What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Foxylad]

First year trying foundation less frames. Very pleased with what the girls have achieved in just a week.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

first chance to inspect the home apiary, surprised to see one of my favourite queens which I was convinced they would supersede at the end of last season still laying a good pattern with enough red paint showing to convince me she was still there. Supered quite a few colonies and transferred four nucs to full hives which are now shut in, strapped up and sat in the truck ready to move to out apiaries needing replacements.

 

[JamezF]

Handy that you should post that video again as I was wanting to make up some frames like that myself.

James

 

[madasafish]

Supered last colony.
Moved one National nuc to full hive
Moved one Lang nuc to full hive. Marked supercedure Queen.
Set up two bait hives.

Helped training at Association Apiary

 

[Erichalfbee]

I am currently using foundationless frames made with fishing line, using the "2 nail" method used in this video, and find it very easy to do, and the results are excellent.



Just make sure your hive stands are completely level in all directions so the comb is drawn down vertically.

Thanks for this, BB. It looks much easier than the method Stan devised.

 

[jeff33]

Thanks for this, BB. It looks much easier than the method Stan devised.

I use something similar for my swarm boxes but instead of 4 nails I use 2 drawing pins on the outside of the side bars. I have ordered some wire this year for a change.

 

[Boston Bees]

Thanks for this, BB. It looks much easier than the method Stan devised.

No problem.

So far I am trying out using 3 horizontal strands in a brood frame, with a tack at either end. Feels about right.

I use these tacks, which have a wide enough head to really trap the line, but there are probably better options:

 

[Goran]

 

[elainemary]

Only managed to check one colony. It was bursting at the seams, 11 frames of bias. Despite adding a second brood box last week, they hadn’t utilised it. Found a charged qc, probably day 2-3 egg lying on a healthy bed of royal jelly. I couldn’t find the queen today so will return tomorrow, split the frames into pairs and nuc her. It will be interesting to see what my other colonies are doing.
Well at least I spotted what they’re up to in time. Two years ago, in lockdown, my first colony having overwintered successfully, swarmed on Good Friday to next doors deckchair.

Sounds they’re doing really well and good job spotting that queen cell! When you added the 2nd box did you move some brood up into it? I find this helps move the bees and nurses up into the second box and the queen soon moves onto adjacent combs.
Hope you find her ok for your split

 

[Amari]

My bees are enjoying the best spring flow for some years. Last w/e I added second supers to most hives and yesterday found that these were almost full of nectar, so added 3rd supers. Quite surprising as the OSR is about 800m from my main apiary - other years it has been adjacent.

 

[Murox]

>>>>>>>>>>>.snip>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..
SWMBO gets me to paint this every year, but won't allow bees to be put in it.
I've persuaded her to let me put lemon grass in it because "it will keep the wasps away"
I may of course regret this later

That seems to be a major flaw in most "cunning plans" as Baldrick often discovered.

 

[Swn58]

Anyone know what pale green pollen might be?

Laurel?

 

[Martimart]

Hoping for a quiet day. Wednesday saw one of my 2 hives swarm, which I caught and transferred into a Nuc then next day into a Hive because of its size. Yesterday I planned to inspect both Hives properly, but in the late morning saw more Bee’s in the sky. Thought it might have been a cast swarm from the previous Hive, again caught them and put these in a Nuc box. Checked both my 2 hive and no Queen in either, spotted side open QC in one and removed all but one QC from the other hive.

So previously looked at for food late March, then weather changed to really wet and cold, until this last week. With both Hives having swarmed this week, inspecting at a push last weekend, would still have been too late to manage? Not sure what else I could of done as last time I had a quick look nothing really out of the ordinary.

I have now got 3 Hives and a Nuc, Not quite sure how to manage the swarmed hives or what to expect from these. I’m sure one hive has a queen in because I’m seeing larva and I think eggs.

Onwards and upwards

 

[gwt_uk]

Inspected 5 colonies in East Lothian. All building up nicely and all supered. Will need to keep an eye on one colony - there were 4 queen cups with eggs so would assume they are preparing to swarm.

 

[E&MBees]

Sounds they’re doing really well and good job spotting that queen cell! When you added the 2nd box did you move some brood up into it? I find this helps move the bees and nurses up into the second box and the queen soon moves onto adjacent combs.
Hope you find her ok for your split

I found her, thanks. On the last pair of frames. She is now in a nuc. Marked her too. They had made other qc’s that I missed yesterday. Removed all but one and wil review later in the week.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Inspected 5 colonies in East Lothian. All building up nicely and all supered. Will need to keep an eye on one colony - there were 4 queen cups with eggs so would assume they are preparing to swarm.

If you have queen cups with eggs you need to check again in three days.

 

[gwt_uk]

If you have queen cups with eggs you need to check again in three days.

Thanks yes will check again. I was thinking to split them but couldn’t find the queen on this occasion

 

[Swarm]

I found her, thanks. On the last pair of frames. She is now in a nuc. Marked her too. They had made other qc’s that I missed yesterday. Removed all but one and wil review later in the week.

Maybe harvest a comb with a nice, sealed cell to a little mating nuc as well?
Well done for finding her.

 

[E&MBees]

Sorted out the other colonies after putting Queen M (named after M in James Bond, elusive but in control) in the nuc. Marked the queens, they are building up quickly so added a super to the double brood. Play cups noted, so will keep a close eye.

 

[lindsay s]

Hi all
Sorry that I haven’t posted for a few months but I was very busy at work through the winter. We had a short spell of good weather in mid March and the bees were quite active but that was followed by three weeks of cold and damp weather so I haven’t been able to get a proper look at the bees until now. The temperature has been as high as 12c a couple of times this week and because the bees were flying well I managed to carry out quick inspections on all of the hives (13 colonies in total). I have plenty to talk about but this post is about the condition of my hives.
As usual I expected to see slugs, slaters and mouldy combs and I was right. About half of the hives had the odd slug, all of my cedar hives had slaters and all of my hives had mouldy combs on the edges of the brood boxes with exception of my poly nucs. A few of my cedar hives had damp corners as well. I was most disappointed to find mouldy combs in my new poly hives. I bought them because I’ve never had bother with mouldy combs in my poly nucs and I thought they might be the same. I have removed about 20 mouldy frames and they will probably be dumped if I don’t have the time to clean and sterilise them, here’s photos of the worst ones.