What did you do in the Apiary today?

[einsteinagogo]

Two supers off, one super is perfect, 10 frames on castellations, all drawn capped and filled, very heavy. The other super partially capped, I may put this back on, the main reason for taking off, was to move these hives, so hived moved, to new Out Apiary, will let out at dusk...had a moment!

I noticed that when moving the bees on my bee/hive barrow, there were a few bees around, on closer inspection they were pouring out of a hole, in the bottom OMF, could not really see, quickly applied some gaffer tape - and it's very awkward with gloves on trying to get and tear gaffer tape off the role!

All, done, and moved - drama over.....

Must get some filler, and get that hole filled, before they chew through the gaffer tape!

One final hive to move tomorrow....

 

[alldigging]

Got a sting.

Went and had a look at the back of a hive that Samurailord got stings off last week. Only a peep from a distance as another beekeep noticed bees coming in to the back of the hive.
The bugger followed me away and then got caught in my hair and I couldn't get it to get rid of it.

The floor mesh has dropped a bit so maybe they've been extra angry defending that.

Anyway I have a half swollen face.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Got a sting.

Went and had a look at the back of a hive that Samurailord got stings off last week. Only a peep from a distance as another beekeep noticed bees coming in to the back of the hive.
The bugger followed me away and then got caught in my hair and I couldn't get it to get rid of it.

The floor mesh has dropped a bit so maybe they've been extra angry defending that.

Anyway I have a half swollen face.

Ouch! I feel for you. I got a bee caught in my hair earlier in the year 3 stings in head. only went to put some feed on a small colony, ungrateful beasts.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

A gardening day today. Hedge trimmer out and cutting back Teasles and pulling them out. The Teasles are close to the hives so I could also watch the girls who were working like mad things. The smaller colony of the two finally seems to have enough oomph to really forage as they should They seem to be heading out to the moors.

 

[TBRNoTB]

starting to plan my last extraction now - have to do some 'home working' on the next project I'm given I think (I can't believe I'm saying this but) aren't laptops and Blackberry smart phones great!

Obviously under employed, no wonder the government is reducing the civil? service

 

[pargyle]

A gardening day today. Hedge trimmer out and cutting back Teasles and pulling them out. The Teasles are close to the hives so I could also watch the girls who were working like mad things. The smaller colony of the two finally seems to have enough oomph to really forage as they should They seem to be heading out to the moors.

Oddly, my hives were surrounded with Teasels - we usually grow them for the finches to feed on but they haven't been seen this year. I too spent the morning cutting the tops off and pulling the stems out. I'm going to tie the seed heads up and dangle them somewhere in case the finches retunrn ,,, what do you use them for ?

 

[REDWOOD]

Obviously under employed, no wonder the government is reducing the civil? service

I wonder who employs SBI, a right mess our bees would be in without them

 

[simonrp]

Managed to dodge the rain and remove a super 11 frames all capped and nice and heavy.
I shall spin it out tomorrow.

 

[Headnavigator]

Pelting down today, and the bees are in and out like it was pure sunshine. What has got into them?

 

[madasafish]

Obviously under employed, no wonder the government is reducing the civil? service

there speaks someone braver than I.. (I've tweaked enough Welsh noses )

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

No, just too far up his own a*se to bother with

 

[Tremyfro]

Bin raining all day.....our girls out bringing the HM....all day. Even the nuc. Foraging mad ATM. Just waiting for the weather to settle...then the nuc will become a Hive 3.

 

[einsteinagogo]

Final hive moved from Apiary 2, to Out Apiary, I've left a nucleus, at Apiary 2, just to mop up any stragglers, although unlikely, today, it's wet, windy, no bees to be seen anywhere! I resisted the temptation to check any bees in the box before moving!

Yipee, I now only have a single out Apiary.....move and unite complete.

It's been hard graft, and heavy lifting of hives, supers, uniting over the past four days.

I'm glad it's done, it's very windy here this pm, and my new site, is quite sheltered from the wind, and the hives look very different on a sunny day, lots of activity compared to apiary 1 and 2.

Things to do....let bees settle for a week, and then replace floors, put back wet supers under BB, and apply MAQS for 7 days, and then start feeding Ambrosia, using ashworth/miller feeders.

and somewhere in between extract last of the three supers, and then start jarring....

clean down, floors, supers, bb, pack away, and start looking at the shopping list for BBs, Supers and frames from the Th*rnes sales in Oct!

Need to decide what to do with a small nuc, leave in nucleus over winter or move to full size national with dummy board and kingspan?

Oh, Note to Self - Update Beebase!

 

[Melbee]

Horrible here all day but the bees have still been flying. Made 6 strings of onions. They look great !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

the bees have still been flying. Made 6 strings of onions.

Wow! and i was chuffed with mine making a quarter of a ton of honey!

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Oddly, my hives were surrounded with Teasels - we usually grow them for the finches to feed on but they haven't been seen this year. I too spent the morning cutting the tops off and pulling the stems out. I'm going to tie the seed heads up and dangle them somewhere in case the finches retunrn ,,, what do you use them for ?

This was the first year of flowering I put them in for the fun of it and the possibility that they might give a little forage. I also like to have a dried flower arrangement or seed head arrangement. I have Allium heads in the house at the mo. The Teasles were enormous I had to tie them all together with a washing pole as a support. not sure that I will grow them again they blocked my path to a seat.

 

[pargyle]

This was the first year of flowering I put them in for the fun of it and the possibility that they might give a little forage. I also like to have a dried flower arrangement or seed head arrangement. I have Allium heads in the house at the mo. The Teasles were enormous I had to tie them all together with a washing pole as a support. not sure that I will grow them again they blocked my path to a seat.

Some of mine were 8' tall with about 10 heads on them .. we started off with just one about 5 years ago and this year they went berserk ... there's only about four or five seeded from last year so I might keep them and transplant them to the edge of the apiary rather than have them like a forest in front of the hives ... bees didn't seem to mind and were collecting water from the base of the leaves where it collects against the stem.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Moved two hives from Brynmair up to Carreg apiary - bees were not in a good mood at all - gave up on trying to remove all the straps (why on earth I was bothering, I don't know - I usually leave them settle for a week before fiddling around!), whipped out the foam from the entrances and scarpered. Next job, after removing supers is move Garn cottage hives back to Brynmair for thwe winter (not the best of places to overwinter and some work to be done moving stands etc.)
They're packing it in from somewhere - strong smell of honey around the hives and one of the hives I moved - from a nuc now building up - had a fair bit of weight to it.

 

[TBRNoTB]

No, just too far up his own a*se to bother with

JBM
I appreciate you may not want to bother with this reply but........
a) I enjoy reading your posts, informative and sometimes with a hint of humour.
b) My comment was somewhat tongue in cheek!
c) I suppose the truth hurts a little.
d) To comment on an open forum that I have little work to do and it can be done at home on my (presumably government provided laptop and blackberry) Was this intended to be a kick in the teeth to the rest of the hardworking real civil service? I would think they already know how far up your ar*e they would like to be.!

 

[Melbee]

Wow! and i was chuffed with mine making a quarter of a ton of honey!

very good JBM. You made my day !