What did you do in the Apiary today?

[JamezF]

I still have the hornet queen thinking about making a new home in my bee shed. She doesn't seem to like the door being open though, so I've left it open this afternoon and we'll see if she gets the message.

I've also noticed that there's a huge spider under the ridge at that end of the shed, clearly thinking about dinner. It could end up like King Kong vs. Godzilla.

James

 

[Wilco]

Decided to drive to some hives to collection boxes with OSR honey in them. Sadly one hadn't cleared down at all. The Jazz did me proud again.


View attachment 20240521_184928_1.mp4

 

[Antipodes]

Decided to drive to some hives to collection boxes with OSR honey in them. Sadly one hadn't cleared down at all. The Jazz did me proud again.


View attachment 40037

Brilliant!
Nice and efficient on the juice too.

 

[Sutty]

Today I examined a hive I found sealed queen cells in a week ago, (late inspection). I had cut them down to one. Got back from a few days away today and found the QC emerged and some sealed EQCs, some of these were being taken down with holes in the sides.
I'm hoping the virgin emerged today or yesterday and is still in the hive if they are taking them down.
I've removed all the EQCs and will check again, maybe giving them a test frame in a week.
What do you think the chances of the virgin still being in the hive are?
Edit. I forgot to say I found and nuced the queen last week.

 

[Antipodes]

Today I examined a hive I found sealed queen cells in a week ago, (late inspection). I had cut them down to one. Got back from a few days away today and found the QC emerged and some sealed EQCs, some of these were being taken down with holes in the sides.
I'm hoping the virgin emerged today or yesterday and is still in the hive if they are taking them down.
I've removed all the EQCs and will check again, maybe giving them a test frame in a week.
What do you think the chances of the virgin still being in the hive are?
Edit. I forgot to say I found and nuced the queen last week.

I'd say very, very good. They're that difficult to find it's unreal (the recently emerged virgins) as they tend to be anywhere in there and are small and fast.

 

[Garry R]

Not just my apiary . The weather forecast for the next week across the country is not great. Much cooler than of late and rain - even flood warnings in parts. I think it should be flagged up especially to newcomers that these are the very conditions which can push colonies towards swarming for a few reasons.

1. Queens will continue to lay increasing pressure on space and not necessarily go off lay .

2. Foraging bees won't leave the hive in the numbers they were doing over the past couple of weeks so the colony will feel overcrowded - more pressure.

3. Beekeepers are not going to open their hives in rain and risk getting soaked hence queen cells will be missed either through not inspecting or a rushed inspection - those queen cells can be trick to spot tucked away under a mass of bees.

4. All ingredients are therefore in place and when the weather improves within a day the bees are up and off . Your chances af a good honey harvest disappears over the horizon.

Try to inspect or be prepared to go into swarm collection mode and have your kit to hand. Take precautions to prevent the swarm from absconding if you do catch one. GOOD LUCK!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have all my nucs( empty) in place and drawn/store frames handy in the shed at the apiary.

 

[JamezF]

I still appear to have my pet queen hornet in the bee shed. She clearly doesn't want to move on, though it also looks like she's not keen on how much cooler and wetter it has been over the last few days. I need to think of some way to persuade her to set up home elsewhere fairly soon though.

James

 

[Curly green finger's]

I'd say very, very good. They're that difficult to find it's unreal (the recently emerged virgins) as they tend to be anywhere in there and are small and fast.

I’d agree it’s sounds like a virgin is skipping about they can be very fast, I have more success finding them in the afternoon and not using any smoke at all.

 

[Sutty]

I’d agree it’s sounds like a virgin is skipping about they can be very fast, I have more success finding them in the afternoon and not using any smoke at all.

That was my thinking. Obviously they could have swarmed with the first to emerge but I doubt they would be taking any down QCs in that case.

 

[Curly green finger's]

That’s what I thought also, you have only the one emerged cell and the others were being taken down - it might of been different if there was more emerged cells

That was my thinking. Obviously they could have swarmed with the first to emerge but I doubt they would be taking any down QCs in that case.

 

[madasafish]

Went into winter with 7 National polynucs.
Have sold 7 to date.
Currently have 7 (one laying workers thrown out and new comb plus 1 QC, one swarmed). Orders for three and another five likely.

Feeding nucs 1:1 sugar syrup. 250ml per nuc each day.to stimulate egg laying and drawing comb.
One nuc and one unfed very large colony on three supers throwing out a dozen or so drones.. continuous rain since Tuesday night, grey skies and 12C..

Trying to set up double lang jumbo Cloak Board Q Rearing hive but impossible in weather. Feeding donor colony. (Who said q rearing is easy?)
Thank goodness for nail guns when making frames.

 

[Fellstoflats]

A real conundrum today.

12th April, I made a split from a hive, taking queen away in 5-frame nuc.
20th April, all excess QCs destroyed, best QC left.
28th April, expected emergence.

So far, no evidence of a laying queen. Test frame given last Friday- nothing.
Bees are content, have filled two supers since the split. Polished cells in the brood box. No eggs, no brood, nothing. No brood in supers, so she's not up there.
A thorough search today didn't give her up. I'm very aware that if she's not mated and laying by now, she probably never will, but I cannot spot the blighter!

 

[Sutty]

I'd give it another week, I've had one or 2 take ages!

 

[Fellstoflats]

I'd give it another week, I've had one or 2 take ages!

Fair enough- this is the first time I've had any real delayed layers. To be fair, the weather was atrocious when she would have been due to take her flights, so I'll give her that!

 

[madasafish]

give the nuc a small 1:1 sugar feed. That may stimulate laying.

 

[Swarm]

Thin syrup given to the mating nucs today.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Thin syrup given to the mating nucs today.

Same here and nucs fed a bigger double some fondant as I won’t see them for a while all brood but not much food.

 

[drex]

I have had to give 2 queens 5 weeks before they started to lay. Bees are happy, test frame negative, she's in there somewhere. Even if not mated would lay unfertilised eggs

 

[Curly green finger's]

Checked a demarred colony that I closed the floor of 5 days ago and added a frame of eggs from a black queen, 4 queen cells being drawn very pleased.
Both entrances are facing the same way and existing queen is in the bottom with bees now covering 8/9frames.
Demaree was set up 10 days ago, manipulation performed when colony strength was 11 frames of majority capped brood and one super full of bees

Hopefully I’ve explained the above