What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Garry R]

Having also been stung in the same place I can sympathise!……..I would suggest you return home fast and show off before the swelling subsides

I believe there is a spray for this type of sting but not sure if it is a ball or an aerosol (to coin a very old joke)

 

[Erichalfbee]

Took two Demarees down. Leaving the top brood on as a super as it’s already pretty full of honey.

 

[Murox]

Spent the afternoon cutting up timber to make double hive stands and 2 hours hacking brambles and undergrowth and levelling up a new area for the hives I need to move. Not looking forward to it at this time of year,but needs must.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

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

My instinct was to place an order. Then is remembered that you're a vet, Dani. Do you think lay beekeepers without any experience should do the same? We've all had lots of experience of using LFTs since last this was discussed here (and the general mood then was that non-experts should restrict themselves to calling the bee inspector). Do you think Covid tests have made us any more adept when it comes to interpreting results from hb larvae?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My instinct was to place an order. Then is remembered that you're a vet, Dani. Do you think lay beekeepers without any experience should do the same?

Yes, it's not record science, if you get an SBI visiting for whatever reason, they will probably demonstrate a test if you ask.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Funny how the bees were so calm last week, but today coming out and wrapping themselves around my hands. Did they have a memory of all the thunder this morning? Or just showing their true selves!

I removed a cell bar frame of queen cells to place in mini-nucs, and a little later returned it with new grafts. Rather than put all the cells in mini-nucs, I put three, protected with tin-foil, in hives where I'd be happy for the queens to be superseded. David Evans mentioned it last Friday: a tip that Roger P had picked up, and which could be an easy option for requeening a defensive colony. (At the bottom of the page in blue.) RP says it works for him about 80% of the time. Nothing to lose by trying it out.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Do you think Covid tests have made us any more adept when it comes to interpreting results from hb larvae?

It’s easy. Instructions are in the pack. At least you don’t have to stick the swab up a bee’s nose.
BUT follow up any concern with your SBI.

 

[TomH]

Took two Demarees down. Leaving the top brood on as a super as it’s already pretty full of honey.

How do you judge when in the season to dismantle them?

 

[Newbeeneil]

Spent another day with my SBI inspecting 35 hives in 10 apiaries. It took 11hours and thankfully all clear.
Very interesting day with a nice guy who wouldn’t even let me buy him a drink!
We are lucky in the UK beekeeping community to have such a great resource!

 

[Newbeeneil]

I believe there is a spray for this type of sting but not sure if it is a ball or an aerosol (to coin a very old joke)

Said in a Swedish accent?

 

[Erichalfbee]

How do you judge when in the season to dismantle them?

There's a good flow starting. Swarming is hopefully over. All my other colonies with older queens have made swarm preps and the rapid expansion of colonies is likely done

 

[Garry R]

Said in a Swedish accent?

Said by an armpit fanatic?

 

[Ian123]

Put a ‘brood box’ with foundation above the QE on the biggest hive. Couple of foundationless frames in there as well hopefully for chunk honey. Have already extracted and replaced two supers on the hive but still had to lift the 4 supers off one by one. Put another brood chamber on a nuc that is requeening as with a quick peek it was being filled with stores. My wife secured a new apiary site about 25 mins out of London the other day so are planning nucs to move there in a few weeks. Will deffo need that queen @Ian123

Just call when you want….

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Noone to show any interest in my wedding tackle, I'm afraid, female or ****.

There's redness btw. "Perfectly normal for one to be larger than the other"

Remember to check your assets regularly
View attachment 36692


. . . . Ben

In the words of the song (although about a different part of human anatomy) "one was small, hardly anything at all, the other was big and won prizes."

 

[TomH]

There's a good flow starting. Swarming is hopefully over. All my other colonies with older queens have made swarm preps and the rapid expansion of colonies is likely done

Thanks Dani. Planning to try some demarees myself next year. I hope so too that swarming is abating, still getting plenty of swarm calls, but mostly little cast swarms now, so assume from feral/unmanaged colonies.

Flow starting down here too, not really had much of a June gap at all this year.

 

[Murox]

Funny how the bees were so calm last week, but today coming out and wrapping themselves around my hands.........I removed a cell bar frame of queen cells to place in mini-nucs, and a little later returned it with new grafts. Rather than put all the cells in mini-nucs, I put three, protected with tin-foil, in hives where I'd be happy for the queens to be superseded. David Evans mentioned it last Friday: a tip that Roger P had picked up, and which could be an easy option for requeening a defensive colony. (At the bottom of the page in blue.) RP says it works for him about 80% of the time. Nothing to lose by trying it out.

I remember that "holy grail" tip from my grandfather's times. Inducing a perfect supersedure would be something, certainly nothing to loose but don't do it with the grumpy ones !

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

I remember that "holy grail" tip from my grandfather's times. Inducing a perfect supersedure would be something, certainly nothing to loose but don't do it with the grumpy ones !

Actually, Roger P has used it mostly with difficult colonies when requeening is a tricky option anyway. I'll let you know how this goes.

 

[Murox]

Actually, Roger P has used it mostly with difficult colonies when requeening is a tricky option anyway. I'll let you know how this goes.

Yes please do; I hope it works out well.

 

[gregior]

Got a call from the farmer " there's millions of bees everywhere" one had swarmed (it's already swarmed once in April),i have no kit and knew it was rammed so tried the head in the sand approach and hoped they would stay put. When I got there the swarm was back on the front of the hive and the clipped Q was in the grass a few yards away. Caged her and plonked her in a super above a crown board on the original hive with a stick to give them an entrance. All the bees duly marched in.Man I need about £3k worth of kit but just not possible at the minute. Extracted a couple of supers from late May when they were on the hawthorn-darkest honey i've ever seen from my bees,hope it sells. Can you spot them?

 

[Tim.S]

I had to get a move on today so I was up at the out apiaries fairly early. It was cold, cloudy and there is the tail end of the June gap for what it is and boy were they a grumpy lot. All over me like a cloud trying to get in my suit any way they could. Jobs to be done completed I went to another site but they were after me as soon as I was out of the van so I chickened out and went home. One of those days it happens once in a while. They will be better behaved next time!