What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Monsieur Abeille]

Started swotting up for Saturday's basic assessment. Should be OK as long as they dont dwell on queen introduction

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Got all excited that a swarm had moved into one of my bait hives (at least 50 bees buzzing around the entrance), opened up the a few hours later to find just a few bees (maybe 100max in there). Didn't have time to do a proper check so don't know if it is a very very small cast swarm or if something else strange is going on.
There's no stores in there, so it can't be robbing. And, surely, there couldn't be that many scout bees interested?

 

[Chris Luck]

Possibly swarm moved in and then moved out and what you have is the bees that missed the train, it happens just like when they move from a bush, tree, fence or whatever, residual bees looking a bit lost.

Chris

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Possibly swarm moved in and then moved out and what you have is the bees that missed the train, it happens just like when they move from a bush, tree, fence or whatever, residual bees looking a bit lost.

Chris

I thought that might be the case Chris. Am just hoping it wasn't from one of my hives.

 

[Chris Luck]

I know some may find this strange, but sometimes when an attractant is used the bulk of the swarm without the queen will go to "the attractant" and the Queen will only have a small proportion of the bees with her. Some attractants that use pheromones completely confuse the bees into homing in on the wrong scent. Usually within an hour or two all the bees including the ones with the queen will be called back and return to the hive that emitted the swarm and go again a couple of days later.

You can, should you wish to "experiment", wipe some attractant on a branch or something similar and see what happens during swarming season.

I've a bit of a story about something similar that happened to me a few weeks ago, I'll start another thread.

Chris

 

[itchyhives]

3 out of 4 now ex virgins laying as eggs seen

Just interested in how you know they are ex- virgins?

Probability is on your side but they could be DLQs!

RAB

They were walking funny, had yesterdays makeup and beesuit on and one looked really knackered and was smoking a fag .

No your right dont know for sure yet but signs are looking good.

 

[Bryanthebee]

AS guing well

removed queen last week to prevent swaming worked well, found new queen cells today as i hoped i would.

took them away added a new frame of eggs to keep the possible laying workers from laying.

will take away new queen cells next week, they should of lost the swaming idea by then.

I will then re introduce the queen again, not 100% fool proof but this way the stores are still being gathered.

 

[louiseww]

Possibly swarm moved in and then moved out and what you have is the bees that missed the train, it happens just like when they move from a bush, tree, fence or whatever, residual bees looking a bit lost.

Chris

My swarm (from my hive) from Wednesday had taken down the syrup and so I topped them up. I am hoping that they are doing what they are supposed to do and that is start to draw out the frames and get settled so they don't hop it! #Louise

 

[Juststarting]

Removed drone laying queen, added new frame of brood and nurse bees to boost nuc prior to introducing new queen tomorrow.

Also topped up feeders as all still low on stores. Queen in main hive seems to have slowed down laying a bit which I presume is in response to reduced flow/low stores as there are no signs of swarm cells.

Just waiting for better weather!

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

In the morning did the basic assessment with a couple of fellows from the local BKA, all went well.

This afternoon, sun out so a quick inspection - one hive building comb up nicely for its Bailey change and lots of brood. My other, supposedly Q- colony has a few larvae! Will wait with baited breath to see if they are simply drones from a DLW or if one of the queens I've tried introducing actually made it. Glad to see plenty of stores at the moment and pollen still being fetched in by both.

 

[tonybloke]

made up another couple of supers, gave them a coat of cuprinol clear and cleaned and treated a couple of roofs and floors ( how much spare equipment will I need? will I ever have enough? )

 

[simon kerr]

New Queen arrived this morning looking very nice, but the weather has done its best to foil any attempt at getting her introduced. Whats with this wind..............enough already

 

[MuswellMetro]

I went to my apiaries and fed my re queening Nucs, and two recent swarms something I normally don't do but this year the forage near me is poor after the early warm spring ,then drought and now wind with rain

Also started re combining my AS splits. It was only 14c at noon and raining so decided to do it as all the bees were home rather than wait until dusk tonight

lost a few stragglers returning with water or toilet flights (i assume) but no more than a dozen lost soles

and then back home for an nice cup or tea and watched the rain through the window with the central heating turned on

 

[Heather]

Showed the new bee keepers how a swarm walks into a hive. Fun...

 

[Headnavigator]

Like MM fed my two colonies which are Spring swarms after realising on inspection yesterday that they had NO stores any more. Think they need a little help, very dry here and can only assume that there is now very little nectar flow.

 

[freethorpe bees]

Fed my AS , drawing comb nicely but think they need a bit of help. My original hive ( new queen) also look like they may need a bit of help. Lots of stores but not drawing out any combs in the super.

 

[Jimmy]

Put a tiny cast swarm into a mini-nuc. Never used one before so quite a learning curve involved.
Checked 6 of my 8 other colonies, fresh eggs in 5 of them. Transferred a swarm that had been in a nuc and has drawn 5 frames in 2 weeks (with some fondant feed) into a full hive.
Most hives had some fresh nectar but stores being run down in all hives. Looked wistfully at the field of clover in flower next to apiary, wishing it was 5degrees warmer and the ground not parched.

 

[badger65]

First Look Today

Last Saturday I bought a Nuc off Eddiespangel who advertised on this site. Nothing much seemed to be happening during the week but today the entrance to the hive was busy. I was desperate to have a look inside but I had no smoker. I had ordered one on Tuesday but it was the usual story, it didn't turn up. It seems to me if you were to sell beekeeping stuff and made sure you had fast delivery, you would be onto a winner.

Anyway. I tried to make a smoker but failed, so I opened the hive anyway. The bees usually don't mind me sitting next to the hive and watching, this time was no diferent. They didn't mind me going into the hive and not one sting. This is a chilled out bunch. Today they where bringing in lots of pollen, some of it was yellow,orange and some brown. Any idea what the bown stuff is, There was lots of stored honey. They have 6 frames to draw. do you think I should feed to speed thing up?

 

[Mike a]

There was lots of stored honey. They have 6 frames to draw. do you think I should feed to speed thing up?

In a word NO.

 

[badger65]

what would happen.