What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Brian Bush]

I trickled all my hives and the charity hives yesterday. I wanted to do this before Christmas. I ordered the Api-Bioxal in late November and 'basked' in the 2 weeks of cold weather knowing that all the mites would be phoretic as there would be no brood.
Cold weather ends but no Api-Bioxal arrives. Each day eagerly I watch for the postman but he is striking or only delivering recycling rubbish. Finally on the 23rd the Api-Bioxal arrives and this is the first day I had available with decent weather to do the job.
I have lost 3 hives out of 15 overall, but the others are all doing exceptionally well. Plenty of stores and large number of bees. The first hive I opened had 7 frames of bees and the smallest 3 frames. I treated them all and added lumps of fondant where I thought there may be an issue later.
One hive requies a drive of half a mile each way to reach it. Yesterday I did not dare to use the car so walked the half mile each way down and up the rough grass headland. My arthritic knee is giving me pain this morning! I told these bees that they were on their own until the weather is drier!!!

 

[The Poot]

Checked the fondant levels on the three home hives and mite drops. Bees started flying as the sun hit the entrances.
All good, plenty of fondant and bees bimbling around on the top of the frames. Love my polycarbonate crown boards!
View attachment 34815
Mite drop a bit concerning on one hive : 84 today (3 weeks since I last looked). They were vaped in December and had three consecutive drops in their hundreds so was hoping it might have been less. The other two hives are in single digits which I’m very happy with.
All showing signs of brood uncapping so even though this is the case, should I give this hive another blast of OA or they could be in serious trouble in a few months time?

I would give another vape. I had the same issue with one of mine, so vaped a second time and the drop was then minimal.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I would give another vape. I had the same issue with one of mine, so vaped a second time and the drop was then minimal.

No brood and you got most of them first hit?

 

[The Poot]

No brood and you got most of them first hit?

Yes I think so, but the second vape was insurance and proved the vaping was effective.

 

[Anduril]

What part is south Wales are you living?

From a previous post SWHives is from NP10

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

From a previous post SWHives is from NP10

poor dab

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

They were vaped in December and had three consecutive drops in their hundreds so was hoping it might have been less. The other two hives are in single digits which I’m very happy with.

you have to remember that with winter OA treatment that a lot of dead mites will fall into empty cells, they will sit there until better weather when the bees get more active and start cleaning outside of the cluster area - sometimes weeks later

 

[Moobee]

I would give another vape. I had the same issue with one of mine, so vaped a second time and the drop was then minimal.

I had vaped them 3 times across 15 days

you have to remember that with winter OA treatment that a lot of dead mites will fall into empty cells, they will sit there until better weather when the bees get more active and start cleaning outside of the cluster area - sometimes weeks later

They have been a busy hive of late so maybe that’s it. I cleaned the board & replaced it so will check again when this blasted rain stops.

 

[elainemary]

I trickled all my hives and the charity hives yesterday. I wanted to do this before Christmas. I ordered the Api-Bioxal in late November and 'basked' in the 2 weeks of cold weather knowing that all the mites would be phoretic as there would be no brood.
Cold weather ends but no Api-Bioxal arrives. Each day eagerly I watch for the postman but he is striking or only delivering recycling rubbish. Finally on the 23rd the Api-Bioxal arrives and this is the first day I had available with decent weather to do the job.
I have lost 3 hives out of 15 overall, but the others are all doing exceptionally well. Plenty of stores and large number of bees. The first hive I opened had 7 frames of bees and the smallest 3 frames. I treated them all and added lumps of fondant where I thought there may be an issue later.
One hive requies a drive of half a mile each way to reach it. Yesterday I did not dare to use the car so walked the half mile each way down and up the rough grass headland. My arthritic knee is giving me pain this morning! I told these bees that they were on their own until the weather is drier!!!

Sounds you need a winter sun holiday Brian - will do your knee no end of good! You were lucky re post. I sent my Xmas cards first week in Dec & had a text from a friend yesterday saying thanks but it arrived after Xmas (code for why don’t you get better organised!)

 

[Brian Bush]

Sounds you need a winter sun holiday Brian - will do your knee no end of good! You were lucky re post. I sent my Xmas cards first week in Dec & had a text from a friend yesterday saying thanks but it arrived after Xmas (code for why don’t you get better organised!)

Hi Elaine MaryI had a similar experience with Christmas cards but the worst thing was a Sapphire wedding card for my wife.
Went on Etsy for the first time and ordered a hand made personalised card. Received a notification within 24 hrs that the courier had it and a tracking number.
3 weeks later on the Tuesday, big day was Friday it had not arrived. The supplier e-mailed me saying she had realised this and if I di not receive it by end of day Tuesday to let her know.
Wednesday morning a replacement arrived by tracked, overnight post that cost almost as much as the card. Great service. hursday the original courier arrived late afternoon.
I ordered 50kg of fondant from Simon the Beekeeper on 21st Decmebr it arrived by DPD at 10am the next morning.

 

[user 20297]

Hi Elaine MaryI had a similar experience with Christmas cards but the worst thing was a Sapphire wedding card for my wife.
Went on Etsy for the first time and ordered a hand made personalised card. Received a notification within 24 hrs that the courier had it and a tracking number.
3 weeks later on the Tuesday, big day was Friday it had not arrived. The supplier e-mailed me saying she had realised this and if I di not receive it by end of day Tuesday to let her know.
Wednesday morning a replacement arrived by tracked, overnight post that cost almost as much as the card. Great service. hursday the original courier arrived late afternoon.
I ordered 50kg of fondant from Simon the Beekeeper on 21st Decmebr it arrived by DPD at 10am the next morning.

STBK have their dispatch arrangements well sorted....I've had great service.

 

[Goran]

Yesterday I went on the apiary to check the bees. Since in previous period lot of beeks " doom and gloom" about loss of colonies.. So far all are alive and active. One colony was suspicious to me ( 3-4 seams, not fanning, I thought Q is dud). Since it was around 17C I opened and found it has on three frames brood palm size and bees stick to it.. Central frame was almost dried ( mostly pollen and brood with little honey left), I placed one frame of honey above them, will check in few days since it will be relative warm next couple days.. Next week we plan to make some fondants, so all will have some.. It is too early and too much of brood for this time in the year.. Must be climate changes, since seems majority if not all are having brood.. Few days ago I was walking outside in t-shirt ( ok, I was doing some physically intense job, but still..). Normally we will have deep minus and lot of snow, but seems such weather we will see less and less..

 

[Antipodes]

Since it was around 17C

That's warm. We had a maximum of 15 degrees here on the 3rd. It's summer here of course...

 

[Goran]

That's warm. We had a maximum of 15 degrees here on the 3rd. It's summer here of course...

I am in belief that we can't win in saving planet.. Greed is killing our civilization. These changes accelerate more than they say. We keep helping it, at my place are now chopping down beautiful forests like there is no tomorrow.. With losing forests will come erosion ( hilly areas), water is even now less than before. Without forests, nothing will keep and store it.. We will have Sahara in Europe..

 

[pargyle]

I am in belief that we can't win in saving planet.. Greed is killing our civilization. These changes accelerate more than they say. We keep helping it, at my place are now chopping down beautiful forests like there is no tomorrow.. With losing forests will come erosion ( hilly areas), water is even now less than before. Without forests, nothing will keep and store it.. We will have Sahara in Europe..

I have deep concerns also Goran, having seen parts of usually snowy Europe now basking in melting snow and sunshine where there is normally deep snow and temperatures below freezing we are seeing very worrying signs of the things to come. Your forests and mountain areas are spectacular in their beauty - it saddens me to hear they are being chopped down.

 

[SWHives]

What part is south Wales are you living?

Newport.

 

[elainemary]

Hi Elaine MaryI had a similar experience with Christmas cards but the worst thing was a Sapphire wedding card for my wife.
Went on Etsy for the first time and ordered a hand made personalised card. Received a notification within 24 hrs that the courier had it and a tracking number.
3 weeks later on the Tuesday, big day was Friday it had not arrived. The supplier e-mailed me saying she had realised this and if I di not receive it by end of day Tuesday to let her know.
Wednesday morning a replacement arrived by tracked, overnight post that cost almost as much as the card. Great service. hursday the original courier arrived late afternoon.
I ordered 50kg of fondant from Simon the Beekeeper on 21st Decmebr it arrived by DPD at 10am the next morning.

Hope you bought her a sapphire for that number of years Brian

 

[Kaz]

Did a quick check on the hives I vaped on Saturday, was surprised to find eggs on the varroa board of one colony (not a single varroa has dropped). Any ideas what these are likely to be - they look like bee eggs but there are dozens of them? No sign of any other creatures which might have laid them, and the board was only inserted at the time of vaping so they have appeared since Saturday... anyone seen this before, or have any thoughts?

 

[gregior]

Did a quick check on the hives I vaped on Saturday, was surprised to find eggs in the varroa board of one colony (not a single varroa has dropped). Any ideas what these are likely to be - they look like bee eggs but there are dozens of them? No sign of any other creatures which might have laid them, and the board was only inserted at the time of vaping so they have appeared since Saturday... anyone seen this before, or have any thoughts?

I've not seen this before but it def looks like bee eggs. possibly the queen has started laying but because the bees are clustered the brood area is very small so she is laying multiple eggs per cell and the workers are getting rid of the extras?

 

[Ian123]

I’ve found similar before or at least a possible explanation, I think the queens come into lay but the bees have other ideas and are dumping the eggs.
Last year I looked into a few nucs In 1 in particular I saw eggs and happily thought I’d find brood when I looked again. When I looked next time I saw more eggs yet no larvae or sealed brood. Suspecting that in Spring I’d find a drone layer or laying workers I was surprised to find a laying queen and everything as it should be.
So whilst never having seen this described in any books I’d take a punt this is what’s going on.
Make sure you tell us what’s going on when you look in the Spring!