What did you do in the Apiary today?

[user 6228]

managed to get stung 3 times from the same stinger from the same bee
dont ask ... an exercise in stupidity

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Tidied up a bit before the filum crew arrives tomorrow, sat watching the bait hive again today - no action in the bait hive or the mpty hive they were so interested in yesterday, it may be that they have found an even more desireable residence probably purpose built to attract them ten feet up a tree THEY DID - ON MY FIELD I'll let them settle in for a while and move them somewhere safe three miles away until I decide what to do with them.

 

[milkermel]

finished plucking a duck tonight cussing the increasing noise of the flies trying to get at the nice fresh meat - then i noticed that there wasnt really that many flies around for the amount of noise - looked behind me to see the two nuc boxes that had a bit of lemongrass oil dabbed on them was now showing lots of interest as it had last week when someones swarm found me! Was due to check hives tomorrow, but minor panic of what if it is mine??? so kitted up and went and had a quick nose at the three that could have. All good not queen cells and looking happy Amazed that the super i put on last week is nearly full of nectar/honey! Where the heck has that all come from, they must be making up for lost time.

Two swarms are building well and eggs visiable ready for super on that one two!

 

[hiveabee]

Put a five frame nuc into a full size national. On inspection I saw the Queen and BIAS, Good year so far now, after the doubts in Spring.

 

[Heather]

Yesterday had large glass of wine after finding all FINALLY Qright.
Been a messy year with failed/poor matings & introduced v queens disappearing.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

So I'm going to be installing a poly nuc in 32deg C weather. I will make sure the "drinking bowl" is topped up as the girls adapt to losing their usual bearings. Any other obvious simple tips for dealing with these sorts of conditions, beyond avoiding the inevitable thunderstorms?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Watched in awe as a mating swarm left the hive, filled the apiary with bees, then went back in.
Did a bit of filming for ITV in readiness for their Royal Welsh news special and the launching of the pollinator plan on the 23rd.Opened up one hive for them (only as far as the QX) to find that in the last week they have almost filled two supers!
Put foundation in ten frames in readiness for putting a super of half foundation half drawn on the above hive and Garn cottage soonest tomorrow (assume Garn cottage hive now full to bursting!!)

 

[VEG]

Well my bees have found some balsam in flower they are at it like rockets. While looking at them working I saw rather a lot of bees under the floor of one hive. This hive had a virgin queen in. Well she has been out and got mated but must have missed the entrance. I took the super off the hive no bees in there, then the brood box that was quite empty as well. Lifted the floor and they were all under it, complete with drawn out comb complete with eggs pollen and nectar. They are now in the hive well most are the rest are on their way in.

 

[Jimmys Mum]

First Sting

Tonight I took my first sting since starting beekeeping last July.
A careless mistake whilst uniting two hives but hopefully the pay off will be a bigger colony with a new queen, resulting in some honey finally flowing into my supers!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Saw my no. 1 hive swarm which luckily settled in a thorn tree at an accessible height. Even better I had put a spare hive together last night so it was relatively simple to recover the swarm including HM Tiger lily who I saw going in amongst the bees who didn't drop into the box first go. Barrowed the hive back to the apiary and set it on a new stand.

 

[Chris Luck]

7th window cut out of the year, another holiday home.

Chris

 

[youngyoungs]

Inspected 3 colonies.
1 nuc full to bursting has a lovely queen, which I marked and a "typical" brood pattern (hurrah). Needs hiving into a full sized box.
1 nuc has DLQ (or laying worker) which I also saw and marked. It was hard to decide which she was but she was furrier, fatter and had a damaged abdomen. Again brood pattern typical for a DLQ.
1 hive with DLQ which I shook out.

Stung 10 times, first time for ages. Think I pushed my luck.
May leave the rest till Sunday! 2 to inspect etc.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well, I've been gadding round Eastern Europe & UK for a big chunk of the last three weeks,* so I've been missing/neglecting my bees somewhat.

Doesn't mean I've been inactive, however.

Back Wednesday late afternoon from Moscow and did a full inspection of one hive and a space inspection of the second. Added supers but all generally ok.

Then Thursday, was invited to join other (advanced) beeks, helping my supplier with a neglected apiary he's inherited - and to make up nucs for the three new hives on the cathedral. Was a magic evening for me, amongst other things, because we were encouraging new queens to emerge. Highly impressed with one hoary old Beek: we ran out of containers for virgin queens - so he popped one in his top pocket for a while! Apart from wandering out a couple of times, she seemed fine.

Then, got contacted by a guy in a city centre building which has bought 2 lots of kit - but they have no bees and no one with beekeeping knowledge. Can I help out?

[Actually, it was the subject of a beltin' conversation last Monday: phone rings, I answer "Hi Dusty, it's C from XYZ". "Hi C," says I; "Sorry. Can't talk just now. I'm in the Kremlin. In Moscow'. "Oh," says C, "Errm - sorry - Errm right - OK ................... You will be back at some point, will you..........?"]

So, after I've escaped from the pesky KGB (those guys!) I ring C and he's pretty desperate to get this off the ground. Would I help? Well, this is supposed to be the next bit of my gradual retirement, and 'er indoors is expecting me to be more indoors, too. But I can't resist. So my visits to the cathedral bees are going to be a bit extended, I guess. Wonder how long I can get away with it?

Don't let on, will you?


Dusty

* Go on, admit it. You really missed me, my cutting edge insights and scintillating wit, didn't you?

 

[BeeJayBee]

* Go on, admit it. You really missed me, my cutting edge insights and scintillating wit, didn't you?

Of course we did Dusty.

 

[garlicpickle]

Took off a super of OSR as they were beginning to cap it over, and extracted 11lbs from it.

 

[SunnyRaes]

Pfft.... almost "lost" a queen today...

We were doing an A/S thanks to yet another hive with queen cells, so we located the queen and put her somewhere safe. Of course the slab at the shed entrance is safe...

Until that is I go into the shed to get an entrance block and stand on "something".... It was only when I came back out the shed and remembered what I'd put on the slab that I realised we may have a slight problem....! I'd obviously stepped on the clip, released the queen and she'd gone!

Thankfully after a minor panic it turned out she was in the shed and buzzing up against the cobwebs on the window! Caught her, and slipped her back into the safety of the now split hive!

Think I need to find a new safe place...!

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

For the first time I found an unmarked queen. Lovely reddish tones.
She now has a lovely red dot on her back.

Unfortunately, so does a worker which decided to climb over her on the crown of thorns, just as I 'dobbed'!

I think I will be able to tll them apart next time.

Dusty

 

[Cazza]

Went to Hampton Court flower show yesterday. Felt sorry for the observation hive bees, clearly very agitated, probably too hot.

Flowers were great as usual.

Hot beekeeping this morning. Forced into it as I will be away from tomorrow.
All good though. Marked a newly laying queen, all others laying and all looking good.
Cazza

 

[Elaine]

Inspected the remaining 9 hives, as 2 have now gone to their new homes. Saw 4 of the queens, but more importantly BIAS - so from one hive at the beginning of last summer, we had 5 mid summer, one of which we gave to my sister, so that was 4 to take through winter. they all survived and through splits and swarms we ended up with 11. All are now thriving. Maybe there is something in this insulation lark especially as I still have 20kg of the 30kg of sugar that I thought I might need over winter. All I have to do is find good homes for another 4 colonies!!!!!

 

[WelshPaul]

Went through the hive today, and it left me a bit puzzled, masses of honey, drones and girls everywhere but no larvae or eggs to be seen. Do you few think I need to re queen and if so does any one have any queens for sale?