What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Greatbigchicken]

What a gorgeous day!! I'm going to swap the floor and BB tomorrow so I've been bimbiling around getting things ready and tydying the garden before going to work.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Lovely day here - nearly 20 degrees so i've given in and opened up all hives doing fine, on three to four frames of broodtwo a bit low on stores but loads of pollen packed in.
One hive has a super on at the mo and HM is laying up there but not much brood in the brood box - i think i'll leave it a few weeks though before putting the QX in for fear of either q or brood being isolated as the nights can still be cold

 

[Poggle]

Both hives active but not with the "Millions" of bees coming back and forth like I was told was happening Watched the hives for about half and hour and i suppose there were a few hundered in all. Mostly ornientation flights and poo flights and bringing in water...........Not one bee had pollen though.............

 

[bob777]

It must be 20deg here, Put some fondant in 2 days ago and just been down and taken the mouse guard off so that the bees can take everything in,,

 

[Queens59]

Spent most of the afternoon watching bees sucking something out of the new growbags...

 

[Headnavigator]

Blackbirds nesting within a metre of one hive and constantly at the entrance picking off bees. (i think there may even be two nests). Plan today to run a couple of cotton threads on stakes at entrance height a foot or two away between the hedge and hive entrance to try and discourage them. Don't mind them having a few bees but this is pure laziness, bringing up their families on instant food. Any better solutions?

 

[The Cumbrian]

i think there may even be two nests

I can't help with suggestions about how to stop them but I am very doubtful that there are two blackbirds nests. Blackbirds are very territorial and IMO very unlikely to allow another to nest nearby.

I know that doesn't help stop them but at least it helps to realise there is only half the threat to deal with.

 

[Headnavigator]

Thanks Cumbrian; some comfort but they had a fantastic breeding year here last year (can't imagine what they fed on?) and we have been inundated with blackies all Winter. Next door neighbour feeds them constantly too. I always thought they were territorial but not much evidence of that in my garden!

 

[freethorpe bees]

Put supers on both my home hives today. They seem to be building up rapidly, brood on six frames, lots of eggs. Exciting but scary times ahead - eek!

 

[Phayze]

had a quick look in plenty of liquid stores and pollen stores, large areas of capped brood saucer size with a few uncapped around outer edges surrounded by more liquid stores and some capped stores above on about 4 frames, a few drone cells also on some of the frames,could hear a clicking sound coming from frames when i first opened up not sure what it was though didnt want to look for too long,

 

[victor meldrew]

First inspection done this morning ,all five colonies have Wintered well .
Only one Queen seen, a green Brian Ripley Gal . She is doing very well indeed!
The other four are also stuffed with stores/eggs/brood all stages/ fresh pollen frames .
One hive has drawn the short frame with fresh drone comb laid up on one side
All brood is healthy looking and hives in good heart .A pleasure to work with as always in early Spring with such beautiful weather
VM

 

[antoniahk]

Looked in both hives, found new queen cells in one, new since last week. Got two stings from the other. Bees annoyed by a cold spell, perhaps.

 

[psafloyd]

My first colony full to the gunnels earlier in the week and when I went back in yesterday had started building into the roof.
Stuck a super on with mostly drawn comb and a few frames of last year's stores as they are going to need it.

Put another on a nice new floor (thanks, Tom!) and moved it less than three feet. Hundreds of confused bees for 20 minutes then everything started working again and Heathrow got them all landed. Will be moving a few feet every few days until I can put them behind the mesh I now have up.

Found a drone that was trying to fly. Looked to have ok wings until he stopped flapping and one set was clearly deformed in exactly the same way on both sides. Still, it means IPM and I will have to watch this one. Was planning a count after Easter in any case.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Absolutely glorious day. 19˚
Loads of huge Bombus terrestris about investigating the dry stone walls hereabouts.
The under super I put back on top of the cedar 14 x 12 2 days ago at first inspection is now off. Daft mistake. Too early. They were putting nectar in it though. Lots of pussy willow in bloom and loads coming in.
Hubby just gone out on a mountain rescue shout so I'm taking a glass of wine up to the apiary to sit and watch.

 

[beestie]

Gorgeous day once the fog had burned off at about 12.00

First inspection, received first ping on forehead while looking at hive and planning, she was full of pollen and I was in the way...

Best hive very busy, no queen seen but 4 frames of eggs and brood in all stages on both sides, one more with eggs both sides and 4 with pollen and stores. One mouldy frame at edge replaced with new foundation. Replaced empty fondant pack in which there was some newly built comb with another 2.5kg bag. Looking good...

Worst hive; saw the queen but brood and eggs only on two sides of one frame, and only in the middle. 4 frames of pollen and stores. Removed 6 frames and added dummies. Less than 1/4 of fondant gone. I suspect the queen may not be up to scratch; at one stage last year I found her black and drowning in a frame feeder but she got through the winter. Hive is also in a shady area so it might just be too early/cold in that location for much to be happening yet. Hope it's not a case of

Perhaps I should feed syrup soon?

 

[dpearce4]

1 hive today has brood across 9 of the 11 frames, covering a good three quarters of each frame with honey and pollen to the side and above. the outer frame of brood on the outside had a huge patch of drone comb. the rest was worker though.

I have supered this hive as there are so many bees and i have a feeling that as there is this distincted patch of capped drone brood they are already thinking of swarming. didnt see a queen cell or cup but as these are the real nasties(took 2 stings on the fingers through thick gloves) and my smoker had run out it was a very quick inspection so there may have been.

next time i have an idea that i will move the hive when i get to the apiary and put an empty box where it should be, so the flyers go out while i inspect all the others then inspect it at the end when all the others have been done.

defo one for a requeen next month.

 

[weatherman1200]

5 hives put 2 supers on one 2 average put 1 broodbox extra on i broodbox hive 1 hive had bees + to it 1 nuc ok

 

[Hivemaker.]

Checked a few nucs and re queened one colony. Lovely hot day and the time of plenty seems to of arrived,lots of honey bees,bumbles and butterflies busy working on the abundance of wild garlic among other things like dandelions ect.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Had a good look through all three. They had a good 3-4 frames of brood (14x12), pollen and stores.

Made up a bunch of frames, quite theraputic.

Farmer told me last night to expect OSR within a week.

 

[Erichalfbee]

lots of honey bees,bumbles and butterflies busy working on the abundance of wild garlic

There is masses of this here but I've never seen anything but the odd beetle on it.