What did you do in the Apiary today?

[scuttlefish]

Finally got clearer boards on the hives that are ready, took a quick peek to check on the brood box of #3, whoops, that sealed QC that should have eclosed a couple of weeks ago is still sealed. Damn, that could be two Q- hives out of four and not a lot of time left to do anything... I'll be doing a full inspection next visit, test frame to go in if there's no brood. Looks like the harvest will be eight supers off the four hives.

 

[stephenpug]

had a look in the hive today 2 supers all pretty much full but only about 20% capped so do i wait or go for it ???

 

[abi-e]

inspected both hives this morning before it got too hot - both very good tempered and expanding gently. Spent the afternoon maing honey and raisin tea loaf and honey fudge as a practice for next week ends honey show.

 

[alysonmaria]

United my Q+ nuc with my Q- small colony using the newspaper method. Hopefully Queen will be accepted by all and provide a decent sized colony to make it through the winter.

Hubby got his first bee sting! Not happy- 'I wasn't even doing anything!'

 

[Erichalfbee]

The afternoon was sunny so I ambled over to the new apiary.
All looked peaceful and the bees, after their 200 odd mile journey were just getting on with it. Nobody chased me

Next inspection will be to see if my 2nd July emerged queen is laying worker brood but I'll let them settle for a few days.

 

[itma]

had a look in the hive today 2 supers all pretty much full but only about 20% capped so do i wait or go for it ???

Wouldn't sticking on another super (more evaporating area for the bees) help, since they are running close to full at this point?

 

[Ely]

I removed 5 super frames and extracted my first ever crop. I put some in a fancy jar I bought from a beekeeper in Kefalonia. I'll be saving that jar for memories sake rather than eat it.

First jar of honey!

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[plumberman]

Huge heather flow on here at the moment: a super I put back 48 hours ago on intending it to be cleaned is now 75% full. Hives all humming away, and unique smell of heather drifting around. Heaven.

Except when I have to extract the stuff.....

 

[MuswellMetro]

Inspected an out apiary today...little or no liquid stores on some and very few drones. So on those still with part filled supers we bruised the capped stores where they had no liquid stores to make them movee it down to the brood nest . The capped stores were without liquid stores around them, it have been moved or eaten already

Also one hive had abandoned brood and had also renoved their drone larva and had started to remove drone pupa...small under developed light brown drones being harrassed out....all in the last week, i 'll have to buy some Tate & Lyle

 

[Sadders]

Did an inspection on friday and still very slow in NW7.

The BB is fine with queen laying well over 6-7 14x12's with the rest packed with pollen and mostly sealed honey but very little going into my one super. 2 frames full but only partially sealed (doesn't drip when shaken) and another 2-3 frames pulled but only partially filled.

Ho hum.

 

[dickndoris]

After uniting a queen less colony with a queen right colony yesterday via newspaper method, I lifted the clear poly cover off the top to let out hundreds of drones. Was like a very noisy swarm All seem to be doing well so far. Two half full supers in between the two broods. That's the 3rd Q that has disappeared this year!!

 

[VEG]

put extracted supers back on the bees are packing in the balsam

 

[stephenpug]

Wouldn't sticking on another super (more evaporating area for the bees) help, since they are running close to full at this point?

did have a 3rd super on but they were putting a small amount of honey in it so today i put the crown board between the second and 3rd super in the hope they would take the little bit of honey in it down to the second super and start capping [hope i havnt messed up] I am really getting impatient to get my first honey

 

[ultreen1]

Started a morning inspection, got 7 stings on my legs, gave up! Washed my suit...
Plucked up enough courage and did an early afternoon inspection!
All fine, all calm and no stings!

 

[youngyoungs]

Busy Weekend
Combined Q+ nuc with remains of Q- hive into one nuc to give them chance to build up ready for winter.
Inspected hive - lots of stores but no brood and very tetchy - so introduced queen in cage.
New colony moved in (2 hive straps at right angles) yesterday, and moved into new hive today. Found queen, and marked her!

All seemed well, then sitting in the garden, HWMBO commented on numerous bees near garage. They were either scouting pre swarm, or investigating the old frames stored in the garage. Hopefully the latter!

 

[Mike a]

Association held an apiary meeting in the New Forest today to inspect the hives of one of our members. Baking hot day took a sting on the arm but otherwise I really enjoyed it.

Whilst I was there I got a call about a swarm so once I got home I collected my swarm gear and went to collect them.

Buried in a bush

Couldn't shake the bush very well to collect most of the bees into the skep, this is only about a 25% of them

Fanning

Couple more lots of bees shaken from the bush on to the bin.

Once the queen starts laying they will be taken to the New Forest to fill the frames with heather honey ready for Winter.

 

[stephenpug]

Association held an apiary meeting in the New Forest today to inspect the hives of one of our members. Baking hot day took a sting on the arm but otherwise I really enjoyed it.

Whilst I was there I got a call about a swarm so once I got home I collected my swarm gear and went to collect them.

Buried in a bush

Couldn't shake the bush very well to collect most of the bees into the skep, this is only about a 25% of them

Fanning

Couple more lots of bees shaken from the bush on to the bin.

Once the queen starts laying they will be taken to the New Forest to fill the frames with heather honey ready for Winter.

 

[Lorenz]

Mostly been extracting and I am heartily sick of it. Also today picked up a swarm, took the last of the supers off ( the bees had been eating their stores anyway)and put some queen cells into mating nucs. Found one nuc close to starving, so put on fondant. On some sites Autumn feeding will need to start next week.

 

[MJBee]

Too hot to inspect 34C in the shade. Spent 30 minutes mist spraying the hives with water. The crowd at the water trays thinned out as all the bees hoovered up the droplets at the hive entrances Hoping for a bit of next week.

The sunflowers are now in full bloom so I am hopeful they will be yielding a decent crop - time will tell.

 

[scuttlefish]

Took off four capped supers and extracted about 45lbs of honey - cranking the manual extractor was very therapeutic too, after spending the afternoon watching Tipperary get hammered by Kilkenny in the semi-final...

Bit pooped today though, didn't finish cleaning up and hit the sack until half one this morning!