What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Wilco]

Today I put on some clearer boards and wished I'd done this last week. Several colonies have consumed about a shallow of honey in the last week. Just when I'd got another local shop to start stocking my honey.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

why was she in the cage in the first place?

 

[Newbeeneil]

Amazed when looking at the hives today.... it's p***ing down here and the bees are still flying in numbers.

 

[Moobee]

Had a fab day at the Great Yorkshire Show. I entered a few classes for the first time (only entered my local show before). I won 6 x First prizes and a 3rd. Couldn’t believe it!
My heather came first and my heather blend was put forward for a bigger prize and it went on to win Reserve Champion (basically the best honey at County level in the show)
Dead chuffed

Well done you!

 

[Moobee]

Diabolical day of wind and rain so started painting a few nucs that haven’t yet been used for splits. Also started repairing a nuc with coving filler, that wax moth got into during the winter and left it looking like Swiss cheese

 

[Do224]

Today I put on some clearer boards and wished I'd done this last week. Several colonies have consumed about a shallow of honey in the last week. Just when I'd got another local shop to start stocking my honey.

Would it have been ok to have taken those shallows away earlier or would the bees have potentially starved? I think my bees are munching my honey crop at the moment but thought I better leave them to it as didn’t want to risk starvation. I’ve no idea if that would be a threat at this time of year or not though

 

[Newbeeneil]

I have a 8 frame double poly nuc that is packed with bees so thought I would use it to raise some queens. So yesterday I went in search of the queen. I went through each frame 4 times and on my 64th frame spotted her. I quickly picked her up by her wings, turned to pick up the queen cage from the stand and when I looked at my fingers - she was gone!
I closed up and used the adjacent hive!

 

[Wilco]

Would it have been ok to have taken those shallows away earlier or would the bees have potentially starved? I think my bees are munching my honey crop at the moment but thought I better leave them to it as didn’t want to risk starvation. I’ve no idea if that would be a threat at this time of year or not though

I'm not clearing them from all the shallows for that reason, just taking the top couple from the hives before I lose any more. If it gets worse I'll dilute some bakers honey and feed it to them.

 

[madasafish]

Fed two nucs, checked stores on others.
Lost two mini nucs to wasps desperate for food.

Two near continuous weeks rain decimating honey stores. Cold as well.
Waiting a warning about feeding.

 

[Goran]

Heat is back.. I can fill the cup with sweat.. I removed division boards and will see in a few days how many queen cells are accepted.. Will look accordingly to that number how many colonies I can requeen..
Bees are on the hawksbeard and white clover until sun hit hard..

 

[markb2603]

Fed two nucs, checked stores on others.
Lost two mini nucs to wasps desperate for food.

Two near continuous weeks rain decimating honey stores. Cold as well.
Waiting a warning about feeding.

Same here. 2 weeks of continuous rain, I have a nuc I had just moved into hive before the rain started. Looked in last weekend and hardly any stores at all. Got a message during the week from a nearby association that feeding might be required for smaller hives. They have consumed nearly 6 litres in under 48 hours! Hardly any additional honey in supers in my other 3 hives as they seem to be consuming whatever they are bringing in.

 

[BeezerGoode]

Awful weather here today, so spent a couple of hours making up some clearer board/eke combination.

With hives in two locations now it’s going to be the first year transporting supers to extract, so also cut a few extra boards to keep them sealed in transit.

Hopefully there’s still plenty of honey when we get to extract.

 

[Wilco]

Awful weather here today, so spent a couple of hours making up some clearer board/eke combination.

With hives in two locations now it’s going to be the first year transporting supers to extract, so also cut a few extra boards to keep them sealed in transit.

Hopefully there’s still plenty of honey when we get to extract.

An inverted roof is handy when transporting full shallows.

 

[Erichalfbee]

An inverted roof is handy when transporting full shallows.

It certainly is. I have replaced all my Swienty broods with Abelo and deep roofs so I have a few of the old roofs. They are jolly handy.

 

[Moobee]

Blowing a hooley here today. Finished painting the nuc and then watched bees tempted out by sunshine being flung into the hedge by the wind

 

[BeezerGoode]

It certainly is. I have replaced all my Swienty broods with Abelo and deep roofs so I have a few of the old roofs. They are jolly handy.

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately all of the roofs i have are in use right now, but its definitely one I’ll bear in mind for next year when I expect to be moving a lot more (when the honey room should be ready).

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately all of the roofs i have are in use right now, but its definitely one I’ll bear in mind for next year when I expect to be moving a lot more (when the honey room should be ready).

I use these as well they are very useful. You can probably get them cheaper than here
https://www.sam-turner.co.uk/produc...A9--YWUFe8Tu30KwkCXGIT64D7WGGSfBoCDzYQAvD_BwE

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I just keep a stack of 18" square pieces of 15MM OSB boards and a bag of ratchet straps in the back of the truch, top and bottom stacks of five supers between the boards and the job's a goodun

 

[Moobee]

I use these as well they are very useful. You can probably get them cheaper than here
https://www.sam-turner.co.uk/produc...A9--YWUFe8Tu30KwkCXGIT64D7WGGSfBoCDzYQAvD_BwE

I love these for keeping the supers off the ground & catching honey drips

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I love these for keeping the supers off the ground & catching honey drips

been using them for years to put under supers ready for extraction to keep work surfaces clean - and a second one for the 'empty supers to catch any drips