What did you do in the Apiary today?

[nettle]

Did a second AS on my one good hive as there were sealed QCs today. There were still a lot of bees though, I hope I've caught them before they swarmed. I'd have preferred to nuc the queen instead, but I'm incapable of ever finding her

The colony from the first split failed to produce a queen, and now I have laying workers. So that's two laying worker hives, and yet another new queenless colony in the apiary so I can't shake them out.

This season's turning into a bit of a disaster

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Swarm call to my uncle's farm, we know exactly where it came from - an oak tree in the paddock next to the house, so they'd flown less than six yards before settling. 'it's nice and low for you to reach' yea, right - in a pile of old sticks, brambles and nettles, too low to get a nuc under it managed to scoop a load in supervised from a distance of six feet by Teifion leaning on the gate six feet away, and the grand children's pony nuzzling my shoulder (I'm sure if it was one of his racehorses he wouldn't be so laid back!!)
Another trip down there at dusk now to (hopefully) close them up and bring home

 

[Erichalfbee]

Would you requeen at the same time as removing the floor then? This hive definitely had CBPV last year and this year it’s not shiny or shaking bees but more ones who just can’t fly and are walking in front of the hive generally with open wings, but not k wing and some have swollen abdomens. Very small number have shrivelled wings so should do a sugar roll test for varroa as well.

I requeen ASAP.

 

[Nannysbees]

So..... two hives are on a brood and a half and are packed, how do I change them to a double brood , or should I just add another super with a qx on top so in effect they become a dd? I'm unsure what to do with the half, I don't want two and a half if that makes sense!!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Did a second AS on my one good hive as there were sealed QCs today. There were still a lot of bees though, I hope I've caught them before they swarmed. I'd have preferred to nuc the queen instead, but I'm incapable of ever finding her

The colony from the first split failed to produce a queen, and now I have laying workers. So that's two laying worker hives, and yet another new queenless colony in the apiary so I can't shake them out.

This season's turning into a bit of a disaster

Can you get somebody to help you find and mark your queen?
What did you do with the capped queen cells?

 

[Erichalfbee]

So..... two hives are on a brood and a half and are packed, how do I change them to a double brood , or should I just add another super with a qx on top so in effect they become a dd? I'm unsure what to do with the half, I don't want two and a half if that makes sense!!!

These I presume are queenright?
Then put a brood over the existing one
Shake all the bees down if you can’t find the queen ( if you can just pop her down) put in a QX and put the half on top.

 

[Moobee]

Inspected two 3 frame nucs I made up on 18th May with sealed QCs from Hive 2. Both QCs had hatched by 24th but on inspection today, no eggs and no sign of a queen in either.
Bees pretty happy and bringing in stores.
Seems a long gap if the queens have mated and made it back?

 

[Nannysbees]

These I presume are queenright?
Then put a brood over the existing one
Shake all the bees down if you can’t find the queen ( if you can just pop her down) put in a QX and put the half on top.

Brilliant thank you very much

 

[nettle]

What did you do with the capped queen cells?

I took them down and gave eggs and young larvae to the new hive in the old location. It seems a waste, and if I had one of those small mating nucs I'd have tried to keep one as insurance. It makes me very nervous having only one queen-right colony.

I think I'll see if I can get anyone from my association to help me with queen marking. My old mentor's got health issues now so can't give me practical help anymore.

 

[The Poot]

Inspections with grand children.
First check on small colony from nuc, following discovery of sealed emergency cells on May 19th. (I’ve been very patient for once!).
Queen seen , together with sealed and unsealed brood. Kids delighted to see the queen and the bees waggle dancing. Clear signs the dearth period is over too.
Main colony firing on all four, with a huge amount of sealed brood. Queen seen. Three supers just need finishing off following loss of stores through the dearth. Slightly disturbed to see nectar back filling the gaps where brood has emerged, but no signs of swarm preps. I hope it was nectar dumped ready for moving up tonight. Added fourth super, next to brood box.
Both sets of bees very calm indeed.

 

[Goran]

Distributed more half frames into brood boxes.. Linden is actual and they are grumpy, I leave them be..
Since I am unemployed I had a time to walk around in the forest.. This year are soo many wild boars, forest smells like I am in pigsty .. I met few dozens, even one small piglet run toward me.. It mistaken me with his mother I believe.. Having a picture of his mother rushing toward me to tear me apart as greasy sack.. I yelled to it, to go away.. Couple hinds were casually running in front of me.. I think something is very very very rotten in our country.. too many wild animals which devastate agriculture.. few days ago one deer stroke our fence and made some damage to our fruit trees.. No good..

 

[Dutchman]

Extracted honey from 8 supers, only one or two combs were sealed, most of them were less than a quarter capped or not at all. But got 80 kg of honey, 16/17% , good start to the season, hope that's only the beginning.

 

[jeff33]

Just inspected the vicinity apairy, 12 hives, 2 nucs, and 3 minis in under 2h......All new 2022 queens now laying, 1 potentially in swarm mode but she is newly mated. Flow has started, finally!

 

[W0otz]

Marked a queen in a nuc, put her back on the top bars and they started balling her. Perhaps the paint wasn't dry enough and they didn't like the smell?
Managed to rescue her and put her on the face of a frame away from the previous action, she started walking around with no further sign of aggression so hopefully she'll be ok. In a week's time either she'll be there, or emergency cells will!

 

[Swarm]

Marked a queen in a nuc, put her back on the top bars and they started balling her. Perhaps the paint wasn't dry enough and they didn't like the smell?
Managed to rescue her and put her on the face of a frame away from the previous action, she started walking around with no further sign of aggression so hopefully she'll be ok. In a week's time either she'll be there, or emergency cells will!

If you remove her to mark, don't put her back where foraging bees may be, run her onto a comb of nurse bees.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Saw some hives with nectar in! about time too........

 

[JimBee463]

Gave my hives a few coats of paint, in readiness for my colony coming home. Put one of the hives outside and very quickly had a really inquisitive worker buzzing around it, for ages. Maybe i'll get a swarm move in? That would be nice

 

[Nannysbees]

Had to do a split, didn't want to do a split but the bees had other ideas, swarm cells like they were going out of fashion. Thought we'd headed it off but no!!!!! Had to quickly go and buy a floor and roof to house the queen food and brood leaving the hive to grow a new queen. As I have said I do not want 5 hives, what age my options? Can I reunite at a later date or?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I do not want 5 hives, what age my options? Can I reunite at a later date or?

yes, unite later
you could have put the queen in a nuc until the new one was mated then decide.

 

[Nannysbees]

yes, unite later
you could have put the queen in a nuc until the new one was mated then decide.

Thy only nuc we had was the plastic green box the bees came in and it was getting really hot in this weather, so we went ahead put her in a hive and used a dummy board to limit the space, put some feed on top. I think reuniting would by ideal later on. How long would I wait, in no hurry just want to time it right. Thank you