What did you do in the Apiary today?

[BeeKeyPlayer]

If it's ivy, wait a few months before eating/selling it. But extract soon!

I think it was ahead of the ivy which hadn't really started to flower. Your advice noted though.

 

[ericbeaumont]

bit early for vaping?

Not if it's the main treatment, 3 times at 5-day intervals to catch the max. Winter is a one-off to get mites on bees in the absence of brood (learned from Pargyle that 'phoretic' is no longer the correct term, but cannot recall the new).

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

(learned from Pargyle that 'phoretic' is no longer the correct term, but cannot recall the new.

Dispersal phase?

 

[Penninetrader]

Rough price is £16-18 but delivery for such a heavy item makes it a poor deal at £27-30. I managed to get it down to £16.40 at a 40-box rate. Company is a national bakers' supplier with a min. charge of £250. Twenty minutes drive from an apiary, so I can collect.

Is the £16.40 when you collect or is the 250 for free delivery

 

[Antipodes]

Dispersal phase?

That's certainly the phase they are in down here at the moment .

 

[ericbeaumont]

Is the £16.40 when you collect or is the 250 for free delivery

£250 minimum spend is to deter small buyers. £16.40 is the box price for 40 boxes, collected, but buying fewer boxes by spending only £250 is likely to attract a higher box price. Pallet delivery would no doubt push box price to something painful (I didn't ask).

Years ago the company would sell individual beekeepers a few boxes, then stopped and supplied only Simon the Beekeeper, which retails it at £25 a box plus delivery.

https://simonthebeekeeper.co.uk/products/125kg-fondant-block

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Pallet delivery would no doubt push box price to something painful (I didn't ask).

£17 a box for 25 delivered by pallet. But so much depends on who you get to speak to or who picks up your email. I was lucky this time ('I love the bees' she said) and she marked the price on my account for future purchases.

 

[Newbeeneil]

£17 a box for 25 delivered by pallet. But so much depends on who you get to speak to or who picks up your email. I was lucky this time ('I love the bees' she said) and she marked the price on my account for future purchases.

My minimum delivery is £150 which equated to 11 boxes last year but I’ve just ordered some for delivery next Tuesday without asking the price so the chances are I’ll only get 10 this year

Edit. No, price still the same - 11 boxes being delivered next Tuesday and I’m 40 plus miles from their depot. Great service.

 

[The Poot]

I used about 14ah to do the 54 colonies but put the InstantVap in my insulated case between apiaries. This kept the temperature at about 150deg which meant I used less power to get back to the 230deg.

That is just too organised! There was me thinking you were a proper beekeeper….

 

[Newbeeneil]

That is just too organised! There was me thinking you were a proper beekeeper….

Not organised, just disappointed that the InstantVap didn’t come with a carrying box so made one.
Me, a proper beekeeper?

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Not organised, just disappointed that the InstantVap didn’t come with a carrying box so made one.

Thanks for the picture!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Isn’t it a bit early for vaping? I thought the broodless period is in December. What’s leading you to all do it at the moment?

Autumn treatment to try to kill varroa that have bred through summer. Hoping to ensure optimum healthy bees going into winter. No treatment is 100% so a mop up around shortest day is also accepted practice.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Not if it's the main treatment, 3 times at 5-day intervals to catch the max. Winter is a one-off to get mites on bees in the absence of brood (learned from Pargyle that 'phoretic' is no longer the correct term, but cannot recall the new).

It's taken years to amass bits of phraseology. I'm buggered if I'm fretting about unlearning based on semantics now.

 

[MrMouse]

Going to start loading my colonies up with 2:1 I think.
I was hoping for a good ivy flow but the forecast over the next couple of weeks is cool (13-14 degrees) and plenty of rain to limit flying time.

 

[Moobee]

Rough price is £16-18 but delivery for such a heavy item makes it a poor deal at £27-30. I managed to get it down to £16.40 at a 40-box rate. Company is a national bakers' supplier with a min. charge of £250. Twenty minutes drive from an apiary, so I can collect.

My lovely local baker is doing it for £16 a box so don’t need to bulk buy!

 

[The Poot]

Going to start loading my colonies up with 2:1 I think.
I was hoping for a good ivy flow but the forecast over the next couple of weeks is cool (13-14 degrees) and plenty of rain to limit flying time.

I saw ivy in flower today, albeit attracting loads of wasps….
I’ve been feeding for a couple of weeks now after removing supers, as little income for the bees and it’s important to get them up to weight.
I’ll leave off feeding now the ivy is opening and keep monitoring weights and top up as required.

 

[ken in NH]

Me on Friday.

i used to have money. now i have a wife

 

[Macbear]

Autumn treatment to try to kill varroa that have bred through summer. Hoping to ensure optimum healthy bees going into winter. No treatment is 100% so a mop up around shortest day is also accepted practice.

Formic Pro seems to have devastated two hives.
One - the BB just has empty combs and a few stores, the super [which is a deep] has plenty of stores, but bee numbers are too low for my liking. Will probably unite with a small split which I didn't treat, but only when I get a warmer day.
The second colony doesn't seem to have any brood, but plenty of stores and bees - a little room for laying, but as it was colder than I would like I didn't delve around the BB too much. Just wanted to get FP strips out, ent reducers back on, QE out and to get a quick look. Hoping the Q is just taking time out...
Facing a possibility of being down to a single colony by next March :-( Thank goodness I did the split in the summer. Back to Apiguard next season! I don't like a varroa treatment that may kill varroa AND my Qs if that is what has happened.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Back to Apiguard next season! I don't like a varroa treatment that may kill varroa AND my Qs if that is what has happened.

Echos of MAQS when it first became available

 

[The Poot]

Formic Pro seems to have devastated two hives.
One - the BB just has empty combs and a few stores, the super [which is a deep] has plenty of stores, but bee numbers are too low for my liking. Will probably unite with a small split which I didn't treat, but only when I get a warmer day.
The second colony doesn't seem to have any brood, but plenty of stores and bees - a little room for laying, but as it was colder than I would like I didn't delve around the BB too much. Just wanted to get FP strips out, ent reducers back on, QE out and to get a quick look. Hoping the Q is just taking time out...
Facing a possibility of being down to a single colony by next March :-( Thank goodness I did the split in the summer. Back to Apiguard next season! I don't like a varroa treatment that may kill varroa AND my Qs if that is what has happened.

It’s not an uncommon occurrence with Maqs / Formic Pro unfortunately.