What did you do in the Apiary today?

[JamezF]

Looks like we drew the short straw today, rain coming down sideways.

I'd not be surprised if it came from us to you. Still a bit drizzly here, but we had a fair load of rain last night.

James

 

[JamezF]

More rain Steve the rest of the week doesn’t look good either, I’m glad I’m now in the barn as the rain has just got worse, I don’t think I’ve seen the fields this bad.

Bearing in mind that we live near the top of a hill so the water will tend to run off, almost the entire field of winter barley (I think) behind us has turned yellow over the last couple of weeks. Some of it may even be going brown. I've never seen it look so poor.

James

 

[Garry R]

Bearing in mind that we live near the top of a hill so the water will tend to run off, almost the entire field of winter barley (I think) behind us has turned yellow over the last couple of weeks. Some of it may even be going brown. I've never seen it look so poor.

James

Normally in the veg garden we have dandelions and buttercups starting to get a bit of a grip. Wouldn't surprise me if this year we just got pondweed!! I do keep telling myself the old Irish mantra for early spuds - in on St Patrick's Day and out on the 12th July but it better dry up fast for the planting date this year.

 

[gregior]

 

[Cuckmere couple]

from my armchair i set about printing this year's hive record sheets for my folder

realised i inspected first on 10th april last year and a fair number needed more space

will watch weather over next few weeks!

 

[Erichalfbee]

realised i inspected first on 10th april last year and a fair number needed more space

25 March here but then we hadn’t had rain since the previous July.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

from my armchair i set about printing this year's hive record sheets for my folder

realised i inspected first on 10th april last year and a fair number needed more space

will watch weather over next few weeks!

last year was an exception weather and inspection wise, the first time I can recall that I have inspected before the last weekend of March.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Quick stores check having been freaked out by posts here and on social media. Lifted a couple of frames in top box. No worries about stores but 2 of 4 look like drone layers. drat!
This will therefore be my worst winter survival rate.

 

[Amari]

Nadired my supers. I over-wintered with brood & half and fed syrup in September and added fondant late January. The hives still heft fairly heavy and there are still some capped stores in the supers which are likely be a mixture of ivy/syrup/fondant - hence the need to nadir in the hope that these bottom shallows will be cleared over the next month before the OSR flow - then these shallows will return to the top of the hives over Qxs.

 

[steve1958]

Topped up the fondant on 5 colonies today.
That means each hive has taken 1 kilo in just 7 days

 

[Amari]

Topped up the fondant on 5 colonies today.
That means each hive has taken 1 kilo in just 7 days

Gosh, where are you?

 

[steve1958]

Gosh, where are you?

South of England.
Hampshire

 

[Erichalfbee]

South of England.
Hampshire

Could you pop that in your profile?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Quick stores check having been freaked out by posts here and on social media. Lifted a couple of frames in top box. No worries about stores but 2 of 4 look like drone layers. drat!
This will therefore be my worst winter survival rate.

View attachment 39198

looks like laying workers in that one

 

[Parsonage Bees]

looks like laying workers in that one

I'd be looking for multiple eggs per cell to say laying workers? Can't see any eggs even on the full size image.
What are you seeing?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'd be looking for multiple eggs per cell to say laying workers?

that's only one indicator, not always the case and definitely not a reliable indicator. A drone laying queen still has ovaries but just no juice so you would expect her to still have the same regular laying pattern - just all drones. Laying workers however are numerous, each doing their own thing and lay sporadically and haphazardly giving no real laying pattern just patchy uneven brood same as in the photograph

 

[Nannysbees]

What an idiot!!!! Decided to add a brood box underneath the hive.Just finished work so put the bee suit on but thought I'd leave my work shoes on which expose the top of my foot, took a sting and the reaction was like nothing I've experienced before. Within minutes started to have extreme itching on my hands, the back of my head, gradually moving to the rest of my body. My head was beating and my eyes were bloodshot!!!!!I rushed in took an antihistamine and run a cold bath. I had loads of red blotches and felt sicky. Breathing ok though and didn't feel faint. Stupid, got complacent. But a warning I won't ignore. I've been saying the one hive is a bit feisty, a queen from a swarm last year, but we were messing with the hive so at the moment I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Some of the colonies at one apiary are not building up as I'd have hoped judging by lack of stores consumption and lack of debris on the boards. I fear that two may not make it. This site is high and exposed - but that's no excuse because other colonies are doing fine.

This corpse was the first thing I saw above the clear crown board at the first hive. I thought she looked long and queen like! Surely not!

 

[Antipodes]

Some of the colonies at one apiary are not building up as I'd have hoped judging by lack of stores consumption and lack of debris on the boards. I fear that two may not make it. This site is high and exposed - but that's no excuse because other colonies are doing fine.

This corpse was the first thing I saw above the clear crown board at the first hive. I thought she looked long and queen like! Surely not!

View attachment 39201

That's not a queen.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

This corpse was the first thing I saw above the clear crown board at the first hive. I thought she looked long and queen like! Surely not!

not