What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Nannysbees]

I’m on 14x12 two of mine are similar. I took two frames out

What do you do with the frames you took out? Do you replace with foundation or drawn comb?

 

[E&MBees]

I replaced mine with drawn. The frames with stores, I will keep for when my two new queens arrive in May. I’ll use them to make up some nucs. I can’t freeze them, don’t have the space, so they will be stored in a plastic box with a lid.

 

[Nannysbees]

I replaced mine with drawn. The frames with stores, I will keep for when my two new queens arrive in May. I’ll use them to make up some nucs. I can’t freeze them, don’t have the space, so they will be stored in a plastic box with a lid.

It's tricky as I can't freeze them either and don't want anymore hives or nucs, so I could be on a positron of trading 8 brood frames and nowhere for them to go. Could I extract and feed it back to them when they need it?

 

[E&MBees]

It's tricky as I can't freeze them either and don't want anymore hives or nucs, so I could be on a positron of trading 8 brood frames and nowhere for them to go. Could I extract and feed it back to them when they need it?

I think that is what Elainemary has done in the past. There is another thread, Feeding in March which mentions doing that.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I Store or extract. Depends how much room I have. All the frames removed were replaced with drawn comb. In a few weeks when dandelions are going full pelt I’d use foundation.

 

[Nannysbees]

I Store or extract. Depends how much room I have. All the frames removed were replaced with drawn comb. In a few weeks when dandelions are going full pelt I’d use foundation.

What do you do with the extracted honey? Feed it back when there is a shortage?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Went out last week and forgot to add washing soda to the bucket (had to visit out-of-the-way Tesco); disobeyed van satnav three times (Covid brain fog); failed to light smoker effectively four times (damp chippings).

6/10, room for improvement.

 

[Markthebuilder]

Inspected 3 hives today. 13 deg in the shade 27 in the sun. All Queen right ,lots of stores in all and one with plenty of bias. 2 not as advanced. the nuc housing my late captured swarm, is only just surviving . Gave it some stores including a frame with pollen and some capped brood (2 chances). I had left a super of uncapped honey on my 8 frame , which is now beautifully capped they also have plenty stores so I have robbed them and put drawn frames back in,

 

[elainemary]

Inspected 3 hives today. 13 deg in the shade 27 in the sun. All Queen right ,lots of stores in all and one with plenty of bias. 2 not as advanced. the nuc housing my late captured swarm, is only just surviving . Gave it some stores including a frame with pollen and some capped brood (2 chances). I had left a super of uncapped honey on my 8 frame , which is now beautifully capped they also have plenty stores so I have robbed them and put drawn frames back in,

One of mine had a nadired super of heather, they’d capped that too whilst it was nadired, lovely white cappings. Incredibly frugal with their stores this winter. Just eaten around the edges of the frames. I’ve taken the nadired super away as they had plenty of stores on the edge of the brood nest, popped on a wet super above. They were bringing in copious amounts of dandelion nectar yesterday. Already on 6 frames brood (judging from the first and end frame adjacent to the stores.

I will save the capped heather and either give back in a dearth or use one frame per colony in the week before the heather flow and uncap it to give them the scent of heather. Heathermen used to do that (read about it old books) - gets the bees foraging for heather v quickly.

I’ve been impressed at the strength of my colonies coming out of winter & I’m partly putting this down to the heather I left them with last autumn

 

[Moobee]

Saw a bee-fly (Bombylius major) working some grape hyacinths in my bee garden today. Enormous proboscis for such a small insect. Rushed into house to get camera but too late as it had flown off by time I got back. Will keep the camera handy and hopefuly it will come back and will post pic if I get one. The larvae of this species lives in the nest of some solitary bees and wasps and is parasitic on their offspring

For those interested go to
Cute and fluffy: meet the bee-flies - Discover Wildlife

They're very fast - hard to photograph!

 

[Moobee]

what is this obsession with 'splitting' a colony before the season has not even started properly?
This is going to end in tears.
Too early for a demarree, especially with colder (ie normal for the time of year) weather due next week and the chances of a decently reared then mated queen is pretty slim.

I haven't even seen any drones in my colonies yet...

 

[Murox]

Put together and painted a new poly hive today in eager anticipation . 15 degrees today, and light winds - must be summer

 

[Ringlander]

There's clearly a wide variation of conditions across the country. Here in Norfolk the first quick look in all four of my 14x12 colonies shows they are queen right with a good quantity of BIAS, even the weakest has 4 frames with good amounts of brood on. Some drones seen in 2 of the 4 hives, some drone brood in all 4. No signs of any playcups or swarm preps yet. One with a venerable green queen has about 25% drone brood so she's running out of steam sadly. Stores are all healthy, will probably have to strip some out afternoon weeks cold spell.

 

[Nannysbees]

Inspected the last two hives today. Same as the others two chocca with stores In the brood and the half. Swapped the outer frame in the brood with foundation, added a super and put three of the full frames in the super and replaced them with drawn comb in the half. Learned a valuable lesson with feeding fondant. I think they had enough stores without it!!!! Drone brood present in two colonies, one a lot more than the other. This time last year faced with 9 charged queen cells in one hive

 

[Nannysbees]

Wax moth larvae?

 

[Wilco]

Wax moth larvae?

Yes

 

[pargyle]

Wax moth larvae?

yes .. Greater wax moth by the look of it.

 

[Swn58]

I haven't even seen any drones in my colonies yet...

It's too early here for drones. No drones.....no action. It's as simple as that. In the past I tried splitting colonies early. I lost bees....weakened the stock and then lost queens as well. In my humble opinion there has to be good drone evidence, before any colony manipulation can take place?

 

[SWHives]

Its been a week since first inspection so checked both hives yesterday. One of them has 6 frames of brood in all stages (literally no space on these frames) so added space for these under the brood box. There is a good amount of pollen and some nectar as well. On the second hive there are still 3 frames of brood but these are now full of brood as opposed to a week ago when it was more like an egg shape brood pattern, but lot larger, in the middle of the 3 frames. Stores and pollen also present.