What did you do in the Apiary today?

[pargyle]

No such thing as too many bees. Not enough spare hives, now there's a real problem...

Yes, that's usually my problem ....no matter how much kit I manage to accumulate the bees seem determined to thwart my efforts to house them !

 

[Moobee]

Almost impossible to say ... Looks to me like a weak colony that just dwindled - there are stores available so only the last few may have starved. No obvious signs of disease and after your varroa treatment that should not have been an issue. I'd suggest it was late season queen failure - not enough winter bees laid up and they just died out. A small colony going into winter with too much space doesn't help.

It happens, clear it out and move on. Nobody likes to see a dead out but we've all experienced it at some point - the problem with keeping livestock is that you occasionally have to deal with dead stock.

I’ve cleared out the dead bees and reassembled the hive, blocked the entrance and strapped it up and saved the best of the frames with drawn comb and/or stores put it in the freezer.

 

[Moobee]

Watched the girls whizzing out this morning in succession and returning laden with pale yellow pollen, which I think is pussywillow, as our tree and the ones in the local park are all in flower. Spring has most definitely sprung!

 

[Boston Bees]

Noticed a significant uptick in bees collecting water from the upturned lid I use to provide it. We are into the couple of months where they always seem to need a lot of water, so might be worth putting some out for them.

Every year they use this water source frantically in spring, then not at all in summer ..... I am sure there's an obvious reason for it ....

 

[Norton]

Cyprus: It was just 3C last night here on the coast (-7 in the mountains), this morning as soon as it hit 10C, out they came.
Mini+ hives.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Been sunny all day here but oh so windy. It seems to have been windy most days since the storms this winter. All the early willow catkin buds got blown off

 

[victor meldrew]

A colony I was concerned about, were out this afternoon in spite of the biting wind and bucketing pollen in .in fact they were busier than any other in the apiary . The fondant I gave them late Autumn hasn’t been used !

 

[Moobee]

Finally decided to order some UFEs. I’m not good enough at woodwork to make my own so placed an order with Thornes and look forward to trying them out. Think it will be a huge benefit with the windy weather we get here and saves the faff of mouseguards. Just need to decide how I’m going to do the OA vaping.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just need to decide how I’m going to do the OA vaping.

Vape from below the OMF - metal tray instead of the plastic inspection tray, put the varrox on that with a piece of foam stuffed in the gap between the tray and the floor. I've never bothered shutting up the entrance

 

[E&MBees]

Finally decided to order some UFEs. I’m not good enough at woodwork to make my own so placed an order with Thornes and look forward to trying them out. Think it will be a huge benefit with the windy weather we get here and saves the faff of mouseguards. Just need to decide how I’m going to do the OA vaping.

If you know of a local handy person / carpenter, they may be able to make some for you once they have seen the actual thing. Might save a bit of money.

 

[enrico]

Vape from below the OMF - metal tray instead of the plastic inspection tray, put the varrox on that with a piece of foam stuffed in the gap between the tray and the floor. I've never bothered shutting up the entrance

Exactly what I do too

 

[enrico]

Cyprus: It was just 3C last night here on the coast (-7 in the mountains), this morning as soon as it hit 10C, out they came.
Mini+ hives.

Blimey that's one tall hive!

 

[victor meldrew]

Exactly what I do too

I made my own
The construction is easy , my joinery skills are woeful but you can’t go wrong !

 

[victor meldrew]

Noticed a significant uptick in bees collecting water from the upturned lid I use to provide it. We are into the couple of months where they always seem to need a lot of water, so might be worth putting some out for them.

Every year they use this water source frantically in spring, then not at all in summer ..... I am sure there's an obvious reason for it ....

Easy dragging plus shallow dish quickly warming so up!

 

[Nannysbees]

Hefted the hives today three have dropped one stayed the same!!!

 

[E&MBees]

Hefted hives, noticeable drop in weight from last week. Fondant in situ. Hive entrances very busy, well laden bees returning. Definite change in activity levels peering through the poly crown boards, the winter sluggishness seems to be being shaken off. This one stopped for a quick rest!

.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Gorse pollen going in today

 

[Moobee]

Vape from below the OMF - metal tray instead of the plastic inspection tray, put the varrox on that with a piece of foam stuffed in the gap between the tray and the floor. I've never bothered shutting up the entrance

I’ve got a GasVap thingy so was thinking of either doing it from the top through the feeder hole in the crownboard or drilling a hole that I can plug through the base of the brood box?
Doesn’t OA corrode the mesh?

 

[Moobee]

Noticed a significant uptick in bees collecting water from the upturned lid I use to provide it. We are into the couple of months where they always seem to need a lot of water, so might be worth putting some out for them.

Every year they use this water source frantically in spring, then not at all in summer ..... I am sure there's an obvious reason for it ....

Ditto! Lots of bees collecting some quite grim looking water from the lid of a blood, fish & bonemeal bucket!

 

[JamezF]

I noticed several queen wasps out and about today. Not sure that's a good idea yet. There can't be too much around to feed the larvae right now. I'm actually quite surprised to see any at all. They had a very tough time here last spring because it turned so cold after the queens had started nest-building.

James