What did you do in the Apiary today?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Pottered around mostly - a bit of tidying up and making more bait hives for the next village down (been advised by the RBI it's well worth putting a few in that area.
Waiting to hear from the MCA doctor whether she's going to permanently withdraw my seaman's fitness certificate due to my bad back - Any jobs going for washed up grumpy old salts with a pile of now useless maritime qualifications!
Oh, and took some photos:

 

[galileo]

Ha! The hive that I believed had swarmed at the weekend, apparently didn't. I'd noted idle business at the entrance on Friday evening and assumed that the lack of queen (a big red one who's always been hard to miss), coupled with a capped queen cell in one corner of a frame when we inspected the following morning, meant that we'd missed a swarm by an hour or so. It was odd, though, because the place was still brimming over with bees.

Well, today I decided it would be a good time to go through again, to make sure that there was only the one queen cell and if more, to choose an open one in which I'd seen a big fat grub. As I feathered the bees from the frames, I noticed one face in which there was loads of drone capping all over the brood, and a huge great sealed QC right in the middle of the top bar, braced against the face of the comb beneath.

So, my guess is that they didn't in fact swarm after all. I'm thinking that her maj ran out of juice and the girls have done her in, making a supercedure cell to that end. The other cells were in the place of swarm cells, so I'm assuming that once they'd started, they carried on and decided to supercede AND swarm, all in one trouble.

Sneaks!

 

[beeno]

Jenkins,
Maritime qualifications and a beek you are made mate! What did I do in the apiary today. Was made aware that a blunt saw cuts flesh pretty good and kicked a box which I made into square - to be used as a super. Have exceeded my 1 hour a week to be spent on bees by hubby. So I have to do it for myself! Works both ways you know! Can only do things which keeps my hand dry now i.e. not the washing-up!

 

[TOBY-3652]

Picked up first swarm. On a flat roof at a school and she was marked yellow. Now safetly in a hive

 

[youngyoungs]

Called home from work, as the bees were "flying round in a cloud". Called for experienced help who caught a swarm, then later on this afternoon I also caught a tiny cast. Plus the bait hive which has been empty for ages has had bees going in and out all day.

After all the frenetic activity I thought I better check my hives; two had numerous charged queen cells and no sign of the queens.......knocked them back to one, unsealed cell each and retreated inside for my tea and a glass of wine.

Phew!

Update after the weekend and the wine!

Cast went on Saturday morning.
Monday I was called home from work, as the bees were "flying round in a cloud". Called for experienced help who looked for the swarm, but they'd gone (for good) this time.
Bait hive hadn't picked up any occupants.
So now I am waiting for charged queen cells to hatch.............

 

[garlicpickle]

Had a disastrous morning

Last weekend the box was bursting with bees so added a second super to temporarily keep them busy. Saw BIAS and also saw the queen, checked frames for QC and didn't see any so closed back up. Today went down with the Snelgrove board and spare BB in case I needed to use it. I can't go this weekend so thought I would go early as I had a free morning.

Hardly any bees in the supers, no more stores in the bottom super than last time despite all the nice weather, lots of capped brood, couldn't see eggs or queen despite going through the box twice, and a massive great (empty) QC hanging from the bottom of one of the frames. I must have missed it on Saturday - I think it was the frame I saw the queen on last weekend. I didn't shake the bees off that one so as not to disturb her too much and I guess they were hiding it from me.
So my guess is I have a virgin in the hive and need to leave her alone to settle down and mate.

Then as if that wasn't bad enough, when reassembling the hive I managed to drop the super! Fortunately there weren't many bees in it and as I just said not much by way of stores, but they weren't happy. Was lucky to escape with just one sting to the glove.

I'm pretty sure they have swarmed, I've phoned my mentor to see if he can come and have a look with me just to make sure, and to make sure there's no other queen cells I've missed. I'm disappointed because I really thought I'd checked them properly and I was looking forward to trying out my snelgrove board!

 

[enrico]

Picked up first swarm. On a flat roof at a school and she was marked yellow. Now safetly in a hive

Must have been mine then, boy they flew a long way!

 

[beeno]

Had a disastrous morning

Last weekend the box was bursting with bees so added a second super to temporarily keep them busy. Saw BIAS and also saw the queen, checked frames for QC and didn't see any so closed back up. Today went down with the Snelgrove board and spare BB in case I needed to use it. I can't go this weekend so thought I would go early as I had a free morning.

Hardly any bees in the supers, no more stores in the bottom super than last time despite all the nice weather, lots of capped brood, couldn't see eggs or queen despite going through the box twice, and a massive great (empty) QC hanging from the bottom of one of the frames. I must have missed it on Saturday - I think it was the frame I saw the queen on last weekend. I didn't shake the bees off that one so as not to disturb her too much and I guess they were hiding it from me.
So my guess is I have a virgin in the hive and need to leave her alone to settle down and mate.

Then as if that wasn't bad enough, when reassembling the hive I managed to drop the super! Fortunately there weren't many bees in it and as I just said not much by way of stores, but they weren't happy. Was lucky to escape with just one sting to the glove.

I'm pretty sure they have swarmed, I've phoned my mentor to see if he can come and have a look with me just to make sure, and to make sure there's no other queen cells I've missed. I'm disappointed because I really thought I'd checked them properly and I was looking forward to trying out my snelgrove board!

So sorry to hear that. That's it with bees one minute you think everything is under control next minute it's all change. My turn next I am sure! Hope the weather holds for the mating flight. Lots of luck.

 

[Les]

Had a call about a swarm at about 6.30 last night – the lady said ‘loads of bees swirling round her garden and all landed in a big ball in a tree’. So arrived and it was as advertised
Gave them a jar of honey and explained to them and their 13 year old son why bees swarm and some info on honey bees and bumble bees and left a couple of hours later with a poly nuc full of bees

 

[madasafish]

Had a call last night about bees in a house wall. Guy emailed me photos . Pretty smudgy but looked like Mason Bees. Emailed him to say leave well alone.

Installed Periscope entrance on half size TBH whilst bees were flying in and out.. they were good enough not to get upset and learned to use it in 5 mins flat.. Success!

Finished building another periscope entrance - slight improvements.

Fiddling on paper on TBH 7 bar nuc design...Yes I have enough free wood, and I can steal some felt from an old quail house and use existing fixings, glue and insulation.. so it will cost me nowt.. Ah the joys of being mean.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Back from hols last night.
Friends looked in on my hives on Sunday and found a sealed QC and 3 open.
Decided I need to do a Demaree later this week.
Early hours of Monday, in Crete, ordered flat pack 14 x 12 BB, frames and foundation from ThOrnes.
Arrived today; made them up when I got home from work.
All ready for Friday.

Ain't beekeeping fun? Ain't the wibbly-wobbly-web wonderful?


Dusty.

 

[For want of a better word]

Interviewed with the rest of the B4 Team by BBC Spotlight.. in Paington Zoo's Large Tortoise enclosure with the latest species... Cornish Black Bees.... not sure we were not "Trumped" by a little green lizard !
2 colonies of Apis mellifera mellifera going great guns, and they behaved impeccably for the cameras!

 

[Tom Bick]

Back from hols last night.
Friends looked in on my hives on Sunday and found a sealed QC and 3 open.
Decided I need to do a Demaree later this week.
Early hours of Monday, in Crete, ordered flat pack 14 x 12 BB, frames and foundation from ThOrnes.
Arrived today; made them up when I got home from work.
All ready for Friday.

Ain't beekeeping fun? Ain't the wibbly-wobbly-web wonderful?


Dusty.

May be a bit late for a Demaree on Friday Dusty that is if its on the hive with sealed and open qc’s last Sunday. Future cast swarms may be your biggest worry.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Thanks, Tom.

Should have said that my friends removed all the QCs on Sunday.

I think that's given me time.......

........or am I missing something in my innocence?


By the way, I did a conventional A/S two weeks ago.

So much to learn!


Dusty

 

[galileo]

Moved a growing nuc colony up to the soon-to-be purpose-built apiary in the woods. I need to fit a gate and make a path thereto, but it seems sensible to gauge the flight-path of choice before making such finishing touches.

 

[abi-e]

Added a third super onto the stronger hive. Hoping to get a couple of supers capped by the week end.

 

[Tom Bick]

Thanks, Tom.

Should have said that my friends removed all the QCs on Sunday.

I think that's given me time.......

........or am I missing something in my innocence?


By the way, I did a conventional A/S two weeks ago.

So much to learn!


Dusty

Yes perhaps given you a bit of time providing they saw the queen

So you AS the hive two weeks ago and now you have QC’s in which half

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Yes perhaps given you a bit of time providing they saw the queen

So you AS the hive two weeks ago and now you have QC’s in which half

QCs in the A/S, with the original queen.
My friends didn't see the original queen this last Sunday - but I did on the Sunday before (4 days after the split).

I've not got into the original colony as its only 2 weeks since the split and I understood it was best to leave them undisturbed for 3 weeks.

Both hives are fairly active now, esp the A/S.


Dusty

 

[Tom Bick]

I think you need to inspect that hive Dusty.

As to why there are queen cells two weeks after an AS could be down to the type of AS used or perhaps a split? The latter often does not satisfy the bees urge to swarm and sometimes the bees can replace the old queen after swarming and no reason why not after AS. A few other reasons but best if you inspect but don’t go knocking off QC’s before you are sure its ok to do so.

Yes leave the bees alone 3-4 weeks to raise a new queen providing you reduced the QC’s down to one or two and then rechecked 4-5 days later to remove any new QC’s. Otherwise the hive could be full of QC’s and its raining casts (hope not)

 

[itma]

Dusty, you have the fliers making QCs and the Q should be with them but hasn't been seen?
I have to say that doesn't really sound like certain swarm behaviour...

The brood should have no Q and be making the cells. They have the baby bees for Q cell nannying. The idea is that the state of the QCs left in there should give you a due date for emergence.
After the new Q emerges, then you need to leave her alone to get mated and start brooding - and I'd allow at least 3 weeks after Q emergence before going poking around. If there's no eggs in a month (visible larvae in 5 weeks) after emergence, then you need a Plan B.
However, until she emerges, just don't shake or bump the QC frame -- but apart from that, you can open up the colony without trouble.
And in fact, you should.


Before emergence, you should have a look in there.
If you had reduced to one beautiful open QC, -but- there were eggs and larvae present, they could produce LOTS more QCs from those starting points. And that could well cost you a lot of trouble with casts...
Beyond 4 days after removal from Q, there will no longer be any fresh raw material for starting QCs. So that is your cue to go in and remove any/every additional QC that has been started. Leave just your chosen single cell, and you can't possibly lose any casts.


// Tom said the same sort of thing, but got it out quicker. Since I did a bit more explaining, I'll leave the cross-post. Mustn't get distracted while replying ...