What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Curly green finger's]

I packed my incubator away today

You should keep it out in case I’ll hopefully make some mini nucs with the cells.

 

[Swarm]

You should keep it out in case I’ll hopefully make some mini nucs with the cells.

Normally I would but this year I have too much crap going on that's spoiling my fun.

 

[The Poot]

Finally added clearer boards under four capped supers.

 

[drex]

Swarm just moving in.

 

[user 819]

Where to @drex, flat roof cavity or swarm box ?

 

[drex]

Bait box on garage roof. Wife took a video, but forum will not accept an mp4

 

[Bee’s Knees]

Has anybody ever seen bees put perfectly single stright lines of stores across frames of brood?

 

[Wilco]

Has anybody ever seen bees put perfectly single stright lines of stores across frames of brood?

Do you have horizontally wired frames?

 

[Bee’s Knees]

Do you have horizontally wired frames?

Good shout!

Yes I do although I have never seen this on any other frames.

And now you mention that you can also see the angled vertical wires in the picture that they have left for stores.

I wonder why they were so sensitive to wires on this one

 

[pargyle]

Has anybody ever seen bees put perfectly single stright lines of stores across frames of brood?

They won't use cells with wires running through them for brood rearing but, if they need the space for stores they will use any available cells - even ones with wires running through them. Have they got enough space in the supers you have on at present ?

 

[Bee’s Knees]

I have other frames though that are exactly the same and they are full frames of brood so they have laid in those ones with wires.

Unfortunately yes there is plenty of space in the one super that is on.

Across three hives I will be lucky if I get 3 supers, the weather has be so bad until yesterday. No spring harvest either. I just hope the next 3-4 weeks there is very good weather.

Will make the end of August my harvest cut off date.

 

[Wilco]

Changed queens on a number of hives. I dislike dispatching productive queens but had a few whose offspring seemed to be getting progressively tetchier and have decided its just not worth it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes I do although I have never seen this on any other frames.

That was my first thought but you have the diagonal wires too. Do you have both on one frame?

 

[Swarm]

I have other frames though that are exactly the same and they are full frames of brood so they have laid in those ones with wires.

Unfortunately yes there is plenty of space in the one super that is on.

Across three hives I will be lucky if I get 3 supers, the weather has be so bad until yesterday. No spring harvest either. I just hope the next 3-4 weeks there is very good weather.

Will make the end of August my harvest cut off date.

Often see this with newly drawn frames, within a cycle or two the empty lines disappear.

 

[rolande]

I have other frames though that are exactly the same and they are full frames of brood so they have laid in those ones with wires.

It happens but far more rarely with the horizontal wired frames than with the diagonal wired foundation. Not sure why that should be but it's definitely a 'thing' which can be easily observed if you have similar quantities of both

 

[Bee’s Knees]

This one is horizontal and diagonal and you can also see the diagonal lines they they have not laid in.

 

[North End Bees]

This one is horizontal and diagonal and you can also see the diagonal lines they they have not laid in.

Mark the frame up and check it at the end of the season. They should be using all the cells by then as the wires get covered in wax/propolis

 

[madasafish]

24C today.
5 queens emerged incubator a day early (leaving 5) Mix of apideas/Kieler and Home made nucs.
Tried to requeen nasty hive - could not find unmarked Q so requeened equally nasty adjacent hive.
Found minute swarm - 200 bees on branch - housed in Rainbow min nuc.
Lost kgs in sweat..as requeening in shorts/overalls and bee jacket to avoid nasty bees. Soaked through in sweat.

 

[Nannysbees]

Glorious day for an inspection. Used our neck fans, brilliant!!!! Put a test frame in one of our qless hives but they have drawn really puny cells, I don't think they are viable. Found a mated home grown queen in the colony that we added a bought queen, now we know why they killed her. We thought we had been meticulous going through every comb knocking all the cells down, obviously not meticulously enough!!!! Beautiful and blonde. Marked her, didn't clip, didn't want to risk them rejecting her!!Took four brood frames out full of honey, added foundation to keep them busy, still not keen in putting it into the supers.

 

[user 819]

Sweltering day to be kitted up but it has to be done .
Removed a BB super and two supers from my garden tower colony only to replace them with two empties for space/ room for more nectar (at least it isn't quite as tall now ). Set the removed boxes on a stand adj to the hive with a rapid clearer on the bot and CB/roof on top, will move them to the honey shed tomorrow for extracting.

A hive with an expected new Q has now started laying and saw her today, I had placed a test frame of eggs and young larvae in situ last week to test for QR or QL. Pleased to see the test frame was all sealed and no QC's , so lifted out a frame either side to see eggs and one/two day old larvae along with the new incumbent. The test frame was more then enough to satisfy me all was well , but I wanted to confirm other brood might be present.
I now don't need to check on them again except for a final Autumn stores tally in late Sept or early Oct, after I have recovered (hopefully) from my major surgery.

Five other colonies all look very good and have stores a plenty , some I won't get around to prepping for all of the summer crop removal so some will go into Sept/Oct still with supers on. I hope later on with maybe some help get around to removing them .

From 2nd- 4th August they will be started with a first course of vaping and will get the fourth vape two days before I have to go in to hospital, all incase of if I'm unable to vape them after I come out of hospital.
If things work out then I shall give them an October course of vapes to really knock the mites down.

My vaping course routine is usally from second or third week of September so an earlier then normal vape has the potential for mites to build up again .