What did you do in the Apiary today?

[garlicpickle]

Took my mother in law to see the bees as she's never seen inside a hive before. it took longer to zip her into the suit (I let her have my full suit and I wore my old smock) than it did to look through the hive!
Bees were calm. We only looked in Hive 2, which is a smaller colony I split from my original in May. Not much in the super, but there's plenty of brood and stores in the bottom box and comb being drawn in the super. So if nothing else I will have some nice drawn super combs to give them next year.

 

[Chris Luck]

Now where did I put those hives?

​

Chris

 

[Headnavigator]

Making a great fuss after getting stung for the first time in 3 yrs. My own fault too, must have pinched a poor bee between 2nd and 3rd joint of index finger as I bent it. My eyes were swimming (and stinging) with sweat at the time and I couldn't see a thing, which is a perennial problem for me in the heat. Good quality S..... bee suit = oven.
I think I'd better find a way of wearing a sweat-band so that I can actually see all the way through inspections. Any other solutions out there?

 

[Chris Luck]

I don't know how some of you manage, I get stung at least once most days throughout the active season and often three or four times although not today yet.

Chris

 

[victor meldrew]

Now where did I put those hives?Chris

Be warned I once tripped over a rooted bramble runner whilst carrying a full super, needless to say I have never allowed my apiary to get in that state since .A salutary lesson learned!
VM

 

[Headnavigator]

I don't know how some of you manage, I get stung at least once most days throughout the active season and often three or four times although not today yet.

Chris

And I bet you don't suffer from arthritis.
The 'sting therapy' idea was one of the positives in my decision to keep bees.
So much for that!
(BTW in the interests of accuracy, I forgot - I was stung a few times last year but only by other people's bees when I was helping with dodgy colonies).

 

[Chris Luck]

Don't worry VM, I'm as careful as I can be about brambles and there aren't any in that photo plus I always use a flat barrow to move hives and supers, however **** happens from time to time, I've had a few visits to A&E.

Anyway, just had a wander round an apiary and while I was there a swarm arrived to install itself in an unpopulated hive that I had been intending to move for a while, so just as well I didn't. No idea where it came from unless it's the tree colony about 250 metres away which has been looking a bit crowded recently. AFAIK all of mine have enough space..........

2nd August, still plenty of time to get settled and set up before winter.

Chris

 

[cjhart2]

Just been down to put more weights on the hive roofs . Been told to expect another “wizard of Oz “ wind tonight . Bees very active around all hives . Might be on line tomorrow if the phones work !!!

 

[Swarm]

Added more supers and moved a nucleus into a hive. Broke two hive straps, must have been cheap and nasty.

 

[drstitson]

"And I bet you don't suffer from arthritis.
The 'sting therapy' idea was one of the positives in my decision to keep bees"

i'll spare you the pictures of my OH last sept when she had an anaphylactic reaction. here severe arthritis was worse afterwards.

 

[itma]

So fewer riders on darker gear, eh? Thanks.

I think he meant that, in the dark, by the light of his lantern, they spotted the white suit.

I think a darker suit would indeed be preferable for nocturnal beekeeping, but not generally for reducing Klingons. In daylight, they'll go for black stuff if they have a mind to. Victor Meldrew's black camera pouch covered in stings told its own story ...



Did a moonlight flit myself the other day.
Combining a nasty/nervous Q- 14x12 with a Q+ 14x12. Had to move the Q- lot (several metres).
Q- lot had a bit of a super. Put on a clearer board in the morning. Shifted the BB (with clearer still in place) and combined (above newspaper and QX) in mid afternoon. Left the super on the floor to collect returning foragers. Just after dark, shifted the super across, onto the clearer board -- thereby avoiding opening the brood box(es) in the dark.
Saved me a hernia and seemed to work OK, apart from the few hundred that went home to the wrong place the next day ...

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Applied MAQs to my three hives, interesting that they seemed happier than with hivemakers homemade thymol treatment. One drone took great offence to it tho and started attacking it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Applied MAQs to my three hives, interesting that they seemed happier than with hivemakers homemade thymol treatment. One drone took great offence to it tho and started attacking it.

I'd be interested in an update in a few days.......please

 

[Headnavigator]

"And I bet you don't suffer from arthritis.
The 'sting therapy' idea was one of the positives in my decision to keep bees"

i'll spare you the pictures of my OH last sept when she had an anaphylactic reaction. here severe arthritis was worse afterwards.

"Oh bother!" is about the worst I dare say on here, but you get my drift?

 

[Little John]

I think he meant that, in the dark, by the light of his lantern, they spotted the white suit.

That's right - I was patting myself on the back re: the idea of erecting a 'distractor white light', completely forgetting it would illuminate a white bee suit ... Duhhh

LJ

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Applied MAQs to my three hives, interesting that they seemed happier than with hivemakers homemade thymol treatment. One drone took great offence to it tho and started attacking it.

Isn't a drone's attack likely to be amorous in nature? Mistook it for a Queen?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Took my mother in law to see the bees as she's never seen inside a hive before. it took longer to zip her into the suit (I let her have my full suit and I wore my old smock) than it did to look through the hive!
.

Had the same problems with my mother in law - next time I'll try a shroud in an XXL size

Friday I inspected the home apiary with the help of my new Assistant who's helping to get a bit more hands on experience of the bees. We marked four of my new queens (two of my home bred beauties big dark things which i have high hopes for) and two introduced Cardigan ones - only one to go (introduced ten days ago - confirmed laying today so we left well alone) took an unwired frame out of the big hive for cut comb for the show tomorrow. Only downer now is the nuc from that 'cast' i collected a few weeks ago - not much sign of brood - all capped brood is drone but a few fresh larvae which i can't tell, so another week to see what develops but I'm not very confident.
Oh, and first thing this morning reversed over a (luckily) empty super, one of the 'spare' home made ones so not too big a deal but just felt a right !diot!!

 

[tonel]

Learned a few things today - windy days aren't good for inspections, lighting smokers on windy days is tricky, that the smoker going out mid-inspection isn't ideal..and probably the most stupid one is that when wanting to put an entrance block in, I should do it right at the start when it's quiet rather than going through the hive, annoying all the bees and then trying when there are loads of bees in the air, all over the entrance etc, and no smoke to move them. Squashed bees reassembling the hive which I feel really bad about..more practise with smoker lighting needed. And don't inspect on windy days

 

[VEG]

Take a water spray with you

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Had the same problems with my mother in law - next time I'll try a shroud in an XXL size

Brilliant, just brilliant, JBM!

Haven't stopped laughing yet!

(But 'er indoors doesn't see the funny side for some reason.)


Dusty