What did you do in the Apiary today?

[madasafish]

Let me have the name of the butcher where you bought that leg of pork..please.

 

[Ely]

I popped a 14x12 half full of honey on top of a feeder board yesterday for bees to rob out and hopefully put in supers. Just popped up and listened. Could here them in a frenzy with a noise that sounded like snap crackle and pop. I assume that's the wax cappings being chewed up?

 

[Swarm]

I popped a 14x12 half full of honey on top of a feeder board yesterday for bees to rob out and hopefully put in supers. Just popped up and listened. Could here them in a frenzy with a noise that sounded like snap crackle and pop. I assume that's the wax cappings being chewed up?

Brilliant. It sounds like.

 

[user 6228]

Two of our candidates for disposal arent suitable as Nucs They are now too big despite they havent hatched anything...7 frames of mixed BIAS and stores
Seems insulated colonies can spread themselves out quite thinly. And another 7 frames of honey off the big colony...(well big for us)

 

[stephenpug]

Is it to late for swarms only 2 bait hives and 1 old brood box put on one side after a unite are getting an awful lot of interest from bees ???

 

[Queens59]

No, not too late for swarms - my last collection in 2012 was September 10th!!

 

[stephenpug]

No, not too late for swarms - my last collection in 2012 was September 10th!!

Just checked my strongest hive with 3 part filled suppers on and it is rammed but no queen cells so I have dropped a 4 th super on after rearranging the frames in the others so the full supers are on the outside of the boxes
I am beginning to believe I might actually get a decent crop of honey this year

 

[Erichalfbee]

Is it to late for swarms???

I wish
Today the feisty hive blessed me with one queen cell on the side of a frame.
Supercedure? You'd think so but just have a feeling like you do.
Queen laying to fill a 14 x 12 and a shallow almost wall to wall.
I'm away for three days and this cell would be sealed in the meantime so did AS.
We'll see. Will look in on Saturday

 

[Swarm]

I wish
Today the feisty hive blessed me with one queen cell on the side of a frame.
Supercedure? You'd think so but just have a feeling like you do.
Queen laying to fill a 14 x 12 and a shallow almost wall to wall.
I'm away for three days and this cell would be sealed in the meantime so did AS.
We'll see. Will look in on Saturday

My poly hive is double brood with two supers and it is positively throbbing with bees. I found a play cup yesterday (but drawn a little too far for my liking) and the huge unmarked queen, who is now wearing pink but I'm popping back mid week to check.

 

[Cellectronic]

Black Bee sighting.

Also I swear I saw a black bee (landed). Thought it was a drone at first.

I have observed a couple of smaller black bees in my hive !
Are they rare, or valuable ?

 

[Goran]

Today I was at somebody else s apiary and tried for the first time as I remember honey of sweet chestnut. Damn, how bitter it is! But higher price it achieve ( as considered very healthy).. I will stick to my " less healthy"..

 

[hiveabee]

Checked a nuc i set up a few weeks ago. I didnt see the queen but I did see lots of eggs (one to a cell) So that looks ok. i will find Her next week.

 

[Queens59]

Today I was at somebody else s apiary and tried for the first time as I remember honey of sweet chestnut. Damn, how bitter it is! But higher price it achieve ( as considered very healthy).. I will stick to my " less healthy"..

Mmmm, but honey with a percentage amount of chestnut is like warm toffee...yum

 

[susbees]

Mmmm, but honey with a percentage amount of chestnut is like warm toffee...yum

And sold as "chestnut"...My favourite

 

[Goran]

Mmmm, but honey with a percentage amount of chestnut is like warm toffee...yum

These bees were on forage by the large sweet chestnut forests, also when we were taking the frames from supers I could smell that "bitterness" from hives. I know that many like it, but I don't like much combination bitter-sweet. For example I even cannot drink " schweppes". But bitter as itself I can drink, as tea of sage, " straight" with no "sugar" added.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

My apiary needs some bees! Getting a little frustrated by my well-known supplier, who is not making the nucs available despite a purple patch of weather and others doing very well. I suspect they are trying to build up too many colonies so there is too much competition for pollen.

 

[Chris Luck]

Interesting, Sweet Chestnut honey here is quite cheap as a single nectar honey but then there is a lot of it, €6 to €7 a kilo and is very popular with the French, perhaps it's best use would be in cake making or some other cookery?

My bees are frantic on it at the moment 14 hours a day but I don't extract it on it's own, I let it be part of my "all summer honey" with bramble, wild flowers and sunflower.

Chris

 

[milkermel]

made a solar wax extrator this morning and finally clearing out all the wax crud that has been accumilating and taking up space!

 

[Ely]

made a solar wax extrator this morning and finally clearing out all the wax crud that has been accumilating and taking up space!

Do you have to have current 25 ish degree weather for them to be effective?

 

[user 6228]

Do you have to have current 25 ish degree weather for them to be effective?

nope ... you can get them to work on a winters day... with the ...

... wait for it ...


the right insulation