What did you do in the Apiary today?

[elainemary]

Took my General husbandry assessment today in blistering heat. Was worried the assessors might cancel and would have been disappointed given all the prep.
2 years of records, queen rearing evidence, setting up utility with extraction equipment and work flow, showing wax and honey, making sure all equipment clean

Assessors wanted to see my records, how I’d selected queens for rearing, produced a pack to head them off!
Then had to carry out 4 tasks with the bees out of a possible 8, so had my equipment set up in advance in bundles. Then a grilling on various honey, wax, bee biology, forage and disease questions.

Now the wait begins, results within 6 weeks. Feels like I’ve just finished my finals, where’s the next party!?

 

[Moobee]

Took my General husbandry assessment today in blistering heat. Was worried the assessors might cancel and would have been disappointed given all the prep.
2 years of records, queen rearing evidence, setting up utility with extraction equipment and work flow, showing wax and honey, making sure all equipment clean

Assessors wanted to see my records, how I’d selected queens for rearing, produced a pack to head them off!
Then had to carry out 4 tasks with the bees out of a possible 8, so had my equipment set up in advance in bundles. Then a grilling on various honey, wax, bee biology, forage and disease questions.

Now the wait begins, results within 6 weeks. Feels like I’ve just finished my finals, where’s the next party!?

Very impressive!

 

[The Poot]

Took my General husbandry assessment today in blistering heat. Was worried the assessors might cancel and would have been disappointed given all the prep.
2 years of records, queen rearing evidence, setting up utility with extraction equipment and work flow, showing wax and honey, making sure all equipment clean

Assessors wanted to see my records, how I’d selected queens for rearing, produced a pack to head them off!
Then had to carry out 4 tasks with the bees out of a possible 8, so had my equipment set up in advance in bundles. Then a grilling on various honey, wax, bee biology, forage and disease questions.

Now the wait begins, results within 6 weeks. Feels like I’ve just finished my finals, where’s the next party!?

At my stage in life, I think I’ll keep myself from such fun
I sure you‘ll get a very positive result. Well done.

 

[Wilco]

Took my General husbandry assessment today in blistering heat. Was worried the assessors might cancel and would have been disappointed given all the prep.
2 years of records, queen rearing evidence, setting up utility with extraction equipment and work flow, showing wax and honey, making sure all equipment clean

Assessors wanted to see my records, how I’d selected queens for rearing, produced a pack to head them off!
Then had to carry out 4 tasks with the bees out of a possible 8, so had my equipment set up in advance in bundles. Then a grilling on various honey, wax, bee biology, forage and disease questions.

Now the wait begins, results within 6 weeks. Feels like I’ve just finished my finals, where’s the next party!?

Looks amazing. Nice set up and prep!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well done. I am in awe of your resilience. After five years at university and a lifetime of learning and CPD I was mentally worn out when I retired. The stress dreams of failing my finals returned for a couple of years.
Then I took up beekeeping to de stress.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Do the metal gates reduce the dripping that you get with the plastic ones?

you get very little dripping with the plastic ones with a bit of care.
The Carl Fritz metal honey gates are excellent

 

[JamezF]

Yep, usually my weakest point. Two pairs of socks usually do it!

I am fortunate enough that the muscles in my lower leg are pretty much an interference fit in my boots, so it's a problem I have avoided

James

 

[The Poot]

you get very little dripping with the plastic ones with a bit of care.
The Carl Fritz metal honey gates are excellent

Cheers, I’ll look that one up.

 

[pargyle]

Took my General husbandry assessment today in blistering heat. Was worried the assessors might cancel and would have been disappointed given all the prep.
2 years of records, queen rearing evidence, setting up utility with extraction equipment and work flow, showing wax and honey, making sure all equipment clean

Assessors wanted to see my records, how I’d selected queens for rearing, produced a pack to head them off!
Then had to carry out 4 tasks with the bees out of a possible 8, so had my equipment set up in advance in bundles. Then a grilling on various honey, wax, bee biology, forage and disease questions.

Now the wait begins, results within 6 weeks. Feels like I’ve just finished my finals, where’s the next party!?

Well done and good luck .... my days of any sort of examinations and people assessming my competence at anything are are well passed ... I'm happy in my blissful ignorance of some aspects of what I do but I can admitre those who want the proof that they have the knowledge.

 

[Brian Bush]

Temperature yesterday 39C in the shade. This morning a chilly 21C!!!!!
I visited 3 apiaries. In one I placed a second 14x12 storey on a 14x12 Paynes NUC box. In the second I had to battle 50lbs of filled free comb built in the roof of one hive. !0 days ago they had not started to fill the super. I wish I knew where it was coming from?
In the third apiary I added new supers to two hives. I think it must be the blackberry!!!!

 

[blackcloud]

 

[Moobee]

Well done. I am in awe of your resilience. After five years at university and a lifetime of learning and CPD I was mentally worn out when I retired. The stress dreams of failing my finals returned for a couple of years.
Then I took up beekeeping to de stress.

How’s that working out for you??

 

[elainemary]

Well done and good luck .... my days of any sort of examinations and people assessming my competence at anything are are well passed ... I'm happy in my blissful ignorance of some aspects of what I do but I can admitre those who want the proof that they have the knowledge.

Plus means if I pass I can help beginners by becoming a Basic assessor and hopefully pass some knowledge on

 

[Moobee]

Well done and good luck .... my days of any sort of examinations and people assessming my competence at anything are are well passed ... I'm happy in my blissful ignorance of some aspects of what I do but I can admitre those who want the proof that they have the knowledge.

I’m enjoying the challenge of furthering my beekeeping knowledge having been denied University education many years ago. My father refused to pay for me to go…… I wanted to study zoology at either Durham or Bristol

 

[Erichalfbee]

My father refused to pay for me to go…… I wanted to study zoology at either Durham or Bristol

Ouch!
I wanted to go to Bristol but ended up in Glasgow

 

[elainemary]

I’m enjoying the challenge of furthering my beekeeping knowledge having been denied University education many years ago. My father refused to pay for me to go…… I wanted to study zoology at either Durham or Bristol

I come from a hard working working class family and was the first to go to Uni. I studied Biological sciences at Birmingham university. My parents had v little money so I got a full grant. Those were the days when you could go to Uni and leave debt free (I left £75 in credit which I used to go inter-railing).
Are you thinking of taking some bee exams? I’d recommend it, if you enjoy studying and it’s a nice project in the winter months when beekeeping is quiet.

 

[pargyle]

I’m enjoying the challenge of furthering my beekeeping knowledge having been denied University education many years ago. My father refused to pay for me to go…… I wanted to study zoology at either Durham or Bristol

I understand ... there are those who enjoy the mental challenge of adding to their knowledge in a structured and formally assessed way. I never enjoyed exams ... I collect knowledge readily and I'm told I am good at passing knowledge on, but regurgitating it in random chunks in a pressured environment has no appeal. I've done the qualifications that have been necessary over the years and I was fortunate to enjoy a full and largely useful education, encouraged and paid for by my parents ... I enjoyed the learning, hated the exams. I am in awe of those who choose, willlingly, to have their knowledge formally tested ... All credit to you for doing it.

 

[Wilco]

Inspections easing but went around most in the last couple of days. Flow is over so clearing down. Think I'll move more to the heather than initially planned although if anything it looks less ready than last week. Wonder if it got baked too much.

I have a feeling the ivy could be early this year although doubt it'll be as good as last year.

At one apiary I didn't like the way a car slowed down significantly near me as I entered so I've now got the willies and am moving them out tonight.

The attached video may be of interest. One queen which I introduced recently to a stubbornly Q- hive. Finally, this one has been accepted but looks like it wasn't an easy ride for her and I suspect she'll need replacing again. She is laying a little but not like she had been previously. If you look closely there's a dent to her abdomen and she's not using the leg on the ipsilateral side. I suspect she may have taken a sting as she was not like that when I put her in. Worth remembering that it's not just about spotting the queen.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Great video. They are not happy with her at all are they. A bit of nudging but basically ignoring her.

 

[Wilco]

Great video. They are not happy with her at all are they. A bit of nudging but basically ignoring her.

Yep... Shame as she had been laying beautifully before. There was even one moment when it looked like she'd take another hit from a worker. Replacement asap methinks. Although part of me thinks give up now, let them die out and use the box for an expanding nuc in the spring.