What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Newbeeneil]

There are one or two here that turn really pink. There seems to be a few different kinds with slightly different blooming times and blossom appearance

Yes, the pink ones always seem to bloom a couple of weeks later.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Well we’ll 12 black girls and 4 tan queens emerged this lovely morning I can’t up load the video it’s to big

 

[Nannysbees]

Well we’ll 12 black girls and 4 tan queens emerged this lovely morning I can’t up load the video it’s to big

Can you clip it for us to see a little bit?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Can you clip it for us to see a little bit?

Might be able to use Dropbox but later if I get time

 

[The Poot]

Took delivery of this years honey jars, from Freeman and Harding.
Ordered on Wednesday, shipped on Thursday, arrived on Friday with no damage. Sealed in the boxes with lids attached.
Excellent service as usual.
Plus inside the box was this thank you message….


I have bought from them for a few years now without any issues - and they give a BBKA discount.

 

[pargyle]

Took delivery of this years honey jars, from Freeman and Harding.
Ordered on Wednesday, shipped on Thursday, arrived on Friday with no damage. Sealed in the boxes with lids attached.
Excellent service as usual.
Plus inside the box was this thank you message….
View attachment 36355View attachment 36356

I have bought from them for a few years now without any issues - and they give a BBKA discount.

I buy my jars from them as well. Nice, friendly and helpful - service is always excellent in my experience. MInd you, the price of jars is horrendous at present and I doubt it's ever going to go down to any great extent.

 

[Garry R]

Just going to jump in the shower and a ring at the door. I was informed that someone had dumped a box of bees and comb on the grass verge outside his house - would I come and have a look. When I got there it was apparent that the box was in fact an Abelo hive and the swarm had been in a letter box for some time as there was honey all over the road. Further enquiries revealed that the swarm had been in the postbox for a few weeks and although the Royal Mail had been informed nothing had been done until yesterday when the box was opened and the inner box removed and the colony removed to the hive. All's well that ends well and the village will get its postbox back.

 

[Garry R]

After the shenanigans of yesterday, today was weird. First thing I got a "swarm" into a bait hive but very weird in that the bees were very agitated at the entrance to the hive and did not seem to cluster and flow in if you get my drift. However they did stay and continued the behaviour but stragglers were pretty tetchy. Then about 4pm there was another lot. lt arrived and they also went into the same hive. Again tetchy but stayed. In the midst of all this the lady across the road came to tell me there was a swarm arriving in a tree in her garden and could I have a look. Sure enough a cluster up the tree and with a bit of Heath Robinson approach I got them hived and they behaved conventionally. These are not my bees as I don't have any within two miles of the house and yesterday's inspection showed no swarming signs. They are now closed up ready to move to the apiary tomorrow. I have never had two "swarms" go into one hive and as I said unsure if they are queenright at present. Any one with a similar experience? As I said WEIRD!

 

[Ian123]

Well I was pretty confident and rather pleased with myself the other day that the bees had taken to every cell
There’s now 21 from 24 on verge of capping the little barstewards!

 

[Antipodes]

After the shenanigans of yesterday, today was weird. First thing I got a "swarm" into a bait hive but very weird in that the bees were very agitated at the entrance to the hive and did not seem to cluster and flow in if you get my drift. However they did stay and continued the behaviour but stragglers were pretty tetchy. Then about 4pm there was another lot. lt arrived and they also went into the same hive. Again tetchy but stayed. In the midst of all this the lady across the road came to tell me there was a swarm arriving in a tree in her garden and could I have a look. Sure enough a cluster up the tree and with a bit of Heath Robinson approach I got them hived and they behaved conventionally. These are not my bees as I don't have any within two miles of the house and yesterday's inspection showed no swarming signs. They are now closed up ready to move to the apiary tomorrow. I have never had two "swarms" go into one hive and as I said unsure if they are queenright at present. Any one with a similar experience? As I said WEIRD!

Seems to be some unusual swarm behaviour in the UK this season, from what has been reported on the forum. Double swarms and usurpation swarms etc.

 

[Ian123]

Seems to be some unusual swarm behaviour in the UK this season, from what has been reported on the forum. Double swarms and usurpation swarms etc.

No quite normal….just people with bait hives and actively looking are more observant!
Usurpers are not uncommon I had it happen twice at home last year and that was the occasion's I actually witnessed. The most annoying was a cell raiser complete with a couple of batches of cells…. No choice but to go in and remove them as I didn’t know if the swarm had made it in!

 

[JamezF]

No quite normal….just people with bait hives and actively looking are more observant!
Usurpers are not uncommon I had it happen twice at home last year and that was the occasion's I actually witnessed. The most annoying was a cell raiser complete with a couple of batches of cells…. No choice but to go in and remove them as I didn’t know if the swarm had made it in!

It may be relatively common, but I wonder if the fact that colonies appear to be swarming for shits and giggles this year means that more people are seeing it happen.

James

 

[Antipodes]

It may be relatively common, but I wonder if the fact that colonies appear to be swarming for shits and giggles this year means that more people are seeing it happen.

James

You've had your share of oddities this year!

 

[JamezF]

You've had your share of oddities this year!

And it's barely even started yet

James

 

[Curly green finger's]

Starting to get some nice stacks now the big stack in the photo is a double brood demaree.

 

[madasafish]

Sat in the sun this pm watching the world go by.
Then watched a swarm - very thinly spread out come in over the fields and into a bait hive.
And another - both Prime swarms by their size.

Was told to cut colonies down - sold one this am.. gained two this pm.
That's minus one dear...errr....
Good thing I bought more supers and frames and jars last year in anticipation..

 

[pargyle]

Starting to get some nice stacks now the big stack in the photo is a double brood demaree.View attachment 36392

With your double brood that you are doing a demaree on .. Why have you got the queen excluder above the bottom brood box ? Don't you use a Demaree board either or a second queen excluder like you have in the stack to the far left ? I'm no expert so just asking ....you must have a reason for doing it like that ...

 

[Erichalfbee]

so just asking ...

It’s not a Demaree? It’s a single brood with six supers on top? Three shallows and three deeps?
I’ve heard some people move capped frames above a QX in a double brood to keep the queen in the bottom box. No idea why! Could it be that? So again not a Demaree.

 

[Curly green finger's]

With your double brood that you are doing a demaree on .. Why have you got the queen excluder above the bottom brood box ? Don't you use a Demaree board either or a second queen excluder like you have in the stack to the far keft ? I'm no expert so just asking ....you must have a reason for doing it like that ...

The colony to the left are only 7 days into a proper demaree .
The stack on the right are 30 days .

With your double brood that you are doing a demaree on .. Why have you got the queen excluder above the bottom brood box ? Don't you use a Demaree board either or a second queen excluder like you have in the stack to the far left ? I'm no expert so just asking ....you must have a reason for doing it like that ...

i suppose it’s not a demaree Phil but as I said it was a double brood with a brood box as a super queen was put in the bottom box with foundation and honey supers have been added above the two brood boxes with the top most super being banked as it capped which I’m extracting in a weeks time.


Reason for this configuration you can roll frames from the bottom brood box and you can access the colony with out inspecting the bottom box by lifting up the side of the hive once you have taken the supers of .
Does that answer your question ?

 

[pargyle]

The colony to the left are only 7 days into a proper demaree .
The stack on the right are 30 days .

i suppose it’s not a demaree Phil but as I said it was a double brood with a brood box as a super queen was put in the bottom box with foundation and honey supers have been added above the two brood boxes with the top most super being banked as it capped which I’m extracting in a weeks time.


Reason for this configuration you can roll frames from the bottom brood box and you can access the colony with out inspecting the bottom box by lifting up the side of the hive once you have taken the supers of .
Does that answer your question ?

Ahh ... So it's not a Demaree ... that's what was confusing me ... I could see the colony on the far left was what I consider to be a proper Demaree but with the big stack, I thought I was missing something and you had a different slant on a Demaree. - So, it's really a single brood box with a stack of supers and broods used as supers ? And the top brood box is that full of honey - if it is why put it on the top of the stack - have you not heard of hernias and beekeepers back ?

Not sure you are right about your inspections though ... If you have the queen excluder above the first brood box there's going to be no eggs in the second brood box by now and if you were inspecting for swarm cells tipping, the second brood box to look at the bottom of the frames is not going to show you any ? Or am I mistaken again ?