What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Mike a]

I have a nice sized swarm to collect this afternoon buried in behind a tall bush on the side wall of a garage. Looking forward to collecting this one and will post a few pictures later today.

So disappointing in the end...

Now you can see them and how much comb they have built in the last 72 hours.

As soon as I started to carefully remove them from the wall I realised the colony kept getting smaller and smaller as they disappeared up behind the UPVC cladding.

In the end I pretty much gave up trying to collect them as the queen got away.

Home owner away but hopeful I can get inside the garage and still collect them, feeling a little bad now as I've destroyed their nest...

 

[Chris Luck]

As soon as I started to carefully remove them from the wall I realised the colony kept getting smaller and smaller as they disappeared up behind the UPVC cladding.

Oh how well I know that one as they disappear inside with the queen.

Still reckon you are in with a chance, good luck with them.

Chris

 

[richardbees]

Thanks Mike, good photos

...looks like the plastic mesh was embedded in the comb -which must have been messy

 

[Mike a]

Uploading a short video of the swarm right now

Once done it will be here: http://youtu.be/xj5uvBJhTj4
(10 mins to upload)

 

[MuswellMetro]

just marked a few 2012 queens and did a combine at an out apiary

i checked the large prime swarm i caught at the end of july and it is now has brood on eight 14x12 frames and still laying

 

[meidel]

while OH is away I checked his hive which had a test frame inserted last Sunday and the bees have drawn one QC in the middle of the comb - so this must be conclusive evidence that the colony is queenless? Would be combining them with a Q+ right colony next week then ..

 

[JCD]

My willow thinks it's February!

My small willow tree nearly pegged it because I'd left it in a tub.....I planted it out 10 days ago, and it has survived, but must think it's February cos it's producing furry catkins! haven't seen the bees on it yet though.

Cut the grass, and reduced the weeds in the apiary.

 

[REDWOOD]

had a bee inspector check my hives, clean bill of health

 

[alysonmaria]

Saw larvae last week and was thrilled that my new queen had started laying. At todays check I was hoping to see capped brood- looks as though I have a drone laying queen as the only capped brood I can see is drone brood.
Need to speak to my mentor as to what to do next.

 

[MuswellMetro]

cut the grass at the assocoation apiary and found a caste in the long grass and another larger swarm

If we have another year like this with swarms, i will give up collecting them

 

[Sadders]

Did a routine inspection. It's august and I am still worried about swarming.

Was quite disappointed at the amount of stores in my super. I have about 4 frames full but as yet uncapped. There are plenty of bees on those frames but very few on the rest which remain un-pulled. I had put a 2nd super underneath the 1st in anticipation of good weather and a flow but this is untouched so I took it off.

 

[richardbees]

Sadders

I'm South London and have called it a day for honey production. From now on there is a good chance they'll start bringing in black 'honeydew' which nobody wants

Suggest you hold uncapped comb horizontally over the super and shake hard downwards - if no drops come out it's ready to extract. As you've only one hive extract by scraping the honey comb off the foundation into a net bag suspended in a bucket.

Remove all the undrawn frames and scrape across all the others, put them in the super on top of the bb with the cover board (hole open) in between. After a few days the bees will have taken all the nectar down into the bb, when you also remove these frames and the super.

Then start your Apiguard treatment....

richard

 

[Mike a]

Swarm collection (Part two)

Got the call today to let me know the garage was accessible after the disappointment yesterday.

Most of the cluster were still in the soffit space behind the top layer of bricks.

Cleared away most of the branches so I could start collecting the cluster whilst intermittently smoking them from outside to drive them up the roof lining. I used a second nuc box with the entrance disc set up as an includer so when I got the queen I knew she would remain in the nuc. Each time I took a scoop of bees I lifted the lid and dropped them in then closed the lid again. The rear garage windows and garage door were left open to allow the flyers to get out.

After collecting a good 60-70% of the cluster I tipped them into the nuc I left outside. Over about an hour a cluster started to form under the table.

Collected the cluster under the table and tipped them onto the plastic board in front of the hive.

20:55hrs they were all in the hive, sealed the entrance and took them away.
Took two days to collect them but well worth it as it was a good sized swarm which almost filled the langstroth deep 6 frame nuc. Fingers crossed them don't abscond tomorrow....

 

[VEG]

glad you got them

 

[Chris Luck]

Job well done.

Chris

 

[Mike a]

Just uploading the second video right now of collecting the swarm

http://youtu.be/Tks3qLSyHcA

 

[meidel]

Just uploading the second video right now of collecting the swarm

http://youtu.be/Tks3qLSyHcA

Fab video - it certainly was a biggie! Nice one

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Added super to two hives, was surprised how busy they were at 8am lots of traffic.

 

[garlicpickle]

Moved my hive to my new out apiary this morning

 

[waverider]

Sadders

I'm South London and have called it a day for honey production. From now on there is a good chance they'll start bringing in black 'honeydew' which nobody wants

Suggest you hold uncapped comb horizontally over the super and shake hard downwards - if no drops come out it's ready to extract. As you've only one hive extract by scraping the honey comb off the foundation into a net bag suspended in a bucket.

Remove all the undrawn frames and scrape across all the others, put them in the super on top of the bb with the cover board (hole open) in between. After a few days the bees will have taken all the nectar down into the bb, when you also remove these frames and the super.

Then start your Apiguard treatment....

richard

Why do you need to put the crown board between the BB and Super?