What did you do in the Apiary today?

[beebopalula]

First inspection today, both still have a full super each from last autumn and one is blocked with 6 14x12 frames stores, other 3. Both on 4/5 frames of brood. Took of supers and replaced with foundation and took off 3 14x12's from stronger colony, replaced with drawn / foundation. Must have over-fed last year! Plan to spin tomorrow with a view to feeding back in the autumn/winter. Winter fondant will be 50/50 with icing sugar. Does anyone else do this? (Probably a silly question).

 

[dpearce4]

sliced 3 queen wasps in half today using hive tool. surprised how long they last even in half ended up squashing them under boot also. reminder to self must set up some wasp traps next week.

 

[simonf]

Cut wood for 9 nucs, watched the girls coming and going in my garden bringing in lots of pollen, took off the mouse guards resisted the urge to have a look in, next weekend I think.

 

[TOBY-3652]

Watched hives bringing pollen in by the load, with suite on took suite off and got stung twice one on cheek and one on neck,, i will learn

 

[John_W]

Blow torch time.. a little late..

Well tomorrow I will cleaning up and scortching out my spare parts, after winter storage. Meant to do them earlier in the year. But will get them all done tomorrow.

 

[oliver90owner]

Took of supers and replaced with foundation and took off 3 14x12's from stronger colony, replaced with drawn / foundation. Must have over-fed last year! (my undelining)

A bit of an understatement that, I would have thought. 14 x 12s with a super is a rediculous amount of winter stores!

Winter fondant will be 50/50 with icing sugar. Does anyone else do this? (Probably a silly question).

Do what? A little more precisely described would help, but the question is: What on earth are you feeding fondant (of any description) in winter with those amounts of winter stores? Did you feed fondant this last winter, as well???

 

[SixFooter]

First inspections and Q marking today. Got hammered by one colony which had the biggest Q I have ever seen. She was sat looking at me with her arms folded while her workers battered me and I swear she had a rose tatooed on her back. "You can eff off, You're not marking me" she said. That's what you get if you collect swarms from the council estate I suppose.

 

[Erichalfbee]

First inspection today, both still have a full super each from last autumn and one is blocked with 6 14x12 frames stores, other 3. (Probably a silly question).

Phew!!
Did you feed all winter? Did you over winter with a super as well?
I left a super under one of mine but I'm pretty sure they shifted the honey up before I stopped autumn feeding.
One of the reasons I moved over to 14 x 12s is that hopefully the box will overwinter without feeding.
Even with this warm winter and no fondant mine have 2 frames each left

 

[Luminos]

First inspections and Q marking today. Got hammered by one colony which had the biggest Q I have ever seen. She was sat looking at me with her arms folded while her workers battered me and I swear she had a rose tatooed on her back. "You can eff off, You're not marking me" she said. That's what you get if you collect swarms from the council estate I suppose.

 

[Tom Bick]

Moved an over wintered 5 frame nuc with 5 frames of brood and eggs stuffed full of bees into a standard bb.

And this in a 12mm ply nuc and I have a 6 frame nuc also ply in a similar state desperately in need of re hiving tomorrow.

Who needs litter/poly?

 

[fatshark]

Identified drone laying queens in two of my overwintered poly nucs. Only found one of them ... an old favourite who is now no longer with us. Wil try and find the other tomorrow ...

 

[Hivemaker.]

Moved an over wintered 5 frame nuc with 5 frames of brood and eggs stuffed full of bees into a standard bb.

And this in a 12mm ply nuc and I have a 6 frame nuc also ply in a similar state desperately in need of re hiving tomorrow.

Who needs litter/poly?

I have also got quite a few of the same strength in need of transfer,not quite the same amount of luxury insulation as yours though Tom,boxes are only 9mm ply.

 

[Winker]

I have also got quite a few of the same strength in need of transfer,not quite the same amount of luxury insulation as yours though Tom,boxes are only 9mm ply.

I had a 6 frame poly nuc on 5 frames of brood that i moved into a poly nationl BB and with in a few days they have drawn out 2 full frames and started to store nectar in them. I popped 2 more frames of foundation in there today, see how fast they draw that out.

 

[Queens59]

Worried. Our original hive (with a 2011 queen) was our strongest - and has been since I started...but now the smallest of all 4 hives. I want to check for Nosema etc. but no one here can do it...any suggestions? They are in a WBC - last year they were swarming due to lack of space at this time...this year 2.5/3 frames of bees and small amounts of brood on 3 frames...sad...

 

[Silly Bee]

Not conclusive, but a guide

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ1LygeEOf8[/ame]

 

[Tom Bick]

Worried. Our original hive (with a 2011 queen) was our strongest - and has been since I started...but now the smallest of all 4 hives. I want to check for Nosema etc. but no one here can do it...any suggestions? They are in a WBC - last year they were swarming due to lack of space at this time...this year 2.5/3 frames of bees and small amounts of brood on 3 frames...sad...

You may well be on the right tracks and perhaps a task for this year is to get to grips with learning how to test for nosema when you get your eye tuned in to it you realise OMG how easy is that you will want to test all the bees in your neighbourhood.

Good look hope they pick up.

 

[cork beek]

Brought out a hive stand which I plan on putting about 4 - 5 feet from where my hives are now.

I had to cut down some bramble and move some dead ferns but the move should provide more sun for the bees

I also opened both hives up and saw my main one with 3 frames wall to wall with capped brood and some drone capped cells aswell.

The over wintered nuc is also doing well with 2 frames of capped brood so well happy with today.

I must go out again and finish off cleaning the brambles and also move the hives.

My only problem now is do I take the hives away for 3 weeks and move them back to the stand or move them a foot a day

 

[dpearce4]

coated 9 supers with linseed oil, had a number of bees come over to see what i was doing, flew inside the supers and had a look around, even went upto the wet oil and hovered for a good couple of seconds like they were sniffing it.

also moved a hive 2ft and swapped 2 the 2 brood boxes top to bottom, bottom to top, is a bit clogged with stores so had a move round to free up space, noticed a queen cup, will keep an eye on it.

other home hive i think wont make it, down to bees in 2seams, and one smal patch of brood on both sides of frame about 7cm dia, cant put in a nuc as i dont have a commecial one. not sure what will happen to them. mind you weather is set fair for at least another week upto 19c so that should help them.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Having changed one brood box and floor and moved a little colony into a nuc earlier this week I had some cleaning to catch up with. Boxes drying in the sun.
Rewarded myself with half an hour at the apiary with a cup of proper coffee. Lovely to watch all that work going on, even the nuc was busy

 

[Gardenbees]

A mixed day; added a super to the best hive, which has brood on half or more of 8 frames, including a scattering of drone brood along the bottom of the BS sized frames (the rest are 14x12s). That's the earliest I've ever put a super on a hive, but it's set fair for days and, here in town, there's a lot of nectar about already, so I think they'll need the space.

The second colony is bringing in loads of pollen, and crammed with bees, but the big patches of brood which I spotted on the last inspection have now been capped, revealing well over a third of it to be drones. It looks like this queen has hit a barren patch and/or run out of steam altogether. Either way, they were a bit offhand with me... no stings, but a bit of following, so I want to requeen them anyway. Can't be too careful with a garden colony.

Big yellow queen wasps everywhere, cruising about like the insect equivalent of New York taxis. They're so beautiful I hate to squish them, but it's the one thing that actually seems to make a difference to wasp numbers later on, so sorry ladies... I don't mind a few wasps, but if you all get going, this garden ain't gonna be big enough for both of us.