What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Curly green finger's]

That sounds brilliant Curly! Hard work, yes, but the rewards are there, well done.

Sticky rewards , the bees must be on the honey dew some of the supers have very dark honey being put away .

 

[Curly green finger's]

It’s a farmers life.
Us hobbyists at least have an easier time.

Hopefully we’ll over 100 buckets by the end of June .

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Arrived at an apiary today to find I'd come without wellies. I was wearing sandals. Fortunately, I'd just got a pair of gauntlets (without gloves) from Thornes. I stuck my feet in them, tucking the ends under my toes, put on my sandals again, and managed the four-hour session without any stings.

The other thing I forgot today was to bring a second bottle of water.

 

[The Poot]

Arrived at an apiary today to find I'd come without wellies. I was wearing sandals. Fortunately, I'd just got a pair of gauntlets (without gloves) from Thornes. I stuck my feet in them, tucking the ends under my toes, put on my sandals again, and managed the four-hour session without any stings.

The other thing I forgot today was to bring a second bottle of water.

Other than that, you were completely organised

 

[Wilco]

Late last Friday afternoon I had a larva I didn't like like the look of in the first hive I checked. I stopped what I was doing and went home to clean kit and ask for a NBU visit. Sadly the weekend precluded me from completing checks on that apiary.

The inspector came today and inspected everything there and gave the all clear, apart from one DLQ and a hive I seem to have missed a prime swarm with. However, the suspect colony was last and we ended on a high, including finding a mated queen in a mating nuc which I thought had failed.

So apart from me being obviously rather inept, a good day. I am incredibly grateful for the NBU and the service they provide- and would be even if a different conclusion had been reached. Make use of them!

 

[StephenT]

Checked the mongrel hive to see if the queen that emerged a couple of weeks ago was laying and she was. Couldn’t spot her but she’ll be getting a nice pink splodge when we do. A week ago we merged a nuc using air freshener into a hive that had swarmed two or three weeks back. Bit of a risk but plenty of eggs and small larvae now. Found one charged QC that we knocked down in the hope it was some sort of intro blip but will need check again in a few days for any more.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Arrived at an apiary today to find I'd come without wellies. I was wearing sandals. Fortunately, I'd just got a pair of gauntlets (without gloves) from Thornes. I stuck my feet in them, tucking the ends under my toes, put on my sandals again, and managed the four-hour session without any stings.

The other thing I forgot today was to bring a second bottle of water.

ingenious!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Late last Friday afternoon I had a larva I didn't like like the look of in the first hive I checked. I stopped what I was doing and went home to clean kit and ask for a NBU visit. Sadly the weekend precluded me from completing checks on that apiary.

The inspector came today and inspected everything there and gave the all clear, apart from one DLQ and a hive I seem to have missed a prime swarm with. However, the suspect colony was last and we ended on a high, including finding a mated queen in a mating nuc which I thought had failed.

So apart from me being obviously rather inept, a good day. I am incredibly grateful for the NBU and the service they provide- and would be even if a different conclusion had been reached. Make use of them!

I always have a couple of lateral flows in stock these days

 

[DaveG23]

Today has been catching up day.

Donated a double nuc to a friend at the weekend, went round and hived them today. He is over the moon at having well behaved bees. he started keeping bees the same time as I did, but he took a swarm in a bait hive who were the most murderous bees you can imagine, so he promptly lost interest.

Went home checked a double nuc which I had not fully inspected at the weekend, they hadn't done anything in the top box apart from store nectar since they had the 2nd box 3 weeks ago, found queen cells and emerging queens. I had my dates wrong.

Took a walk in to the farmers field and found the prime swarm and 2 casts. Will have to double check all the other hives tommorrow to see if I have missed anything otherwise will assume it's all from them.

All this fine weather in June in playing havoc with my assumptions...

 

[Garry R]

Other than that, you were completely organised

Or on another occasion if the bees hadn't played ball, completely stuffed!!

 

[Michael Palmer]

Grafting Day. 192 total grafts from 6 different breeders.
Had some folks stay late from yesterday's queen rearing workshop.
Members of the Penn State EPIQ program...teaching queen rearing and instrumental insemination.
I have a part time employ who is enrolled in the program. Got to spend a week at Penn State and with Sue Coby
learning II.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Or on another occasion if the bees hadn't played ball, completely stuffed!!

No, no, this is a real solution! I'm thinking of buying up gauntlets, sewing up the smaller openings, and selling them as hot weather beekeeping footwear to be worn with sandals.

 

[Gunner]

Finally finished extraction of the spring crop which is fairly good at 530kg & very little OSR this season. Then discovered 3 colonies at an out apiary have been hit with what looks like a pesticide spraying incident . Not the farmer as he only sprayed fungicide & gave me notice so the bees were shut in for 12 hours. What were strong full colonies are now small nucleus…

Not the best of photos but if you zoom in you can see the carpet of dead bees in front of the hive stand. Plenty of dead bees in the hive floors as well:

 

[Garry R]

No, no, this is a real solution! I'm thinking of buying up gauntlets, sewing up the smaller openings, and selling them as hot weather beekeeping footwear to be worn with sandals.

Good idea! When I am boat fishing I wear a set of breathable chest waders with neoprene stocking feet. These are traditionally worn with waterproof boots which I find clumsy so instead I wear a pair of oversize Lidl crocs at £5 and they are as warm and as light as a feather. Foot gauntlets are a great idea.

 

[BeeMania]

4th swarm this year...what a beauty

 

[gregior]

Monster clover and bramble flow on here after yesterdays big thunderstorm no space for the queens to lay and swarming starting up again. Out of supers arrgh

 

[Erichalfbee]

Finally finished extraction of the spring crop which is fairly good at 530kg & very little OSR this season. Then discovered 3 colonies at an out apiary have been hit with what looks like a pesticide spraying incident . Not the farmer as he only sprayed fungicide & gave me notice so the bees were shut in for 12 hours. What were strong full colonies are now small nucleus…

Not the best of photos but if you zoom in you can see the carpet of dead bees in front of the hive stand. Plenty of dead bees in the hive floors as well:

Not Pesticide but Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus. There’s a thread running at present and a sticky on what to do

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/cbpv.55398/
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/a-way-to-combat-cbpv.51048/

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Finally finished extraction of the spring crop which is fairly good at 530kg & very little OSR this season. Then discovered 3 colonies at an out apiary have been hit with what looks like a pesticide spraying incident . Not the farmer as he only sprayed fungicide & gave me notice so the bees were shut in for 12 hours. What were strong full colonies are now small nucleus…

Not the best of photos but if you zoom in you can see the carpet of dead bees in front of the hive stand. Plenty of dead bees in the hive floors as well:

CBPV

Not Pesticide but Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus. There’s a thread running at present and a sticky on what to do

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/cbpv.55398/
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/a-way-to-combat-cbpv.51048/

 

[Curly green finger's]

Monster clover and bramble flow on here after yesterdays big thunderstorm no space for the queens to lay and swarming starting up again. Out of supers arrgh

I enjoy reading your posts it makes me feel like I’m not on my own .

 

[Erichalfbee]

I enjoy reading your posts it makes me feel like I’m not on my own .

You’re not Curly. You have your BKF family