What did you do in the Apiary today?

[oliver90owner]

tonybloke,

if you switch the drill on,.....

I know, but the big 'andle on the top of mine is a better target than that fiddly dial type button thingy on the drill 'trigger'.......when the machine starts 'waltzing' around the room. If it can happen... and all that.

Actually I would even prefer a remote controller, so separated from the machine drum. Just can't get it for the price, I suppose.

I have thought of the 'out of balance control' on the washing machine spin function - an immediate reduction of speed, on sensing excessive vibration, followed by a steady increase to maximum revs (after a slow tumble to even out the load). If they can do that for a washing machine it must be possible to do something for a honey spinner!

Regards, RAB

 

[tonybloke]

yes mate, but at what cost?
I'd have liked to have enough money for one with a fully reversible, variable speed motor, along with an automatic uncapper, etc,..................

 

[wondervet]

Things are looking up. After a horrible 6 weeks of grumpy bees, minimal nectar and precious little laying I had a brief survey yesterday and they were transformed! After a bit of rain all foraging in orderly fashion instead of robbing each other and fighting me. When opened hives it's like they've been sedated. Hurrah.

 

[victor meldrew]

There's no need for owt fancy
Try a little recycling !

Note the control on my extractor started life as a fan controller (no not a bouncer).
It is attached to the extractor for my convenience but could easily be used remotely via a length of flex .
These things needn't cost the earth or a degree in electro mechanical engineering

John Wilkinson

 

[MrB]

He also delivered one of those extractors to me yesterday!!

Looks a nice machine!
just make sure the drill is not in Hammer mode!!

 

[YorkshireBees]

Collected 6th swarm of the year, small to medium but then again it had been up a tree 2-3days before being dislodged by the wind / rain and landing in someones back garden. They had taken shelter on the underside of a piece of wood lent against the back of the garage.
Decided to boost the failing colony (Q-) I have so sprayed both the bees in the hive and the swarm with some water mixed with a couple of drops of lemon grass oil and dump the swarm into the hive.
Replaced the frames and closed up and then watched the entrance for 5-10mins to see if there was much fighting. Seemed to work, only a couple of bees seemed to object to each other.

 

[BearChief]

got attacked by my nasty bees!

 

[nosmoking]

Transferred my nuc into their top bar hive this morning. Bit scary on my own but all seems to have gone well. Didn't see the Queen but will have another look in a few days. Fed with 1 pint of 1-1 just to help them along and hopefully settle them down. It's 6 hours ago and they are flying well and bringing in pollen still. Weather on the turn to rain and wind so I hope they enjoy their new home. What a buzz! Any helpful advice for tbh keeping welcome. Oh! and one more thing...... no stings!

 

[jallen]

cheacked all 3 hives all in good order

 

[Headnavigator]

Gave my two recently Q- colonies some more feed and resisted the temptation to do an inspection to give the new (or newly-mated) Virgins some peace. Pollen going into the dark hive like mad, wasps into the swarmiolan hive, so put the reduced entrance blocks on both. Dark hive very peaceable, swarmiolans pretty mad and followy as usual recently. Will take the opportunity to requeen them with something better if they haven't come good by the end of the week.

 

[drstitson]

whilst inspecting my nucs this morning the last to emerge (and mate) had brood and eggs present but also a supercedure cell which had obviously been started not long after HM started to lay.

unfortunately this was fused to some brace comb and so burst on removing frames - fairly well on queen present - pigmented front and legs and creamy abdomen. actively moving.

whisked her into the r-com incubator along with the duck eggs and quickly set up a mating nuc. unfortunately not around for 5 days so gave them a good while in dark and cool and then have just introduced the queen. will get the door opened in morning.

worth a shot i thought - if she dies will just put the bees back in donor hive.

 

[psafloyd]

On a trip to the US, so didn't have much time to sort out bees.

Back into the second colony and this is all drone. Couldn't find queen, but quite chilly and I didn't hang around too long. Have placed a test frame in here from my strong swarm (colony 3).

Had checked colony 3 before and doing well, drawing additional frames of foundation. Only problem is they've decided to use a gap at the back of the floor rather than the entrance, so I'll resolve that once I get back.

Colony 1, however, is a pain. Going great guns and there is clearly a flow on again, probably bramble. However, rather than drawing the new foundation I put on last week in a new super, they have braced between the frames and made a hell of a mess.

Ok, I suppose I can see an argument for the spacers above castellations, but it a frustration. Still,it is their choice.

I suppose I should not have put the super below the others, even though some advocate this. I thought it would be warmer and Hereford ease the production of wax. Instead they have made some (beautiful, but small) combs between the frames in this super and started filling them. It will be one to destroy in the future, but as I had to get to Heathrow, I swapped the supers and as soon as I exposed the QE, all hell broke loose.

I beat a hasty retreat and let them simmer down. After 10 or 15 minutes, I went back and quickly reassembled the supers, placing this newest one on top.

As soon as the supers go back on they start calming, but they are more than a little feisty.

Only one sting, but inner thigh, about two inches from the fruit bowl. Could have been nasty. Not too sore, but up like a 50p today, though not itchy.

An advice for recovering the mucky super, do let me know, and I'll see how bad it is next weekend.

 

[oliver90owner]

Just a few Qs.

Back into the second colony and this is all drone

Position and number of eggs in cells, laying pattern, time scale, colony history should indicate a DLQ?

they have braced between the frames

What spacing/how many frames per super is causing this problem?

A suggestion to avoid the super problem.

Alternate foundation with well drawn frames from the other supers?

Probably scrape the wax back to the septum and let them start again, or simply start afresh with new foundation.

Regards, RAB

 

[nematode]

my first artificial swarm

On inspection I found three closed queen cells and I could not find the queen. This should mean she has gone but I did not think there was a massive drop in bee numbers and she had been laying only a few days ago. This combined with bad weather and the fact that I very rarely see the old girl, I did and artificial swarm without finding the queen. I just need to finish the job and split the boxes tomorrow.

 

[psafloyd]

RAB,

Laying pattern of this colony has been good, but it looks to be all drone. Not great, but not really patchy, and the eggs are deposited at the bottom of the cells. I think she may be scratch queen raised when I split double brood but couldn't find the queen.

As for the dodgy bracing, it is in a 10 frame super, so not as spaced as 9. Will do as you advise, but as first year and haven't taken any honey off yet, I don't have any other comb yet.

I suppose they needed space, thought the foundation was hard work (despite being brand new KBS) and made their own. Will check next weekend when I am back from Washington.

Just a few Qs.

Back into the second colony and this is all drone

Position and number of eggs in cells, laying pattern, time scale, colony history should indicate a DLQ?

they have braced between the frames

What spacing/how many frames per super is causing this problem?

A suggestion to avoid the super problem.

Alternate foundation with well drawn frames from the other supers?

Probably scrape the wax back to the septum and let them start again, or simply start afresh with new foundation.

Regards, RAB

 

[itchyhives]

Extacted 40lbs of honey using my new giordan honey spinner, dead easy compared to the old 2 framer I was using.....well pleased. Thats 85lbs from my best hive so far this year, happy days.

 

[jezshim]

Just checked my first swarm that I caught that was re hived 2 weeks ago, found queen and lots of brood, happy now, still feeding and all looks well.

 

[madasafish]

Inspected all 5 hives. Two swarms in warres doing well, two splits full of broood and one TBH from last year growing.

Doing remarkably well given the lousy cold and wet May and June we have had. I'm feeding 4 out of 5 as all stores exhausted early June.

Sunny day for a change - lots of pollen and nectar coming in.

 

[milkermel]

not strictly in the apiary but finally got around to making markers for my hives so the girls dont get confused and know which house is theirs!!! (I am only joking btw!)

5 hives and getting muddled too often so with some of my travis perkins specials and my chop saw I made stick in markers which I have numbers and dipped in varnish several times.

Actually quite pleased with them! Hope the girls like them! think they will look better than milk bottle tops!

 

[Bees Plus]

Cleared a new space in my orchard ready for some new hives later this week.
Strimmed for two hours and my hands are buzzing.