What did you do in the Apiary today?

[bpmurray]

After a few weeks of easily incensed bees, checked the hives and they were like pussy cats. Amazing what a couple of warm days will do!

On the down side, one of my out hives swarmed - I must have missed an extra queen cell. The guy who lives next door told me they were sitting on a bush in his garden, but he just didn't bother calling me! One of the local beeks told me his sister bumped into them as they crossed the motorway en route to a new and better life. His quote was "what a mess!" which I quite understand - a car doing 120kph hitting a few thousand bees would probably need a wash afterwards.

 

[beeno]

Hi Tim,
Wait until 1400 hrs all the angry foragers are then foraging that also helps.

 

[jonnybeegood]

Ok this is for yesterday. Checked 3 hives i hadnt checked for 10 days, capped Q cells in all 3! None swarmed yet, funny how some books seem to say they will swarm before cells are sealed. Anyway, all now sorted with the nuc method. I had to add an extra super to two hives, lots of honey coming in but only just starting to get capped.

 

[pargyle]

Ok this is for yesterday. Checked 3 hives i hadnt checked for 10 days, capped Q cells in all 3! None swarmed yet,

Are you absolutely SURE ? ... What evidence - marked queens still there ?

 

[jonnybeegood]

Are you absolutely SURE ? ... What evidence - marked queens still there ?

Yes all marked queens still there

 

[pargyle]

Yes all marked queens still there

Sometimes you just get lucky !!

 

[jonnybeegood]

Sometimes you just get lucky !!

All 5 of my hives had sealed q cells in them, some had several, i couldnt do a weekly check due to the weather, none swarmed, maybe its my bees didnt want to leave their lovely home

 

[Erichalfbee]

The same weather that kept you out kept them in.

 

[Swarm]

The same weather that kept you out kept them in.

 

[Newtobees]

Came home from work and had a look at two empty 14x12 poly nucs that had been sitting on top of each other in a shady corner in the garden and found what looks like a small cast swarm. Sitting under the top one lifted top nuc up and then took the lid off the other one gave the two boxes a tap together and there all fell in. Looks to small for the nuc so will dummy it down with three frames and a piece of Kingspan and give it a feed in the morning if they are still there, and leave them to it.

 

[einsteinagogo]

My First Swarm of the Year!

My First Swarm of the Year!

now lets' just call it "non-managed" colony living in the fabric of a listed building at work, organisation *will not* kill them, because it goes against biodiversity plan, and encouraging insects, honey bees and bees to the flora and fauna around the site which is planted, and also the embryonic apiary (no bees just bait hives on roofs of buildings, to try and encourage bees to go into bait hives, and not the listed building fabirc!).

Friday 8th May,

lots of activity around the bait hive

Monday 11th May

Prime swarm left, it did not settle in the area for collection, and did not make it to bait hives.

Friday 23rd May

My Beekeeping friend at work bagged two cast swarms, approx 4 frames each. (he did lose two colonies over the winter due to mice, and wind moving his hives, enough for mice to get in!) - So only fair!

Today - he reported to me, their was a tiny cast again, at the site, easy to retrieve....(but he didn't think worth it!).



I went to look, and I could not just leave them there, they may not come to anything, but I have the equipment (spare apideas), could be a good queen, maybe good genes..... time will tell

I measured the amount of bees, just short of 300ml!

They are in an Apidea now!

 

[BrianO]

Nice surmise NTBees !

Opened hive on brood send half, healthy no QC's , only checking top , have moved into super put on a week ago. Great to see so much capped healthy brood and new eggs.

Other week hive, still feeding, brood increasing, might make a decent size yet,

Though weather to turn bad so that will stall them again

 

[dpearce4]

sorted out the mess that has been my beekeeping this year. I now have 32 colonies with more on the way. All hives have been ASed, well the ones that haven't swarmed, all with horsley boards. so I have now got 20 colonies with double broods with queens waiting to emerge and mate to then replace all queens in the lower boxes.

run out of kit, got some building to do again. was only going to increase to 30 looks like it will be 40 now. Beefarmers here I come lol

 

[YorkshireBees]

Spent 2 days going through all my hives + Nucs after a week away!

Despite the vast number of calls that I received about swarms it appears I've been lucky and so far none of mine have gone!

It's amazing though the difference between colonies in the same apiary, some only just started on their 1st super and then I have this one!

 

[jonnybeegood]

Spent 2 days going through all my hives + Nucs after a week away!

Despite the vast number of calls that I received about swarms it appears I've been lucky and so far none of mine have gone!

It's amazing though the difference between colonies in the same apiary, some only just started on their 1st super and then I have this one!

Wow, i thought i was doing well with 3 supers but maybe if they hadnt had to draw foundation in all of them it might be different. Roll on next year having drawn comb ready.

 

[madasafish]

Dug a big hole to burn all infected frames in.

 

[dpearce4]

Dug a big hole to burn all infected frames in.

really not good. dare I ask what for

 

[dpearce4]

Spent 2 days going through all my hives + Nucs after a week away!

Despite the vast number of calls that I received about swarms it appears I've been lucky and so far none of mine have gone!

It's amazing though the difference between colonies in the same apiary, some only just started on their 1st super and then I have this one!

I don't have enough supers to have any colonies with that number on.

I have to limit them to 3 each this year and have to spend some serious money in September in the sales.

 

[jonnybeegood]

Spent 2 days going through all my hives + Nucs after a week away!

Despite the vast number of calls that I received about swarms it appears I've been lucky and so far none of mine have gone!

It's amazing though the difference between colonies in the same apiary, some only just started on their 1st super and then I have this one!

What are they on to raise that many supers this early?

 

[maddydog]

What are they on to raise that many supers this early?

Gotta be osr, I've got a couple of colonies with four supers. Steady build up through spring then have really taken off in last couple of weeks. Drawn comb helps enormously