What did you do in the Apiary today?

[The Poot]

Shanks’s pony to put the clearer boards on then in the motor tomorrow for the booty.

Love the wellies and shorts look - so cool

 

[JamezF]

Love the wellies and shorts look - so cool

I've been there myself, today. Can't deny that we don't need some rain though. My daughter cut the grass three weeks ago and it hasn't grown since. Some was starting to turn brown.

James

 

[Paul_Ward1]

I can tell anybody who is interested that clearing supers over a clearer away from the hive works a treat

Did the same this year due to lack of time (and clearer boards). Stack of 8 with 1 lower and 1 inverted upper CB.
24 hours and most supers were 'mostly' clear. One was still 80% full strangely (no brood).

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Love the wellies and shorts look - so cool

suppose it saves on mess if you have stomach problems

 

[Moobee]

Did a mini extraction yesterday of 5 supers which yielded 95lbs of a nice golden honey. Just another 15 to do and will be my best harvest. Interestingly, the home hives have done better than those in the out apiaries which are right next to a nature reserve. Glad I didn’t leave it until today, would have got soaked moving everything from the bee shed into the kitchen.
Also did a bee rescue this week of a swarm that had taken up residence in a holly bush. Loads of comb built all through the branches. Managed to get three frames of brood & stores wired onto frames and a good amount of bees.

 

[The Poot]

Did a mini extraction yesterday of 5 supers which yielded 95lbs of a nice golden honey. Just another 15 to do and will be my best harvest. Interestingly, the home hives have done better than those in the out apiaries which are right next to a nature reserve. Glad I didn’t leave it until today, would have got soaked moving everything from the bee shed into the kitchen.
Also did a bee rescue this week of a swarm that had taken up residence in a holly bush. Loads of comb built all through the branches. Managed to get three frames of brood & stores wired onto frames and a good amount of bees.

You’ve certainly had a bit of a year. Excellent stuff

 

[pargyle]

Was going to put clearers under the last few supers I left on the hives .. didn't start until 5:30 after work - not that there was much point earlier as it has been piddling down all day. The rain cleared up for me but it was damp and overcast - surprisingly bees very well behaved.

The supers I left on were very light and certainly not ready for extraction when I cleared the rest, nothing much capped but plenty of nectar. Somehow in the last few days they have brought a load more nectar in and even capped some of it off ! So ... best laid plans ... I've left them on without the clearers and see what happens. Probably end up as bee food one way or another,

 

[Eyeman]

suppose it saves on mess if you have stomach problems

Obligatory attire now I’m in Wales- I mean the Wellies.

 

[TonyC]

I have been surprised at now late in the year beeks on this forum remove supers. Here we are in September and it is still happening. In my mind, 31 July is the end of the year, so I remove supers in early August, then treat for varroa then feed if necessary. Am I missing something? Is global warming allowing for a longer season? Living in the near monoculture of the fenland grain belt, I worry about lack of forage generally.

 

[Penninetrader]

Because we love Bees
John.

It is very difficult to explain our mentality to a non beekeeper, in fact I struggle when having a word with mesen

 

[Penninetrader]

I've been there myself, today. Can't deny that we don't need some rain though. My daughter cut the grass three weeks ago and it hasn't grown since. Some was starting to turn brown.

James

No need to worry about grass it will come back whether you want it or no, our grass this year has grown beyond beyond. Could barely walk through the long grass and my heavy duty strimmer /brushcutter had it's work cut out. I use

Oregon Techni Blade which blasts through brambles grass and thin branches. Strimming here is like going to war​

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[Erichalfbee]

our grass this year has grown beyond beyond.

Yep...our meadows are waist high with grass and spent flowers. They are topped only once a year sometime from now when the weather allows. It will be hard work for Stan and his little Kubota

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have been surprised at now late in the year beeks on this forum remove supers. Here we are in September and it is still happening. In my mind, 31 July is the end of the year, so I remove supers in early August, then treat for varroa then feed if necessary. Am I missing something? Is global warming allowing for a longer season? Living in the near monoculture of the fenland grain belt, I worry about lack of forage generally.

Mine are usually off mid August and bees top up with Balsam and Ivy.

 

[rolande]

I have been surprised at now late in the year beeks on this forum remove supers. Here we are in September and it is still happening. In my mind, 31 July is the end of the year

Growing up in a beekeeping family pre varroa we would never bother pulling honey till the end of August/first half of September, we certainly weren't alone either.

 

[Nannysbees]

I have been surprised at now late in the year beeks on this forum remove supers. Here we are in September and it is still happening. In my mind, 31 July is the end of the year, so I remove supers in early August, then treat for varroa then feed if necessary. Am I missing something? Is global warming allowing for a longer season? Living in the near monoculture of the fenland grain belt, I worry about lack of forage generally.

That was our regime this year, supers of the 20th Aug varroa treatment on

 

[Wilco]

I have been surprised at now late in the year beeks on this forum remove supers. Here we are in September and it is still happening. In my mind, 31 July is the end of the year, so I remove supers in early August, then treat for varroa then feed if necessary. Am I missing something? Is global warming allowing for a longer season? Living in the near monoculture of the fenland grain belt, I worry about lack of forage generally.

I'm just really behind schedule this year. I usually get done early apart from the heather and sit there feeling smug.

At least today is definitely an extracting day. Wife away and torrential rain.

 

[pargyle]

I have been surprised at now late in the year beeks on this forum remove supers. Here we are in September and it is still happening. In my mind, 31 July is the end of the year, so I remove supers in early August, then treat for varroa then feed if necessary. Am I missing something? Is global warming allowing for a longer season? Living in the near monoculture of the fenland grain belt, I worry about lack of forage generally.

In my location (semi-urban, allotments, domestic gardens, parks, railway banking, fields and hedgerows, lots of trees, ivy etc,) there is good forage right the way through to October. If I extract earlier than (usually) August Bank Holiday then they can fill another super or more in August. Even this last week after I had taken off the bulk of the supers in the sun in the early part of the week they were packing it in. I get a good crop of Ivy and they will get that and anything in September for winter.

I won't be feeding until the last week or so in September when I see what they have stored themselves - some years they don't need feeding at all and because my season also starts early I often have to remove frames of excess stores in the Spring.

Beekeeping cannot be done by rote and the calendar - a lot depends on your locality and what forage is available .. If you are in the middle of somewhere there are only farm fields cropping spring OSR and grain crops in the summer your season could be over by May !

 

[pargyle]

I'm just really behind schedule this year. I usually get done early apart from the heather and sit there feeling smug.

At least today is definitely an extracting day. Wife away and torrential rain.

I've taken a day off work to do my extracting ... rain still rattling down here as well so I doubt I'm going to have any bees interested in what I'm doing.

 

[Paul_Ward1]

Bought a used Sublimox (and a LONG extension lead)

 

[Swarm]

Gave all the nucs and single box colonies a small slurp of invert now their supers have vanished. Judging by the amount of activity there seems to be a decent Balsam flow on, white bees piling into the hives