What did you do in the Apiary today?

[D K B.]

Chucked some ruddy great big lumps of wood 20ft+ into a tree, trying to dislodge a PRIME swarm that I really should have just waved goodbye to.
After 30 minutes of missing the mark, got a direct hit on the branch they were on, with several hundred bees dropping around the nuc box placed below.

A wee bit drastic for some, but oddly it worked.

Then put me feet up, cracked a beer open, and watched them come down. Put the roof back on then went down the pub.

End-ex.

 

[Elaine]

What did I do in the Apiary? Not what I intended! I was just moving a couple of plants into the border next to my hives, and there seemed to be quite a few bees flying low, not threatening me - just too many bees not on the normal flight path out of the garden. I checked where they were heading - a swarm in a bush - about 12" from the ground! Admittedly, the weight had bent the bush over, but what were they doing there!!!! Anyway, gardening had to be abandoned, and swarm retrieved.
They must have swarmed late afternoon yesterday - they only time we have been away from the house in 3 days!!!!
The only place they could have come from (in theory ) was the Q- part the hive that I AS'd. So, decided I should go into that hive and see what was happening. Found the open queen cell, plus 3 capped cells, which looked about ready to emerge, as bees seem to be trying to open them. So, left the frame with the single cell in the hive - and could hear her piping as I closed up - and I put the frame with the 2 cells, plus the bees on it into a nuc, with some food and water! Fingers crossed they get mated in the warmer weather due later this week and next week! Anyone need a new queen?

 

[einsteinagogo]

Checked Apiary No.2, check nuc (cast swarm) and national (cast swarm), the nuc is in a sorry state. I'm not sure these are viable?

more in the post here, if you want to comment

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=412181

 

[pargyle]

Fingers crossed they get mated in the warmer weather due later this week and next week! Anyone need a new queen?[/QUOTE]

Possibly ... will know in a couple of weeks !! Should be just about right timing if it all goes belly up down here ... keep my name on one please ..

Phil

 

[Tonyatcwfarm]

Busy day here
After inspection yesterday on hive 1 I found upper bb riddled with swarm and ?supersedeur cells,all sealed but strangely enough colony was intact,no sign it had swarmed
Thorough search no queen found/seen but eggs found in bottom bb so cleared upper bb and qx over,replaced upper brood left for an hour before returning and doing a 3 way split as nurse bees had returned.Replaced upper bb with foundation and qx removed
Right or wrong time will tell
Hive 2 was due for a reversal of brood boxes and on third frame queen was spotted so I marked and clipped her
Think I did ok

 

[REDWOOD]

Hived new bees, collecting tons of hawthorn pollen that is in full flower

 

[scuttlefish]

Cleaned up some old brood boxes and floors that I swapped out at the weekend. I was rather chuffed to see that the old box off #1 hive - first one I bought - is still in good shape & the (pine/deal) wood is still perfectly sound after five years in use. Guess I didn't do too bad a job of assembling and priming it

 

[Swarm]

Looks very nice, REDWOOD.

 

[yellowrage 53]

Busy day here
After inspection yesterday on hive 1 I found upper bb riddled with swarm and ?supersedeur cells,all sealed but strangely enough colony was intact,no sign it had swarmed
Thorough search no queen found/seen but eggs found in bottom bb so cleared upper bb and qx over,replaced upper brood left for an hour before returning and doing a 3 way split as nurse bees had returned.Replaced upper bb with foundation and qx removed
Right or wrong time will tell
Hive 2 was due for a reversal of brood boxes and on third frame queen was spotted so I marked and clipped her
Think I did ok

sorry why did you do that to the queen ?marked is ok but cliped ?

 

[REDWOOD]

Looks very nice, REDWOOD.

Thanks swarm, still loads of work to do there, gate, grass seed, shed.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hived new bees, collecting tons of hawthorn pollen that is in full flower

Looks good. The grass under mine is dreadful. I think I will put weed suppressant down in the winter and pour that sandy stoney ballast stuff on it.
Hawthorn out here and the next few days are sunny sunny.
Mine have been going ballistic on a couple of whitebeams that are in full flower.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

sorry why did you do that to the queen ?marked is ok but cliped ?

And why not? Perfectly legitimate procedure as part of some people's swarm management regime.

 

[alldigging]

Been out and had a look at some bees really enjoying the fact it's sunny and not peeing it down!

The bees in the box collected yesterday are still there.
But the queen from where we thought they'd come was still in her hive yesterday too!

 

[Chris Luck]

And why not? Perfectly legitimate procedure as part of some people's swarm management regime.

Interesting use of the word legitimate.

It depends on what yardstick you are using as there are no rules or laws regarding what you can do to honey bees.

Personally I stopped mutilating other species when I was about eleven but I do of course have a different attitude to life than most people here appear to have.

Chris

 

[Heather]

Kicked myself!!!!
Went to check on the Buckfast queen I had grabbed from a swarm colony I was helping with. Been in my Nuc colony 2 weeks and I was peeking to see if laying (yes I know too soon, but I was doing all hives in the area.)

What an idiot! She was still in cage as I hadn't seen that the fondant feed was occluding the fact the cage was new, never unhinged. I released her and she was happily mobile, but I bet too late now to get her mated..

Note to newbees, and the rest of us .. what a basic mistake. Always lift closed flap on queen cages after storing fondant in.

Will look in 3 weeks.

 

[cjhart2]

And why not? Perfectly legitimate procedure as part of some people's swarm management regime.

You are so WRONG .

 

[Alabamaeee]

Kicked myself!!!!
Went to check on the Buckfast queen I had grabbed from a swarm colony I was helping with. Been in my Nuc colony 2 weeks and I was peeking to see if laying (yes I know too soon, but I was doing all hives in the area.)

What an idiot! She was still in cage as I hadn't seen that the fondant feed was occluding the fact the cage was new, never unhinged. I released her and she was happily mobile, but I bet too late now to get her mated..

Note to newbees, and the rest of us .. what a basic mistake. Always lift closed flap on queen cages after storing fondant in.

Will look in 3 weeks.

Last year I had a similar problem with a Queen cage. Bought in a mated Q from a local supplier. Snapped plastic flap off on cage and put it into the hive. 7 days later had a look and Q still in cage! The fondant was so hard the bees couldn't eat through it! Once I released her all was well.

 

[gregior]

Did full inspection of all 5 of my hives today:

Hive 1 -As'd 3 weeks ago Old queen going well and building up nicely 7 frames brood.

Hive 2 -The q- part of the AS no sign of brood and no queen /virgin spotted,added test frame.

Hive 3 -Wow! Going great guns,16 frames of brood no sign of swarming yet and 2 supers partially filled-nice.

Hive 4 -Ouch super angry bees was hoping hive 3 would have cells that i could use to requeen but will have to wait a bit longer it seems.12 frames brood 1/2 super filled.

Hive 5 -This one went queenless when i treated with MAQS back in April,they raised an emergency queen that is now mated.Clipped and marked her and laying well 4 frames BIAS probably no honey from this one this year.

Didn't spot 1 varroa mite in any of the colonies 1 month after the MAQS treatment which is nice
Weather set fair for the next few days and tons of hawthorn in flower round here-is this a good nectar crop for the bees?

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I suggest we separate out any debate about Q clipping. I did enjoy one of mine making a short flight as part of a comb change though.

In the apiary, listened yesterday evening. New nuc going a storm. Big demareed colony oddly quiet; will check today after a forage day.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Interesting use of the word legitimate.

It depends on what yardstick you are using as there are no rules or laws regarding what you can do to honey bees.

Personally I stopped mutilating other species when I was about eleven but I do of course have a different attitude to life than most people here appear to have.

Chris