What did you do in the Apiary today?

[elainemary]

Not quite in the apiary - but apiary related.
First full day at the Royal Welsh today, got there super early, tarried before going to the National Honey show, getting a full monty breakfast roll washed down by a mug of Murrough's Welsh brew tea and a chat with Mr Murrough junior; his father, the company founder was In Grammar school with my mother - still going strong at eighty years old same as mam (both born the first week of January 1943, Mam on New years day and him on the sixth) and running the main stall at the food hall.
Arrived at the Honey show to be greeted by congratulations - apparently this year I'm the joint winner of the Henry Ferguson Thomas Memorial crystal for gaining the highest number of points in the open classes, and Dorian Death (who donates the crystal) has arranged we get a crystal each to take home!!
I was also surprised to find I'd got first for my wax cake again (third time now) as I didn't think it was by best offering so my name is once again on the EJ Tanner memorial silver rosebowl.
View attachment 37099View attachment 37100
Got first for the light honey and two of the classes of cut comb honey then a selection of seconds and thirds for heather honey, soft set heather mix, moulded candles and the composite class.
Oh, and gave the usual interview for the S4C evening Royal Welsh Show roundup

Think the wax cake class is the most difficult of all to achieve a first at county level - great result!

 

[Nannysbees]

OK so what's all this about !!! Didn't manage to get to inspect today weather awful. Popped down the garden to check and found this!!!!!! The other side of the bay trees surrounding the hives. Small dark unmarked queen at the centre!!!!! Inspected just over a week ago

 

[Erichalfbee]

Are yours marked?
Remains of a swarm impacted by the weather? Virgin queen back from mating?
Have you caught them?

 

[E&MBees]

Quick check on the girls. Needed to replace a strap on a nuc that was expanded last weekend. All very busy. Heavily laden with grey pollen, so some brambles nearby are still in flower. Nice to see them making the most of the dry weather.
View attachment IMG_8537.mov

 

[Nannysbees]

Are yours marked?
Remains of a swarm impacted by the weather? Virgin queen back from mating?
Have you caught them?

Yes all 5 marked, put them in a nuc box, put the queen in a clip and they dutifully followed her, handful of bees. Im sure we didn't miss a cell when we checked

 

[Erichalfbee]

Quick check on the girls. Needed to replace a strap on a nuc that was expanded last weekend. All very busy. Heavily laden with grey pollen, so some brambles nearby are still in flower. Nice to see them making the most of the dry weather.
View attachment 37122

Lovely.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes all 5 marked, put them in a nuc box, put the queen in a clip and they dutifully followed her, handful of bees. Im sure we didn't miss a cell when we checked

Donate to your BKA or make a nuc up for her.

 

[Nannysbees]

Donate to your BKA or make a nuc up for her.

Is it too late in the season if she isn't mated?

 

[Anduril]

Is it too late in the season if she isn't mated?

No, as long as there are drones about, you have plenty of time in Barrybados

 

[Erichalfbee]

Stored all my squeezed spring cappings in a bag wrapped in pallet wrap in another bag in the potting shed. What a twit!
Stan went in there to collect something to be met by thousands of wasps! They had chewed a few wasp size holes in the bags.
No wonder there are a few wasps in the house and very few at the apiary!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Yesterday I made nucs up with mated queens also marking mated queens in nucs , two nucs had two queens in perfect supersedure I watched one old queen being rejected ( not fed ) she didn’t look happy .

Fed some colony’s with fondant that were light .
Shook out 4 drone layer two infront of newly nuced up mini nucs to bolster them.
Moving 10 more colony’s to the heather that will be 44 colony’s and I might take some more double nucs up yet.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

No, as long as there are drones about, you have plenty of time in Barrybados

and successful matings seem to be the norm there.
I'm sure it's the same for bees

 

[Newbeeneil]

Stored all my squeezed spring cappings in a bag wrapped in pallet wrap in another bag in the potting shed. What a twit!
Stan went in there to collect something to be met by thousands of wasps! They had chewed a few wasp size holes in the bags.
No wonder there are a few wasps in the house and very few at the apiary!

After my slight accident with a 30lb bucket of honey that discharged in to the back of my van, even after mopping it all out there is still honey secreted in all the joints.
At one point honey was dripping out of the jacking points and now when I park it in an apiary I get a line of bees lined up on the cills.
The latest excitement is when I get into the van first thing in the morning. I spend the first mile or so swatting wasps or letting them out of the windows. I assume they find their way in overnight and can't get out!

 

[Nannysbees]

Inspected all five hives in between showers, all of our queens present, clipped all five, one of them moved and I clipped both wings,idiot!!!!! Hope they don't reject her. Two buckfast bursting at the seams on a double brood. The little swarm in the nuc box had about three living bees and all the rest dead in the bottom of the box, retrieved the clip with the queen in gave her a tiny drop of sugar water which she lapped up and left a message with one of the x inspectors hoping he can find a home

 

[Newbeeneil]

I clipped a wing and a rear leg once and “hopalong” was still on her throne 2 years later.

 

[beeboybee]

Clearer board on - might get a two full supers out of Six after this rain...

 

[gregior]

Inspected 12 of mine today planning to remove the summer crop and get treatment started.
At the end of June there was 300lbs of honey in the supers of the 12 colonies, today there was 80lbs and nothing worth removing for extraction. I knew things wouldn't be great but didn't expect it to be this dire.
Having said that there is actually a pretty good balsam flow just starting so I left 1 super on each colony, but looking at the terrible weather outlook i'll be amazed if I get very much of a summer crop this year ,The Spring honey crop was very good but all that has sold now.

 

[Moobee]

Inspected all five hives in between showers, all of our queens present, clipped all five, one of them moved and I clipped both wings,idiot!!!!! Hope they don't reject her. Two buckfast bursting at the seams on a double brood. The little swarm in the nuc box had about three living bees and all the rest dead in the bottom of the box, retrieved the clip with the queen in gave her a tiny drop of sugar water which she lapped up and left a message with one of the x inspectors hoping he can find a home

I’ve got a queen with very stunted wings from a scissor slip - the bees don’t seem to care!

 

[Moobee]

Checked all the hives - quite a few heavy supers but mostly still uncapped. Did take out 7 frames from one super of half capped at 16.5% so will check next week if any more are worth removing.

 

[Anduril]

I clipped both wings,idiot!!!!! Hope they don't reject her.

Before the colour marking of queens there was a practice of clipping the left side one year and the following year only on the right. But I've also heard of both wings clipped for one year.