What did you do in the Apiary today?

[user 6228]

Wired up and tested the replacement top box of the experimental hive... while the bees were in it.
This was only the external junction box attached to the top of the hive but it was still 22 crimp connections and a circuit board.
Didnt bother with having a bee suit on.Had the occasional flying inspection of the work, but the occupants were far too interest in the flow going on at the moment, presumebaly ivy.

 

[beeno]

Thanks Beeno. Although I suspect that I may end up having to unite this one to a strong five frame nuc in a week or two. I understand that newly introduced queens don't get accepted so well in a hive where robbing is occurring. I'm leaving it a week before I look for eggs though. In the meantime, i've put glass across the entrance which was already reduced but is now reduced further to 1-2 bee space wide.
The wasps are having a banquet 'clearing up' on the floor outside but it's definitely only bees doing the robbing.....for now anyway.

Lots of luck!

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Sat on guard duty for a while, separating wasps from bees they had taken in the landing queue. Took out the entrance block to clear congestion and widen the beeline. Pretty well took care of the problem. Set up the wintering position pallet/milkcrates/stone slab: have had the hive in the shade of a tree and changed my mind on that one, esp for winter. Rotated 45deg in required direction. Watched nectar and, increasingly later in the day, pollen POURING in. Ivy I think; almost white.

 

[victor meldrew]

Been grass bashing around hives after the most beautiful day !
Switched motor mower off and listened to the air conditioning at full revs on all hives !
Sat there for awhile ,warm evening no breeze!
One of those golden days when it all seems worthwhile
VM

 

[Hachi]

Forgotten how boring making syrup is. Fed the girls and moved another hive. Sorting the garage into more organised chaos ready for next season.

 

[maddydog]

Installed 'English'; feeders in my remaining 2 hives. Nice to be able to fill with 6 litres rather than 2!

Both hives busy and full of bees but only one (the MAQ-less) bringing in lots of pollen. The colony in the MAQ hive is still good natured so hopefully the Q is still in there and will function normally at some point

 

[Roola]

took off the feeders as bees have stopped taking it and with the nice weather this week, hoping queens will start laying again (they seem to have slowed the last few weeks which may be due to weather and the fact that no pollen has been going in) especially if Ivy eventually gets its ass into gear and provides!

 

[leonotron]

It's day 28 since I lost my queen so I'm hoping a new is laying by now. Still see drones coming and going to hopefully she mated ok. Not sure whether to check or just leave them at it and not disturb them further. We've just had two days of quite warm weather here in Dublin and the bees are bringing in plenty of pollen. I've noticed some ivy starting to flower close by but none of my bees on it yet.

 

[garlicpickle]

dropped a 5kg bag of sugar on the floor, which burst

 

[mbc]

dropped a 5kg bag of sugar on the floor, which burst

I've never come across a bursting floor, was it an earthquake ?

 

[cjhart2]

Spinning and potting, spinning and potting, spinning and potting............still, the weathers crap and at least I have some honey if a very, very much reduced yield......what a **** year here in south west France, worst I've ever known.

Chris

Your not the only one Chris , below is an article form the french connexion site . Take some of it with a pinch of salt but the main theme is correct

"Honey production set to hit a low
September 20, 2013
HONEY production in France is set to hit its lowest level in history after poor spring weather kept bees in their hives.

Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll has launched an aid programme for apiculteurs as he said that many of them were in very difficult situations.

Since March, he said apiculteurs had faced “exceptionally poor climatic conditions” that did not allow their bees to leave the hive as they could not come out below 12C or in rain.

The bees had had to use the hive’s honey reserves to feed themselves and, once that was gone, farmers fed their bees to save their colonies. They had been able to take off virtually no spring honey, leaving them stretched financially.

Now, after talks with agriculture development group FranceAgriMer, Mr Le Foll is offering financial aid to farmers along with an easing of social charges.

In February Mr Le Foll launched a development plan to boost the honey-making industry in February as France imports twice as much honey as it produces – and the number of producers has tumbled over the years.

In 2010, France produced 18,300 tonnes of honey – which was already down 28% from 2004 – but consumed 40,000 tonnes. Over the same period, the number of apiculteurs with 30 or more hives fell by 40%, and the number of big honey production units, with more than 300 hives, fell by 12%.

Although there are still more than one million hives in France, each year about 4,500 apiculteurs are leaving the industry after problems caused by high bee mortality due mainly to pesticides. "

 

[Luminos]

My honey harvest is up by about 600%

 

[garlicpickle]

I've never come across a bursting floor, was it an earthquake ?

Damn pipes backing up again.

 

[pargyle]

My honey harvest is up by about 600%

Well you won't be getting a hand out from the French Government then!! Should have kept quiet and claimed poverty and bee depression ...

 

[MJBee]

A big variation in yields, the best hive produced 67kg, the worst 10kg.

Total yield was 300% up on last year. (from the same number of hives so it was a fair comparison)

 

[Luminos]

Well you won't be getting a hand out from the French Government then!!

No change there, then

 

[Chris Luck]

My honey harvest is up by about 600%

I wonder why that is, could it be the number of colonies you have?

Oh, BTW, hand outs only apply to professional keepers paying full social charges / tax, I sort of doubt we have any French keepers on here with 200 plus colonies.

As you say Mr Hart, a pinch of salt!!! My summer yield came in only marginally lower than last year WHICH WAS BAD ENOUGH and I had no spring yield.

Chris

 

[user 6228]

started langstroth testing

now on to the langstroths .. these are usually very different designs to nationals apart from the changes in dimensions

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Planted Winter Aconite. But have higher hopes for a couple of decent-sized hazelnut trees nearby...

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

now on to the langstroths .. these are usually very different designs to nationals apart from the changes in dimensions

Is the weight to keep the cat in? Corrupts the experiment surely?