What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Jimmys Mum]

Four giant leylandii now sucessfully felled from within the apiary. What a difference a bit of sun on the hives makes! Wish we'd done it years ago.

Hefted all the hives, little apparent difference in weight over the last fortnight. Some taking fondant now, others still ignoring it.

Read up on the pros and cons of Bailey Comb Change vs Shook Swarm ready to do some much needed comb changes later in the season. Still slightly mystified! Is sacrificing all that brood in a shook swarm really compensated for by increased colony vigour and bourne out in a bigger honey crop?...

 

[Heather]

They sprayed all the escapees gathered on the window.. about 500. Bright yellow spray.
The bulk were safely behind the bricks which I removed. But obvious to see that some bees left through the window which I 'opened' to allow other bees to escape as they reappeared within the nest as yellow bees.

Yes would still have gone as the homeowner needed help to clear the area of bees and comb to stop reoccurrence. Entrance blocked up eventually too.

 

[Andre cardona]

Nice one I would do the same.

 

[lebouche]

Nice one I would do the same.

Spray the bees with yellow poison! How could you!

 

[Itchy]

I don't know of a "yellow poison" must be furniture polish or something like that

 

[Heather]

Bright yellow, sprayed in blotches over the window and cill, and even bees not discoloured but in area, 100's all dead. No-one would admit to doing, despite persistent questioning, some looked embarrassed, all knew I was peed off.

And before you start.. no they hadn't peed on!!

 

[Itchy]

wasp nest destroyer / foam maybe. Always amazes me what people will try to get rid of insects/vermin etc

 

[VEG]

Well done heather let us know how they get on.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Watched the hives with the sun on them. The flying bees were coming and going on foraging trips. There seem to be two sources of pollen, orange and a pale dirty yellow. A lot of snowdrops and crocii are flowering in roadside verges several hundred metres to the South of the apiary.

 

[Heather]

Same here, bees busy gathering pollen . Queen bumbles out too.. and a butterfly, brave soul

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Hefted. Only 10kg down since November, so now I am short of space, as I thought might be the case. Better than starvation. Pollen flow now steady; HAPPY!

 

[Itchy]

Had a cuppa and watched a very busy nuc out and about. Cherry blossom about to burst, sloes too

 

[Jimmys Mum]

Just recruited a 13yr old 'assistant' who lives at my new apiary site! He's a friend of Jimmys .........although sadly I cant get Jimmy himself interested! I have given this lad a nice overwintered nuc (headed by a 2013 Buckfast queen) to care for under instruction, alongside a full sized hive that I'll manage at the same time! I've said he can keep any honey profits from 'his' nuc as long as he looks after them for the whole season.
He's keen to learn so I've given him the Haynes Bee Manual for some light reading!
Fingers crossed it all goes well.
Happy days!

 

[Ely]

Great news mate, I've been coming across a few stumbling blocks in the search for a few new sites. I hope it all works our well for you.

Cheers. I contacted a local beekeeping equipment supplier with some help off someone on here. Is there a beekeeping store near you that you can contact? They are often contacted by people wanting bees on their land. That is how I found somewhere

 

[BeeFarmer]

Today I checked to see if there was enough fondant left inside the hive plus a bit of hefting.

 

[Tdod]

I was pleased to see bees flying from both my hives and bringing in loads of pollen, orange and a pale yellowish colour. after all the ups and downs of last year im hopefull they will pull through the winter...

 

[Tom Bick]

Able to check on six hives and all flying well with a nice amount of pollen entering the hives and it's all rather encouraging.

 

[Andre cardona]

Spray the bees with yellow poison! How could you!

Ha ha

 

[pargyle]

Stood amongst loads of flying bees watching them bringing in lots of bright orange and some greyish/whiteish coloured pollen.. very busy enjoying the sunshine. Still very happy to let me stand in front of the hive taking photos ...one accidentally landed on my forehead .. think it was an incoming one ... gave me a bit of a start but I managed not to react and she flew off, thought for a second or two that I might get stung but they must have still got the gentle genes of last years bees or she was an old one and remembered me !

 

[whoosling]

Nothing, weathers returned to gales and rain again today - bees well tucked up and cosy