What did you do in the Apiary today?

[itma]

Lots of girls and queen bumbles collecting pollen from snowdrops and crocuses (11 c). One hive just humming loudly but not venturing out.

Might be worth checking that they aren't blocked in with dead bees and other debris.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Watched the bees flitting in and out for a while - again the dark bees are out in force whilst the Buckies are pretty slow - the other hive (srongest through the winter) not venturing out much but buzzing strongly - SWMBO has found the answer - it's a queen bred in Swansea - all the jacks are lazy and won't venture out of bed!!! (her words not mine ) Started making some more roofs and trying hard to convince SWMBO that the extra six are just in case it's a bad swarming year

 

[youngyoungs]

Done nothing today. Wanted to, thought about it, agonised about it, weighed up the pros and cons, but its drizzly and 5C and apart from walking past whilst out with the dog, have decided I shouldn't. Perhaps I'll just watch the rugby instead.

 

[victor meldrew]

Found a nest containing 11eggs behind the beehives . Farmers wife said I heard a hen cackling around there , please take them if she insists on laying away there ,you are in for a fresh egg for breakfast every morning
I checked the eggs for freshness , the last one laid was still warm! She hadn't begun to sit .in fact on closer inspection of the eggs I think there was more than one hen involved?
VM


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[Chris Luck]

Apricots, Damsons and Goat willow all in full flow, bees going bonkers.

Chris

 

[enrico]

Blimey.....in flowers anyway you are way ahead of us.......in rugby however you are far far behind us
Hee hee

 

[Cellectronic]

Well I have nearly finished 2 National hives I have built from scratch. Hoping to increase my stock soon. Meanwhile , Wondering when should I start to introduce sugar syrup into the hives , they already have fondant ?

 

[RogueDrone]

Built a new hive sand 4.8M long on placing hive back found light so checked all. This hive was feed all other bar one still full of store and egg laying bar one dead. Not sure why stores good but maybe cluster small less than 1000 bees.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Delivered some jars of honey to the local cottage store and then went to check the hives in 3˚C rain that was trying to turn to snow!

 

[dpearce4]

Went up to the bees today, put more pollen patties on all, lifted the hive that had the dead mouse on the floor, when i lifted the brood there was a second one dead and a bit of a nest at the back, looked down the frames and could see some damage. As the temp was warm decided with friend there to go thro and check to see how much damage, not much maybe 2 frames chewed. As they were out we decided to check how they were doing with brood. Nothing, Zilch, Nada, not even drone brood. Now hoping HM has just not started to lay due to weather.

As it was warm checked a couple of others, they had small patches of brood on maybe 2 or 3 frames 3inches dia. 1 hive had 6 frames of brood.

All local bee mongrals, all on the same site, just shows how they can differ. What i did notice in all of them there were quite alot of cells on each frame filled with liquid, i asume ti was water, being used by the bees to eat the honey.

 

[Polyanwood]

Mice in the hive seem to cause more harm than you think they will at first glance

I delivered some honey, collected some netting to cordon off some bees during building works and then helped friend relocate some bees. I didn't manage to capture 30 foragers for the microscopy workshop tomorrow.

 

[victor meldrew]

Mice in the hive seem to cause more harm than you think they will at first glance

I delivered some honey, collected some netting to cordon off some bees during building works and then helped friend relocate some bees. I didn't manage to capture 30 foragers for the microscopy workshop tomorrow.

piece of glass , one honey jar,
Place jar over feed hole in crown board ,give hive a kick , bees will rush into jar, slide glass under lip of jar, have lid ready ,invert the jar and pop the lid on .
minimum disturbance !
Check for queens presence in jar , which I doubt . never had that happen yet
VM

 

[Polyanwood]

Thanks Victor.

 

[REDWOOD]

Watched the bees flitting in and out for a while - again the dark bees are out in force whilst the Buckies are pretty slow - the other hive (srongest through the winter) not venturing out much but buzzing strongly - SWMBO has found the answer - it's a queen bred in Swansea - all the jacks are lazy and won't venture out of bed!!! (her words not mine ) Started making some more roofs and trying hard to convince SWMBO that the extra six are just in case it's a bad swarming year

4:15 call for you tomorrow

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Pottered around a bit with the hive roof project, lovely and warm with us today - 11 degrees in the morning and warmed up in the sun later in the afternoon (I believe from what i could see from the club!!) Bees flying from all hives (but still not warm enough to open up)

 

[richardbees]

8 c here this afternoon, so I also just pottered around the hives to check the stands.... and slipped over in the mud. We have had a hell of a lot of rain in the last couple of days which bodes well for the imminent flowering Prunus trees.
My si,plistic understanding is that they had a low nectar content last year because of the dry winter.

 

[MuswellMetro]

another one too small to cross the frames and got stranded near the wall on an association apiries didn't make it today..but possibly oxalic on nosemtic queen f

 

[beeno]

Cleaned the varoa board on my semi. Left it in for the next four days because of the cold weather. No sign of varroa. Bits of sugar from the fondant and board quite wet with water/condensation plus syrup which the bees have made from the fondant. Can't wait for a bit of warmth now to see the pollen going in again. I do believe they are preparing for take off! Glad I did not put 1:1 in. If they get it wrong now it's got nothing to do with me!

 

[itma]

... lovely and warm with us today - 11 degrees in the morning and warmed up in the sun later in the afternoon (I believe from what i could see from the club!!) Bees flying from all hives (but still not warm enough to open up)

another one too small to cross the frames and got stranded near the wall on an association apiries didn't make it today..but possibly oxalic on nosemtic queen f

It may be a minority opinion, but where there's ANY doubt or concern about a colony, a day such as jbm describes does seem to offer an opportunity to see whether there IS anything you could do to help.
Many would say they should build up better if left alone -- I'd say that potentially disturbing them is nowhere near as bad as letting them perish.
The downside of leaving alone is bigger than the downside of investigating your concern.
But only if you actually have a concern ...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

a day such as jbm describes does seem to offer an opportunity[/B]

But then yesterday evening was nobbling again and if you had opened up a small colony - they have to get warm again.

Exactly - not just opening up 'because it's spring' but then again - in most cases, what can you do?