What did you do in the Apiary today?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Continuing with the clearer board rounds, although the bees at the range have cleared out a lot of their stores (but there's still a respectable amount left), the castle bees, Garn Cottage and Llety'r deryn, although not as much as expected back at the end of June have got a fair lot of full supers to take. It will take a few return visits to take it all away.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Lovely day today.
Looked at two test frames put into a colony I suspected was queenless. I was certain they were and had put two brood frames in with the idea of re queening them. No queen cells in fact the bees had eaten all the little larvae and eggs!
So made up a nuc with a whole super full of nice bees, shaken in. Wasps immediately looking at it so popped on a conduit entrance which seems to be working well.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Above
Checked the introduction cage after lunch. Twenty or so bees all with their proboscis out feeding the queen. So…… just let her out. Gorgeous orange queen from Lawrence. She gave me a bit of a turn as she walked about on the top bars for a bit then disappeared.

 

[Wilco]

Checked most colonies, struggling a bit today and feel exhausted after a week 'off'. Some colonies low on stores, some have trickles coming in. Heather sites seem to be bringing in nectar so here's hoping the weather holds!

 

[Anduril]

@Swarm Today I used the beevac, the drawn comb was mostly the size to fit into a standard brood frame some with a little bit of trimming.
View attachment 20230810_154634.mp4

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Popped up to the Carreg apiary this morning to bring back a truckload of supers that have had clearer boards on for a few days (shooting day at the range yesterday, so couldn't go up) after being a bit pessimistic about this apiary, although the supers are not jam packed there's quite a bit of honey to extract and only half a dozen oe so totally empty ones left on the stack up there, Three more apiaries to bring back tomorrow and it will be three separate trips with the amount of full supers.
Really warm and sunny up there - had a wee lizard taking advantage of a roof I'd just put in the grass to have a quick bask in the reflected sunlight.

 

[Moobee]

Hives & nucs still stuffed full of brood and queens showing no sign of slowing down.
Bees starting to make play cups again and had two colonies with charged QCs so did some splits (they’re all this years queens and laying really well so I’m assuming late swarming…). Will have to sell a couple of nucs before winter to free up space as don’t have any hives left to put them in!
Super weights have been going up and down but now getting heavier again although only a quarter capped with uncapped at 22% so not yet removable.

 

[castanea]

Extracted honey good season, should I leave the honey in the buckets or put in glass jars.
Would the plastic taint the honey?
Many thanks

 

[Garry R]

I got notice from one of my landowners to move my hives today, hubbie has become very allergic to bee stings to the point he ended up in a and e. Not anaphylaxis thankfully. So I took this afternoon off and prepared them all for removal, I still have 5 deeps of honey over clearer boards to remove then they can be gone.
They have very kindly found me another site just down the road which subject to the usual checks the bees will be moving to, 10 colonies in pairs.
This just shows how important it is to cultivate good relationships as what could have turned nasty has been a fruitful experience (apart from poor hubbie!). I always explain to my landowners that any problems at all and the bees will be gone, and I will always be good to my word.
Not bad as this is the first one in 15 years, might be time to have written terms though, just in case!

 

[Garry R]

I got notice from one of my landowners to move my hives today, hubbie has become very allergic to bee stings to the point he ended up in a and e. Not anaphylaxis thankfully. So I took this afternoon off and prepared them all for removal, I still have 5 deeps of honey over clearer boards to remove then they can be gone.
They have very kindly found me another site just down the road which subject to the usual checks the bees will be moving to, 10 colonies in pairs.
This just shows how important it is to cultivate good relationships as what could have turned nasty has been a fruitful experience (apart from poor hubbie!). I always explain to my landowners that any problems at all and the bees will be gone, and I will always be good to my word.
Not bad as this is the first one in 15 years, might be time to have written terms though, just in case!

Just down the road? How far dare I ask......

 

[Erichalfbee]

Extracted honey good season, should I leave the honey in the buckets or put in glass jars.
Would the plastic taint the honey?
Many thanks

Food safe plastic buckets are fine. If you jar the honey you’re faced with having to melt all those jars when the honey crystallises

 

[Nannysbees]

Lovely day here today, managed to inspect all five hives. Reduced three to brood box only,removing an empty super of each and will need a feed. The two monster hives:- reduced two supers to one, need to get clearer board to take that super off, quite a bit of uncapped nectar. The other hive left the two supers in as both were filled with uncapped nectar, caught me on the hop a bit as I wanted to take them back to a double brood today but after seeing so much nectar, I didn't know what to do!!!!!!! Took a load of photos and a video bee emerging and dropped spotted a blinking varroa diving into a cell . Going to feed and start treating!!!!

 

[The Poot]

Lovely day here today, managed to inspect all five hives. Reduced three to brood box only,removing an empty super of each and will need a feed. The two monster hives:- reduced two supers to one, need to get clearer board to take that super off, quite a bit of uncapped nectar. The other hive left the two supers in as both were filled with uncapped nectar, caught me on the hop a bit as I wanted to take them back to a double brood today but after seeing so much nectar, I didn't know what to do!!!!!!! Took a load of photos and a video bee emerging and dropped spotted a blinking varroa diving into a cell . Going to feed and start treating!!!!

Love the video

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

still shifting supers back for extraction - cracked on to finish the current batch as weather forecast for tomorrow is a bit ych

 

[Nannysbees]

still shifting supers back for extraction - cracked on to finish the current batch as weather forecast for tomorrow is a bit ych

View attachment 37317

Wow, someone is going to be busy

 

[Erichalfbee]

The other hive left the two supers in as both were filled with uncapped nectar, caught me on the hop a bit as I wanted to take them back to a double brood today but after seeing so much nectar, I didn't know what to do!!!!!!!

If there is little food in the brood box you can get the bees to rob out the supers.
Crown board over the brood with a one or two bee space hole (An old CD over the feeder hole is good) Empty super (no frames) then your two uncapped supers. Leave for a week

 

[Macbear]

Last week I was concerned as plenty of brood being generated in both hives, but limited stores. Was considering feeding and delaying Apiguard treatment. On Wednesday I noted a good amount of forage coming in, so treatment will start today.

 

[Moobee]

If there is little food in the brood box you can get the bees to rob out the supers.
Crown board over the brood with a one or two bee space hole (An old CD over the feeder hole is good) Empty super (no frames) then your two uncapped supers. Leave for a week

I was just about to ask about that, cheers Dani. Can you consolidate supers the same way? ie, half full super above almost full super with the bee space hole inbetween?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Last week I was concerned as plenty of brood being generated in both hives, but limited stores. Was considering feeding and delaying Apiguard treatment. On Wednesday I noted a good amount of forage coming in, so treatment will start today.

there is no problem with feeding whilst treating with Apiguard. I always did, even when the mantra was not to do so as I saw no sense in the instruction.
If you look at the manufacturer's website now, you will find that they have no issues with feeding whilst Apiguard is in the hives.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I was just about to ask about that, cheers Dani. Can you consolidate supers the same way? ie, half full super above almost full super with the bee space hole inbetween?

Not in my experience. They won’t move honey from super to super.