What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Erichalfbee]

Chopped an MB super so that I can eke a National box and my existing 2 supers working as a 14x12 so I'll have 2 proper 14x12 poly boxes with top bee space.
Got to 15˚ in the garden today though I suspect the hives in the field were probably 2˚ cooler. No need to look in so I'll leave my first inspection till next week when I want to change a floor,one broodbox and remove two under supers.
Bees found some lilies in the conservatory so I put them out. They were very popular

 

[Luminos]

Those are great pictures

 

[MuswellMetro]

went to check some hives, lots of bees covered in bright yellow pollen heavily loaded coming in and others with a darker shade of pollen, tested the pollen under a microscope....yellow was salix Capra ( pussy willow) and darker shades a Wild cherry/blackthorn

what a lovely sight it was

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Lovely day and I cracked under pressure and had a quick peek in all 3.

Each had plenty of stores and 2-3 frames with brood. Plenty of bees and pollen.

 

[rink123]

Bit too cold for checking fully up in Cumbria but watched the girls flying yesterday afternoon and bringing back some pollen. Lots of bees in the daffodils and crocus. 10' and drizzle today.

This is just me not knowing sorry, Do honey bees like daffodils ? I thought not

 

[Tom Bick]

Went to check the hives and to be honest just to watch the pollen going into the hives and as I arrived at the apiary and walked up to the gate Kylie bless her in all her excitement flew straight into my face and tagged me just above the right eye.

 

[borderer]

A great day here in the north lakes, so had a quick peak in some of my hives and the apiary that I look after, 11 hives in all. All doing fine most have four frames of brood, one was on 6 . Two only had a couple of frames of brood, though considering that I thought they had died out, they are not doing to badly, but I expect they will need TLC if they are to prosper. Many of them have a lot of stores in the brood box, so may become restricted for laying space. Better have a read of that post on "managing the spring brood box" again.

 

[Gardenbees]

Unfortunately the tightest bit of my beesuit is elsewhere...

Hey - just be thankful you're not a 38D on one side and a 44H on the other...

 

[MandF]

My quick inspection left more questions than answers.

Very little brood, lots with domed cappings. fewer larvae. Cluster is over 3 frames. Saw an old supercedure cell on a frame outside the brood area, not clear if it was used or just play. Then saw the queen, with no trace of her marker paint, so Im 99% sure its a new Q. Saw a few eggs, so she is laying but my concerns are;

Not a lot of brood, drone brood, patchy. New Q, dont know when she superceded, but obvious concern is that she didnt mate and is a DLQ. Of course, it could be that she is mated ok, but as she is new she hasnt got up to speed with laying fertilised eggs yet.

We manipulated the hive a little, moved the cluster a bit more towards the middle, moved the old/black frames with some dead brood to the edge, and moved some frames with stores back around the cluster, so they have enough space to lay and food nearby.

I will have a look in again next weekend or later this week to see how the new eggs got on and if her laying pattern has improved. Guess we wont know for sure whether she is a DLQ for another few days when they cap the new brood.

Saw some eggs, so she is laying.

 

[MandF]

Oh, and there was plenty of fondant still on the hive, albeit fairly hard.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Checked all 13 hives, only outside visual / fondant check.
All flying well in the 15degs sunshine and loads of bright yellow pollen going into each hive.
Did have to check inside my 2 poly hives as they had finished the fondant and I needed to be sure that they had enough stores. Only very quick check of 4-5 frames and it reassured me that they have some stores (including capped honey / pollen and NEW nectar!!).

Inserted omf varroa monitor boards on all hives for a weekly check and I thought the extra warmth / less ventilation at this time of year would not hurt them.


Then sat and watched the 1 colony at home working the crocus.

 

[user 6228]

The colony named "alwaysfoam" (because the colony has never been in a wooden hive including the queen) has today the following temperatures:

18C at floor level at the back of the hive
29C at the top of a non-central brood frame.

This colony has a PIR Tunnel entrance, deep insulated PIR floor, PIR brood. PIR feeding eke with polycarbonate top and bottom underneath a PIR roof with a small amount of fondant to monitor store requirements with minimal disturbance

The colony named "Waswood" (because the colony was bought in and kept until Autumn in a Th**nes Cedar wooden hive ) has today the following temperature
25C at the junction between the brood box and super at a non central location

This colony now has a bought in poly OMF floor, bought in poly brood, one PIR super and a PIR feeding eke with polycarbonate top and bottom under neath a PIR roof with a small amount of fondant to monitor store requirements with minimal disturbance


The ambient temperature at the time of measurement (7.15am) was 4 C.
__________________

 

[Luminos]

That was great, to open this thread and see your photo, thanks, YorkshireBees

 

[Headnavigator]

That was great, to open this thread and see your photo, thanks, YorkshireBees

Was wondering how you're doing, Luminos. What are your plans?

 

[Luminos]

Was wondering how you're doing, Luminos. What are your plans?

Hi HN, that's kind of you to ask

Well, when I lost my bees a very kind member of the forum P.M'd me with offers of help and advice, and will also sell me a couple of nucs in Spring, so I'm relieved to have someone experienced to ask, and very happy with the opportunity to start again.
I'd bought a 2nd hive 14 x 12, and have been advised to change my 1st WBC to 14 x 12 as well.
I've also been given valuable advice on IPM... Autumn treatment is not necessarily enough!

I'm literally counting the days 'til I get bees again, I can't wait!

 

[Headnavigator]

Good, hope it all goes as planned and you're soon up and running. Mine have made it through, but I'm sure it's as much by luck as judgement since I didn't go for oxalic either. (only used Thymol as per Hivemaker's recipe). Now have to try and split two ways to replace one colony I combined and one new one for my bee buddy. Not hoping for much, am I !

 

[Luminos]

Good, hope it all goes as planned and you're soon up and running. Mine have made it through, but I'm sure it's as much by luck as judgement since I didn't go for oxalic either. (only used Thymol as per Hivemaker's recipe). Now have to try and split two ways to replace one colony I combined and one new one for my bee buddy. Not hoping for much, am I !

Wow you're way ahead - glad your bees all made it, all credit to you. Good luck with the splits

 

[psafloyd]

Yesterday, some of mine were working the cherry all of 20ft away ver hard indeed. But so were bumbles, solitaries and hovers of some description.

 

[FreeFall]

Not as good as some recent pics but not bad for an iPhone. One of the girls gathering water today.


-

 

[YorkshireBees]

@Freefall - Very nice photo!

Busy building frames (2nd's) at work.