What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Anduril]

I've also finished extraction and clearing up today. This year's harvest is now sitting in buckets in the kitchen

Yesterday I visited someone who is interested in providing a site for an out apiary. Quite a mind-boggling house with lots of sandstone and marble that appears to be undergoing significant renovation with a large acreage of garden and pasture on the edge of a nearby village. My favoured site would be at the top of a gentle south-facing slope with a dense hedge to the north and easy access from the road the other side, but some "discouragement" will need to be provided to persuade the sheep to keep their distance. The owner has an interest in using some wax and possibly also propolis from any hives on the site too, so it might work out nicely.

James

Sheep are easy to handle, unless there is a ram in there with them. Although I've never had a ram attack me.

 

[JamezF]

Sheep are easy to handle, unless there is a ram in there with them. Although I've never had a ram attack me.

One of our neighbours keeps sheep on a smallholder scale, ewes and a ram, to produce lambs for meat. I was feeding the sheep for them one day when they were away and made the error of turning my back on the ram. Turns out that you need to be a chuffing big ram to get me to move very far, and he didn't cut the mustard. I never had problems again, though I can't deny that it was a bit of a surprise at the time

James

 

[B_north]

Went into my 3 hives today and they are flipping packed with bees, so nice to see as two were queen less splits in mid July and the third one ended up with two brood breaks this summer and re-queened itself late August. I had combined the third one with a fourth hive I had as the two brood breaks made this hive too weak IMO, to do well this winter.

I tried the air freshener combine that some users here like, coupled with a layer of newspaper. Both hives had a queen the result of a long drawn out story full of mishaps, but today, a few weeks later, there is BIAS so whomever took over is doing OK. I checked the bottom of the hive, they are deep Ukrainian hives, and there is not a pile of dead bees on the bottom board so I guess they played nice during the combine. My first one so all in all I am pleased.

Thankfully I was happy with either queen so maybe in spring I can see who made it. I don't go deep into the brood frames this late in the year, as long as the mites are low and the food is good I leave them alone till spring. The only job left is to winterize them, but that is a ways away yet.

Repositioned the Apivar strips as per instructions and am feeding sugar syrup to get them up to weight.

 

[elainemary]

Trudged on extracting heather honey. Finished loosening all super frames and extracting in the swing cage. Every single frame of my late summer harvest had heather in; balsam in the same combs makes it possible to spin out after loosening. Makes a beautiful blend that on blind tasting 2/3rds of people prefer, to other honies from spring and early summer

Moved onto the pure heather from home and colonies on the moors. I’m pressing it in an apple press, after scraping comb back to the midrib using a Smith cutter. Leaves far too much behind and takes too long when I try to loosen and spin out. Preserves the midrib this way too, which will be drawn again on the spring flow. Just 3 more boxes of pure heather and 2 boxes of heather cut comb to do today, then I’m done and all in buckets ready for warming and filtering.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Packed up for Conwy Honey Fair

 

[E&MBees]

Mixed day in the apiary.
All colonies have found ivy, the smell was overwhelming. Stores are looking healthy after last week’s scare. One queen has restarted laying which is good news.
The new car starter battery I brought doesn’t work with the varrox. It’s too clever. Apparently it can detect the flat battery prior to releasing the charge. The batteries suggested in old threads are no longer available. Back to the drawing board!
Here is a photo of the charger that doesn’t work!

 

[The Poot]

Mixed day in the apiary.
All colonies have found ivy, the smell was overwhelming. Stores are looking healthy after last week’s scare. One queen has restarted laying which is good news.
The new car starter battery I brought doesn’t work with the varrox. It’s too clever. Apparently it can detect the flat battery prior to releasing the charge. The batteries suggested in old threads are no longer available. Back to the drawing board!
Here is a photo of the charger that doesn’t work!

You just need a 12v lead acid battery and a conventional charger for the Varrox.
Mine is on charge for this evening. Same battery I’ve used for six years now.

 

[E&MBees]

You just need a 12v lead acid battery and a conventional charger for the Varrox.
Mine is on charge for this evening. Same battery I’ve used for six years now.View attachment 33792

Thanks Poot.
What brand did you go for and how heavy is it?
Access to one of my apiarys is tricky. Up/down steep rutted slope, no car access. Wheelbarrow not that easy either, which is why a car jump starter battery is preferable. However I now have too many hives for my old one, hence the replacement.
Emily

 

[The Poot]

Thanks Poot.
What brand did you go for and how heavy is it?
Emily

The battery is a “Economy battery” from VW and its not too heavy. Ok to lug to a wheel barrow, but not over fields to get to hives.
The charger is from CTEC and is suitable for charging “stop start” batteries as well as old standard ones like I have.

 

[Newbeeneil]

When I first started vaping I used a small 12v motorcycle battery (7ah I think) which used to do about 6 hives with the pan type vaper. It only cost about £20

 

[Erichalfbee]

Mixed day in the apiary.
All colonies have found ivy, the smell was overwhelming. Stores are looking healthy after last week’s scare. One queen has restarted laying which is good news.
The new car starter battery I brought doesn’t work with the varrox. It’s too clever. Apparently it can detect the flat battery prior to releasing the charge. The batteries suggested in old threads are no longer available. Back to the drawing board!
Here is a photo of the charger that doesn’t work!

Just get a cheaper one without that function. Plenty on Amazon
But if you are going to have more than those six hives, get a Sublimox.
Vape from the top..no need to close off the entrance, 20 seconds a colony

 

[E&MBees]

Just get a cheaper one without that function. Plenty on Amazon
But if you are going to have more than those six hives, get a Sublimox.
Vape from the top..no need to close off the entrance, 20 seconds a colony

I guess I’ll likely have more than 6 colonies next year, but ive got to think about finances! With 3 kids, the bees come second.

 

[JamezF]

I guess I’ll likely have more than 6 colonies next year, but ive got to think about finances! With 3 kids, the bees come second.

Which two of the children come after the bees?

James

 

[E&MBees]

Which two of the children come after the bees?

James

That would be telling!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

you can manage using a varrox with more than six hives, although maybe investing in another varrox to have two running at the same time would be an idea.

 

[Do224]

I guess I’ll likely have more than 6 colonies next year, but ive got to think about finances! With 3 kids, the bees come second.

The GasVap is affordable and pretty user friendly for multiple hives

 

[E&MBees]

The GasVap is affordable and pretty user friendly for multiple hives

I had considered a gasvap but I’ve already got the kit for vaping with a varrox and it’s a waste of money not to use it.

 

[pargyle]

I had considered a gasvap but I’ve already got the kit for vaping with a varrox and it’s a waste of money not to use it.

Instead of a wheelbarrow look round the charity shops for one of those wheeled shopping bags much loved by old ladies ... get rid of the bag and strap the battery to frame of the trolley - much lighter than a wheelbarrow and can be pulled along when the going is rough. I have this arrangement with a spare 12v car battery on it ... comes in really handy for putting 12v power where you need it without lugging a heavy battery around by hand.

 

[E&MBees]

Instead of a wheelbarrow look round the charity shops for one of those wheeled shopping bags much loved by old ladies ... get rid of the bag and strap the battery to frame of the trolley - much lighter than a wheelbarrow and can be pulled along when the going is rough. I have this arrangement with a spare 12v car battery on it ... comes in really handy for putting 12v power where you need it without lugging a heavy battery around by hand.

Thank you for that suggestion. Might try freecycle for one.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Vape from the top

Could you elaborate please?

Edit: Do you use an eke with a hole in the side? I use a gas vap through a (usually plugged) hole above the floor.