What did you do in the Apiary today?

[gwt_uk]

Had to check all colonies today even though it is a bit cool (only day I had free). 2 hives all good - no sign of swarm behaviour. 1 hive has swarmed - I have left one QC in place. I was contemplating buying a new queen for it and still might. My Buckfast colony had charged cells in in it so found the queen, re-marked her and made up a new Nuc - First time doing this- fingers crossed it works! The hive that has swarmed still had almost of the honey in the supers.

 

[Moobee]

Checked the nuc I made up last week. Queen still laying well but they were short on stores so added some syrup in a feeder on top.
The hive she came from has produced some nice sized QCs so knocked them all back except one good one and will now leave them to it. These are the unlucky ones!

 

[StephenT]

Bees, Booze and the chooks released from Henitentiary

 

[gregior]

No inspections today just watched the bees at the entrance. We had a bit of rain the other day and it's quite humid now and there is a big flow on from the last of the dandelions and i'm guessing sycamore too.

 

[Wilco]

First super off, extracting later! Most other hives not at that point yet but it's OSR so acting fast.

Hens out also.

 

[Swarm]

Checked the nuc I made up last week. Queen still laying well but they were short on stores so added some syrup in a feeder on top.
The hive she came from has produced some nice sized QCs so knocked them all back except one good one and will now leave them to it. These are the unlucky ones!
View attachment 31710

Incubator.

 

[Erichalfbee]

First super off, extracting later! Most other hives not at that point yet but it's OSR so acting fast.

Hens out also. View attachment 31716

I love the interloper.
Many years ago when I first started keeping hens I shut them up one night and when I let them out a cockerel popped out with them. Cheeky beggar. No idea where he came from but he legged it across the garden and disappeared.

 

[Wilco]

I love the interloper.
Many years ago when I first started keeping hens I shut them up one night and when I let them out a cockerel popped out with them. Cheeky beggar. No idea where he came from but he legged it across the garden and disappeared.

I call him Giblets. He's been hanging around when I feed the sheep and talks when he's happy.

 

[Moobee]

Incubator.

Don’t have one of those yet. Baby steps….

 

[JamezF]

I call him Giblets. He's been hanging around when I feed the sheep and talks when he's happy.

Didn't see very many this winter perhaps due to the whole bird 'flu thing, but in previous years we've had several dozen of them turning up in the garden and trying to raid the chicken feeders, at which point a number of them get a swift introduction to the freezer.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

Last year we had a pair courting in the garden for weeks. Not this year though

 

[gregior]

Inspected 10 of mine today the 2 I split last week are ok ,Q+ parts queens back laying and q- parts reduced to 1 cell. The other 8 were ALL making swarm preps although most have plenty of room! Did some splits on the first 5 but just knocked the cells down on the others as i'm completely out of kit now! Will have to figure out what to do with them.
I'm thinking last year the weather was so bad in May hardly any of my colonies attempted swarming but this year the queens are older and the spring has been very good and the swarm impulse seems huge.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Whilst out walking with SWMBO on Sunday I noticed a couple of extremely busy abandoned hives in a meadow the footpath crossed. Today I popped up to the house that backs onto the meadow and asked who owned them. The house owner said a beekeeper used to come from a local town but he's not been back for about 10 years and she assumes he's dead. She asked if I would remove them. I had a look and the are both commercials with a super and completely rotten. There is eveidence of woodpecker damage that has been sealed with propolis and one of the hives seems to have an ants nest coexisting with the bees.
Now I have to work out how to take the hives to a place where I can gradually extract the bees.( they are at present in a forest of bracken.
I'm thinking of making a box slightly larger than the hive and lifting it in then sealing a top on before removing to my isolation apiary where I can operate on it.
I think a may need a hand to take them away when they are sealed in their boxes!

 

[W0otz]

Whilst out walking with SWMBO on Sunday I noticed a couple of extremely busy abandoned hives in a meadow the footpath crossed. Today I popped up to the house that backs onto the meadow and asked who owned them. The house owner said a beekeeper used to come from a local town but he's not been back for about 10 years and she assumes he's dead. She asked if I would remove them. I had a look and the are both commercials with a super and completely rotten. There is eveidence of woodpecker damage that has been sealed with propolis and one of the hives seems to have an ants nest coexisting with the bees.
Now I have to work out how to take the hives to a place where I can gradually extract the bees.( they are at present in a forest of bracken.
I'm thinking of making a box slightly larger than the hive and lifting it in then sealing a top on before removing to my isolation apiary where I can operate on it.
I think a may need a hand to take them away when they are sealed in their boxes!

If they don't need to be gone in a hurry could you do a bailey comb change to get them into new boxes first? Or are these too far gone even for that?

 

[The Poot]

I think you’ll be lucky to move them at all!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes I’d Bailey. I think the second you try to move those boxes they will fall apart.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I think I can move them as I have lifted them to have a look underneath but I agree that when I get them to my isolation apiary I don't really want to rip them apart. Bailey change will be difficult as I don't think they will have a reason to move up through the super which is crammed with stores. Do you?

 

[Wilco]

Simplest option may be lift onto a sheet of ply or something similar. Put large carboard box over top. Tape edges then hope it stays intact in the car!

There may even be an existing plastic box which would go over the top.

 

[jeff33]

I foresee a challenging spring ahead trying to manage the girls from swarming. I had to demaree another 4 hives today and will probably demaree a few more before the weekend.
The first one I demaree 2 weeks ago had another 7 frames of bias in the bottom box + a couple of abandoned Qcs (dried jelly, no larvae). I have clipped my out apiary queens for the first time.
Spring flow has started here and a few more supers were added.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I think I can move them as I have lifted them to have a look underneath but I agree that when I get them to my isolation apiary I don't really want to rip them apart. Bailey change will be difficult as I don't think they will have a reason to move up through the super which is crammed with stores. Do you?

Well you could treat the boxes as a cut out?