What did you do in the Apiary today?

[mystil]

We arrived at the out apairy to find a hive swarming. Then watched as they settled on a post and spent the next 4 hours trying to get them in a box and then into a nuc box. Was finally getting there and they were doing their march up to the nuc box and found the queen who had started all this when I looked down and saw another queen on the floor on her own!!

Very small specimen, so we quickly put her back into a hive (which we believed was queenless).

No idea what happened!

 

[Susan1]

Could some one please advise me. I have not looked in the hive for over 10 days now due to work and when at home weather was not good. I want to look today but its a bit cloudy and windy here. I saw a few play cups last time I looked, but bees still had plenty of space. I put super on and also gave fondant as weather forcast said it was to change. I am dying to open hive but dont want to do any damage. If I have to wait for perfect weather in N Ireland I think I will never be able to look in hive. Thank you for reading.

 

[plumberman]

Susan1- you would be better to start a new thread on its own as you are more likely to get replies this way.

 

[Susan1]

was thinking that myself thanks.

 

[drstitson]

sprayed super frames with light syrup as bees not interested and acacia blossom just emerged.

had chat to local micro brewery owner regarding provision of artiganal foods (pork pies etc), hedgerow brews and cider (no tax/duty due in italy!!!).

set up a 25l batch of elderflower & lime cider.

 

[terryme]

set up a 25l batch of elderflower & lime cider.

that sounds amazing - three of my favourite words there ........ any chance of the recipe/instructions or directions to same? Pretty please

 

[Alabamaeee]

Newbee mistakes!

Made up a Nuc today, first time to do so and a bit nervous as the bees were not entirely happy due to the weather.

Frames were a bit tighter than I expected them to be in the nuc as I had not expected them to have stored so much honey in the brood box!

As I put the last frame in with a lot of fresh stores on I squashed the honey on the side

I gently scraped off most of it, and put it back on the frames so that their hard work was not in vain!

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

(yesterday) One of my jobs was to find ad mark a queen in newly purchased nuc. Went through, but no sign, decided not to waste too much time. After finishing rest of business went back home and decided to take out 3 new frames to replace in the nuc.

Opened up the roof and there was her maj + 1 other on the crown board (Porters in place). Must have come from a frame I put down or somesuch.

I had no equipment with me to mark her so ended up just tipping her back in - at least I've seen her.

 

[nematode]

Today I rushed home keen to put into practice some of the things I had learnt in the beekeeping practical session yesterday. The sun was shining and it was warm with a medium breeze. The wind was not ideal but I thought I would give it a go anyway.

I got half way through the inspection when the bees began to tell me, in no uncertain terms, that they were not in the mood for this kind of thing. It appears that bees do not take kindly to electrical storms. I already knew this but I did not think such a storm was forming so close to us here at the cottage. I closed up the hive and decided to leave it until another day.

The storm rolled in about half an hour later.

 

[Hivemaker.]

The rape was due to be sprayed, so the bee's were moved out a couple of days before.....athough still a week or two more flowering left the bee's did reasonably well in the time they were there,just over a ton of honey extracted.
The colonys with removed queens will be getting them back at the end of this week,they will be pleased.

 

[Silly Bee]

Gave a swarm I caught yesterday to a new keeper on the site. Now he can have sleepless nights woryying about them

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Checked hives at an out apiary. Bees completely psycho - time to requeen I think.

 

[Teemore]

Checked hives at an out apiary. Bees completely psycho - time to requeen I think.

This could also be a sign that they are starting to think about swarming....

 

[greatbritishhoney]

This could also be a sign that they are starting to think about swarming....

Yes, I was doing a quick check for Q cells. Found nothing.
It's a very humid and windy day here, so I reckon the bees were a bit feisty due to that.
This out apiary is fairly public though, so I can't really risk angry bees.

 

[Teemore]

Myself and another beekeeper went thoroughly through a hive on 29th April - No QCs or play cups but v. bad tempered, eggs and brood at all stages covering 8 out of 12 frames including 5 frames almost totally covered with brood, two supers on as well. Went back to this hive on 7th May with the gear to do an AS if needed and discovered a distinct lack of eggs and open brood. Q was long gone and there were 5 or 6 sealed QCs. This hive was bad tempered when it was moved to the apple orchard and with hindsight, it probably had the notion to swarm before it was moved. Previously I would have said that these were not bad tempered bees at all.
GreatbritishHoney, I'd be inclined to go back to your hive 5 days on from your last inspection just to make sure they haven't built QCs on 2 day old larvae..... I didn't and lost a prime swarm plus a good bit of honey.

 

[freethorpe bees]

Just fed my AS 1 Litre of syrup. Keeping everything crossed...

 

[Bucks_Boy]

Got home from work 5:00

Neighbour straight round ..

".....'ear.... your bees have escaped -- found a ball of them on my magnolia tree"

says I " cant be my bees -- removed the queen 3 weeks ago and reduced Q cells to 1 the week later -- if I had made a mistake a cast should have come off long before "

"anyway, I'll come and collect them"

he replied with a smile " dont worry, I cut the bit of branch off and dumped them in a box for you - here you go"

So standing in a suit, I'm given a toner cartridge box with no air holes held together with peeling away sellotape, and an angry buzz inside.

He's a good guy but sometimes a little foolhardy !

The little darlings are walking into a 3 framed nuc as I type -- hopefully a nice 2011 queen in a few weeks to requeen the next one to go evil on me ..

 

[Torq]

Ran away!! Had a look at the 2 brood boxes I combined yesterday from about 10 feet away. One of the bees took a dislike to me and so I ran! Down the hill, over the barbed wire and through a bush! 75M away from the hive the bee finally gave up and went home! The failed colony were much calmer than my new one, you could walk to within 3 feet of them without being bothered. It'll be suit every time from now on.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Checked my colonies after being away a week!

Mostly ok, just as I was inspecting the next to last, the last one started swarming!

Ran over and puffed loads of smoke into the air and a bit in the entrance to try and convince them it wasn't a good time to swarm. (Only thing I could think to try at the time). Seemed to work as a lot were going back in but still a large cloud of bees around hive. Bear in mind this is a massive colony now! I then, as carefully as I could, took the hive apart and found the queen in one of the two BB's (hive is double brood at the moment). Breathed a sign of relief as she didn't seem that intent on swarming, so I ASed them and cut no less than 10-12 sealed or nearly sealed QC's out!

It had been a day or two too long between inspections but that was due to being away for work.

Anyway they eventually settled back down after I put the monster hive back together.

Took that AS and a Nuc with a QC I made from another hive up to my out apiary and checked on the swarm I hived nearly 2 weeks ago. They are doing well but I hope it was the lateness / weather as I received about 10-12 stings in the gloves and didn't get through the entire hive!
Will go back when I have time / weather is more settled and check their temperament. Otherwise that colony will be requeened asap!

 

[tonybloke]

checked on a swarm ( prime) I hived last night, and extracted 25 lbs of honey this evening.