What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Erichalfbee]

Blowing here too.
Strapped up an empty hive (waiting for AS if needed)
Meanwhile back at home our resident Blue Tit mum has just tried to feed a bee to her newly hatched chicks.....I've put mealworms out......the ungrateful madam!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

carried on levelling out art of the apiary (I thnk it will have to be a five year rolling plan!)
watched the bees busily flying back and forth in the wind,sun and occasional shower, hopefully tomorrow I'l inspect.could have today but too many distractions.

 

[victor meldrew]

Are we talking about a swarm ?. reason for question is it's not very effective when there's sealed brood in the hive as this is where the varroa are ,out of the way of the OA ! I would think your bees should have lots of brood at this time of the year . You may have done a shook swarm of course ?
VM

 

[itma]

Mildly surprised to see the bees drinking at the (mossy) birdbath.
They do that normally.
But not usually while it is actually raining heavily ...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Mildly surprised to see the bees drinking at the (mossy) birdbath.
They do that normally.
But not usually while it is actually raining heavily ...

usually if it's raining mine just lay on their backs with their mouths open

 

[abi-e]

Surprised to see that the bees were flying despite the heavy rain!!

 

[madasafish]

usually if it's raining mine just lay on their backs with their mouths open

Typical Welsh..

 

[nonstandard]

Well I didn't build an ark, instead I converted a couple of old smiths hives to national dimensions to use during the summer for AS's.

I had already turned them into 14x12's a couple of tears ago, now I have just framed out the sides where the frame lugs sit to make them square and routed out the top to take a national frame.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

I had already turned them into 14x12's a couple of tears ago, ......

No need to turn it into a soap opera. It's not 'Stenders!

Dusty

 

[nonstandard]

Thanks Dusty, that's what happens when you post messages from your phone.

 

[MJBee]

Lots of bees drinking water from the bird bath in very changeable weather for the past week or so.

I guess this means they are diluting stored honey for colony use and I expect the supers will be lighter when I eventually get to inspect. This continuing carp weather is starting to get serious - not another season of feeding and no surplus shirley.

 

[cjhart2]

Lots of bees drinking water from the bird bath in very changeable weather for the past week or so.

no need to find the bird bath here, just sticking their heads out and collecting the rain . Worse tonight as some weather forecasts are predicting an air frost , this is south west france in late May , what the hell is going on .

 

[Queens59]

Checked the hives and my favourite Q has laid herself to death, and they had made 3 QCs (whoop)...but 2 looked grotty (boo hiss) so I kept the one happy looking almost sealed cell. Shame as I had hoped to encourage QCs to re-queen my nasty hive...

Now I must be the one thing that I find difficult - PATIENT!!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

commenced inspections of the hives in the garden, first went fine, not as strong as i hoped but they are rearranging stores to make more room so expansion going steady if slow with loads of polished cells- queen seen.
Second hive - ah! looks like the queen's failing, still on 3 frames BIAS and queen seen but not looking good - this is the one with a supersedure cell in nearly a fortnight ago - remains still there so I hope there's a virgin in there waiting to mate, otherwise i think requeening may be a problem and an unite in the offing - come on weather - come on drones!!
The nuc I hived two weeks ago is going great guns already creeping up to 7 frames brood although they don't seem impressed with the nice drawn comb i gave them so they are busily rearranging and making some lovely patterns/tunnels (this is going to be a fun one for spotting QC's bees are gertting unsettled by this time, running about the frame and generally being obnoxious so colsed up and left them to it.
Next is the Cardigan hooligans I supered this one before going away with half and half drawn comb and foundation, now all drawn. but now very exciteable so after a quick check in the BB - beautiful slabs of brood everywhere I left them to it!

 

[garlicpickle]

Did an inspection with my mentor, BB full of bees, brood on 8 frames after only being on 5 last week. HM has been busy.

Added a super of drawn comb to give them some room. There were a few "play cups" but all empty.

Just hastily knocked together another super and another BB in case I need to A/S anytime soon. My own fault for not doing it over winter when I had more time.

 

[Sadders]

Had an inspection, first for a fortnight on my single 14/12 national.

The numbers had been very low after winter and they are not really picking up. About 4" square of BIAS over 1 1/2 frames. I have seen the queen and she looks healthy and plump. I have dummied down to 6 frames. In the dummies off section I found a couple of 1" long, fat larva buried in the wax. Presumably wax moth

I didn't hold out much hope for this colony 6 weeks ago, but to give them their credit they are hanging on. Wish they would start building up as I am already starting to worry about their strength for winter.

 

[yeogi75]

drones flying in and out of hive , will have to get in and see what is what , do you think they are mine as I only had twelve drone cells, seen about thirty going in and out buzzing around under hive .

 

[VEG]

Lost a a queen I had hold of her one minute then gone......

 

[Haughton Honey]

Had an inspection, first for a fortnight on my single 14/12 national.

The numbers had been very low after winter and they are not really picking up. About 4" square of BIAS over 1 1/2 frames. I have seen the queen and she looks healthy and plump. I have dummied down to 6 frames. In the dummies off section I found a couple of 1" long, fat larva buried in the wax. Presumably wax moth

I didn't hold out much hope for this colony 6 weeks ago, but to give them their credit they are hanging on. Wish they would start building up as I am already starting to worry about their strength for winter.

Sadders - if you've only got that much brood then dummy down to two or possibly three frames and feed a little thymolated syrup if possible.

Beg, borrow or steal a frame of emerging brood from a fellow BKA member if you can and get up to two colonies asap.

Remove the unused, drawn comb and stick it in your freezer for twenty four hours to kill off the nasties.

 

[Moggett]

Went to the out-apiary today to check the colonies. The old queen in the artificial swarm is going great guns with plenty of capped brood, I've left the feeder on for now. The emerged daughter hive not showing any signs of a mated queen but still early days yet. Bees tetchy still - no way I'd inspect them without being fully kitted up....