What did you do in the Apiary today?

[The Poot]

If your clearer board exit holes are in the middle a little puff of smoke into the clearer gets the bees out of the way.
Otherwise a similar puff under the board before you take it off has the bees moving away.
No need for thumping the board down or shaking the bees into the box.
Any that are left will find their way home if you put the clearer upside down with a corner against the entrance.

I did a bit of both, a firm single shake to get most of the mass of bees onto the frames, then propped the board against the landing board. It took around twenty minutes for the board to be fully cleared of bees. It was quite entertaining to watch them sort themselves out.

 

[Swarm]

I can just imagine the wait while they all decide to go home lol

 

[Erichalfbee]

It was quite entertaining to watch them sort themselves out.

I have taken to leaving the clearer board upside down to protect the returning bees from the rain so I can't watch any more ....

 

[drex]

My first honey harvest here in Devon( recently moved from Essex) will be very poor. About a month ago 4 supers were consolidated down to 3. I have rearranged frames to put very light or empty all in one super and will clear the other two down into this. So, only two supers per hive and these are only part full and part capped. Loads and loads of bees. A lot of pollen being brought in this morning when clearer boards put on. It will be my worst crop ever. At least the bees are healthy and strong. Apiguard to go on in a couple of days after getting them to clear the wet supers

 

[Parsonage Bees]

More queen wasps coming in the house than I've seen before. That must be the 6th one I've smashed.

(my comment above was in April)
I'm not seeing any problems with wasps but I've been hearing that others have. Too early yet? Have I spoken too soon?

 

[JamezF]

Got around my home apiary in one hit for the first time in weeks thanks to post-Covid weariness. Still have a couple of supers to remove, but the harvest from home is going to be very small. Some hives are absolutely rammed whilst others aren't looking so good and I'm thinking I might combine a few.

I've discovered that a single map pin is not adequate for holding hive numbers onto poly boxes. Several had clearly been removed by the wind and it doesn't look like I'll ever see one of them again. I'm wondering if it might be easier just to make a couple of holes in the cards (I use dining table number cards) and feed the hive strap through them.

Very few wasps here at the moment, but it's been that way all year. I have no idea why. Hornets we have plenty of and flies way, way, way too many, but wasps are almost non-existent.

James

 

[JamezF]

It's just struck me that the fly situation could in part be due to the interconnectedness of all things. Perhaps if we'd had more wasps they'd have been knocking off many of the fly larvae to feed their own. I'm not entirely sure which I prefer

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

Had quite a few wasps in the kitchen over the last six weeks but now dropped off
Hardly a wasp around the bees. Just the odd one trying its luck in a nuc. Waspbane next to it has caught only a few

 

[The Poot]

I’ve located a large wasp nest location in a field about 200yards from my hives, yet there is very little wasp activity at the hives - less than two weeks ago. Like @JamezF there are far too many flies, thanks to the zeal in which the farmer loves to muck spread. Makes me smile really, three dumpings this Summer in the field abutting the river - what was that about phosphates?

 

[Wilco]

I’ve located a large wasp nest location in a field about 200yards from my hives, yet there is very little wasp activity at the hives - less than two weeks ago. Like @JamezF there are far too many flies, thanks to the zeal in which the farmer loves to muck spread. Makes me smile really, three dumpings this Summer in the field abutting the river - what was that about phosphates?

Intensive arable? Tell me again how vegan diets are good for the planet and reduce animal death and suffering!

Admittedly I prefer muck spreading to synthetic fertiliser which is derived from fossil fuels.

We need to go back to more traditional farming methods which work with the land.

 

[The Poot]

Intensive arable? Tell me again how vegan diets are good for the planet and reduce animal death and suffering!

Admittedly I prefer muck spreading to synthetic fertiliser which is derived from fossil fuels.

We need to go back to more traditional farming methods which work with the land.

Just grass for silage or the anaerobic digester down the valley. No animals kept in the field. The field was ploughed, seeded and subsequently artificially fertilised last year. This season three cuts from turbo charged grass which received a muck dumping after each cut.

 

[Wilco]

Just grass for silage or the anaerobic digester down the valley. No animals kept in the field. The field was ploughed, seeded and subsequently artificially fertilised last year. This season three cuts from turbo charged grass which received a muck dumping after each cut.

Intensive arable then!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Intensive arable then!

probably to service the local intensive 'battery cow' dairy factory farm

 

[The Poot]

Well, here’s my Summer harvest from four supers. Eleven and a half pounds at 17%.
More than that was spun out to be fed back at around 23%. A lot of frames were totally dry.
Its clear that these boxes, which were quite full in late July and left on to be capped, have been consumed as the bees have had little or no income through the lousy weather and the colonies have a lot of mouths to feed, rammed with bees and lots of capped brood.
Whilst I’m disappointed at such a sad harvest, I’m really glad I left the supers on to prevent starvation. If I’d removed them at the beginning of August, I probably wouldn’t have fed them, thinking there should be forage about. I honestly think I would have lost my bees.
As it is, they’re taking down syrup like crazy. I think I‘m in for an expensive end to the season. The ivy looks to be budding up really well, but is still a while off from being of use.
Thats beekeeping!

 

[drex]

I empathise with you Poot. My harvest was also pathetic. At the start of August I had 3 fairly full supers on each hive. Extracted today, only bothering to take 2 supers home, off each hive. A lot of frames totally uncapped with honey failing the shake test. Capped stuff came off at only 19% water. Some part capped frames failed the shake test.
All wet frames will go back on for bees to clean out, then it will be Apiguard and for the first time in years, autumn feeding.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Vaped nine colonies this afternoon. One had hundreds of bees roar out. Never had that before.

 

[Vanterrier]

Added a pollen patty to my single hive today. Wasn't sure about the thin paper skin around the patty... the instructions just said "place patty on top of frames" nothing about the wrapping. The patty is fairly stiff stuff and the ends pretty narrow if I left the paper on, so I peeled the paper off one side and placed the patty paperless side down. Time (or you guys) will tell if that was wrong...
K

Well had a quick peek today and the bees are all over the edges of the patty and chewing the paper back as they go... probably should have removed the paper completely. Typically there's a reasonable amount of pollen being brought in now too...

 

[Nannysbees]

Vaped nine colonies this afternoon. One had hundreds of bees roar out. Never had that before

Ours are the same, one or two louder than the others.

 

[Nannysbees]

Given the colonies a little more syrup weather so bad they haven't been able to get out!!!! Ivy looks like it's got about a week left before blooming, hopefully warm weather will coincide

 

[The Poot]

Vaped nine colonies this afternoon. One had hundreds of bees roar out. Never had that before.

They left the hive? I’ve not experienced that, just a loud very miffed buzz.