What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Nothing today, but so warm I wondered if the girls would be out, not a sign, had a quick look a couple of days ago and they were moving around on the super below the fondant. I left a super of honey on.

 

[Moggs]

bees been flying about today had a look inside and they have plenty of fondant left but i am new to beekeeping can you tell me what i should be doing at this time of year

Reading especially at procedures for spring inspections (hive hygiene and disease recognition being important), swarm control and all that assists the development of a healthy colony. Any beekeeping meetings? There's not much to be done in the apiary just yet apart from checking for feed. Check all your spare equipment, sit back and wait for the first signs of spring!

 

[beeno]

Nothing today, but so warm I wondered if the girls would be out, not a sign, had a quick look a couple of days ago and they were moving around on the super below the fondant. I left a super of honey on.

Hi Margaret Elisabeth,
Two seams of bees and then super and then fondant or is this another colony?

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Just checked on my bee's this morning and both hives are ok after the winds we've had (both are strapped down with a brick on as that's how I run my hive's anyway).

Had a sneek in to see if there taking fondant and layer of bee's over top frames and quite a few on fondant. One hive seemed to be taking more fondant than others, last time i weighed the hive's they had plenty of other stores on top so will have to monitor closely in feb.

Whilst walking in the farmers field finally you can see the OSR field next door to my bee's starting to go green after floods, rain and now more floods!

 

[Les]

Bees out and about today – so have survived thus far

 

[Dilligaf]

Just had a look & done the Oxalic Treatment.
WBC - 7 seams
National - 4 seams
Nuc box - 2 1/2 very active seams.
Now trying to wash the Bee suit while the Dragon is doing some overtime.

 

[whoosling]

Just been up to look at the hive which faces south so lovely and sunny today,loads of activity and some of the bees were bringing back pollen from ? I'm sure someone can tell me!

 

[beeno]

Just been up to look at the hive which faces south so lovely and sunny today,loads of activity and some of the bees were bringing back pollen from ? I'm sure someone can tell me!

Hi whoosling,
If it is that whitish stuff I had to settle for winter flowering heather from the two garden centres nearby. Purely, because there were no other offers.

 

[protheroe]

checked the hives and have lost another one,thats 2 hives and 4 nucs.I am checking an out apiary tomorrow and have a couple of weak hives there,just hope they are hanging in there.the 2 ive lost in the garden were from bad matings and late supercedure.i really hope this summer is better than last summer,i had a terrible year for getting queens properly mated.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I'm sure someone can tell me!

There are quite a few flowers out in gardens, and a few pollen sources from wild flowers such as snowdrops, gorse, hazel ect.

 

[dpearce4]

Popped up to my Apiary today and all is well, no losses so far, 2 more hives have now had second lump of fondant on. Looking forward to next week to move some hives to my new apiary.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Clear sunny day but only 7˚ some bees out for a poo.
Weighed hives yesterday. There is no weight change over one month in one colony which was giving me cause for concern earlier. Can still hear a hum from inside and a few were out this morning....oh well spring's round the corner and we will see.

 

[Polyanwood]

I have moved the last of my personal hives out of one of my apiaries so that when the association swarms come in to be hived, I won't be worrying about whether they are contaminating my lovlies.

 

[VEG]

Put some honey in the warmer and had a potch about in the honey room, did a stock take of what I have and what I "need" lol

 

[Headnavigator]

Clear sunny day but only 7˚ some bees out for a poo.
Weighed hives yesterday. There is no weight change over one month in one colony which was giving me cause for concern earlier. Can still hear a hum from inside and a few were out this morning....oh well spring's round the corner and we will see.

Same here - found several b****** blackbirds sitting around picking off bees as they came out. No way of mounting a daylight guard, but losing my cool with the blackbirds. These are the youngsters of a large clutch in the garden last year that were pretty well reared on my bees!

 

[Excession]

Assembled more frames...

And more frames...

And more frames...

 

[MuswellMetro]

I got very cold helping to move six Assocoation hives and a Nuc to a new site....then warmed up with a nice pint of Fullers' London Pride

 

[youngyoungs]

Weighed and checked hives today. Two hives both had plenty of fondant and were active underneath the crown board. Unsurprisingly the nuc has succumbed to the cold snap, still had fondant on it, not enough bees and a suspected DLW.

 

[Flyboy]

Checked that all is still well and drove around on estate in search for a new apiary. Found a nice spot in an electric fenced pheasant penn on a hill that can be locked as an added bonus.

 

[psafloyd]

Put some fondant on all my hives as the light ones have almost no stores left, whereas the big ones have got through a lot lately and I'm busy with work over the next couple of weeks.

Discovered one small cut out colony has succumbed since Christmas oxalic treatment. May have starved, but could have been a bit of damp. Will have a proper look next time I am back as it was very cold and as last one, shut up shop and came home.

Still, looks like I have very two strong ones which will be split early, a couple of medium ones, one small and not sure and a nuc that looks very healthy. If that remains the same, I should have all the bees I want this year and I will take new queens off my two strongest queens.