What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Antipodes]

That's interesting. They hadn't been bringing it in last week when they were broodless. It was all nectar they were storing. While I am sure it isn't an exact science (what is in beekeeping!), perhaps it can be considered indicative?

Well done Splitter! A nice early mated queen there. I really like seeing what they do with pollen when there is a queen cell in a colony but no queen and then later, when there is little if any open brood, and then what they get up to after (or even immediately before) the queen emerges and later starts laying. You've already been doing some of that observing which is fantastic. Great work.
What you might find is that the queen that you say is not mated may in fact be mated but not laying. What I find is that they can mate, still look unmated but then will start laying, sometimes an interminably long time after I think they should (and so much longer after an adjacent queen has), and upon oviposition they will fatten up and slow down. Anyhow, give her a good time to start, if it were me, I'd give her two more weeks at least, not one. Please report back!

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

I had a proper look in my hives at the other apiary yesterday. It was 10C but the forecast for the next week was much the same. (It has been revised up a few degrees today.) I reversed the car down into the field and continued beyond the furthest hive. It gave me a view I'd not seen before with the backdrop mostly of the sky. The air was absolutely full of bees coming and going.

Inside the hives, it was a total contrast with my other apiary surrounded by flowering trees. Most hives had double brood boxes and the vacant space was filled with nectar. Here, by a field in a nature reserve, there is little available for the bees just now, as far as I can tell, and almost all colonies had no stores. It seemed that some queens had stopped laying. I put either sugar or stored combs with honey in most hives.

The only colonies that were thriving were the nucs from the other apiary that I put in full hives and moved to this site. They had plenty sugar.

This bee, in the picture: chronic bee paralysis virus? Is this the actual colour of the bee when the hair is removed.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

A lanyard is your ally. I use one and cannot lose a hive tool as a result.

Yesterday was my baptism by lanyard. I didn't trip all afternoon, and I didn't lose my hive tool. But it wasn't plain sailing.

I used shock cord, about 5mm. The weight of the tool doesn't stretch it, but I thought it might be safer. I fastened it to my forearm.

The thing that really surprised me was how often I found the tool hanging on the cord. I had no idea I put it down so much! I thought it was usually tucked into my hand held by fingers 4 and 5.

Now I see it's a wonder I don't lose it (them) more often. And it matters to me because I have these fancy Jero tools, and swear by them.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

To be fair if I'm using sugar I'd rather it a was grown in the UK with a small amount of neonics than without (thus spraying, potentially multiple times, with other pesticides) or grown elsewhere in the world with even less restrictions on pesticide use than here. Hopefully they eventually breed a resistant line of sugar beet so the neonics aren't needed.

A balanced view. Nothing is simple when it comes to doing what's best for the planet. It seems every 'solution' comes with its own side-effects.

 

[Antipodes]

and almost all colonies had no stores

It sounds like you were right to take action when you did. Good work.

 

[Antipodes]

Yesterday was my baptism by lanyard. I didn't trip all afternoon, and I didn't lose my hive tool. But it wasn't plain sailing.

I used shock cord, about 5mm. The weight of the tool doesn't stretch it, but I thought it might be safer. I fastened it to my forearm.

The thing that really surprised me was how often I found the tool hanging on the cord. I had no idea I put it down so much! I thought it was usually tucked into my hand held by fingers 4 and 5.

Now I see it's a wonder I don't lose it (them) more often. And it matters to me because I have these fancy Jero tools, and swear by them.

So do you reckon it will be ok long term?

I was reading the other day about someone putting a really strong magnet (eg. Neodymium) in a bee suit pocket to hold the hide tool and reckon it was good. I found a similar reference on here ..see post #3.

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/bee-suit-and-tools.44371/

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I can see the newspaper headlines now 'mysterious garotting of beekeepers country wide - is there a serial killer on the loose?'

keep the damn thing in your hand, then you won't lose it - simples

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

keep the damn thing in your hand, then you won't lose it - simples

Saying something is simple doesn't make it so. Reminds me of George Monbiot ('It's simple: just leave the oil in the ground.')

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Saying something is simple doesn't make it so.

worked for me for a few decades. Most hive tools are lost by people putting them down then wandering away
learn to work with the hive tool in the palm of your hand

 

[gwt_uk]

Added some more 1:1 syrup to 2 nucs that I have temporarily relocated to my garden. I don’t get much of a chance to sit and watch my colonies as they are in other apiaries. Nice to observe them for longer periods!

 

[JamezF]

Visited the last of my apiaries for the first time today. Sadly the colony that I was trying to extract from the branch of a tree has not made the trip. I could see dead bees through the entrance. It was always going to be a bit of a gamble without chainsawing the branch open so I'm not as upset about it as I might be. Just a shame that it took so long to persuade them up into a hive that they couldn't really be properly managed in time. The positive side is that I learnt a fair bit from it and will feel better organised if I need to try it again.

James

 

[madasafish]

9 C and sun and not much wind so ideal for checking all eight production colonies.
All weighed OK, quick check showed 3 on 4-5 frames, rest on 9 to10... Similar pattern to prior years.
Closed up for another week.
Nucs doing fine.

 

[Moobee]

I had a proper look in my hives at the other apiary yesterday. It was 10C but the forecast for the next week was much the same. (It has been revised up a few degrees today.) I reversed the car down into the field and continued beyond the furthest hive. It gave me a view I'd not seen before with the backdrop mostly of the sky. The air was absolutely full of bees coming and going.

Inside the hives, it was a total contrast with my other apiary surrounded by flowering trees. Most hives had double brood boxes and the vacant space was filled with nectar. Here, by a field in a nature reserve, there is little available for the bees just now, as far as I can tell, and almost all colonies had no stores. It seemed that some queens had stopped laying. I put either sugar or stored combs with honey in most hives.

The only colonies that were thriving were the nucs from the other apiary that I put in full hives and moved to this site. They had plenty sugar.

This bee, in the picture: chronic bee paralysis virus? Is this the actual colour of the bee when the hair is removed.

View attachment 39660

Looks like CBPV to me. Is the hive very full? Giving them more space often helps as it’s exacerbated by overcrowding.

 

[Moobee]

Checked the hive in the out apiary this afternoon. Last week they were bimbling along & half heartedly filling the super, this week, heavy super, slabs of brood, play cups and a charged QC. I had stupidly not taken a nuc with me so knocked everything down, rearranged the super frames to put the half empty ones above the brood nest & moved a a frame of BB stores to the other side of the box to keep them occupied until I can pop back Thursday.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

This bee, in the picture: chronic bee paralysis virus? Is this the actual colour of the bee when the hair is removed.

one single hairless bee does not make CBPV, with CBPV you will get multiple black shiny bees.
Are there any symptoms at all apart from this healthy looking but bald bee?

 

[Paulypaul]

Normally I don't like seeing ants around my hives, but yesterday they were sorting out a wax month larvae.
Made me look at them in a different way.

 

[jeff33]

Already done 3 demaree on hives with 10 frames of brood. Got another one which has filled 19 frames with bias. Looks as if I will need to demaree the dble brood in a week or so!
I have also finished all the uniting, will check if it worked this weekend.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I don't like seeing ants around my hives

why? they do absolutely no harm, I usually have a few ant colonies at various apiaries that take advantage of the heat over the crownboard and move their eggs up there for incubation.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

one single hairless bee does not make CBPV, with CBPV you will get multiple black shiny bees.
Are there any symptoms at all apart from this healthy looking but bald bee?

I'm be very pleased to hear that a bald bee can still be a healthy bee! I've had a few colonies get full blown CBPV and I know the look (and smell!) of it. So when I see the odd black shiny bee, I think maybe there's a trace of the virus around. I don't worry about it (what would that achieve?) and try to practice good apiary hygiene.

Even so, I thought I might get the book in my latest email from NB books (AI in the apiary, Paddy Walker) which is a survey of bee diseases using AI to survey all the existing literature.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

and just remember you don't always get any hairless, shiny bees with CBPV.