What did you do in the Apiary today?

[whoosling]

fed abit more fondant, bees bringing in abit of pollen today

 

[Michael Palmer]

Wrapped hives with tarpaper today. Did 5 apiaries with about 120 colonies total. That makes about 30 apiaries finished and 10 to go. Should be finished sometime next week. Imagine looking forward to winter. I'll try to post pics tomorrow or Sunday.

Mike

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Watched all hives with amazement at the level of airborne traffic coming and going. There has been almost no traffic for days but today has sunshine on the hive entrances, no wind to speak of and its quite warm in sheltered places.
My ivy seems to be forming second flowers but if the forecasts are correct these second attempts might be doomed.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Wrapped hives with tarpaper today. Did 5 apiaries with about 120 colonies total. That makes about 30 apiaries finished and 10 to go. Should be finished sometime next week. Imagine looking forward to winter. I'll try to post pics tomorrow or Sunday.

Mike

I can't seem to find the rules...can I post photos here? Can I post the images or should I use a link?
Mike

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Said hello. Flying nicely in 9C and bright sun. Is it my imagination or is it my darker girls on the wing? Bits of pollen coming in.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Cut up 50mm Ecotherm board to fit into a crownboard, then cut out a container size hole in the middle to take fondant for later in the year. Horrible job, screechy noise and flaky stuff everywhere.

Breathing protection please.

 

[VEG]

I can't seem to find the rules...can I post photos here? Can I post the images or should I use a link?
Mike

Post some pics up

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I can't seem to find the rules...can I post photos here? Can I post the images or should I use a link?
Mike

Click the add reply button, under the text box is a button which says 'manage attachments'. open that and you can upload your pictures or direct from file or via URL

 

[Jimmys Mum]

Wrapped hives with tarpaper today. Did 5 apiaries with about 120 colonies total. That makes about 30 apiaries finished and 10 to go. Should be finished sometime next week. Imagine looking forward to winter. I'll try to post pics tomorrow or Sunday.

Mike

Mike, what's tarpaper? Sorry if that's a stupid question. I've just not heard the term before.
JM

 

[beeno]

Mike, what's tarpaper? Sorry if that's a stupid question. I've just not heard the term before.
JM

Roofing felt to us I think!

 

[user 6228]

Mike, what's tarpaper? Sorry if that's a stupid question. I've just not heard the term before.
JM

Tar paper ...waterproof wind proof but almost non existant insulation value because the thin layer ~1mm and not wonderful lambda value of about 0.1

 

[user 6228]

Spent today cutting up recticel foam. 6 sheets for the loft insulation and 5 sheets for:
5 national brood boxes, 5 national floors (hopper style) , 5 national supers 5 national roof, 2 national nuc boxes ,
2 national nuc hopper floors, 2 national nuc roofs,
Another eke to go with the 4 others already cut.
A hopper floor for the experiment hive.
Tomorrow it's router table out to finish the foam parts and on to correx and ally sheet cutting for the gaskets and rails.

 

[blackie]

took of feeders and put lump of fondant on

 

[youngyoungs]

Wanted to get all colonies closed up for winter. Feeders off and fondant onto hives. For the poly nuc I made a crown board from a wood off-cut and then attacked my super thick insulating foam with a jigsaw to insulate the roof. Sculpted a container sized hole to add container of fondant and reassembled all onto the nuc. Needless to say - they weren't pleased to be disturbed - but all finished, hive straps on and bricks on the top.

 

[einsteinagogo]

for the first time in many weeks, I saw the girls out and flying today, although it was rather funny, as they flew back to hive, crashing into the hive, picking themself off the floor, and climbing in.....but active, so I still have some bees in the hive, I was beginning to wonder!

there were four or five dead bees outside the hive entrance, and I watched, as they were picked up and taken away....

 

[dpearce4]

Went and sorted out my two apiaries for the winter. Had to remove a few supers that I put on due to ivy honey coming in at the end of September, think I will get about 20lb from them so not bad as an extra crop. Took off feeders at other site and put mouse guards on all hives. All the hives were flying but were in light clusters when I took the crown boards off, the bees were bringing in pollen which was good to see.

I have a couple of hives which I think are a little light, due to not being able to feed for long enough due to not having enough containers to carry all the syrup or feeders for all the hives at one time, so will get fondant ready for putting on when I do my OA treatment at Xmas.

I really don't understand the idea that some people seem to have that they feed then when they remove the feeders put fondant on straight away. If you have been feeding since mid September the hives should be heavy enough to get through to at least feb. Surely that is why hives get hefted then you know when the optimum time is to put the fondant on and not just waste it.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I can't seem to find the rules...can I post photos here? Can I post the images or should I use a link?
Mike

Yes you can post images, you can also post links or add them to your forum album and link from there.

 

[BILL.HEARD]

Went and sorted out my two apiaries for the winter. Had to remove a few supers that I put on due to ivy honey coming in at the end of September, think I will get about 20lb from them so not bad as an extra crop. Took off feeders at other site and put mouse guards on all hives. All the hives were flying but were in light clusters when I took the crown boards off, the bees were bringing in pollen which was good to see.

I have a couple of hives which I think are a little light, due to not being able to feed for long enough due to not having enough containers to carry all the syrup or feeders for all the hives at one time, so will get fondant ready for putting on when I do my OA treatment at Xmas.

I really don't understand the idea that some people seem to have that they feed then when they remove the feeders put fondant on straight away. If you have been feeding since mid September the hives should be heavy enough to get through to at least feb. Surely that is why hives get hefted then you know when the optimum time is to put the fondant on and not just waste it.

I agree totally with your last paragraph, I feed each hive in September so that they have sufficient stores until the following March. Is this idea of putting on a slab of fondant as a precaution something that is being recommended to new beekeepers? I am always open to ideas on new ways to winter colonies but I have never used fondant in fifty years of beekeeping.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Tar paper ...waterproof wind proof but almost non existant insulation value because the thin layer ~1mm and not wonderful lambda value of about 0.1

well its lambda value is higher than my B&Q 1" wire Mesh, and the air trapped between the tar paper and the hive will have some insulation properties

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes...why are people putting on fondant now?
I've weighed my hives and although one is lighter than I would like it just means I have to keep an eye on it and maybe feed after Christmas.