What did you do in the Apiary today?

[The Poot]

All the fruit trees going into bloom..Frosts are announced on Tuesday and Wednesday, even some post pics of black locust/ false acacia tree are also start to show little buds. If the announcement of frosts coming turn to be true it all can turn in huge disaster even before all started.. How happy I am..

I wanted to laugh at your post, but really, it’s not funny. Just the way you say it!

 

[Dods bisyssla]

Its still very cold in Sweden so no point to open up the hives yet. BUt now is the time to prepare the coming season and a triple hive for extra queens/nucs is something I can warmly recommend to build. It is always a good thing to have soem extra queens ready since things always happens, perhaps you lost a queen or you killed one by mistake or she stops laying egg. And if anything happens late in the season then there is no time to make new queens. WIth this triple hive its easy to create some extra spares and since we use same combs as in our real hives its easy to add a comb of honey if needed and combine one nuc with a hive that need a new queen. If anyone want the assembly instructions you find it here: WordPress.com. It is in Swedish but i translate on request, although the images and dimensions given should be enough. This one is made for LN but it is a simple task to adjust to any comb size.

 

[Ely]

Yes I noticed a few warm days last week that might have been have been ok for an inspection. Unfortunately I was at work and the evenings were too cold. And then the weekend was like winter again. A very cold wind and a bit of hail. I had a very late supercedure on one of the hives and I'm suprised it is still going. I won't be surprised to see a drone laying queen though when I open them up.

I'm in Norfolk, too, and, on principle I wouldn't want to disturb bees at less than 16 degrees, today's been sunny and warm enough to see quite a bit of traffic to and from my two hives. A lovely forager came to see me digging - hopefully one of my residents. Gardening without a coat today, but dodging a couple of welcome showers.

 

[Goran]

Its still very cold in Sweden so no point to open up the hives yet. BUt now is the time to prepare the coming season and a triple hive for extra queens/nucs is something I can warmly recommend to build. It is always a good thing to have soem extra queens ready since things always happens, perhaps you lost a queen or you killed one by mistake or she stops laying egg. And if anything happens late in the season then there is no time to make new queens. WIth this triple hive its easy to create some extra spares and since we use same combs as in our real hives its easy to add a comb of honey if needed and combine one nuc with a hive that need a new queen. If anyone want the assembly instructions you find it here: WordPress.com It is in Swedish but i translate on request, although the images and dimensions given should be enough. This one is made for LN but it is a simple task to adjust to any comb size.
View attachment 35543

At my place is more used separate 3bf mnuc or as something I use 5 half frame mnucs.. I have one double nuc ( 2*5bf) which I only used few times. We like separate more, easier to manipulate, etc.. My mnucs I start with qcells..

 

[Dods bisyssla]

At my place is more used separate 3bf mnuc or as something I use 5 half frame mnucs.. I have one double nuc ( 2*5bf) which I only used few times. We like separate more, easier to manipulate, etc.. My mnucs I start with qcells..

well they have separate inner cover for all three places so we can open one at a time for manipulation. The huge advantage is that we have three small nucs in one hive so it is super quick to make them and also super quick to maintain since you can do it in one go.

 

[Garry R]

well they have separate inner cover for all three places so we can open one at a time for manipulation. The huge advantage is that we have three small nucs in one hive so it is super quick to make them and also super quick to maintain since you can do it in one go.

I read your item regarding the 3 nuc system with interest. Do all the entrances face the same way or do you have 2 facing one way and the third the other? Or two opposite ends and the third in the middle. How many frames of brood/stores do you start with ? Any advice appreciated.

 

[Ely]

you must hardly ever inspect apart from the occasional week in July

Tends to be a bit warmer and less rainy here in Norfolk. I miss childhood holidays to Wales. I have fond memories of Dolgellau

 

[Dods bisyssla]

I read your item regarding the 3 nuc system with interest. Do all the entrances face the same way or do you have 2 facing one way and the third the other? Or two opposite ends and the third in the middle. How many frames of brood/stores do you start with ? Any advice appreciated.

Im glad you find it interesting. In the first I made I put one front and two on the sides but close to the front. In the last I built I place the two on sides more to the back to increase the distance. We use an 8 mm drill for the fluster - we want it to be as small as possible to avoid robbery so perhaps even 6 mm would be enough. Each little box have room for three combs; one with honey, one with the new queencell and brood and one with pollen. We ensure there are bees to cover the brood comb so perhaps 1000-1500 bees. Good luck

 

[Garry R]

Im glad you find it interesting. In the first I made I put one front and two on the sides but close to the front. In the last I built I place the two on sides more to the back to increase the distance. We use an 8 mm drill for the fluster - we want it to be as small as possible to avoid robbery so perhaps even 6 mm would be enough. Each little box have room for three combs; one with honey, one with the new queencell and brood and one with pollen. We ensure there are bees to cover the brood comb so perhaps 1000-1500 bees. Good luck

Thanks for that - all clear now. And as a bonus my wife will think I have only one extra colony!!

 

[Swarm]

Similar approach here with either a cell or virgin, the entrances are front far corner, centre section has rear entrance and the other end is on the side wall near the front, separate crown boards, single roof.
I do have single units as well which offer more flexibilty with siting and moving.

 

[Brian Bush]

I have been working very hard over several weeks dodging eye surgery appointments and rain showers to dismantle and re-erect a shed. Finally managed to felt the roof on a dry day last week and have creosoted the exterior and interior in the sunshine today. The previous protective coat was in a poor state and the creosote was just absorbed into the old timber. I will have to recoat the outside but at least its waterproof and ready to accomodate the bits and pieces in the old shed and I will be able to give that a refresher coat of creosote.

 

[The Poot]

I have been working very hard over several weeks dodging eye surgery appointments and rain showers to dismantle and re-erect a shed. Finally managed to felt the roof on a dry day last week and have creosoted the exterior and interior in the sunshine today. The previous protective coat was in a poor state and the creosote was just absorbed into the old timber. I will have to recoat the outside but at least its waterproof and ready to accomodate the bits and pieces in the old shed and I will be able to give that a refresher coat of creosote.

So you must be Brian Two Sheds Bush?

 

[Swarm]

I love sheds.

 

[steve1958]

I spent a nice half hour watching my Bees today.
It's still too cold to open the hives without causing harm so I made do with watching the entrance.
They appeared very busy. Lots of pollen being collected.
They showed no interest in me even though I was standing next to the hive.
And sounded happy.
Not long now and hopefully the weather will warm up.

 

[Swarm]

Are you champing at the bit?
I am

 

[steve1958]

Are you champing at the bit?
I am

Definitely

 

[JamezF]

After a bit of a dreary morning the Sun came out this afternoon and I managed to spend a little time watching my home colonies, too. Lots of bright yellow pollen coming in again. Some were absolutely plastered with it -- just winged yellow blobs thumping down onto the landing boards.

Because they were busy I went back to look at the colony I wasn't sure about because they weren't flying last time I checked. Today they were, just not in numbers as large as my home colonies. At least they're hanging in there. I couldn't see anything for certain flying from the roof of the house nearby, which definitely had some sort of colony (looked more like bees than wasps to me, from ground level) living there at the end of last Summer, but at least one of those in the roof of the office over the road still appears to be doing fine. Perhaps they'll provide me with another swarm this year

James

 

[Dods bisyssla]

Similar approach here with either a cell or virgin, the entrances are front far corner, centre section has rear entrance and the other end is on the side wall near the front, separate crown boards, single roof.
I do have single units as well which offer more flexibilty with siting and moving.

of course we have several half size hives for transportation and when they start to grow. But it is very practical to have one of these triplets on each apiary for compact fast creation of new small hives. Particlularly in order to take advantage of a swarming colony where you suddenly have 10 prime queen cells. Then we cut out the cells and take bees from other colonies - great way to quickly rear new mini hives.

 

[Bluetractorman]

Spent this afternoon exposing these lot and removing them. Not sure if I got the queen but by the time I got the tiles back in place they all seemed to be inside a poly nuc with framed up brood.
View attachment 35532

Excellent job! I expect the suit needed a wash. I've heard that scrubbing with Jeyes fluid discourages returning swarms. Do you have a view on that?

 

[Newbeeneil]

Excellent job! I expect the suit needed a wash. I've heard that scrubbing with Jeyes fluid discourages returning swarms. Do you have a view on that?

I usually just fill the void with insulation as they will not occupy a small space.
I did give the area a blast of beequick that I had in the van to displace the last few bees before filling tho.