What did you do in the Apiary today?

[pargyle]

Just had a look at them first thing this morning - it was wet yesterday and they were just hanging about the porch looking miserable - sun out this morning and they are all out. Bringing in a load of fawn coloured pollen which looks very much like Himalyan Balsam but goodness only knows where they are finding it - don't know where there is any round here. Only possibility is the railway line which is about half a mile as the bee flies ... who knows ? At least they are getting on with it.

 

[parkranger]

As many of you will know, I look after 4 hives on the roof of Manchester Cathedral. The Cathedral is closed at present for major works on the underfloor heating.


I didn't look at them last week; my deputy did a mini inspection of one of the new hives and added a super to the established one.

I went there this a.m. to put a wasp trap on the roof, only to be met by the builder, who said we can't get into the cathedral and onto the roof for the next three weeks. So I decided to inspect them all.

One of the new colonies has developed two serious queen cells, on the bottom of two frames. One looked near to being capped, the other a few days off.

The queen was there, eggs and BIAS on 4 frames, two frames of stores, 4 frames being drawn and 2 undrawn. The brood looked normal (not drone brood). The nuc was hived on 12th July - 3 1/2 weeks ago.

My guess is supercedure for some reason - though I would expect the QCs to be in the centre of the frame, rather than the bottom.

Anyhow, having been told I can't access the bees for 3 weeks, I decided they probably know best, destroyed the less developed cell and put it all back.

Then, just as I finished.........

.......... the builder came and said he was wrong: it's only 5 days I can't get up to the hives!

I left things as they were.


Any thoughts?


Dusty

Yes Dusty....The builder is an idiot!

 

[scuttlefish]

Put out Apidea #7 only to find that #4 was empty bar a couple of wasps. Oh well...

Swapped a strong 5-frame nuc into a full hive.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Bringing in a load of fawn coloured pollen which looks very much like Himalyan Balsam

Oh!

I had the idea that balsam pollen was white,

 

[Swarm]

It is, fawn sounds closer to bramble

 

[madasafish]

Fed bees HM's nosema thymol mix.. (seems to reduce varroa as well: used it every year and my varroa counts - even before treatment are <1/week. )

 

[troedyrhiw]

Did our first unassisted hive inspection today. All looking well.

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 4

 

[jeff4051]

Sat in the sun for a short while, watching them being busy busy bees, most relaxing.

 

[pargyle]

Oh!

I had the idea that balsam pollen was white,

Not according to these two pollen colour charts :

http://www.sheffieldbeekeepers.org.uk/tools/pollen-chart/

http://www.kentbee.com/stw/bm~doc/pollen-chart.pdf#

Both of these show HB as a fawn colour and exactly the colour that my girls are bringing in ... I know computer generated colours can be misleading so I'm open to correction.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Watched bees ejecting a drone from no3 hive before cutting some plywood and a couple of rails and building a super. Glued it, screwed it and left it to dry.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not according to these two pollen colour charts :

http://www.sheffieldbeekeepers.org.uk/tools/pollen-chart/

http://www.kentbee.com/stw/bm~doc/pollen-chart.pdf#

Both of these show HB as a fawn colour and exactly the colour that my girls are bringing in ... I know computer generated colours can be misleading so I'm open to correction.

According to 'Pollen loads of the honey bee' by William Kirk (which I'm assured is bang one - he having spent months at the printers ensuring the printed colours were correct. it's a fawn - leaning towards the primrose yellow kind of way. I suppose it's just the way it sits on the bee that makes it look white.

 

[Somerford]

Checked 4 colonies, honey still coming in on 3 of them, 2 of which have 4 supers on and I have already removed 2 off both of them.

Snelgrove'd national packed full of bees, 2 queens (new Q laying v well) think I'll do Snelgrove on more colonies next year, very happy with this method of swarm control.

Wasp activity just starting to become noticeable, so closed down entrances on all hives.....and realised I need to do some repairs to a few brood boxes this winter as some are becoming quite badly fitting.

Next job is to find all the contact feeders and get them cleaned up ready for autumn feeding next month.

S

 

[abi-e]

Started to wasp proof the hives by covering the holes in the wooden crown board with perspex so the poly hive roof fits better. Tried to reduce the entrance but the bees were having none of it - I will go back this evening when there are fewer flying and slot it in place.

Itching to look in the hive as it is undergoing supercedure, but am resisting the temptation to peek....I will need to check the supers as they should be almost ready for extraction by now.

 

[drstitson]

"Started to wasp proof the hives by covering the holes in the wooden crown board with perspex"

see posts passim - crownboards with holes should only be used when feeding or clearing. rest of the time solid is the way to go.

don't forget to remove the matchsticks too.....

 

[Chris Luck]

Just got in from fetching a Hornets nest in a bird box from the front of a persons house....

......taped the hole closed, brought it home and put it in my woods and opened them up.

Here's hoping they will be OK eh?

Chris

 

[richardbees]

Chris

and how are the Sunflowers doing?

rb

 

[Tom Bick]

"Started to wasp proof the hives by covering the holes in the wooden crown board with perspex"

see posts passim - crownboards with holes should only be used when feeding or clearing. rest of the time solid is the way to go.

don't forget to remove the matchsticks too.....

I agree with the above but if wasps are able to get to any holes in the crown board I would be fixing the roof first.

 

[richardbees]

don't forget to remove the matchsticks too.....

who would have matchsticks under the crownboard in the Summer?

 

[VEG]

Nothing wrong with using crown boards with feeder holes in either, easy to cover the hole.

 

[Tom Bick]

don't forget to remove the matchsticks too.....

who would have matchsticks under the crownboard in the Summer?

I had a couple although the matchsticks were over the crown board and feeder hole open. These were solid floor hives and raising the roof that little bit helped with ventilating the hives in the hot weather.