What did you do in the Apiary today?

[beeno]

Allotment digging. While there, put fondant on three allotment hives....

Stirred the bees enough for them to realise that there was a strange yellow ball of fire in the sky instead of perpetual grey. Two hours later - all digging abandoned to watch bees aplenty and a triple bee line to a nearby pollen bar! Faith restored.

Sounds good Moggs. I wonder if there is a list for being an allotment friend.

 

[alldigging]

Peeped inside a hive at Heaton Park Apiary with other people on the bee course today.
Very few eggs and larvae.

 

[dickndoris]

First grass cut in bee garden. All hives very active including egg dropping one! Still confident that they all will make it through. Heaps of pollen coming in today with some having huge balls of the stuff. Mainly bright orange with occasional white. Pulled a few inspection boards out late afternoon to hoover up the dropped pollen love it sweet and earthy. No mites at all on boards so pleased with that. Made up some q/e frames for the wire q/e and assembled them. Made a water bottle feeder as its very dry here! They have not found it yet of course;-) Pulled lots of long bone dry grass and knotted it for the smoker if I need/use it this year. Dry grass smoke definitely suits my bees. That card stuff makes them very aggressive and I hate the smell too. Don't mind a WAF of grass smoke;-) take it as you want....... Oh, and a steam train came past the bee garden and in an east wind the smell was just A Mazing!

 

[WelshPaul]

Checked the hives, had a little peek under roof at fondant, all ok still plenty there although plenty gone. Bees bringing in big lumps of pollen.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

the French call the dandelion "Pissenlit"

They believe that if you touch the flowers it will make you p!ss yourself (lit= bed in French) apparently german soldiers and Welsh archers have the same effect
As kids we believed dandelions made you pee the bed as well - also bindweed flowers (called blodau pisho in Welsh)

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Got home about 5.30 this afternoon - 8 degrees in the apiary but no bees flying - checked fondant levels - one hive just finished one tub, so replaced it, one not touched it much yet and two have a few days supply left. the hive that I've been a bit concerned about(fondant directly on the frames with that one as they're clustered in one corner and can't get at the stuff on the feeder hole)looked very quiet - quite a few dead bees on the omf so I cracked open the roof but they're still alive and pinging albeit the cluster is a bit on the small side - roll on the bit of warmth the Met. office has promised!

 

[flemage]

two out of seven dead, fondent on half used, most others looking small................. fingers crossed.

I dont think i realy even noticed the weather till bees came into my life, now i am totaly obsessed.

spent time cleaning frames and covering shed in wax.

 

[Excession]

I dont think i realy even noticed the weather till bees came into my life, now i am totaly obsessed.

Me too!

 

[Glenviewbee]

Yesterday I missed out on seeing the bees out and about in droves (so OH reports) and having to queue up on the landing board to get back in the hive - unfortunately I was at work from 7.30 til 5.30 and by the time I got back the temp had dropped significantly.
Today I have replaced the OMF on one hive as it was 75% littered with dead bees. I am a bit concerned that hive might have some nosema issues so wanted to clear out as many dead bodies as poss to reduce any reservoir of re-infection. That colony is also showing evidence of varroa (mite drop on the inspection board) so am now just waiting for the arrival of some HiveClean so I can give it a course of treatment. Although there hasn't been any mite drop from the other hive I think I might give it a course of treatment as well (only have 2 hives and they are close to each other)

 

[itma]

...
Off topic but can anyone explain :- I thought "dandelion" came from the French "Dent de lion" (teeth of a lion) after the serrations on the leaves. However the French call the dandelion "Pissenlit"

I think that the colloquialism refers accurately to the diuretic effect of eating the leaves.



I topped up the fondant on the strongest hive, which is munching through it much faster than the others. Brooding, I don't doubt.

 

[MJBee]

They believe that if you touch the flowers it will make you p!ss yourself (lit= bed in French) apparently german soldiers and Welsh archers have the same effect
As kids we believed dandelions made you pee the bed as well - also bindweed flowers (called blodau pisho in Welsh)

Not far from the truth Jenks, An infusion made from the leaves of Dandelion is a very effective diuretic - so my Doc tells me!!

 

[Luminos]

Not far from the truth Jenks, An infusion made from the leaves of Dandelion is a very effective diuretic - so my Doc tells me!!

Too much lager works equally well and tastes much more pleasant...

 

[user 6228]

Helping Elaine put in 250 heather plants in to replace the front lawn (mostly spring and Winter flowering). I can you that it is quite a diuretic!in the freezing winds

 

[madasafish]

Turning on the tap works for me.. an easy way to avoid washing dishes.

 

[Goran]

Yesterday was snow on the ground, fog and cold 4-5 celsius, bees in cluster. Today 13celsius, snow gone, sunny. I just try to stand away from their corridors - goat willow, cornel, bird's-eye speedwell, dead nettle, common chickweed, wood violet, etc..
From time to time some of them stop on me to take the breath, and continue with their work. Also lot of water are taking ( brood I presume)..
Soon I am going into the hives

 

[Swarm]

That sounds brilliant Goran Hopefully Spring is finally on its way.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Planted some hawthorn and blackthorn around the apiary, and continued tidying up - just above freezing this afternoon - although the sun was shining

 

[Pete D]

Wrapped up warm and had a walk past the hives just to check the wind hadnt blown them away............ freezing biting strong wind here all day
Pete D

 

[Goran]

That sounds brilliant Goran Hopefully Spring is finally on its way.

To be more illustrative:

 

[whoosling]

Amazing pics Goran