What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Erichalfbee]

?

Swarm beat me to the same answer so I just removed mine.

 

[SWHives]

Swarm beat me to the same answer so I just removed mine.

AHH, thanks. Checked it twice beforehand and didn't see it! Can see it now. Need stronger classes lol!

 

[Garry R]

Sun came out after a stormy morning so I headed up to my mountain spot and split my "bees from hell" then went to the nearby allotments to check on another queenless nuc - I've queens arriving shortly so fingers crossed. Sold the last of my 280 honey jars (from 3 colonies) - I increased my half pound jars to £6 and it still flew away in just 4 days with many regulars back for multiples eg 10, 14. I'd increased the price from £5.50. Lousy summer so I'm glad to get this. I'd had a frozen shoulder so sold off bees earlier in the year. Punters did have to make a drive to come and see me so I'd be loathe to push pricing higher although I'm seeing hobbyists selling for up to £8 locally. Interestingly a big proportion seem to be seeking out hayfever relief and are adamant that it works. I had 3 GPS all looking for multiple jars.

But what weight of jars at £6?

 

[Aneebe]

But what weight of jars at £6?

Half pound = 227g. All the local prices I quoted were that. Friend just spotted a v posh grocer's here doing the local honey 227g for £10. I mean...

 

[Moobee]

There's not a lot of brood or stores in that colony is there ? I'd give them a really good dose or three of OA when you get them in a hive ... and a good feed as well.

No it looks suspiciously light to be honest. They swarmed at least once this year - last spotted disappearing over the hedge at the end of July so I think they've massively depleted their numbers. I managed to get about 4 frames worth of brood/stores into empty frames with elastic bands and all the remaining stores went on the crown board with a teeny access hole inside a super. When we left them yesterday afternoon, there were only a few robbers and lots of wasps at the shed (and a disgusting amount of wax moth larvae and debris) so i'm not hopeful they are strong enough . Quite a few wasps about so gave them a small entrance to defend. The owner sent a video this morning of some clustering on the exposed board. I hope it's just the foragers that came back last evening wondering where their home had gone and not the queen bimbling about regathering her entourage!

 

[beeker]

Extracted the last of this years. Used @Swarm method of clearing supers. Did a handful of small stacks last night, only one stack failed to clear, and that was user error, the rhombus fell off . The rest just had a few bees in, really easy compared to a clearer board on each hive.
Downfall is far too small a kitchen at work to extract in. Works well, as it's nicely compliant hygiene wise. But not enough room to bring the supers in, and stack up empties, kept having to go out and collect from the stack, and take extracted frames out, ended up with thousands of bees inside, wearing suit, and the carnage everytime I opened anything. . All cleaned up now but really took all the fun out of it. Need to have a think before next year, slowly improving my workflow, but nowhere near big enough to expand anything extraction wise.

 

[Swarm]

Extracted the last of this years. Used @Swarm method of clearing supers. Did a handful of small stacks last night, only one stack failed to clear, and that was user error, the rhombus fell off . The rest just had a few bees in, really easy compared to a clearer board on each hive.
Downfall is far too small a kitchen at work to extract in. Works well, as it's nicely compliant hygiene wise. But not enough room to bring the supers in, and stack up empties, kept having to go out and collect from the stack, and take extracted frames out, ended up with thousands of bees inside, wearing suit, and the carnage everytime I opened anything. . All cleaned up now but really took all the fun out of it. Need to have a think before next year, slowly improving my workflow, but nowhere near big enough to expand anything extraction wise.

Kind of defeated the object of clearing them.

 

[Brian Bush]

If it is not impolite to ask, in what quantities do you sell your honey and at what prices. Would be interesting to know how keepers are doing in this regard

I sell in 12oz jars and charged £6.00 last year. I am considering raising the price to £6.50 because of the price of jars. Most of the regulars return their jars for re-use so I may opt for a 2 tier system.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Most of my sales , apart from the odd fair, are in 1litre tubs, unlabelled, which go for £6.66 a lb

 

[Curly green finger's]

A bit pissed at the weather because I want to make 6 frame nucs up with home reared queens and choose the nuc I’m going to use in the observation hive for Fridays honey tasting and presentation in Ludlow.

 

[Penninetrader]

I sell in 12oz jars and charged £6.00 last year. I am considering raising the price to £6.50 because of the price of jars. Most of the regulars return their jars for re-use so I may opt for a 2 tier system.

That reuse regulars is working like a loyalty card and giving you an edge, besides which no waste fits right in with my ethos

 

[Penninetrader]

Sun came out after a stormy morning so I headed up to my mountain spot and split my "bees from hell" then went to the nearby allotments to check on another queenless nuc - I've queens arriving shortly so fingers crossed. Sold the last of my 280 honey jars (from 3 colonies) - I increased my half pound jars to £6 and it still flew away in just 4 days with many regulars back for multiples eg 10, 14. I'd increased the price from £5.50. Lousy summer so I'm glad to get this. I'd had a frozen shoulder so sold off bees earlier in the year. Punters did have to make a drive to come and see me so I'd be loathe to push pricing higher although I'm seeing hobbyists selling for up to £8 locally. Interestingly a big proportion seem to be seeking out hayfever relief and are adamant that it works. I had 3 GPS all looking for multiple jars.

I have hay fever and prior to my bees was much worse, would not say it is a cure would not say it isn't but without doubt honey is beneficial. The bees from hell, was there a breed to them or mongrel ? And what queens have you gone for ?

 

[Aneebe]

I have hay fever and prior to my bees was much worse, would not say it is a cure would not say it isn't but without doubt honey is beneficial. The bees from hell, was there a breed to them or mongrel ? And what queens have you gone for ?

I agree about the honey benefits. Read something recently (where?) That it's maybe even the honey compounds rather than pollen content that's key but hey if it works it's great. I'm so many return customers who almost panic now if they can't get their annual stash in so something's going on.
The fiesty bees is an interesting one. For the last couple of years I've been collecting swarms which originate due to one beekeeper. He's been placing garden bees far and wide here (as in, even different counties) and then clearing off out of the country with ""an emergency" right at peak swarming time. It's been happening for several years now. No idea of the bee lineage but they just look like locals - much blacker than my buckies. Anyway, last May I got 3 colonies all from the same garden. One queen was quickly replaced but the other two laid really well until the end of last season when one went a bit "lively" and as I didn't want to annoy my farmer friend she got replaced. Same thing happened this year around the same time but even more amplified. I was like bee velcro the minute I went near them. Anyway, they've been split. She's going in a press-in cage and we'll see. I think it's a bit late for the other half to re-queen itself but stranger things have happened.

 

[Antipodes]

Listened to a lovely bird at one apiary.....

 

[Erichalfbee]

What is it?

 

[Antipodes]

What is it?

Grey shrike-thrush, specifically the Tasmanian isolate, Colluricincla harmonica strigata.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Went through 12 colony’s with two of the children we marked 4 queen.
selected the nuc for tomorrow and marked her as her white dot has all but gone ,later I’ll put them in the observation hive ready for tomorrow.
Saturday I’m travelling to Herefordshire to tutor a couple who have previously in years past ( child hood) kept bees in wbc hives they have two of my nucs one which has produced them 50lbs of honey.
Sunday I’m hopefully making my last 6 frame nucs up and collecting supers as clearers have gone on the last honey production colonys.
This afternoon 200g cut comb being processed honey dew honey which I really like the taste of.

 

[Curly green finger's]

.

 

[Nannysbees]

Checked the hives for food today one a little light so gave them a sugar feed. Saw all queens, psycho hive definitely calming down although wouldn't trust any of them without suiting up. Two of the apiguard trays empty so replaced them with their second treatment, three, one quarter left so will give them few more days to clear it.

 

[Swarm]

Clearer boards under the last supers, it started raining
Lots of bees on Balsam and a fair amount of Ivy pollen coming in and another season comes to an end.