What did you do in the Apiary today?

[alldigging]

how long ago was the a/s ?

15/5

 

[AndyJThompson]

Swarm

Had a call from farmer today, "there is a broken panel on your shed in the apiary I didn't try to fix it as there is loads of bees flying in and out!". So straight after work went to investigate. Sure enough broken piece of T&G small ball of bees and lots of activity. Unlocked sheds to find my pile of spare supers had a swarm on top! Talk about convenient .
So spent a couple of hours removing all my spare hive parts and homing them with in a empty WBC hive, the swarm was a good size,don't think it is from my own colonies, was no sign of QC on Sunday. I also seemed to have activity in a poly NUC left out as a bait hive only a few bees so probably a small secondary cast. All in all not a bad evening.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

15/5

I suppose five weeks is pushing it a bit but you never know

 

[Chris Luck]

Another late night from cutting out another window colony, the new house owners wouldn't have been too happy with an observation colony in their bathroom window - middle of town as well, very unusual for France.

Chris

 

[alldigging]

I suppose five weeks is pushing it a bit but you never know

I'm moving the nuc over bit by bit so I'll check be last time before I merge

 

[For want of a better word]

Another late night from cutting out another window colony, the new house owners wouldn't have been too happy with an observation colony in their bathroom window - middle of town as well, very unusual for France.

Chris

How do they get into the double glazing ?..... intrigued!

 

[Chris Luck]

How do they get into the double glazing ?..... intrigued!

Nah, in France windows open inwards, have about 30/40cm or so of wall then shutters, like this with the shutters opened.



Chris

 

[Chris Luck]

Or this...



Chris

 

[Ely]

Seems silly that they didn't evolve to find a new home before leaving the hive rather than playing it by ear. Must be a good reason for it

 

[einsteinagogo]

weather was awful today, on the Yorkshire Wolds, wet, windy, drizzle, cold. So just quickly checked, (no inspection inside hive) some bees were out still foraging on the remaing OSR, be interesting to see if this colony goes cranky, when the OSR is gone, 1-2 weeks left maybe.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

in their bathroom window - middle of town as well, very unusual for France.
Chris

What, bathrooms?

 

[richardbees]

AS on May 15...first sign of new Q laying was last Friday with grubs and eggs over 4 frames by Sunday.....when I failed to find Q after two solid hours of trying.

I inspected yesterday to find all drone cappings. Having been unable to find the Q I didn't want to risk her squeezing through a QE if I united over a good colony so decided to empty the hive on the grass in the middle of my apiary......here's the frames:

 

[Tom Bick]

Thats bad luck Richard I would have thought you had a bit more time before she became a drone layer but I guess you live and learn.

I was up to this Wednesday waiting on three virgins to get mated ideally two weeks ago now in a perfect world that is. One had failed somewhere as the test frame confirmed Q- and the other two I hope have managed to get out in the recent good days otherwise I would expect they will go the same way as your hive.

 

[richardbees]

Tom, yes that's what I thought but obviously she never met Mr Right on her Mating flight!
v annoying as she appeared such a prolific layer

 

[pargyle]

I went very quickly through the hive ... they have drawn out comb on the foundationless frame I put in last Friday and there is now capped brood on all the other four frames. I added two more frames for them to expand into but kept them dummied down to seven frames in total. They were a swarm collected on 31st May, transferred with one drawn frame a week later and have been fed 1.5 litres 1:1 in total.

This is the frame that was added last Friday and the other one was added the previous week.

Oh ... and that's the frame hanger being used that some of you will have seen on my 'My New Hive' thread ...in action and it works a treat !

PS: Still behaving themselves, no smoke, no water spray, no pings, stings or bumping ... good girls.

 

[sunhivebee]

I'm not interested in starting another debate in the rights and wrongs and differences in our respective methods of bee keeping as that has been covered to the nth degree already.

Anyway, I only have your word to back up your claims which no disrespect to you but I find it difficult to believe "anyone" who is arrogant enough to claim they are varroa free and or never/very rarely suffer losses when not treating their bees since trying it with two colonies myself which dwindled to almost nothing and would of failed if I hadn't stepped in to help them. I just think its funny how "these people" never want to share their miracle bees or detailed methods to back up their claims for the good of beekeeping in general.

PS. I don't live with my bees.... now that would just be silly really.!!

So glad to hear that, Mike! You were just a little bit interested to attest serious mismanagement to me. This thread is not about that, note, So, how about, if I should report my next swarm, you just stay mum and keep your pitiful ignorance of my husbandry to yourself instead of pronouncing ex-cathedra. And tell us what you did in your apiary!!

 

[sunhivebee]

I went very quickly through the hive ... they have drawn out comb on the foundationless frame I put in last Friday and there is now capped brood on all the other four frames. I added two more frames for them to expand into but kept them dummied down to seven frames in total. They were a swarm collected on 31st May, transferred with one drawn frame a week later and have been fed 1.5 litres 1:1 in total.

This is the frame that was added last Friday and the other one was added the previous week.

Oh ... and that's the frame hanger being used that some of you will have seen on my 'My New Hive' thread ...in action and it works a treat !

PS: Still behaving themselves, no smoke, no water spray, no pings, stings or bumping ... good girls.

Beautiful combs, Philip. It sound like you are having a lovely time with your first colony.

 

[pargyle]

Beautiful combs, Philip. It sound like you are having a lovely time with your first colony.

Loving it .... it was a swarm collected by Mike A (our assoc swarm collector !) Lovely bees ... just so good. You and he would get along face to face ... both in it for the bees !!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I went very quickly through the hive ... they have drawn out comb on the foundationless frame I put in last Friday

It's a joy looking at a frame like that isn't it.
I have a couple in my supers and plan for a few more. I'm going to eat them

 

[lebouche]

Nice frames....