What did you do in the Apiary today?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Checked the bees that I united Friday - they're through the paper and seem contented, took off the top brood box and QX and left them to it - may do an inspection next week if weather is good. Going to sort out my bait hives this afternoon.

 

[Excession]

Hot day today, 18 degrees of loveliness...

Transferred a Nuc into a Hive, they are doing well BIAS over 3 frames, and needed the room.

By the end of may its going to be really busy!

 

[TOBY-3652]

Hot day today, 20 degrees of loveliness...

Transferred a Nuc into a Hive, they are doing well BIAS over 3 frames, and needed the room.

By the end of may its going to be really busy I DID JUST THE SAME

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Just popped out to put a couple of inspection trays in. Seemed more defensive than normal, sign of the OSR perhaps?

 

[theeggman]

Transferred the colony that's been on holiday in cedar back into the now green poly. It appears that they ignore changes in colour and entrance height, they just pile in through the door as long as the smell is correct.

Tim

 

[victor meldrew]

Tackled the bucketful of wild comb built in the fondant eke on three hives !
I managed to render some beautiful buttercup yellow wax and no sludge! This wild comb has been built in about 4/5weeks so filtering not required !
Sautéed brood any one?
VM


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[Greatbigchicken]

Today I was in the kitchen with my sister hearing all about her recent trip to Nepal, she looks outthe window and says "oooh, there's a lot of bees out there".

Not "a lot of bees" and blooming great cloud of them. We went out and watched my bees swarm over 2 gardens and settle in the third. I popped round, luckily I've known the residents forever so they were fine.

Swarm had landed in a fir tree at about shoulder hight. Shook them into my skep, inverted it onto a sheet and waited. My sister points out they have moved to a post so I scooped up a couple of handfulls and what do you know there was the queen, I popped her into the skep, left it a couple of hours, gathered them up and popped them in a hive. Another couple of hours, they were all inside so I packed up the hive and moved it out to my out apiary to replace the one I lost over winter.

All went exactly to plan, no drama and no stings. There must be something I've forgotten.

 

[Mellifera397]

Sautéed brood any one?
VM

Hi Victor
Have you seen the video about Hachinoko on youtube, looks rather gruesome to me

M

 

[steve56616]

Inspected both hives today. New nuc with new mated Carni queen doing very well. Buckfast colony also doing great even a few drone cells now.
Due to some drifting I swaped hive positions so boosted nuc bee numbers as was worried with last weeks cold nights. Both colonies brood has been hatching out so greatly increased numbers in both.
Happy bees

 

[VEG]

Well I have done the soft set honey. Hope it sets now lol

 

[Outlander]

Made up more frames for supers and fixed foundation to Apidea frames in antipcipation of breeding my own queens.

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Checked on my hive's yesterday, both had BIAS mainly hatching bee's or just hatched. Fresh nectar found and lots already ripened. Both hives have a super with new foundation under the brood box, the one hive has built it out 60% already. Will need to decide at what stage to put the QX on.

 

[lebouche]

1st inspection and last (see my other thread) and put up a bait hive.
Stuck a OMF, 14x12 and a roof as high up a pine tree as possible with some frames and lemon grass oil.

 

[psafloyd]

Went to check my hives on Sunday and stopped because the missus got stung while standing 20 feet away. It had crawled inside her veil and you can guess the rest.
Took her home to as we'd left Piriton on the side and she was fine. Hardly a mark on her jaw.
Went back and because they were somewhat lively and a lot of people around, I decided against going back in.
I am sure my main hive is about to swarm and got back in yesterday. Lots of bees and not very happy. Not aggressive, but defensive.
Found BIAS, loads of drones and sealed QCs, so they were really going some from my last inspection. Must have started them as soon as I put the bloody lid back on.
Anyway, put a new box in place in order to attempt an AS, but queen was nowhere to be seen. So I split anyway, checked the next one which is only just building up for drones, then the next and called it a day.
Considerable interference made them a bit stroppy, but only pinging with a couple more following for about 20 feet.
Anyway, left them alone until later in the day and as I was watering on the plot, one flew into my hair. Don't know if it was pinging me or going for the sting, but I walked off as I'd finished. But as I cam back a few minutes later to put something in the shed, I got one straight in the eye.
The sting didn't stay in, but it was cracking shot, so I ended up with THIS.
Just have to hope one of them isn't turning nasty or I'll have to move them sharpish.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I am sure my main hive is about to swarm
Found BIAS, loads of drones and sealed QCs,
but queen was nowhere to be seen.

Sounds like she might have gone already - hence the agression of the remaining bees?

 

[MJBee]

1st inspection and last (see my other thread) and put up a bait hive.
Stuck a OMF, 14x12 and a roof as high up a pine tree as possible with some frames and lemon grass oil.

Hi lebouche,
You will have more success if you swap the OMF for a solid floor.

Solid floor and small entrance seems to be the way to go. Once a swarm has moved in and the queen has started to lay you can go back to OMF.
Mike

 

[psafloyd]

Sounds like she might have gone already - hence the agression of the remaining bees?

Yes, it's quite possible, JBM, and I had thought that, but still so many bees. Shame I couldn't stop her, but I checked a week ago and there was nothing showing, so shut up shop and left them to it.

Well, I left them with a peach of a QC and gave them a 14x12 of honey to get them going.

The bees that were in there after I split (flyers) were already working on the foundation and pollen was going in last night.

All we can do is see how it goes and hope the temperament improves, though I hadn't had any other problems before going in and splitting them up.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hi lebouche,
You will have more success if you swap the OMF for a solid floor.

Solid floor and small entrance seems to be the way to go.

Hole about 1 1/2 to 2 square inches (or a hole about an inch and a quarter diameter)

 

[Pete D]

Inspected all hives at the weekend.
Most had doubled number of frames of BIAS in the last 12 days. Some drone brood now in about half of the hives. 1 hive had 3 play cups, empty.
1 hive had only sealed brood, no eggs and no sign of queen ? Gave them a frame of brood from neighbouring hive complete with eggs.

 

[witchcraft]

Got stung for the first time this year :-(