What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Newbeeneil]

Crikey Neil! You do a lot of these!

Only one or 2 each season.
TBH I didn’t want the job and suggested the client just live with the bees and gave him a stupid price which he accepted!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Fingers crossed, then.Good job

 

[StephenT]

Cleaned up a load of stuff, fixed a couple of queen excluders and reasonably neatly stored it all for winter. All hives busy and looking like good ivy foraging weather next week.

 

[The Poot]

Called out to a swarm!
It was very small and had been in a hedge since yesterday morning. The story I was told was that the bees had been in a disused brick chimney stack and were a colony that a chap in the village bought in and which summarily absconded. The colony and chimney was then invaded by wasps. The householder reckons the miserable little cluster was all that survived.
Well, whatever, they’re now tucked up in a Payne’s nuc, but I only had drawn comb on wet supers, so that’s what they got and I’ll have to deal with the mess they make beneath, next year, if they survive. So it will be a real challenge to get them through. I thought about adding them to another colony, but I’ve just finished varroa treatments and don’t want to risk reintroducing any.

 

[Nannysbees]

Gave them a blast of oa, only one of the hives now has syrup. Removed the other four feeders as they are piling in the ivy and gaining weight nicely. Enjoyed watching the traffic coming in and out of the apiary.

 

[Malcolm B.]

For the past weeks I have been really busy with projects and tasks other than bees. Sitting in front of a computer has taken a back seat. With the evenings drawing in, I have spent more time in the workshop - and of course, with the lights on, the time just flies by!

However, just over a week ago I decided to move the bee hives out of the chicken run!
The only reason for that is the inquisitive chickens getting under my feet when I wander in to say 'hello' to the bees. The chickens pay no attention to the bees.

I've not yet decided exactly where in the garden the hives will be located - but getting them 'Outside the Run' is the priority to then provide time for me to decide their new location

All my hives are on vertical legs, just fitting onto an 18"?? square paving stone.
Just over a week ago I started the move.
Each night when I lock up the cluckers and the bees have stopped flying, I place another paver in front of each of the hives and move each hive one paver forward.
The Hives are tightly held with ratchet straps so they don't slip and twist when moved.
However, they are quite heavy with winter stores which is the main reason I'm only moving them 'One Paver at a time' and not the "maximum of 3 feet"

The next 'hurdle' will be 'going through the gate'. Although this won't happen for a few days yet, I keep mulling ideas over in my head as to the best way for me to do this. So far, I'm considering a 'temporary gate' in front, or behind the permanent gate.

By the time both hives are through the gate, I hope to have finally decided where they will remain for the winter.

For those of you who remember me finding and removing the "Invisible Queen", she remained in the nucleus box for some time. Despite looking very carefully I never, ever saw her. Obviously she was stunted and no larger than a conventional worker. They continued in the box, with pollen and nectar being brought in. The number of bees never increased but very gradually decreased. About a week ago, just after I had started the 'Hive Exodus' I noticed wasps going into the nucleus box. I looked inside and there were significantly less bees - more importantly there was almost no pollen being brought in. The Queen was dead - obviously.
I put a spare shallow on top of one of the hives with a scrappy bit of newspaper to separate it and then rested the neuc frames loosely inside.

The following day all the bees - probably no more than a couple of 'mugs-full' had left the penthouse and moved in to the flats with their friends below!

We have a number of Bramley Apple trees in the garden. These have proven very popular with the 'locals' and we sell them at the gate along with the eggs. I was scrambling up one of the trees to fetch the last elusive apple when I came face to face with apple blossom! Looking further I found at least three clusters of blossom! We then noticed we had quite a lot of blossom on the runner beans! This is after we have spent the whole summer harvesting them. The Chief Victualling Officer refuses to put runner beans out for sale since she freezes them so we have them all the year round.

Has anybody else found daft trees and plants suddenly producing blossom in October? or is it only us?

Kind regards to you all.

Malcolm.

 

[Newbeeneil]

For the past weeks I have been really busy with projects and tasks other than bees. Sitting in front of a computer has taken a back seat. With the evenings drawing in, I have spent more time in the workshop - and of course, with the lights on, the time just flies by!

However, just over a week ago I decided to move the bee hives out of the chicken run!
The only reason for that is the inquisitive chickens getting under my feet when I wander in to say 'hello' to the bees. The chickens pay no attention to the bees.

I've not yet decided exactly where in the garden the hives will be located - but getting them 'Outside the Run' is the priority to then provide time for me to decide their new location

All my hives are on vertical legs, just fitting onto an 18"?? square paving stone.
Just over a week ago I started the move.
Each night when I lock up the cluckers and the bees have stopped flying, I place another paver in front of each of the hives and move each hive one paver forward.
The Hives are tightly held with ratchet straps so they don't slip and twist when moved.
However, they are quite heavy with winter stores which is the main reason I'm only moving them 'One Paver at a time' and not the "maximum of 3 feet"

The next 'hurdle' will be 'going through the gate'. Although this won't happen for a few days yet, I keep mulling ideas over in my head as to the best way for me to do this. So far, I'm considering a 'temporary gate' in front, or behind the permanent gate.

By the time both hives are through the gate, I hope to have finally decided where they will remain for the winter.

For those of you who remember me finding and removing the "Invisible Queen", she remained in the nucleus box for some time. Despite looking very carefully I never, ever saw her. Obviously she was stunted and no larger than a conventional worker. They continued in the box, with pollen and nectar being brought in. The number of bees never increased but very gradually decreased. About a week ago, just after I had started the 'Hive Exodus' I noticed wasps going into the nucleus box. I looked inside and there were significantly less bees - more importantly there was almost no pollen being brought in. The Queen was dead - obviously.
I put a spare shallow on top of one of the hives with a scrappy bit of newspaper to separate it and then rested the neuc frames loosely inside.

The following day all the bees - probably no more than a couple of 'mug-fulls' had left the penthouse and moved in to the flats with their friends below!

We have a number of Bramley Apple trees in the garden. These have proven very popular with the 'locals' and we sell them at the gate along with the eggs. I was scrambling up one of the trees to fetch the last elusive apple when I came face to face with apple blossom! Looking further I found at least three clusters of blossom! We then noticed we had quite a lot of blossom on the runner beans! This is after we have spent the whole summer harvesting them. The Chief Victualling Officer refuses to put runner beans out for sale since she freezes them so we have them all the year round.

Has anybody else found daft trees and plants suddenly producing blossom in October? or is it only us?

Kind regards to you all.

Malcolm.

Lovely piece of prose Malcom as always.
I find the easiest way to move 3’/day is to strap the hive on a hive barrow or wheel barrow and move it once or even twice a day if the bees are flying well.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Has anybody else found daft trees and plants suddenly producing blossom in October? or is it only us?

I've just noticed buddleia back in flower in the garden this morning.

 

[JamezF]

I've just noticed buddleia back in flower in the garden this morning.

I saw dandelions flowering today.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Select the new spot, wait until the winter, move them in one hit

 

[Nannysbees]

6th treatment of oxalic and two of the hives on double brood have in the three hundreds, the other four under ten

 

[Malcolm B.]

Select the new spot, wait until the winter, move them in one hit

I've often wondered if that would work but never tried it.

Whenever I've needed to move hives I've always moved them a couple of feet at a time.

I still haven't decided a new site for the hives so I will probably get them out of the chicken run and then leave them alone until a new site is found and made ready - before they start flying in the spring,

It will be interesting to see how they react when they come out for voiding flights on a warm winter's day.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Malcolm.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I've often wondered if that would work but never tried it.

Whenever I've needed to move hives I've always moved them a couple of feet at a time.

I still haven't decided a new site for the hives so I will probably get them out of the chicken run and then leave them alone until a new site is found and made ready - before they start flying in the spring,

It will be interesting to see how they react when they come out for voiding flights on a warm winter's day.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Malcolm.

For once I agree with JBM Moving them on a frosty winters day is the way to go if you can wait for one.

 

[Niv]

Finished treatment in two hives, another two still have a couple of weeks left (had some family issues which meant I was late getting started). Fed all with 9kg of sugar so far. They are guzzling it down fast at the moment, ivy looks like it is largely finished now and not much else around in bulk.

 

[North End Bees]

For once I agree with JBM Moving them on a frosty winters day is the way to go if you can wait for one.

I've moved bees in winter in the past but not when they're tightly clustered.
Any bees that fall off the edge if jolted accidently can be too chilled to climb back up.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've often wondered if that would work but never tried it.

done it loads of times when I'm rearranging apiaries in the winter

 

[Murox]

Completed varroa treatment at the farm apiary. The hives have feed on, but I only found wasps around the newest/weakest colony. Not many and the entrance is reduced right down to a bee space but I was a bit surprised to find them hanging about inside the inspection tray. Scrawny little things too.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Completed varroa treatment at the farm apiary. The hives have feed on, but I only found wasps around the newest/weakest colony. Not many and the entrance is reduced right down to a bee space but I was a bit surprised to find them hanging about inside the inspection tray. Scrawny little things too.

I’ve bee vaping today and condensing colonys to I saw a few wasps in poly feeders.
Condensed colony

 

[pargyle]

I’ve bee vaping today and condensing colonys to I saw a few wasps in poly feeders.
Condensed colony View attachment 37793View attachment 37794

Was that a colony with an open hole in the crownboard then ? Bees like a bit of polystyrene to chew on ...

 

[Superlativesoul]

I've moved bees in winter in the past but not when they're tightly clustered.
Any bees that fall off the edge if jolted accidently can be too chilled to climb back up.

I assume that applies if you are transporting them in a car ,but if moving them in your garden you have possibly more control over them .the distance does not matter during winter, as they will reorientate In the spring,when the foraging bees emerge .
John.