What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Anduril]

Oh no. How did I miss that. Happy Birthday Anduril.

Because I haven't placed my birthday details on this site and thank you.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Because I haven't placed my birthday details on this site and thank you.

It’s in my diary for next year though

 

[Anduril]

It’s in my diary for next year though

I like keeping a low profile in that respect, I've never liked much fussing.

 

[Nannysbees]

Absolutely nothing in the apiary this Friday and Saturday, my wife has spoilt me with a trip to Salisbury to see the copy of the Magna Carta and a visit to Stonehenge. This is for my 60th birthday which was yesterday.

Happy birthday, welcome to the 60 club!!!!

 

[Anduril]

Happy birthday, welcome to the 60 club!!!!

Lol, I still feel I have the brain of a 20 year old.

 

[StephenT]

Busiest day of the year so far with all hives bringing in lots of pollen from the abundance of blossom. Had left inspection boards in for a couple of weeks and this hive is looking good (it's on eight frames over eight). Quite a lot of varroa so am doing a series of vapes before the season really kicks off.

 

[JamezF]

Lol, I still feel I have the brain of a 20 year old.

So do I. I keep it in a jar on a shelf in the workshop.

James

 

[Anduril]

So do I. I keep it in a jar on a shelf in the workshop.

James

Like this:

 

[Moobee]

Happy birthday, welcome to the 60 club!!!!

I’m reaching that milestone this year…..

 

[gregior]

First really good foraging day of the year round here and all hives really busy on the goat willow. Scraped the floors and crown boards on 10 of mine today,all are very heavy and averaging around 6 seams of bees,they are way behind where they were at this stage last year which suits me fine as i'm not keen on chasing swarms in April again.

 

[The Poot]

As @gregior - a good foraging day today. Both colonies going for it.
View attachment IMG_3654.MOV

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bees all busy and pollen going in from the willow by the pond.
Pond had a nasty surprise though

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bees all busy and pollen going in from the willow by the pond.
Pond had a nasty surprise though

View attachment 35469View attachment 35470

Last year she managed.


View attachment trim.01091D7B-F80E-45B9-B46A-901341AD63DB.MOV

 

[Nannysbees]

Lots of pollen going in

 

[Ian123]

I checked on a queen introduction I did a few weeks ago she’s up and running, I’m not sure winter introduction is in the books

 

[JamezF]

Checked on all my colonies today. All but one seem to be doing ok. The last (a swarm from last year on a new site) I'm really not sure about despite going into winter looking pretty good. Oddly the crown board was on upside down which seems an unlikely error for me to make. I had another bait hive on the same site last year and I wasn't sure that hadn't been fiddled with at one point either. I don't strap the hives up as it's a sheltered site, but I might do so now and then take some photos, as it's unlikely to be possible to replace a strap exactly the same way if someone should be mucking about with it.

Also went to check on the colony in the hollow of a tree branch that was "pruned" last Autumn. Amazingly they look to be doing ok, so now I need to get on with a plan to extract them.

James

 

[Anduril]

I checked on a queen introduction I did a few weeks ago she’s up and running, I’m not sure winter introduction is in the books

Peter Little used to do them for drone laying queens.

 

[Ian123]

Peter Little used to do them for drone laying queens.

Am sure he did and was the reason I did mine. I had breeder that I’d been rearing from last season and every couple of weeks they’d sneak a couple of queen cells in. I’d pinch them for nucs but had wondered what would happen end of season!
Sure enough when I did look I found a new unmarked queen and she was laying drones. I shook a small nuc in and popped queen into a cage.
All good now

 

[StephenT]

Transferred a busy nuc to a full sized hive as it was nice and mild today. They were down to their last frame of stores so added a frame of stores, couple of frames of drawn and a couple of foundation. Saw the lovely ’queen of the suburbs’ mongrel which was nice.

 

[Anduril]

Am sure he did and was the reason I did mine. I had breeder that I’d been rearing from last season and every couple of weeks they’d sneak a couple of queen cells in. I’d pinch them for nucs but had wondered what would happen end of season!
Sure enough when I did a new unmarked queen and she was laying drones. I shook a small nuc in and popped queen into a cage.
All good now

Peter removed the old queen and threw in the new queen loose with the workers from the same mating nuc