What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Gardenbees]

I've been on the equipment trail too: went up to Maisemore this morning and bought some nice new flat-pack cedar boxes (supers and 14x12s) and frames. Spent a pleasant afternoon putting them together in the sunshine, inhaling the nice clean cedar smell. Splashed out on a polycarbonate "quilt" crownboard (for showing busy bees to keen neighbours without disturbing either of them too much!). Home-made a new roof from scrap wood, planning a new hive soon. Bees VERY busy and both hives looking rather full. Play queen-cup building on one frame, but not advanced yet. Need to watch the little minxes though...

 

[freethorpe bees]

FB,

Felt a bit rotten doing it as there were quite a bit of stores on the frame.

You still have the stores. They are available should they be needed before the OSR flow; they can be used for a nuc, or fed back later in the year. No waste, you are in control, more laying space added. All ways round, no need to feel rotten about it at all. Infact you should be feeling good about it as it is a positive move!

Regards, RAB

I would like to feed it back to them when needed but is there any way I can do that without having to put the frame back in the brood box?

 

[starflex]

Moved the final 1 ton of top soil, and then got on with the inspection after it had warmed up at mid-day.

Both colonies were ok. So far so good, after the winter.

The aim for this summer is to move onto 14 x 12s.

 

[TOBY-3652]

The hives at lincoln went for between£100 pound and £120 good value brood box, top, floor, and crown board not a lot more than the nucs

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Hi I stayed the day at the Lincoln auction, picked up a few items 5 feeders and bits and bobs for £5 and a new crown board for £8. I hadn't planned on getting bees but the prices seemed to good to miss, The first few nucs went for around £140 and the prices started to fall i picked up what seems to be a good strong nuc for £80, some of the hives with. Got my first bee sting above my right eye....no doubt more to come. Nuc now on a stand on a local farm ready to be moved into the hive when settled.

Excellent, well done. Now the fun begins!

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

The hives at lincoln went for between£100 pound and £120 good value brood box, top, floor, and crown board not a lot more than the nucs

Interesting, quite a bit cheaper than last year

 

[TOBY-3652]

I cuuldnt weigh it up the first lot of nucs went for £120 then up and down a bit then £80 to £110 then the colonies loads of bees in some only fetched £100 to £120 that was with a brood box and floor and roof and a crown board if i hadent of bought some allready i would of come home with a few

 

[richardbees]

Opened up my very full National bb and found and marked the Q.


Another post said there were 80+ lots at Lincoln so price is not surprising.

 

[richardbees]

Toby - 3652

Did you know everything on offer at the start of the auction before it opened?

richard

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Another post said there were 80+ lots at Lincoln so price is not surprising.

Didnt think there were quite that many, but probably 60 odd, mainly nucs

Toby - 3652

Did you know everything on offer at the start of the auction before it opened?

richard

The hives/nics were lined up outside for view before bidding. Assuming the same format as last year, the auctioneer describes the volume of bees and any other pertinent info before starting the bidding on each colony

 

[richardbees]

Thanks M, trying to rationalise why in a lot of cases, a nuc fetched £more than a complete hive.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Spent 3hrs this morning painting my new BB's and roofs and then went to my main apiary to check 5 hives.
All pretty full (1st inspection) and at least 2 could have done with being supered earlier judging by the amount of comb and honey they squeezed into the space between the top of the frames and the crown board!
3 of 5 finished the 1kg Neopol I gave them late Jan. but the other two had barely touched it.
All now supered and that just leaves me with my out apiary to check if the weather holds.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Moved a hive a couple of feet and topped up the feeder. This afternoon will be making up some brood frames and setting up some more bait hives (weather permitting).

 

[starflex]

Early start, 0700 moved one hive to a new site. This afternoon will used for cleaning up the crown boards I swopped out yesterday and for making up some more 14 x 12 frames.

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Just gone through the apiary giving it a bit of a spring clean. Not an inspection as all looks well from hive entrance.

One hive I left with an empty super (as a spacer) unde the main brood next had built quite a bit of brace comb.

Others are going well.

Expanded them all to double or triple brood (I am not intrested in the honey, just the bees)

Made up bait hives ready and will now sort through my wax and max some frames.

 

[nottingham]

I found 6 queen wasps in my wasp trap this morning. I am deffo gonna put wasp traps out in Feb each year from now on.

 

[Mike a]

Green poly lang floor and deep chamber
Dark brown - Template
Light brown - brood and half with 14x12 frames

For those who sent me a PM and emails about how I set it up. Here is the picture I promised.

Sorry didn't have my suit with me so its not a close up...

PS. The stack on the left is empty...

 

[PaleoPerson]

Supered a colony that is doing well, but is sited slap bang in the middle of 100+ acres of OSR (nearest field 50 metres away) that started flowering this morning.

Not really needed as of today, but I was caught out last year as to how quick things can change with this stuff.

Check the really nice colony that I hived from a nuc a couple of weeks ago, now on 6.5 14x12 frames of brood. two more frames of foundation to draw and they will be ready for supering.

 

[TOBY-3652]

Inspected colonies hive 1 gone from 4 frames capped brood to 6 in just over a week and drawn 4 frames out in super in a week and put some honey in its my first yr and i cant believe how quick they expand.. Other 2 are coming on well to

 

[tonybloke]

got stung on the neck!