What did you do in the Apiary today?

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Brought a colony home from Village Girl’s to over winter as they had been robbing a newly hived colony from a nuc. We had not noticed this going on as the only signs was them flying out of one hive to another. No fighting or anything. They were just entering and emptying. We had also been busy sorting the church cut out bees out so if it had not have been for this, we would have noticed the robbing earlier,

Now thinking of uniting the cut out with the robbed colony. Cut out are Q- so by uniting gives them a queen and also able to use there stores.

Treating the cut out at present with Apistan. I am a little concerned about uniting them as there are signs of DWV in cut out but don't feel that there is much else I can do.

Also the unite will be Q- nuc on top of hive. Thinking about using a crown from another nuc plus kingspan to block off other side of hive. Will this work?
 
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After a deluge yesterday and then a freezing night , I thought it might quieten things down . Quite the opposite , Bees in full flow . Swatted a couple of Asian hornets while i watched them .
 
Outlander said:
...
Now thinking of uniting the cut out with the robbed colony. Cut out are Q- so by uniting gives them a queen and also able to use there stores.
...
Click to expand...

Pity.
But can you be absolutely sure? (Test frame possible or not?) Likely at this point of the season, plus all the nest rearrangement, that she might have gone off lay, isn't it?
Any reports from the roof about bees still hanging around?
 
Put on the last 2 pints of feed which I couldn't squeeze into the feeder last time - they are taking it down, just slowly. The feeder cone holes keep getting blocked with crusty sugar so I took the cone off and floated a load of straw in the tray instead.

I'll give them another week or so to finish off what syrup they want and then tuck them up for winter. Plenty of ivy pollen going in.
 
Put the final 3 kg of syrup/ambrosia mix onto my hives and nadir-ed the supers. Closed up for the winter now - fingers crossed...
 
victor meldrew said:
Boiling the must destroys wild yeasts which can impart off flavours in the finished mead !
VM
Click to expand...

I thought you only need to get to a temperature that will pasteurise the must ie 65-72°c. Any more than that and you are likely to destroy not only the wild yeasts but also some of the subtle aromas and tastes in the honey.
 
Removed the last feeders and old comb that the bees had been cleaning up above the crownboards on the last three sites today. Put fondant on each, put in kingspan or carpet quilts and put mouse guards on. Plenty of Ivy coming in today in the sunshine.
 
itma said:
Pity.
But can you be absolutely sure? (Test frame possible or not?) Likely at this point of the season, plus all the nest rearrangement, that she might have gone off lay, isn't it?
Any reports from the roof about bees still hanging around?
Click to expand...

Hi Itma, We did look through the nuc. We put another nuc by its side and transferred all frames one by one and moving bees about and off as we went. We checked walls of nuc before putting them in as well as the floor.

They had been busy building queen cells all were charged and at least two were capped. I'm highly confident that the queen is not there for this reason, I could be wrong but a chance I feel I have to take.
 
Outlander said:
...
They had been busy building queen cells all were charged and at least two were capped. I'm highly confident that the queen is not there for this reason, I could be wrong but a chance I feel I have to take.
Click to expand...

Given their history, and the season, that doesn't sound as though you would be taking any chance at all.
Sounds distinctly Q- to me.
 
Went to fit the mouseguard. Thinking that as it was cool and drizzling I could just pop it on with no protection I headed to the apiary in civies.

I was met with a small ball of bees on the (now reduced) entrance. Upon observation there were one or 2 fliers heading both ways. All returners were getting interrogated. Then one of my yellow mongrels returned - boy did she get a reception! Briefly balled, the password was obviously given and she was allowed in.

A minute or so later the cause of this activity arrived - quite a large wasp, almost hornet size. It passed the entrance, didn't like the look of the welcoming committee, and then spotted a struggling worker in the long grass in front of the hive. After about a minute struggling to behead the sluggish worker the wasp left empty-mandibled. A minute or so later another wasp, then a second - both of whom disappeared into the grass. I watched until both fetched up empty and left too.

This probably explains my fiesty welcome a couple of days ago. I know where the wasps nest is - I might have to take positive action. Observing a bit more first...

Must remember to go back with the mouseguard...
 
Merged colonies with the last three of the Buckfast swarm queens Culled over weekend... gallons of smoke and thickest bee gauntlets I could find!

No idea if this is new but Granddad used a deep double sided crown board with a close-able dovetailed entrance in the top half.
Crown board/quilt removed from q+ colony... newspaper quickly placed on top of frames and new crownboard with entrance uppermost placed on to hold down newspaper .... entrance open.
Colony (now q-) manoeuvred into position over a few weeks to be on top of the q+ hive for a few days ( or brought in from 3 miles distance and left on top to settle in for a few days) now placed in brood box on top of q+ hive.
Any flying bees from top colony can return to their hive ( believe me them Buckfarts were not happy!)
I leave top flying in and out of a couple of days... then when dark sneak out and block them in ( dovetail block tied to piece of string so it dose not get lost.

I put a rapid feeder on the covering crownboard with 2:1 thymolated syrup mix.

Last year I found a couple of queen cells open in the q- BB... but the stronger NewZealand queen must have put paid to them as she was still there, with her POLO marking laying for the Empire in this spring!
 
Yesterday..... Checked both hives as quickly as I could. Main hive (biggest) has now taken about 12 pints of 2-1 syrup and stores look good. Small hive (swarm from April) still quite small. It has taken about 6 pints of 2-1 syrup but doesn't seem to have stored much. I may move a few frames from the larger hive into the smaller hive to help out over winter. Removed ApiVarLife treatment (Yes, I know I should have done it a while ago but it was doing so much good) and the mite drop is now virtually nil, yes! Bees very active taking in pollen. Good day weather wise (Tuesday) and today, Wednesday they are still busy bees. I think one more quick check over in the next few days and that will bee it for this season. Not a productive season but an interesting one.
 
Decent sun and temps today. Was hoping to close them down for winter, but stores in some not fully up to scratch, but it is much better than it was, as some were nearly empty - despite having left them a decent amount of honey. Left the rapid feeders on. Had a look in a couple of BB's, and brood over 4 frames, still with lots of eggs.

With regard to stores - Have tried a couple of polyhives this year, Colony size about on a par with my wooden hives, but they were very badly off for stores. I assume because HM broods later. Am I right? Is that a normal situation?
 
This BBC news link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-19981843

shows an image of flooding on the St Bees main road, this is on top of a hill, with one of my apriaries at the bottom of the same hill about 100m away :( Can't get to it atm because of the water. Bit worried for these girls.
 
Didn't see any noticeable difference with my poly, either. Maybe not the best year for direct comparison but my strongest colony went into the poly and it certainly isn't my strongest now.
 
Topped up the feeders on most of my hives this afternoon in the sunshine. Lots of activity and pollen going in.
This weekend is earmarked to bring them all home, feeders off, mouse guards on, insulation in and inspection boards out as their 4 weeks is up.
Couple of smaller colonies that will be dummied down and a lump of fondant added.
Winter is coming and the weather men are at it already, white Christmas blah blah, coldest ever blah blah, artic chill blah blah. We get what we get and we give our bees the best chance so bring it on.

Pete D
 
Didn't see any noticeable difference with my poly, either.

One single colony is not exactly a conclusive trial. Mentioned in some detail by ITLD, so maybe you should read what he has written about it.
 
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