What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Erichalfbee]

I thought you weren’t supposed to shake the frame with the QC you are keeping

You’re right so you brush them all off

 

[Brian Bush]

Last Wednesday the SBI came and inspected our colonies in the AFB exclusion area. He gave us the all clear and indicated that the affected hive had been destroyed days earlier. There was a clear link between this affected hive and 2 others about 7 miles away.
I gave him a map of the location of other beekeepers in the village who I know exist but their hives do not appear to be registered with BeeBase.

 

[Brian Bush]

After the visit by the SBI I made up six by three frame NUCs from a colleague's hives.
I sprayed them with sugar syrup with a touch of thymol and placed the new queens in their cage with attendants on the top of the frames. The following morning I checked and the queen cages had groups of bees around them feeding the attendants through the holes. I left them a further 24 hours and opened the release stopper in the cage and hung them between frames on Saturday. I will now leave them for a week and check them next Saturday. I have a weak sugar solution in a feeder in each box.

 

[Moobee]

You’re right so you brush them all off

I did. Little tinkers must have hidden it somewhere

 

[beeker]

Not exactly in the apiary. Be rude not to go and shop while in Prague. . Some very different prices to the UK. Had a coffee, and tried their floral honey. Thank heavens for Google translate though.
Even survived swmbo's "how is all that going to fit in the case"

 

[jeff33]

Added more supers on most hives, they are going crazy on the hawthorn which is in full bloom with the weather!!
Made more splits, first round of queens are mating this week, I have another round in the cell builder for requeening a few hives and a few more lovely queens coming through the demaree. The season has finally kicked in!!

 

[Wilco]

Nothing, I did nothing, honest!!!!

Backstory: I was feeling pleased with myself because I'd collected a swarm on Friday and another on Saturday. 20 minutes ago I was working upstairs with the window open when I heard a swarm. In panic I looked outside to see the garden filled with bees. In confusion I mentally checked whether any of the garden colonies had been making swarm preps. Nope. Someone else must have lost a swarm.

Not only that, but did they go to my bait hive? Like heck they did. No, they somehow found a way into a supposedly sealed box I needed to flame with frames to melt down.

As the cloud of bees swirled drunkenly around my car, SWMBO was sheepishly informed and despite repeated protests of 'they're not my bees!' (well, they are now!), I've had an ultimatum to remove all bees and equipment from the garden by her birthday. I have 8 days.

 

[E&MBees]

Nothing, I did nothing, honest!!!!

Backstory: I was feeling pleased with myself because I'd collected a swarm on Friday and another on Saturday. 20 minutes ago I was working upstairs with the window open when I heard a swarm. In panic I looked outside to see the garden filled with bees. In confusion I mentally checked whether any of the garden colonies had been making swarm preps. Nope. Someone else must have lost a swarm.

Not only that, but did they go to my bait hive? Like heck they did. No, they somehow found a way into a supposedly sealed box I needed to flame with frames to melt down.

As the cloud of bees swirled drunkenly around my car, SWMBO was sheepishly informed and despite repeated protests of 'they're not my bees!' (well, they are now!), I've had an ultimatum to remove all bees and equipment from the garden by her birthday. I have 8 days.

Sounds like you need to get a very special birthday present! Good luck

 

[Wilco]

She's away on a course for her birthday!

 

[Garry R]

Inspected roday. They are all lovely to handle without smoke at the moment. I have one really lovely colony. As quiet as a mouse and not a sign of a queen cell on a single brood but with 12 frames of national poly. Put on the 4th super this morning so am feeling pretty pleased. Others not so strong 2 supers on all now but no queen cells either. Long may it continue. Red and yellow pollen going in yet not close to chestnut. Think it's hawthorn nectar but really did not see much activity on it. Looks as if I got away with my 10 day holiday in Ireland where local honey sells for about 15 euros per pound even in supermarkets. They seem to value it more than in the UK where Lidl's 72p jar of corn syrup (sorry, honey) is more popular. Almost got to a price where it is worth buying the honey there, washing out the jars and filling up with our own produced honey !!!! Totally nuts.

 

[Garry R]

I used it as the crownboard but have 50mm celotex above it. I remove the insulation and can see through it. Its cheap too!!

I said I would report back on this material some weeks ago and can now say that it works a treat. The bees don't plaster it with wax or propolis and more important they don't chew it. I can thoroughly recommend it.

 

[Moobee]

I did. Little tinkers must have hidden it somewhere

Bloody things swarmed again! I checked this morning after yesterdays hoohah and could only find one sealed QC. Shook every single frame & brushed all the bees off the QC frame. No BIAS whatsoever & just bees backfilling.
Three hours later, they were off. Luckily into same (very understanding) neighbours garden.
Got them into a nuc quite quickly then went back & checked the hive again. There was a second open QC underneath the sealed one! Had to look really closely but there it was. As I did so the queen emerged.
So, I am wondering if I can recombine the two hives & let the two VQs fight it out? I don’t have space or kit for more hives and would like to strengthen this one.
Should I just dump them in or unite over newspaper?

 

[The Poot]

I have once “just dumped them in” and it all went well. However you risk ending up with a queen less colony, but it should be easy to salvage with a frame of eggs and brood from another (less swarmy?) colony

 

[Moobee]

I have once “just dumped them in” and it all went well. However you risk ending up with a queen less colony, but it should be easy to salvage with a frame of eggs and brood from another (less swarmy?) colony

Did just that with a liberal dose of air freshener! Noisy for a couple of minutes then settled down. Will leave the VQs to fight it out and check in a few weeks. Have the original queen in a nuc when I did the first split so have options.
Don’t think they are particularly swarmy. Partly my error TBH and they are all going like gangbusters as I’ve had to do swarm management on each hive so far….

 

[The Poot]

Did just that with a liberal dose of air freshener! Noisy for a couple of minutes then settled down. Will leave the VQs to fight it out and check in a few weeks. Have the original queen in a nuc when I did the first split so have options.
Don’t think they are particularly swarmy. Partly my error TBH and they are all going like gangbusters as I’ve had to do swarm management on each hive so far….

Yes it’s been manic here too. One huge colony has swarmed twice, lost one, but captured the other and swarm hopefully avoided on the other, by removing the queen into a nuc.
Yesterday evening I had dozens of scouts at a bait hive and I feared I’d missed a cell, but no interest at all today. Just can’t relax!

 

[Goran]

Nice, calm, not swarming intentions, last year reared.. only flaw is season is like one from Hell.. All the effort of bees and me seems like Sisyphus job.. Thinking was better I took the beer crate in front of me and let the bees do whatever they feel to.. Same result.. I feel this as some punishment to be willing to work hard..

 

[Antipodes]

Nice, calm, not swarming intentions, last year reared.. only flaw is season is like one from Hell.. All the effort of bees and me seems like Sisyphus job.. Thinking was better I took the beer crate in front of me and let the bees do whatever they feel to.. Same result.. I feel this as some punishment to be willing to work hard..

What an incredible pattern!

 

[Nannysbees]

Looking forward to this week's inspection. Have the two new queens survived? Has the swarm got a queen and is she laying? Did an oxalic treatment earlier this week a few days after we caught them,had one varroa on the inspection board. Still have to wait a few weeks for the split, left them with a capped queen cell. Could be a successful inspection or it could have gone horribly wrong!!!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Inspected roday. They are all lovely to handle without smoke at the moment. I have one really lovely colony. As quiet as a mouse and not a sign of a queen cell on a single brood but with 12 frames of national poly. Put on the 4th super this morning so am feeling pretty pleased. Others not so strong 2 supers on all now but no queen cells either. Long may it continue. Red and yellow pollen going in yet not close to chestnut. Think it's hawthorn nectar but really did not see much activity on it. Looks as if I got away with my 10 day holiday in Ireland where local honey sells for about 15 euros per pound even in supermarkets. They seem to value it more than in the UK where Lidl's 72p jar of corn syrup (sorry, honey) is more popular. Almost got to a price where it is worth buying the honey there, washing out the jars and filling up with our own produced honey !!!! Totally nuts.

Have a look at the 11 o clock tree at 11
The Hawthorne that is

 

[The Poot]

Looking forward to this week's inspection. Have the two new queens survived? Has the swarm got a queen and is she laying? Did an oxalic treatment earlier this week a few days after we caught them,had one varroa on the inspection board. Still have to wait a few weeks for the split, left them with a capped queen cell. Could be a successful inspection or it could have gone horribly wrong!!!

I‘m hoping for the best for you.
I‘m in that interim period of waiting for queens to emerge and mate on three colonies. Frustrating isn’t it?