What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Gardenbees]

Hurray! Had a quick look at the long hive today: about 3 weeks since queen cell hatched and I was starting to wonder if she'd got lost out there. But no! Lots of very young brood and eggs on both sides of 4 frames, all nicely positioned in generous blocks of cells. Bees were very calm, hardly noticing me despite the rather windy weather.

Just one more virgin queen left now. Will she return? Ooh, the suspense! Their Mum is a bought, locally-bred queen from last year, and very good, so I'll be interested to see what her daughters turn out like.

 

[Swarm]

Recovered a huge prime cast swarm (old queeny still at home) hopefully they'll all fit in the poly nuc and I can shift it later. Split off two nucs and removed the old cedar BB, leaving the colony in the poly BB. Out apiaries all ok but still not much doing on the honey front.

 

[VEG]

Had a visit from the SBI all hives got the all clear. I checked on the swarm I hived a few days ago loads of eggs and bees behaving well.

 

[Swarm]

Good news mate.

 

[hiveabee]

I was going to put a nuc colony into a full size hive but the weather has stopped any effort. It really is a dampener.

 

[Silly Bee]

SB, the chances of your new queen emerging last sunday,getting mated and to be laying eggs by now are about nil,as long as you know the new queen has emerged, you would be best to leave them well alone for the next couple of weeks at least,and don't inspect at a time of day when the new queen could be out on mating flights, when the weather is nice of course (when ever that is).

Yes, intended to leave a week or two, just a tad impatient.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Went to check the hive at my friend's parents first - he called last night to say that an oak tree had fallen in the wind right across the garden so i'd have to climb over it to get to the hive (subtle hint to bring my trusty Husky methinks!) so after an hour dealing with said tree - all cut up into manageable pieces and branches - which said mate can clear!. got to the bees usually impeccably behaved (out of 5 they usually score 6 or 7!) they were very tetchy probably scoring a 3, lucky I had gloves because they were all over me like a pair of bee mittens . on seven frames now but quite a bit of chalk brood evident which they've cleared out (hoping it's because of the crap weather and sudden expansion meaning the bees can't cover all the brood).
Back to the home apiary they were also a bit tetchy but not too bad hive one (the mother)bursting with bees (second super on and filling slowly, lower super with loads of pollen.) and hive 2 expanding nicely now on 8 frames and starting to fill the first super - if only we'd had good weather the last month they'd have been going great guns!.
Positioned my bait hive 8 feet up on a large (!) cut down tree stump could have cut it at 12 feet but it was just too high to play with the chainsaw and too fiddly to get the hive down if I caught a swarm.

 

[jackbee]

2nd inspection of established colony and 1st insection of collected swarm.

Swarm now on 2 frames with larva and eggs (Ok I didn't see eggs cos I forgot my glasses again but I had a helping hand from an experienced beek who was there to back me up ). Lovely brood pattern with pollen and honey so Q must have mated and is laying nicely - fab!
Lovely gente bees, no smoke used.
Icing sugar to finish.
Still had feed left from cpl days ago but will continue to feed to get them to build up brood frames.

Established colony on all 11 frames, brrod on 7/8, stores on rest.
Didn't see queen but did see larva and eggs (same story lol)
Didn't see Q, obviously beeing shy today.
3/4 frames in super so going along slowly but surely.
Lovely gentle bees, didn't use any smoke and no trouble at all.
Icing sugar to finish and close up.

Lovely day with lovely bees although OH got stung on lip about an hour later, sitting too close watching them we think, ok now.

 

[Alabamaeee]

Took off small amount of OSR honey from hives, about 30Lbs, left some in each hive on older frames and bruised it.

Checked monitor tray on new hive with small swarm housed. According to Beebase level is about 60 in hive, so will treat at the end of August.

 

[nosmoking]

Sorted a new base for a national hive at 7-30 this morning. Cracking morning! Transferred April swarm from top bar nuc into the national later in morning and finished by noon. Done it as a chop and crop and then added 4 fresh frames with foundation to the brood box. Saw Q a couple of times and everything seems okay so far. Left top bars for bees to clean up and will remove them shortly. Bees were very placid considering what I was doing and best of all..... no stings! I didn't use any smoke either! just a water spray with a hint of sugar. Fingers crossed they don't bugger off tomorrow to teach me a lesson, lol.

 

[psafloyd]

I was in all my colonies this am. Two turned out to be queen right though one may not be mated. This afternoon, I was back on my other plot at the allotment (5 plots down) and one of these http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greenwoodpecker/index.aspx land on plot. NEVER seen one before in my area and it flew off.
Funny as was talking to my missus about the change in birdlife this year. The magpie population massively reduced with hardly a crow to be seen, while blackbirds are abundant and there are even several families of starling, which I haven't seen in an age.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Funny as was talking to my missus about the change in birdlife this year. The magpie population massively reduced with hardly a crow to be seen, while blackbirds are abundant and there are even several families of starling, which I haven't seen in an age.

Got any pheasant shoots in the area? gamekeepers are good at Larsen trapping magpies and crows - does no end of good to the songbird population

 

[pigletwillie]

I just sat and watched the hive I transfered from the nuc to a national last week. Quite a few bees flying and a fair amount were bringing back pollen. They are obviously getting about abit as there was cream, pale yellow, bright yellow and orange coloured pollen coming back.

 

[jackbee]

I just sat and watched the hive I transfered from the nuc to a national last week. Quite a few bees flying and a fair amount were bringing back pollen. They are obviously getting about abit as there was cream, pale yellow, bright yellow and orange coloured pollen coming back.

i'm getting the same colours down here in bristol

 

[psafloyd]

Got any pheasant shoots in the area? gamekeepers are good at Larsen trapping magpies and crows - does no end of good to the songbird population

As I am on the borders of London/Essex, no, not nearby. Something has had an effect on them, though. It's much quieter down the allotment, too.

 

[betterbee]

be careful

checked 2 apideas for mated queens.no1 lovely queen ,clipped and marked her while putting her back in nuc dropped her into long grass,
was a lot more careful with nuc no2

 

[Outlander]

I going to play hunt the sun and make my final decision on where my hives will go then change my mind several times and still be none the wiser by the end of the day. As I certainly don't live in a perfect would, am I right in thinking. Well I know I'm right but just need some reassurance. I'm going to put them in the early sun which means by late afternoon they will be in shadow. Due to big trees life is such a compromis as early sun to me is about 10:30. Oh well make the most of what you got.

 

[drstitson]

nothing bee-ey. passed both PH's apiary and domicile (the latter twice) - blue washing day.

 

[jmeilhan]

1st Summer Meetings for Beekeepers' Association.
This morning the Sun is out and the girls will be out working soon.

 

[Stiffy]

Got any pheasant shoots in the area? gamekeepers are good at Larsen trapping magpies and crows - does no end of good to the songbird population

Utter tosh, magpies and crows are all part of ecosystem and are not the problem affecting song birds
It is the loss of hedgerows and poisoning of our countryside that has helped reduce the population of songbirds.
S


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