What did you do in the Apiary today?

[cabrerayoung]

this morning saw the bees in our own apiary up with the lark, soaring over the netting surrounding them and returning, some laden with a mix of grey, cream and bright orange pollen. Hoping to see ghost bees later if they find the HB along the brook behind the allotment.

aah it feels like a summer idyll with the hum of bees and gentle sunshine on the shoulders

going down to the assoc apiary later - our group is looking after a colony which was split into 4 parts several weeks back and 2 weeks ago we spotted 2 queens, one of whom was already laying. Today we'll probably make a decision about what to do with them all.

later this afternoon I'd like to inspect my nuc of bees with the queen who had started laying as soon as I took her and 2 frames of bees out of the colony about 10 days ago and perhaps later in the week take a look at how the apidea queen is doing - she'd been slow to unite with the colony as the bees took their time to chew threw the newspaper separating the apidea and brood box.

here's wishing all a happy beekeeping sunday

No such luck in Scotland I'm afraid. The weather here is ****.

 

[Chris Luck]

Too hot here to play with bees, temperatures set to reach mid 30's this week which is really good for the sunflower flow and that's what it's all about isn't it?

Quietly optimistic.

Chris

 

[margob99]

Very, very happy with things in the hive today. Although I am kicking myself for - once again - falling into the trap of using a brood-and-a-half configuration, instead of 14x12 - it is so traumatic having to inspect 22 frames. They don't like it either, but these bees are just so nice. Lots of agitation, but absolutely no inclination to ping, sting, follow or any of that. And 15 minutes after inspection, they are almost all calmed down again. Very nice bees. I've been worried over past few weeks about Her laying quite a high percentage of drone brood, but that appears to have subsided altogether now. I am a happy beek! (plus I don't think She is thin enough to have got through the QX, and honey super appears to be developing properly, ie no brood in there!) Let's hope I managed to put the hive back altogether in such a way that She's where She belongs - below the QX and not above lol

 

[Poly Hive]

Absolutely nothing.

All done yesterday to allow them a free uninterrupted run at what ever is out there today.

Spotted Willowherb in flower for the first time this year and an extraordinary amount of bramble in flower.

PH

 

[tonybloke]

Spotted Willowherb in flower for the first time this year

is that a local variety, PH

 

[Chris Luck]

Ooooooo, who's been sleeping in the knife drawer Tony?

Chris

 

[Cazza]

Bees or golf? Bees or golf? Bees or golf? Decisions, decisions.
Cazza

 

[meidel]

No such luck in Scotland I'm afraid. The weather here is ****.

sorry to hear that, what bad luck! hope your bees have some stores to keep them going

 

[cabrerayoung]

sorry to hear that, what bad luck! hope your bees have some stores to keep them going

Yes, plenty stores. they have been gathering well when the weather allows.
Went down today to remove cover from queen cage to allow them to start eating her out and got attacked rightly. Several stings through my jeans and one on my arse.
Not happy girls just now, hopefully new queenie will help their mood.

 

[user 382]

Absolutely nothing.

But due to my apiary being on Council Countryside Services property and the padlocks have all been changed. I've just had a text to say some keys were stolen and I'll get replacment keys in the week. I'll just have to wait!

 

[tonybloke]

Ooooooo, who's been sleeping in the knife drawer Tony?

Chris

 

[fatshark]

1) Discovered yesterdays 'dropped' queen had somehow made it back to the mini-nuc
2) Split a queenless hive into three nucs and added mated, marked queens in JzBz cages. All done in a bit of a rush so I could watch Wiggins and Cavendish triumph in Paris

A good day.

 

[REDWOOD]

Bees or golf? Bees or golf? Bees or golf? Decisions, decisions.
Cazza

No competition bees every time

 

[REDWOOD]

lots of honey stored added more supers and ordered some more frames today,
AMM's are flying along since reuniting them, the new queen seems a good one

 

[pigletwillie]

The weekly inspection of the hippy hive was straight forward with HM present and correct. A six frame nuc collected yesterday was re-hived into a national, we were warned that they were rather fiesty but other than me taking a sting to the elbow they were remarkably well behaved with very little veil pinging and none following us away. And thats without using a smoker.

Away from the bees, my eldest daughter and I spent a pleasant hour in the sun making up super frames "in anticipation" of a long Indian summer.

 

[user 6228]

converted 2 of the hives to insulated solid floor, thats 3 of the 4 done ( those 3 in the foreground )

and made the temperature measuring frame

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

ordered some more frames today,

see - you should have put your sales order in when I went up to Maisies!!

Not in the apiary today - had a club juniors and seniors fishing trip organised at Llysyfran reservoir. Walked through this wooded glade at one side of the reservoir and there must have been a colony of bees there somewhere because at one point the smell of honey was overpowering.
Have to break into one of my bulk pack of Mm seconds frames tomorrow as I can feel a supering frenzy coming on: bees are working hard more than 12 hours a day and the hives are now exeptionally heavy

 

[Mike a]

Friend took this picture yesterday of a colony of mine in an observation hive.
Can you spot the queen?

Got a call at 20:00 hrs today to collect a swarm in a compost bin, as it was only a small swarm it didn't take long to shake the main cluster into the nuc and then stood and watched as the remaining bees all marched in as the temperatures started to fall.

 

[Tom Bick]

Helped inspect a friends hive in the same apiary of a couple of my hives today and found this.

This hive swarmed approx 3-4 weeks ago and we spotted a virgin in the hive at the time as we removed QC’s. We have been waiting for her to start to lay with little indication this is about to happen or the bees preparing the hive for her? My friend happened to check the inspection tray and I spotted a bit of comb and we investigated and found the comb full of brood with some soon to emerge bees so eggs laid approx 20 days ago.

We spotted the queen and she had ragged wings and looked like the old queen? I think as she has ragged wings she was not able to fly and somehow managed to clime into the space under the hive? And perhaps the hive swarmed with a virgin? As for the virgin we spotted she may be there or not but we popped the queen back into the hive and will see what we have next week?

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Congratulations to us all - reaching 5,000 posts on this thread!

Anyone read them all?

Might make a good research project for someone!



Dusty