What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Nannysbees]

That's beautiful. How did you do it?

Added a pint of boiling water, slowly heated but didn't allow it to boil, then filtered through two Jay clothes and then again through one Jay cloth into a container. I'm sure though the more experienced beeks here have a better method. I'll start a thread and ask

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

try not to raise the temperature of the wax higher than 70°C this will avoid discolouration/darkening of the wax

 

[masterBK]

Wasps have started here big time. Completely wiped out a 3 and a 5 comb nucleus at the out apiary taking bees, brood and honey stores. Both had queens reared from my best colony.

 

[Nannysbees]

Wasps have started here big time. Completely wiped out a 3 and a 5 comb nucleus at the out apiary taking bees, brood and honey stores. Both had queens reared from my best colony.

Have seen a few more in our garden in the last few days

 

[Murox]

Popped up to the farm apiary just now and came back with big grin. A small field of phacelia has finally bloomed and the weather is reasonable, the result is one fully capped super, all done in very quick time I might add.

 

[BB King]

Taking off the last supers today. Wasp numbers increased dramatically over last 7 days after the heatwave and earlier than I’ve ever seen them. I had closed the hive entrances last week but shut some now to one bee space. Bees a bit grumpy probably from the attention of the wasps, I took a few wasp stings as well which is a first, perhaps the heat and drought getting to them as well.

 

[blackcloud]

Beautiful queen's Ian

 

[Wilco]

Inspected 3 of four sites. Each apiary very different. One there seems to be a decent flow on, not sure what, another a little coming in but nothing spectacular, third it's robbing and wasp season but the bees were all calm when inspected. A new queen marked and a couple of queens present and laying in hives which I've been waiting on.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

did the rounds putting more clearer boards on the hives bees not very active in most apiaries so it seems the flow is petering out, Garn Cottage apiary is the first one to shut up shop for the year every season and they've definitely packed it in there.

 

[Ian123]

Todays lesson to self…..don’t drop the brood box that contains your cell bar and 20 odd cells….for f….sake

 

[holmbee]

Reduced all brood box entrances. Set up wasp traps as numbers are suddenly increasing. See one or two wasps on brood frames but not more than that and workers seem to be dealing with them. All colonies should be strong enough to repel most attacks. Should consider making up UFEs this winter.

 

[nettle]

Went to pick up a swarm last night - absconded as I was driving there...

Got a call this morning to say the same swarm had landed just down the road... they took to the air over my head as I was putting my suit on!!

 

[Wilco]

From the other week, non HSE approved removal of hive from tree in my garden. Could have gone better...

View attachment InShot_20220731_123139479.mp4

 

[JamezF]

I have to admit that I laughed when I saw you (presumably?) dangling from the end of the strap with no sign of the hive moving

James

 

[Wilco]

I have to admit that I laughed when I saw you (presumably?) dangling from the end of the strap with no sign of the hive moving

James

Yep... I wish I'd had my wife let go when it was halfway down to see what happened. There were moments early on where I was envisioning the potential for a seriously comic effect of gravity... The 'the builder' urban legend comes to mind.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Wil. That was hilarious. Thankyou. And I thought I was crazy having a colony on the shed roof!

 

[gregior]

Removed 15 supers from 5 hives today, another 10 supers to do tomorrow then another 25 later in the week. This season has been EPIC around here I started off with 17 colonies and 2 overwintered nuc's,I now have 30 colonies and 6 nucs.
I took 15 supers in Spring and will have 50 supers of honey and 3 supers of comb honey from the summer crop. Every cell of every frame is completely filled -what a year!

 

[Moobee]

Checked on a small colony in the out apiary whose queen appears to have not made it back from mating. Decided to unite with one of the other hives as they were being hammered by wasps and had no stores left.
All other colonies ok but the stack of supers are getting higher and I now have only one spare as they’re still not capped. Frustrating!

 

[user 20297]

From the other week, non HSE approved removal of hive from tree in my garden. Could have gone better...

View attachment 33197

Very amusing....I assume that your partner, Oliver Hardy, was out of shot.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

From the other week, non HSE approved removal of hive from tree in my garden. Could have gone better...

"half way up I met the barrel coming down"