What did you do in the Apiary today?

[The Poot]

Odd, greenish colour honey - straight out of the spinner. Anything to do with lime?

 

[Erichalfbee]

A tip I picked up here. Can’t remember who from but very recently.

I’ll be interested to know how clearing that way, works out.

 

[Amari]

I’m going to try to clear the really heavy supers off the hive, putting those on a clearer board on the hive stand.

Oo, haven't tried that. I'm finding benzaldehyde useful.

 

[Penninetrader]

Wasps are back in force. lost 2 mating nucs since Saturday when I checked earlier. Fed and shut entrances on the final few down and will put queens into poly nucs later in the week. Good production apiary, but seems to attract shed loads of wasps later in the season, so need to think if I continue with mating there

Have you found their nests ?

 

[Penninetrader]

Not all together.
No real option. Nothing much was capped two weeks ago. I’ll take three maybe next week. I have six other colonies with supers on. One with six the others with four and five. If I clear three from each it will take me a while to extract then I can go back for the others.
I’m going to try to clear the really heavy supers off the hive, putting those on a clearer board on the hive stand.

I will never have that problem

 

[Do224]

have six other colonies with supers on. One with six the others with four and five.

wish I had a crop like that! I’ll probably average just over one super per hive…didn’t lose any swarms either

 

[Erichalfbee]

It’s down to the bees.

 

[madasafish]

Picked up 9 supers from allotments - Clearer Brds on yesterday - took home in Jazz to day 1pm, extracted and cleaned up before 5pm. Approx 110-130 lbs honey,

To be bottled tomorrow am. .Mostly presold/given to allotment members.

Like those from my own hives, none had much if any honey in the outer frames,,

 

[Garry R]

Picked up 9 supers from allotments - Clearer Brds on yesterday - took home in Jazz to day 1pm, extracted and cleaned up before 5pm. Approx 110-130 lbs honey,

To be bottled tomorrow am. .Mostly presold/given to allotment members.

Like those from my own hives, none had much if any honey in the outer frames,,

Was that per hive or from 9 supers?

 

[alancooper]

It’s down to the bees.

Skill, weather and location help.

 

[Do224]

Skill, weather and location help.

Perhaps also the ‘breed’ of bee?

 

[StephenT]

Cleared 20 supers from 5 hives and extracted them all at the weekend. About 240kg. Fortunately our BKA (Twickenham) has a dedicated honey room with a 12 frame spinner. The harvest was saved by a great 3 weeks from the second week of June.

 

[Garry R]

Cleared 20 supers from 5 hives and extracted them all at the weekend. About 240kg. Fortunately our BKA (Twickenham) has a dedicated honey room with a 12 frame spinner. The harvest was saved by a great 3 weeks from the second week of June.

105lbs per hive - great return for some hard work!!

 

[Vanterrier]

Blimey! Some impressive harvests there... I was pleased with my 30 lbs in June and 55 lbs last weekend, mainly from one colony but with a couple of frames nicked from a slower ( now queenless) colony. My third colony hasn't produced anything in its super yet but was a late split so no worries.
If the Q- colony doesn't make another Q ( I'll know for sure by 26th Aug.) Will they just focus on foraging and perhaps give me a late harvest?
K

 

[robmort]

105lbs per hive - great return for some hard work!!

.

 

[Paul_Ward1]

Not all together.
No real option. Nothing much was capped two weeks ago. I’ll take three maybe next week. I have six other colonies with supers on. One with six the others with four and five. If I clear three from each it will take me a while to extract then I can go back for the others.
I’m going to try to clear the really heavy supers off the hive, putting those on a clearer board on the hive stand.

Newbee questions. I’m really curious about this method.

So, floor, clearer board then multiple supers? All a few metres from the original hive(s)?
Does this work because once the foragers are done on the comb, they leave back to the original hive site?
Clearer board to stop them re-entering?
Does the clearer board also stop robbing? I can imagine this being a frenzy without the CB??
Can you have a mix of supers / bees from different hives in the same apiary assuming no disease?

Could you stack 8 supers and expect them to clear (ish) in 24 hours?

 

[Swarm]

Newbee questions. I’m really curious about this method.

So, floor, clearer board then multiple supers? All a few metres from the original hive(s)?
Does this work because once the foragers are done on the comb, they leave back to the original hive site?
Clearer board to stop them re-entering?
Does the clearer board also stop robbing? I can imagine this being a frenzy without the CB??
Can you have a mix of supers / bees from different hives in the same apiary assuming no disease?

Could you stack 8 supers and expect them to clear (ish) in 24 hours?

Clearer board, supers and flipped clearer board on top, bees can escape top and bottom.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Anything to do with lime?

Taste minty?

 

[The Poot]

Taste minty?

No, it’s pretty sweet, not minty. It just looks limey. It’s different to the honey coming off the adjacent hive, so made me curious.
There only one lime within half a mile of the apiary, which is a large, mature tree, but with another beekeeper’s colonies right next to it.

 

[madasafish]

Was that per hive or from 9 supers?

9 supers..
June was a TOTAL disaster..