What did you do in the Apiary today?

[jonnybeegood]

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

Yes, i hear people say about getting honey in your second year beekeeping & i am getting quite a bit hopefully, but already looking forward to my third next year using drawn comb instead of foundation.

 

[Obee1]

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

That's a lot of colonies! How many sites do you have them on?

Obee

 

[dpearce4]

they are on 2 sites.

 

[Minxpinx]

New things

Yesterday I went through my home hives, was pleased to see eggs and capped brood in my swarms I picked up and in the AS I made. I wore nitrile gloves for the first time and really liked them. I also clipped a queen's wings for the first time.
Also optimistically painted some more supers!

 

[YorkshireBees]

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.

It's a strange Spring so far, some colonies are barely filling the 1st super whilst a few have between 4-6 Supers on and filling fast.
Some honey has already chrystalised in the frames yet no frames are capped or anywhere near being ready to take off and extract!

And as others have said drawn comb in supers is like gold dust in terms of honey production! Although I do like to add a couple of frames of foundation into each super so that the wax producers have something to do.

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.

I don't either, luckily (in some ways) only a few colonies are this strong atm and so I haven't run short of supers yet! I would like to get some off and extracted as soon as it's ready as I really can't reach any higher and the ground next to the hives is a bit too un-even for a step!

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

As per the other answer, mainly OSR but also black thorn, dandelions and now hawthorn / horse chestnut etc.
They are not as near to OSR as last year.

 

[Firefly]

Some honey has already chrystalised in the frames yet no frames are capped or anywhere near being ready to take off and extract!

...and some of the uncapped honey runs out of the cells without even shaking

 

[jonnybeegood]

I am hoping to extract two supers at least on saturday, they were starting to cap some & there were do drops from shaking with others & they hadnt gone solid, i have ordered a refractometer so i will check before extracting but i think theyre ready. Hopefully!

 

[bontbee]

Dug a big hole to burn all infected frames in.

That is such a grim task. Here's to a good summer with your remaining stocks.

 

[dpearce4]

I am hoping to extract two supers at least on saturday, they were starting to cap some & there were do drops from shaking with others & they hadnt gone solid, i have ordered a refractometer so i will check before extracting but i think theyre ready. Hopefully!

took 14 supers off today and all uncapped but set solid. looks like the warming cabinet will get a battering over the next week to get it runny again.

 

[einsteinagogo]

took 14 supers off today and all uncapped but set solid. looks like the warming cabinet will get a battering over the next week to get it runny again.

what temperature will be setting the warming cab. to, to melt the honey, but not melt the wax, 39-40 degrees C ?

 

[Swinton apiaries]

Collected a swarm from a gutter this afternoon sadly queen was dead as all the rain this morning had Drowned her but at least the bus stop can now be used again given frame of brood and will requeen in a few days all other hives going well

 

[dpearce4]

what temperature will be setting the warming cab. to, to melt the honey, but not melt the wax, 39-40 degrees C ?

will risk 42c as the wax melts at 62c give it 24hrs then see if its melted if not give it another 24hrs

 

[jonnybeegood]

Extracted two supers today they werent full but some was capped & no drips with the drip test, checked with the Refractometer & it was %15, managed 10 litres & its beautiful

 

[Tim.S]

It had to happen. Missed a qc last week and one of my hives has swarmed as usual into the highest branch of the surrounding trees. Honestly I go to the trouble of giving them a box to live in and this is how they treat me...............

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Mourned, almost certainly

Got to the apiary for the first time since Monday and the entrance on one of my mating nucs was closed!! I hunted for HRH/HM to no avail, and no evidence of her at all except a HUGE emerged QC. The entrance was very loose and I fear that during a mating flight it might have got turned with HM outside. I live in hope but it doesn't look good. No mind; a learning experience and her sister in the Apidea is fine, after a traumatic morning sifting out drones in a sort of comb-change type of operation (so I can put the QE over the entrance).

In normal business, renewed Buckybeast's Demaree (and got seriously attacked including a full belt to the inner thigh and to the forearm; funny how they have their moods) and reunited the colony I ASed 5 weeks ago (new queen to prove herself in a nuc and of the right line to replace the 2014 F1 Buckfast I now have serious concerns over).

 

[einsteinagogo]

we had a huge thunderstorm and lightening yesterday afternoon approx 5.30pm, power went off, and many drones got caught outside, and died. (works not letting them in the hive!) Plants at the allotment had holes in, and the ground was white, it looked like it had snowed!

Sun was out today, but very cold wind, and no bees flying, so decided to halt inspections today.

Put out my Apidea today, in my "apidea apiary" which is away from my out-apiary, I open the door this evening, and one bee flew out, stayed out for 15 minutes and returned to the apidea, it was quite wonderful to watch, one bee leaving and return, after being shut in for 4 days. They have quite a lot of fondant left, I've been spraying twice a day, and they are drawing comb, I've been checking them every day, but now removing the clear cover board.

So now I'll keep away, and watch from a distance, give it two weeks....must make a note to check fondant levels....

 

[alldigging]

Was baking hot here yesterday in Oldham but as I was at Norton Priory at the Healthy bee day event I missed it! Had a fantastic day though!

 

[Cazza]

Glad of the rain today. Took off some honey early this morning, now having a well earned rest, without the usual guilty feelings that I should be beekeeping or gardening.
Cazza

 

[Laz]

Was baking hot here yesterday in Oldham but as I was at Norton Priory at the Healthy bee day event I missed it! Had a fantastic day though!

Me too, have emailed Lesley to say how much I enjoyed it, came home, complete change & thorough scrub up, out and inspected my hive everything ticketyboo!

 

[jonnybeegood]

What a day! I had 3 hives to check to remove all Q cells except one in each hive, 6 days ago there were no sealed Q cells so i thought as its nice today i will check them a day early instead of wait 7 days. They clearly hadnt read the books! I thought if Q cells were uncapped when you leave them you have at least 7 days until they hatch?
Two of my hives had freshly hatched Queens & in one of those there were 3 cells together, one had hatched & gone, the other two cells were hatching together, i was gutted, as i videod one hatching in my hand & running up my arm & its come out blurred :-(
Now its the waiting game for them all.