What did you do in the Apiary today?

[user 20297]

Ivy is incredible this year I'm off to get feeders off this morning.
We had grandchildren stay over last night Pancakes for breakfast.They smother them in chocolate spread and sugar but turn up their snouts at honey and soft set.
Hope their bloody teeth rot

We have one grandson who likes to take home his own personal jar. Woe betide anyone who tries to sample it.

 

[Nannysbees]

Just started giving my 15 month old grandson just the tip of a teaspoon of honey.really funny to see,not 100⁶% sure at first but more than willing to clean the spoon . Comes from a family of Asthmatics and hay-fever sufferers so starting him early

 

[blackcloud]

After walloping the youngest with a shovel last week(mostly accidental)we took him to see the bees on Sunday.
Underwhelmed.

 

[philipm]

Managed to feed the bees yesterday ,thankfully they are slowing down on the feed so hopefully wont need much more before the winter.

 

[Kaz]

Ah bless. Do keep us updated won’t you?
Remember you can always put a small swarm in a drawn super.

Update - a very quick check today (it's 17 degrees here!), all 6 frames drawn out, most of the syrup I fed has been capped and there are 2.5 frames of sealed brood. Reckon they might make it! What troopers - I am a very proud bee mumma

 

[Erichalfbee]

Update - a very quick check today (it's 17 degrees here!), all 6 frames drawn out, most of the syrup I fed has been capped and there are 2.5 frames of sealed brood. Reckon they might make it! What troopers - I am a very proud bee mumma

So you should be. How exciting!

 

[W0otz]

Removed the last feeder and put mouseguards on all colonies.
Before starting I put varroa/inspection boards in, with the intention of leaving them 24hrs. I had a quick look at a couple before I left, maybe 20 minutes later. 3 mites on one board and 2 on another.
Still planning to check back in 24 hours but I suspect I've got another course of vaping to carry out.

 

[W0otz]

Removed the last feeder and put mouseguards on all colonies.
Before starting I put varroa/inspection boards in, with the intention of leaving them 24hrs. I had a quick look at a couple before I left, maybe 20 minutes later. 3 mites on one board and 2 on another.
Still planning to check back in 24 hours but I suspect I've got another course of vaping to carry out.

22hr total, 53 mites. Course of vaping it is!
Didn't check my other hives, if I'm vaping 1 I may as well do all 4 while I've got everything out.

I had the same issue last year - treated in August with minimal drop (MAQs last year, OA vaping this year), high mite levels in October.
Full course of vaping then a 1-off in December did the trick last year so fingers crossed it'll work out ok this time too.


Round 1 of vaping done. Cleaned off the boards, vaped, checked the board on the first hive I did. 40 mites in the time it took me to vape 4 colonies - 24hr count is going to be pretty horrific I think.

 

[Swarm]

Out delivering this morning, looks like when given a choice, people are deciding on one of each

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

still clewing up for winter, washing down feeders and stowing them away.
Still a heady scent of ivy around the apiaies

 

[W0otz]

24hr drop post-vape; I hope I've not caught the situation too late. They were given a course of vapes in early August, though drop was minimal.

 

[Swarm]

I would consider leaving the vaping until September next year. That's a huge infestation, another course of vaping in order.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

They were given a course of vapes in early August

far too early for an end of season OA treatment. Seems everyone is obsessed with this 'winter bees' fad nowadays and the bees (if you believe some) seem to be producing them earlier and earlier. Before long people will be treating their bee in mid July just so as to not compromise the 'winter bees'

 

[Gilberdyke John]

My mind immediately leapt to the Blaster Bates "Laughter with a bang" LP and the bit about the canal boat "everything forward and trust in the Lord"

 

[madasafish]

Checked all nucs/mini nucs. With warm weather been flying strongly and stores consumed very quickly. Fed again.

 

[The Poot]

Hefted and just watched the entrances. So much yellow pollen!

 

[user 20297]

Hefted and just watched the entrances. So much yellow pollen!

Living a parallel existence here, 500 miles, as the bee flies, from Dorset.

 

[user 819]

One of my colonies unusally had a very high mite infestation late July, didn't need an insert board to see mites on the bees and deformed wings of the young emerged bees so they got four vapes at the 5 day interval, I decided whilst at it to vape the other hives in the same apiary.
Being early I carried out the autumn treatment as per norm at the start of this month.
One can't go from year to year habitually going by dates or time of year when acessing and treating, one has to act on what they see. I don't monitor by drop counts but use my visual interpretation or carry out a sugar roll, once mites on bees and deformed wings are seen then a sugar roll is pointless and one has to act, even if it means an earlier then norm treatment before and as well as the main autumn treatment in late Sept or early Oct.

With supers on in the summer then simply set them aside and carry out the 4x vape pattern over the required 5 day spacing, once the vapes have recystalised in the brood box/s one can then replace the supers.

 

[StephenT]

Took the Apivar off the two main hives and that’s them done now for winter. About 38lb and 47lb of stores and that’s without feeding and taking frames of stores out a few weeks back and replacing with foundation. Good ivy flow. The nuc needed a bit more of a feed. Wife got stung on the leg as an end of season pressie.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not happy with two of the hives that have Apivar in ( due to come out in a week) so vaped them yesterday.
24 hour drop of over 50. Hmmm