What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Les]

Cold and wet in 'sunny Rochdale' so not much going on with the bees.

 

[Cazza]

Last time it rained all day I built my beekeeper scarecrow.
I have since tested it. I can safely say as a decoy sting deterrent it is an abject failure. (Quelle surprise.)
It does however, perform well as a bee toilet.
Back to the drawing board....

On the plus side of the rainy weather, it does mean I get a rest as I cannot work outside after work nor early in the morning and need feel no guilt.
Cazza

 

[Davelin]

I'm deeply disappointed to find it didn't work!

 

[stoneleighhouse]

fed 2.1 syrup taking 3 litres per day

 

[nosmoking]

Wednesday - gave the swarm nuc a 1-1 feed. Fingers crossed now for both nuc and colony. Wind, rain and chilly today (Thursday)

 

[witchcraft]

In between the showers I went up to my apiary and replaced a blown off roof, put bits of scrap timber under the hive feet to stop them sinking into the ground (the hives are currently moving a metre a week to a new location) and checked the fondant - which hadn't really been touched.

 

[Skyhook]

(the hives are currently moving a metre a week to a new location)

Is this your doing, or just the wind?

Put a concrete block on the roof of the cedar hive- my plywood roofs weigh about the same as a concrete block anyway.

Was astonished to see some brave bees working!

 

[tonybloke]

had a visit from the seasonal bee inspector, inspected my colonies, marked one of my queens, left me with SHB traps and associated paraphernalia.
both colonies doing well, one on 8 frames of brood, the other on 10 frames of brood. queens have slowed down laying.

 

[witchcraft]

Is this your doing, or just the wind?

My doing The farmer wants them moved about 30m - it should take all year!

The roof had blown off - I had them strapped on for all of the "winter" months only for an April gale to get one off. Loaded with bricks until I go up there again - with the straps

 

[Mike a]

fed 2.1 syrup taking 3 litres per day

Is the weather that bad for you?

3 litres a day... Never fed that much in one go during the season only in September when I'm topping them up for Winter.

 

[george]

Intended to have a quick look . Turned out to be a bit more complicated .

Donated queen from local club introduced Saturday ,out and happy but colony starving so ambrosia on to help them out .

14 x 12 nuc alongside killed another nz donated queen ? No idea why . Making q cells , knocked off .

14 x 12 hive next door 4 good sealed queen cells .

So , 1 cell out and opened up and introduced to qless nuc . She walked down happily enough , not getting beaten up by the workers .

Took 2 frames of bees and sealded brood to make up another nuc , one had a good looking cell on it with wax removed round the tip so should be out pdq .

The remaining frames shaken off and foundation put back in . Feeder on with excluder underneath .

Just sitting in office now with the other two virgin queens pulled and into cages to donate elsewhere .

I think the poor weather has held the swarm impulse back as the queen in the 14 12 was still visible .

Fingers crossed all round now .

 

[MuswellMetro]

tried to check some varroa boards but gave up as the strong winds cleared the board faster than i could count

still feeding a few with 1litre of 50~% syrup but wont add more as the forecast is better for forageing from tomorrow...for a few days

 

[Polyanwood]

I topped up the feeders or Neopoll in all my colonies. They have no stores.

Is that it? Will the weather improve now?

 

[madasafish]

Topped up all feeders at lunch when we had 20 mins without rain..

Forecast is for colder and wetter weather this weekend.. Eeek!

 

[Firefly]

All I could really do was take a picture...

(Is that liquid gold at the end?)

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

(yesterday) decided at 5:30 that the small burst of sun inbetween showers was as good as it was going to get in the next couple of days so dived in - too cold for an inspection but whisked the tops off and left them more fondant.

 

[drstitson]

Fisrt swarm of year - initially on high branch - dislodged and settled on lower one. bit of hedge laying later and reachable. Now happily housed.

 

[MuswellMetro]

As it was raining I made up more super frames and then found I had very few supers left in the garage

Went off in the rain to search my apiaries thinking that I must have missed a stack of empty supers

No, none empty .... A large stack at one apiary all made up

Then realised SENIOR MOMENT that I had already made all the supers up last month... Must order a new brain

 

[rogerlouis]

Great pictures !!!

 

[Chris Luck]

Mmmmmmm, nice swarm.

Chris