What did you do in the Apiary today?

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I got quite wet and I got stung a bit. Surprisingly one lot of bees were filling the super and capping, but the others with supers didn't have much income - about a third of the frames had something in them.

The Demareed hive might have swarmed. They were very pingy and following. A girl who was passing the apiary said she got stung last week. There were eggs, but possibly fewer bees and sealed QCs (9 days since last inspection), and I couldn't find Q. They were really foul tempered and all over my veil. There were still a lot of bees and frames full of sealed brood, so I took a split away as I don't want any more passersby stung.

I clipped and marked 3 queens. Clippers seem blunt.
 
Finaly

Finally managed to move my hives from the shared apiary with my mentor to my own place following about eight months of crap weather that meant I couldn't get my truck anywhere near them until now.

Flying solo now...... woo hoo

Also been offered a third hive and there is a maahoosive field of flowering rape next door to my new out apiary :willy_nilly::hurray:
 
Temps 10-11c, slight drizzle but less windy than yesterday around these parts.

16 x inspections, 3 x AS's, 1 x DLW squished and united to another hive and 1 x Demaree (strong colony that I want QCs from). Supered 8 x hives for space, added a 2nd super to 4 x strong hives

.......and next week is looking better weather-wise!
 
What's the black boxes with wires?

I've got similar but mine contain fused semtex in case they get that little bit too aggresive.
 
What's the black boxes with wires?

I've got similar but mine contain fused semtex in case they get that little bit too aggresive.

I'e heard of a military weapons engineer who wired his hives up to thunderflashes to discourage pi.......... err thieves

Topped up feeder on two hives (in between showers - i did have two minutes!)
HAa a sitrep on my hive at the association apiary from the chairman who gave it a quick check on Sunday - she's doing very nicely on five frames with plenty of stores (good for this area at the moment!!)
 
Conned

On 6th May I decided to leave the Q- side of an artificial swarm alone because there was great excitement at the entrance - bees everywhere and running up the front of the hive. I assumed (should have remembered the flight safety poster "Don't assume CHECK!!) that the virgin queen was either out orientating or on a mating flight.
Went to see if there were eggs yesterday and it was swarming:ohthedrama:
Fortunately they settled onto a low branch of an adjacent willow and were easily captured.
Examining the colony I found one "emerged" queen cell and another 2 sealed cells about to emerge. I removed the smallest and squished it as soon as the other emerged and a healthy queen was seen.
Moral of the story:- Regardless of what the bees are doing check for queen cells 7 days after an AS - Queen cells wait for no man.
 
...
Examining the colony I found one "emerged" queen cell and another 2 sealed cells about to emerge. I removed the smallest and squished it as soon as the other emerged and a healthy queen was seen.
...

So, what is the thinking behind your choice of having two virgins running around in there?
I'd be worried about a cast departing.

I think I might have caged one, and tried to set up a mating nuc with her asap. Thereby 'getting two bites' at the er, early-season mating, er... cherry.
 
So, what is the thinking behind your choice of having two virgins running around in there?
I'd be worried about a cast departing.

I think I might have caged one, and tried to set up a mating nuc with her asap. Thereby 'getting two bites' at the er, early-season mating, er... cherry.

No shortage of mating going on here and not really early season, drones and swarms for a while now - if anything a tad late this year due to jet stream slippage.

Chris
 
So, what is the thinking behind your choice of having two virgins running around in there?
I'd be worried about a cast departing.

I think I might have caged one, and tried to set up a mating nuc with her asap. Thereby 'getting two bites' at the er, early-season mating, er... cherry.

Hi itma, as I said in the OP I was inspecting was was left after a swarm had departed 5 mins earlier, So my deduction (right or wrong) was "emerged" QC was the queen in the swarm and the virgin I saw emerge is (hopefuly) the only queen in the colony.
The swarm incidentally was a big one, it has filled a Commercial brood of 11 frames
 
Hi itma, as I said in the OP I was inspecting was was left after a swarm had departed 5 mins earlier, So my deduction (right or wrong) was "emerged" QC was the queen in the swarm and the virgin I saw emerge is (hopefuly) the only queen in the colony.
The swarm incidentally was a big one, it has filled a Commercial brood of 11 frames

Sorry, yes, you did say it was from the Q- side of an A/S. Doh!

So that was one pretty enormous 'cast'!
 
I just wanted people - especially Finman - to know that it's a year today since I got my first nuc.

So, I'm now in my second year, with two hives.

I therefore know everything about beekeeping and intend to dispense my wisdom to all and sundry - especially if it differs from the advice of those with dozens or even hundreds of hives and decades of experience.

Dusty
 
I just wanted people - especially Finman - to know that it's a year today since I got my first nuc.

So, I'm now in my second year, with two hives.

I therefore know everything about beekeeping and intend to dispense my wisdom to all and sundry - especially if it differs from the advice of those with dozens or even hundreds of hives and decades of experience.

Dusty

I'll hang onto your every word with bated breath..
 
So, I'm now in my second year, with two hives.

I therefore know everything about beekeeping and intend to dispense my wisdom to all and sundry - PARTICULARLY if it differs from the advice of those with dozens or even hundreds of hives and decades of experience - as the humble hobbyist has entirely different problems and constraints on possible solutions!

Dusty

Fixed that for you, Dusty!
 
I just wanted people - especially Finman - to know that it's a year today since I got my first nuc.

So, I'm now in my second year, with two hives.

I therefore know everything about beekeeping and intend to dispense my wisdom to all and sundry - especially if it differs from the advice of those with dozens or even hundreds of hives and decades of experience.

Dusty

No change there then!!!!!:smilielol5:
Cazza
 
So, what is the thinking behind your choice of having two virgins running around in there?
I'd be worried about a cast departing.

I think I might have caged one, and tried to set up a mating nuc with her asap. Thereby 'getting two bites' at the er, early-season mating, er... cherry.

"pulling" virgins is a known technique to avoid them throwing a cast swarm. You can have as many virgins running around as you like - and they'll fight it out to the last girl standing ! - but the colony wont throw a cast swarm unless there is a sealed queen cell.
 

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