What did you do in the Apiary today?

[beebopalula]

Found a black wasp(?) with an orange band on the upper part of its abdomen in one hive. Not sure what type.

Look up Vespa velutina - hope it is not that.

 

[Rollo P]

Try the Median wasp - Dolichovespula media.
This species varies in colour and can be almost totaly black.
It is also quite large.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Applied MAQS to two hives and removed the last super and slightly rearranged the 3rd, which will also get the MAQS in a couple of days.

 

[garlicpickle]

checked the feeder which I gave to my very light hive in Saturday, and they have taken almost a gallon in less than 48 hours. I gave them another half gallon as that was all I had mixed up. Inspected the other hive, plenty of BIAS and still lots of stores, so no need to worry about them for a while.

Just off to mix up more syrup.

 

[pargyle]

checked the feeder which I gave to my very light hive in Saturday, and they have taken almost a gallon in less than 48 hours. I gave them another half gallon as that was all I had mixed up. Inspected the other hive, plenty of BIAS and still lots of stores, so no need to worry about them for a while.

Just off to mix up more syrup.

What are you feeding them 1:1 or 2:1 ? That's a lot of syrup ... better re-think my sugar purchase !!

 

[drstitson]

"That's a lot of syrup ... better re-think my sugar purchase !!"

IIRC a gallon of 2:1 is only about 6kg of sugar.
that's only about 2 brood frames worth.

 

[garlicpickle]

What are you feeding them 1:1 or 2:1 ? That's a lot of syrup ... better re-think my sugar purchase !!

yep 2:1 or thereabouts, I used 5kg of sugar and it made just under a gallon. I imagine they are eating quite a lot of it rather than storing because they hardly had anything in the BB. I just made up another 6kgs worth. My big saucepan won't fit any more in than that!

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Definutely a theme; not much stores but pollen coming in. Almost as if they know something...

 

[Ely]

I was in Sheffield for a funeral on the weekend so decided to visit a commercial beekeeper 'medibee' and bought a bit of heather honey in the comb of which I've never tried before. Didn't get to see any hives though .

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Definutely a theme; not much stores but pollen coming in. Almost as if they know something...

Probably it saves energy to leave the nectar where it is and let the nice beekeeper provide sugar syrup at home

 

[Rob den Dekker]

Dropped off my payment of two jars of honey for the use of the allotment and installed ekes with apiguard.

 

[margob99]

Nipped out of the office, promising to be "only an hour". Drove like the clappers up to the hive (30m away), leapt into my suit, cleared the cleaned-out supers, dropped off the honey-rent for my landowner friend, popped in the apiguard, nearly fainted from the heat, leapt out of my suit and back in the car, drove like the clappers back to the office. I was sweated through by the time I finished. REALLY, I have got to find somewhere closer for the girls!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Nipped out of the office, promising to be "only an hour". Drove like the clappers up to the hive (30m away), leapt into my suit, cleared the cleaned-out supers, dropped off the honey-rent for my landowner friend, popped in the apiguard, nearly fainted from the heat, leapt out of my suit and back in the car, drove like the clappers back to the office. I was sweated through by the time I finished. REALLY, I have got to find somewhere closer for the girls!

I thought t'interweb was supposed to let you work from anywhere in the world?

 

[Pete D]

Yesterday

Treated 12 hives and 9 poly nuc's with Thymovar.
Treated 6 hives with MAQ's. 2 More to be done tomorrow.


Booked my room for staying over at the National honey show.

 

[TOBY-3652]

treated 4 more wasp nests and posted 3 queen bees

 

[madasafish]

Fed 5 weaker hives/nucs.
Refilled wasp traps.
Rescued several bees from spiders' webs - one ingrate stung me...

 

[MuswellMetro]

Counted varroa

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11,12..............................average 150-200 per hive in a week, all hives previously had a natural drop on one or two mites per week a week

 

[Goran]

Coup d'état in two hives, in one more in progress.. If the new hopes will be as their mother, I must get more boxes for next season ( hopefully).

 

[Queens59]

Watched hubby work the bees and I counted varroa - wasted the treatment from the look of it - 4 hives with treatment on for 2 weeks, highest count?? 12! Pleased, but wish hubby had checked before putting on the Bayvarol...I should have thought to say so - but wasn't with it at the time...

Oh yes, and our hive from hell? Went in today - removed an empty super (they had emptied it...), put a clearer board under another after inspecting the third...They PURRED the whole time, so relaxed...first inspection this year with not one still to either of us...Maybe they just don't like heat??

 

[garlicpickle]

Made up some more syrup, but wasn't concentrating and made 1:1 and the pan was too full to get another 4kg of sugar in Managed to squeeze in 2kg and some leftover fondant so its about 1.6:1, I'm sure they'll manage.