What did you do in the Apiary today?

[StephenT]

Checked the last hive today that was a defensive hive we requeened last week by merging the brood box the new BMH queen was in with the double brood where we had removed the queen. Was quite nervous but all good as the new queen was there and laying. Allowing her free run of the brood boxes now. Will have to plan on reducing down to 2 brood boxes next.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Checked the last hive today that was a defensive hive we requeened last week by merging the brood box the new BMH queen was in with the double brood where we had removed the queen. Was quite nervous but all good as the new queen was there and laying. Allowing her free run of the brood boxes now. Will have to plan on reducing down to 2 brood boxes next.

Did you unite over all those supers?

 

[StephenT]

Did you unite over all those supers?

Thought it was too many so united straight above the two existing brood boxes with QEs and newspaper top and bottom.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

wouldn't have been a problem

 

[StephenT]

I was

wouldn't have been a problem

I was worried about them making loads of EQCs in the bottom boxes given the distance from the queen if she was separated by 4 supers, given what I have seen in a demaree only separated by 2 or 3 supers. The last thing I wanted was to have to shake the bees off all frames to remove the EQCs as they're not pleasant during inspections and have stung a neighbour and their dog. Luckily (sort of) it's a hive we look after for a very elderly gentleman and they're not in our garden.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

given what I have seen in a demaree only separated by 2 or 3 supers

goodness, what on earth happened in that particular Demaree? I've seldom seen a Demaree produce more than a handful of QC's I've united through four shallows more than once with no issues.

 

[StephenT]

goodness, what on earth happened in that particular Demaree? I've seldom seen a Demaree produce more than a handful of QC's I've united through four shallows more than once with no issues.

Loads of QCs was paranoia and my experience is just getting a few as you describe. It was the wholly unpleasant thought of having to shake bees off all frames to find all the QCs in a double brood that lead me to unite them as I did.

 

[Newbeeneil]

My home hive swarmed today with a virgin queen, (must have missed a cell after nucing the queen…. Doh!)
The bees started to settle on a branch of goat willow about 10’ up just on the neighbours side of our fence.
As the bees accumulated on the branch it started to sag over my side of the fence and ended up about 5’ from the ground. Nice and easy to cut the branch and drop into my swarm box.

 

[gwt_uk]

Removed supers from 4 colonies. 2 completely cleared, other two still had a few dozen bees in them. 3/4 supers were 17-18% moisture content however 1 super with all frames fully capped is at 19%. Will be returning the supers tomorrow morning.

 

[Dibbler]

The mystery of the swarm in my yew tree is over. It was the bees that took up residence in one of my spare hives.
Couldn't do anything yesterday as horrendous thunderstorms with Mediterranean like rain. So glad we managed to collect them.
Up early today, checked the spare hive and yes sure enough they had vacated it to the yew tree.
So taken all brood frames out. Given brood box a good clean.
New brood box with mainly all new foundation. Set up new location for hive. Maybe the bees didn't like the neighbours.
2nd coffee. Then transfer brood frames from nuc box into new hive. Feeder on top with syrup as suggested. Large Hive I was going to take a frame of brood from not overly happy. Closed up.
Leave bees to decide if they like this hive and location. Hope they stay as they are such calm bees.

 

[madasafish]

Spent this am - a balmy 12C - inspecting all 8 full production hives. Potential 10 full supers, no QCs and as the weather deteriorated and the sky turned black before rain, the bees became increasingly irritable. Final inspection was in rain: returning flying bees were very bolshy but as I had put vinyls on after some 26 stings, their bad temper had no effect. I got soaked tidying up.

Also bolstered a three frame nuc to 11 frames (double nuc) with capped brood and one frame of pollen prior to Q rearing with cloake board.

 

[robmort]

How do you continue with 26 stings! I find one is very painful.

 

[madasafish]

How do you continue with 26 stings! I find one is very painful.

I get over 100 every year (record was 226) so am immune to venom and hardly react - even when stung very occasionally on the face/nose . Hurts for about 20-30 minutes and that's it.. (a sting on the septum brings tears to my eyes).

 

[pargyle]

Checked through all my colonies - still no queen cells (Minor miracle here !) - Not complaining just totally surprised - not even any queen cups. Colonies all booming - load of BIAS. Added another super to them all - all now have 2 or 3 on them (that's really good in my location for this time of year) - first supers mostly capped so I'm a bit behind with a couple but they were nowhere near full when I checked 10 days ago - surprising what a bit of warm weather and a few showers does for the nectar flow and the weeds !

Pulled up a load of weeds that had grown 2 feet in the last week in front of the hives - left a load of Teasels to grow on - the bees seem to be using them as a convenient water source as well as the garden pond. There's a lot of self seeders in the garden generally and I leave them as the seed heads are visited, in the autumn, by a lot of small birds and a pair of goldfinches we regularly see in the garden (I really love to see these pretty birds but they are so hard to photograph, just so quick).

 

[Moobee]

My home hive swarmed today with a virgin queen, (must have missed a cell after nucing the queen…. Doh!)
The bees started to settle on a branch of goat willow about 10’ up just on the neighbours side of our fence.
As the bees accumulated on the branch it started to sag over my side of the fence and ended up about 5’ from the ground. Nice and easy to cut the branch and drop into my swarm box.

You lucky so & so!

 

[JamezF]

Collecting water, presumably. But I wonder for what porpoise?

James

 

[Sutty]

Little forage? Though there's always a few it seems.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Something felt wrong at the first hive I checked today. It was the one I finished with last week. There were few bees flying. Then the varroa board (which I check and clean every week) had no debris on it. When I took the roof off, I could hear frantic activity through the mesh in the split board which was acting as a crown board. And when I took it off, the bees exploded out.

It turned out that last week I'd put the second brood box back with a crown board stuck under it and didn't notice. The bees, including the queen, were trapped in there all week. They got some air through the mesh in the split board. There were lots of dried larvae but amazingly few dead adults. The queen had not laid and had diminished. But it looks as if they're going to be okay.

I united the two boxes with newspaper (over a queen excluder )

 

[Sutty]

Something felt wrong at the first hive I checked today. It was the one I finished with last week. There were few bees flying. Then the varroa board (which I check and clean every week) had no debris on it. When I took the roof off, I could hear frantic activity through the mesh in the split board which was acting as a crown board. And when I took it off, the bees exploded out.

It turned out that last week I'd put the second brood box back with a crown board stuck under it and didn't notice. The bees, including the queen, were trapped in there all week. They got some air through the mesh in the split board. There were lots of dried larvae but amazingly few dead adults. The queen had not laid and had diminished. But it looks as if they're going to be okay.

I united the two boxes with newspaper (over a queen excluder )

Just shows how easy it is for the beekeeper to f**k up the bees!
Lucky escape!

 

[JamezF]

Little forage? Though there's always a few it seems.

That was one of the possible reasons that had occurred to me. Elder is just starting to flower here though, so I'd guess there should be plenty of it within a bee flight. The weather may not have been ideal though.

James