What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Gilberdyke John]

I removed all inspection boards from hives, after OA (varrox) treatment last Saturday, heavy drops on two of the hives, as to be expected from two of the colonies. I could see by the debris left on the inspection board, lots of activity in all hives. One hive I spotted mouse droppings, not sure if the mouse is in the hive, as mouse guard is on, and last Saturday, the hive was treated with OA by vape-ing, so it's possible, the mouse is eating off the inspection board? Mouse droppings were not present, in my 14 days of monitoring before!

Not sure what OA vape-ing to a mouse would do?

Removed all hive straps, and hefted/weighed and recorded weights of all hives.

Removed roof (which have kingspan in roofs!).

I could clearly see all the colonies, clustered at the top of the bars, I could also check the frames of stores with a torch.

For insurance, and indicator I added a 2.5kg pack of ambrosia fondant to each hive, in an eke, cut a hole in the pack, and removed feeder cover (small piece of correx), and placed the sticky fondant cover back over the hole, checking it matched, and then pressed down the pack.

Closed up, and secured with hive straps.

Note to self, do not take car to apiary, car got stuck again reversing out of the gate!

Sounds like you need a 4x4 Andy

 

[Erichalfbee]

It might be......
From the BTO site re 2015 season
Nest recorder Mark Lucas has already reported his first clutch of Robin eggs in North Yorkshire via Twitter, found on the 9th January, beating the earliest record submitted to the BTO Nest Record Scheme by a fortnight. A pair of Mistle Thrush breeding in a Glasgow park were also flagged up on Twitter, the young having fledged in the last week.

 

[madasafish]

Our robins are too cold to even think of sex. -4.4C last night.. coldest night of the winter so far..

Bees doing what bees do when it's like this : nothing. So I'm staying in the workshop (eg cold draughty garage with a gas heater)

 

[Tremyfro]

Sunday morning visit

Checking on our bees to ensure they still had fondant. All three hives were staying in. No flying seen. We cleared the entrances....with the chopstick. We added more tubs of fondant to each hive as most had been gobbled up. Absolutely amazing how many bees were on the remaining pieces. We didn't disturb them just added the new takeaway containers alongside. The bees were on it straight away. In Hive 1 there was a thick layer of bees eating the fondant....it was lovely to see them...alive and well. It was a chance to observe them for a minute or two through the clear board. They were very active...no varroa seen on them. Oh I love my bees!

 

[beeno]

It might be......
From the BTO site re 2015 season
Nest recorder Mark Lucas has already reported his first clutch of Robin eggs in North Yorkshire via Twitter, found on the 9th January, beating the earliest record submitted to the BTO Nest Record Scheme by a fortnight. A pair of Mistle Thrush breeding in a Glasgow park were also flagged up on Twitter, the young having fledged in the last week.

Well, there we are then! Thanks ErichA. I have put some bread crumbs out for them this morning. It did not take them long to find the stash, but there is obviously other food around as they did not take much. Maybe they don't like it dry?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Our Robins take sunflower hearts and suet pellets from our hands. Bread is completely ignored. Crows, Magpies and rats will take anything.

 

[Nige.Coll]

Checked fondant tubs only had to change one.
Took pictures through the OMF as no bees flying and saw nothing alarming.
Didn't see the cluster as there is a super below the brood box on most of them. A late flow caught me out a little.
Saw capped stores in the brood frames on the hive I changed the fondant tub on. Others hadn't eaten much fondant at all.

Wished them well and told them i'll pop in next month lol.

 

[REDWOOD]

When I was a kid (not long ago) My mother would give me some beef dripping to mix with wild bird seed, most of our feathered friends seemed to like it

 

[Hivemaker.]

-4.4C last night.. coldest night of the winter so far..

I thought there could of been a frost around our area last night, the way the weather guessers were talking on the BBC, but it never went down to freezing.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Still 2 inches of snow here and ice where trodden down Below freezing most of the day and night. Looked out of my upstairs sitting room window at the snow on the hives. worked up the energy to spread grit on the icy pavement outside the house and clear my drive. What is it like in Lincolnshire? Anyone!

 

[BrianO]

Baltic Here !!!

Full moon ... Clear Sky heavy frost...

Whacked on fondant onto 2 hives , other 2 to feed this week, all seem to be doing well .... Dare I dream of getting all four through my first winter !!!

 

[yeogi75]

weather fine here in Leicester sprinkle of snow, blue tits making the hole bigger in nesting box and seen a dove carrying sticks here's hoping winter has ended itching to sort out my hives and move to a better area.

 

[richardbees]

Bitterly cold again and my light colony hasn't been up into the fondant over the feed hole for the last week.
So I flattened 1.5 kg of fondant onto an 18" sq sheet of thick clingfilm, lifted the crownboard, smoked lightly and pressed it down onto the top bars. It takes steady pressure for a couple of minutes to force it down between the bars enough to be able to replace the crownboard..... leaving the clingfilm on as extra insulation.
Richard

 

[Erichalfbee]

Lambs in the fields here

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Lambs in the fields here

As a lad I recall sitting up all night and having to walk round the fields every hour with a torch to find ewes that were lambing in the frost and snow, then bring them in to the foldyard. Bees stayed indoors until weeks later in the year. Bloody cold!

 

[madasafish]

-4.6C overnight.
Snow still on fields and lawn.
Snowdrops are out - covered by snow.

Don't expect to see a flying bee for at least a week given forecast.

No fondant so far.. Usually I leave enough honey to avoid feeding. (I'm mean like that)..

 

[pargyle]

Very cold and a smattering of snow in the Costa del Fareham - panic will set in on the roads ~ it doesn't take much snow down here to bring the place to a standstill - The locals are just not used to it !

 

[Pete D]

-4.6C overnight.
No fondant so far.. Usually I leave enough honey to avoid feeding. (I'm mean like that)..

I too am mean like that, I take the honey as its worth more than the feed .... I'll get my coat......

 

[madasafish]

I too am mean like that, I take the honey as its worth more than the feed .... I'll get my coat......

Insufferable pedant

 

[For want of a better word]

Snow... quite rare in the usually sub tropical Tamar valley!