What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Erichalfbee]

Maybe they were all fanning to reduce the nectar collected that day.
Have you an OMF?
Frames hot/cold makes no difference

 

[DaveJNeal]

aye, OMF - do I need to prop the top open a little maybe ? to be honest, if I do need to do that, not sure how.

thanks

D

 

[Erichalfbee]

Went looking for a queen to mark
Still unfound Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Brood on six frames, that's a 33% increase from a week ago so thought I might get super ready for next inspection and guess what...........10 days of rain and high winds forecast!

 

[Polyanwood]

strange one over night

checked the colony yesterday, all seemed okay, am running a 14x12 brood with just one super on at the moment.

then out at around 22:00 last night to shut the hens in, low droning from the colony and the hive entrance was packed with bees - not bearding all over the front of the bb, just in the entrance. was probably about 10-15c at the time, so not massively hot. checked this morning, a fair number of dead bees out the front this morning. BB is set up hot ( ie, frames set parallel to the hive entrance ) but I'm surprised if it was that hot with a fully loaded BB and I didn't think it was a sign of imm. swarming.

any ideas gurus ?

thanks in advance

D

I'm no guru, but i had this happen before and it was an abortive swarm that for one reason or another could not swarm successfully... either I had clipped the queen's wing or it was raining heavily. I only discovered the problem when I eventually found the queen in the cluster.

What to do? Sweep them into a nuc with a frame of open brood a frame of stores and some extra house bees shaken in and close in the front with grass.

When the weather is good, look carefully through the old hive and new hive. In old hive you are looking for signs of a queen or of swarm preparation.

In the nuc you are looking for a queen.

 

[Chris Luck]

You have bees that swarm in the evening at 10 PM Polyanwood?

More likely an inquisitive intruder that set them of at that time of night, mouse or similar perhaps.

Chris

 

[Little John]

I've just cut the grass around the hives ... with a petrol mower. Not wishing to have a face full of irate bees, I sealed 'em in at around midnight (with open OMF's in place).

Strangely, when I came to re-open the hives at 8.30 a.m. - I noticed there were 3 girls trying to get back in. So where had they been all night ? Tut tut.

I fully expected some irate bees to come barreling out - but not a single bee came out to complain.

LJ

 

[victor meldrew]

I just get on with the mowing (petrol mower)
Bees crowd out on feeling vibration of approach but scuttle back inside as I get near to each hive . I suspect they are reacting to the petrol/exhaust fumes as both are deadly to bees . I have done this for years , meaning ,bees of all temperaments have reacted in a similar manner!
VM


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[Little John]

I just get on with the mowing (petrol mower)

Prior to this morning I've been cutting around hives religiously with hand shears for fear of being stung en masse - but today was pressed to try the mower instead, as the person I lent my shears to (memo to self ...) has 'sharpened' them on the wrong side of the blades, so they don't cut anymore.

So it seems that that's another urban myth put to rest then ...

LJ

 

[itma]

You have bees that swarm in the evening at 10 PM Polyanwood?

More likely an inquisitive intruder that set them of at that time of night, mouse or similar perhaps.

Chris

Thats exactly what I was thinking!

IMHO a reduced (more easily defended) entrance is still entirely appropriate at this time of the year.

 

[VEG]

Sorted out my honey room as too much stuff in there, although there is now room for more stuff lol

 

[victor meldrew]

Prior to this morning I've been cutting around hives religiously with hand shears for fear of being stung en masse - but today was pressed to try the mower instead, as the person I lent my shears to (memo to self ...) has 'sharpened' them on the wrong side of the blades, so they don't cut anymore.

So it seems that that's another urban myth put to rest then ...

LJ

I hope you steer clear of allowing him to sharpen any scissors then ?Too many peeps sharpen the blades as though they were knives
Too many repeats of the guy in the states being attacked by killer bees have fuelled the fire
VM


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[Greatbigchicken]

A piece of plastic QE over the entrance works for me.

A frame of open brood from the original colony would prob have kept them or an excluder under the brood box (for a couple of days only)
Ab

Thanks guys, I'll remember that for next time.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Had a drive around 1200 acres of prime Cheshire dairy land with a local farmer identifying new/potential apiary sites. Found three that are private, sheltered and accessible by 4x4.

It's wonderful to find farmers that are big supporters of beekeepers and who fall over backwards to help.

He's even going to scrape away the topsoil for me with his digger to give me a good start and get his fencer to put in some windbreaks! I nearly fell over myself.

 

[victor meldrew]

Nothing today , no bees flying, it's blowing a hoolie and damned cold with it .
Still no rain although yesterday the sky was covered in heavy black threatening cloud . Sorry to have to say this but the water table has dropped and the farm pond is a good 2feet below the spill way!meaning some gentle persistent rain would be welcome right now .
Oh! I did a little work , watering the newly planted hedge



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[enrico]

Cherries opened at last.....but now the weather is too bad for the bees to use it. Dandelions finally in full flower two weeks late. Maybe summer will last until November !

 

[enrico]

I've just cut the grass around the hives ... with a petrol mower. Not wishing to have a face full of irate bees, I sealed 'em in at around midnight (with open OMF's in place).

Strangely, when I came to re-open the hives at 8.30 a.m. - I noticed there were 3 girls trying to get back in. So where had they been all night ? Tut tut.

I fully expected some irate bees to come barreling out - but not a single bee came out to complain.

LJ

Bet they had been underneath!

 

[Tim1606]

Drying out my notes as it tipped down as i was putting everything in the car and forgot i left the notes on the roof. Only realised as i was getting in

 

[Skyhook]

Put concrete blocks on the roofs. Quite a sheltered spot, but I'm taking no chances.


.

 

[Polyanwood]

Went to check the roofs at 2 apiaries because it is very, very windy. A few flying in with pollen even despite the weather. Sad to see the the horse chestnut candles and the cherry blossom is being blown off before the bees can get to it.

 

[beebopalula]

Painted two more hives and nucs, put up another bait hive.