What did you do in the Apiary today?

[madasafish]

Overcast 9C. Topped up feeders in weaker colonies. Frost to come and cold days..

 

[YorkshireBees]

Not much!

Was amazed to see some bees foraging at mid day in 8-9 degs and light drizzel.

Trying to plan what to do next???

12 colonies, 5 with feeders (1:1 syrup) 2 of the others needed a 2nd super and the rest being closely monitored for remaining stores!

Waiting for a day whn I can inspect and hoping that they don't all swarm before!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Moved a parent hive to other side of AS.
Now comes the wait and an eye on the weather. Lets hope there are one or two sunny days before June

 

[MuswellMetro]

As it was over three days since the swarms i caught on Monday and Tuesday i fed them sugar syrup

But had a few problems with the re-queening we did on Tuesday , at lease one Queen was dead in the introduction cage when we went to release the tab over the fondant plug, Another was already released as the cage must have distorted as we closed the frames up.....so £60 down,....easier to burn fivers this year ain't it

7c at Noon though it crept up to a stunning 9c later around 3:00

 

[Davidwd]

A quick look the the glass crownboard to see how the girls are doing, bees still covering 8 frames, feeding 1:1 syrup.
Not sure if its my imagination but they are not taking the syrup made form cane sugar anywhere near as quickly as from beet sugar!
A few dead manky looking bees on the landing board. A few forraging between rain showers.

 

[coraesgairwen]

I went up a larch tree (30ft) to fetch a swarm from my apiary. It's cold at 12 c and overcast. I never thought they would swarm today !!. Just goes to show the little sweeties have their own agenda.

 

[Skyhook]

Checked my first hive and was surprised to find the super is filling up steadily. Was also surprised to find a nice crop of QC's, so carried out my first AS.

Then went on to find QC's in my other hive, so carried out my second AS.

I think everythings in the right place!

 

[Les]

Fed them some more as the food keeps going - need some warm weather to have a look how they are doing.

 

[TBRNoTB]

Overcast 9C. Topped up feeders in weaker colonies. Frost to come and cold days..

Snap! Not much else to do in this c*ap weather!

 

[Heather]

Rebuilt 4 upturned hives that some knuckle dragging drunken sh*ts had kicked over.

All seem to be ok but they would have crumbled if it had been a cold wet night- so VERY lucky.

Have left a polite notice explaining that bees are struggling with weather, disease and pesticides anyway and PLEASE to respect the hives.

Just hope they can read words with more than 4 letters in it!!!

 

[The Cumbrian]

Just hope they can read words with more than 4 letters in it!!!

Doubtful!

 

[Heather]

But it is on a nature reserve and so it makes other 'normal' people aware of problems and they be more vigilant to the feral nutters- I live in hope.

 

[tonybloke]

inspected both colonies, queens seen (and finally marked the elusive one), and they're starting to fill the supers! yay!

 

[TOBY-3652]

Put the foundation in 30 frames ready for the big nectar flow thats on its way { not } a few bees flying today 9 degrees

 

[Les]

The bees took advantage of about an hour of sunshine to get out and about big style – we could do with a lot more of the same.

 

[Polyanwood]

Met two of this year's students for inspections. Did 3 apiaries with them. Not only are they all still struggling and none of them are ready for supers, but even worse one of the bigger colonies had starved!!! There was soft, easily accessible fondant on the crownboard which they just ignored. Sad.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Met two of this year's students for inspections. Did 3 apiaries with them. Not only are they all still struggling and none of them are ready for supers, but even worse one of the bigger colonies had starved!!! There was soft, easily accessible fondant on the crownboard which they just ignored. Sad.

wasn't it a bit cold, it was 8c in North London you must have more Global Warming south of the Thames, We never inspected any off our association's hives at today's apiary meeting , nothing was flying unless a toilet flight

we just lit a fire in the clubroom and had a talk about swarm collection methods, then i had a look at our isolation apiary just to see what equipment was there

 

[REDWOOD]

Fed all 3 hives again no bees flying accept one or two so turned over and raked a bit of ground and planted those free bee seeds

 

[Gardenbees]

Sunny, although not all that warm, this morning. My largest colony is very full of bees but still light on stores and brood. Didn't open it, just topped up the feeder. Other hive full of sealed brood plus two perfect, sealed Q cells and a handful of half-completed ones. Took the chance to split it, as I'm sure they would try and swarm very soon otherwise.

Did a "lazy" AS without finding the queen - just moved the hive and shook bees off some of the old frames and put them into the new hive on the old site. They were absolutely as good as gold: totally calm, settled into their new place/hive very purposefully. Old fliers taking pollen back into the new hive; old colony on the new site is calm and the house bees are doing a bit of cleaning up. Whacked yet another feeder on them both and left before it starts to rain again.

They are bringing in some amazing, multicoloured pollen today: bright green, bright red, orange, white, yellow and dark brown, and one or two are bringing a beautiful magenta pollen which i didn't recognise.

 

[theeggman]

Today nothing, stood and watched the bees working pollen on a large crab apple tree on the end of our drive for 10mins. saw a Tawny Miner Female bee + assorted bumblies with 2-300 honeybees all collecting pollen/nectar.
Isn't nature b****y wonderfull?
2 years ago we would have heard bees around and ignored them!!
Yesterday removed wild/drone comb from under 2 frames. See a previous post (the bees are reading the books before we do.)
Tim