What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Obee1]

After a thorough inspection of both hives we find that the original queen has died. There were capped queen cells and no visible uncapped brood so she must have popped her clogs at least a few days ago.

I've ordered a new queen which will arrive in two or three days time. When she turns up I plan to go through the queenless hive, kill any emerged queens and destroy any remaining queen cells and introduce the new queen in her cage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5JUpjGDYMg

Wouldn't it be much easier to kill queen cells before they hatch rather than hunt for virgins amongst all those bees?

 

[Tonyatcwfarm]

all test frames showing Q cells,Im not surpised I cant get a queen mated in this 4 seasons in a week weather we have had the last 6 weeks
Beginning to think strong colonies coming out of winter is not something positive as I was forced into A/S the 3 strong colonies in april and these 3 failed to get the new Q mated
Looks like iv a week of combining ahead

 

[bpmurray]

Moved the drone-laying colony about 20m away from the stand, put a new hive on. IN a couple of hours, most of them had moved in. Put a nuc above a sheet of newspaper and now I wait!

 

[einsteinagogo]

Wouldn't it be much easier to kill queen cells before they hatch rather than hunt for virgins amongst all those bees?

+1

 

[Cussword]

Called out to check a "definite" swarm of honeybees. Very happy bumbles in a bird box.:

 

[einsteinagogo]

What did I do today, made more 20 x brood frames and a few super frames, made up clearer boards, when rhombus escapes arrived from Simon the Beekeeper, I just used what I had, so crown boards with port escape holes, closed one off with correx and drawing pins, and then pinned rhombus escapes underneath, and I'll use a 3/4" eke. I've done this before with success, it keeps the amount of kit down. I don't use porter escapes!

Sorted through stock, took down three supers to apiary, with fresh foundation, 3 supers with comb, cleaned and prepared extractor for extraction.

Weather today is very warm, cloudy, but very cold wind, and very windy. But, I must get down, and prepare the colonies to remove supers on hive, as the OSR is over.

At the apiary very few bees flying today...I thought I was going to be encountering feisty bees, but infact there were quite pleasant despite, the cold windy weather. - This surprised me! Removed all the hive straps.

Little smoke at entrance, to tell them I was here, I levered up 2/3 supers, with hive tool above QX, and a little puff of smoke. Removed 2/3 supers in one hit, dropped on new super, clearer board, and dropped back 2/3 supers.

They are heavy, not sure I would be able to lift 4 supers...

Will return later and see if the supers have cleared, as I have clear "crown boards", otherwise I will leave overnight, and take off tomorrow morning.

I also noticed in one super, under the acrylic cover, drone brood, not seen this before, do I have a DLQ, has the queen got up into the super? Will we see check later.

Checked the apidea, bees flying well. It has been seven days, since the apidea was sited and opened!

and then received this email....

American Foul Brood found within our area. (County of East Riding of Yorkshire)!

Oh dear!

Posted it here

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=482997&posted=1#post482997

 

[deanrpwaacs]

Went to check on the hive that we were going to move so i can keep it as my own first colony . We were hoping that the queen would have gone out and mated . All was not good with the hive . No sign of a queen . No eggs or new brood . . We then checked the other 6 hives . Plenty of supers ready to come off . Clearers added . We then checked on the two nucs that we put swarms into and they are both booming with strong laying queens that we marked . It was decided that i can have one of these so tonight we will lock one down and shift it to my hive site first thing .

 

[Hachi]

Time to take supers off so geared up for that and completed that task having put on clearer boards to the design on here.

Also geared up for nasty hive who have held my landlady hostage in her own home since yesterday so a bit of quick positive action was required to save my out apiary, at least for now. So clearer board on to reduce the weight of the hive when I go back tonight to hump a heavy BB over rough terrain to the truck. Forgot to remove the entrance block from the side of the entrance and so they'll be out like the flight of the Valkrie when I remove that to block up the entrance... oh well you live and learn.

Looks like I will need to find another out apiary, the landlady cant be treated like that and shouldn't be so its probably time to seek out an alternative location. Shame really it was the best apiary (all but one Freefall )

Going to attempt to build single stands now from timber from a building site that was destined for a bonfire.

 

[JustAddBees]

Installed my first ever bees into my home built TBH!!!

 

[einsteinagogo]

Installed my first ever bees into my home built TBH!!!

Are you Monty Don ?

 

[einsteinagogo]

Went back to check if bees had left the supers - NO!

rhombus clearer boards put on at 1.00pm, bees not moved down, 5 hours later, maybe the high winds and cold, is stopping them move!

Will check again in a few hours, and then check them tomorrow morning.

 

[Falesh]

Yesterday we went through the hive that had lost its queen and, hopefully, got rid of all the queen cells. That way there shouldn't be any queens to usurp the Buckfast one we added today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxb6HCk6UBg

 

[Erichalfbee]

Are you Monty Don ?

Longmeadow is in the Welsh Marches.......now who do we know here in the Marches?

 

[Goran]

Something give nectar a lot, bees are not on water even temps are above 30C.. I suspect honedew from deciduous trees, also saw them a lot on wild blackberries, lime almost to open..
From beginning of my beekeeping never had such "proper" season.. There are no dearths between three forages till now ( spring, black locust, lime). I am nearing to 2tons of honey ( even I am less for 11 excellent colonies from spring). When I was extracting BL honey left me nice 11 colonies to compare.. I got from these about 350kg of honey.

 

[Swarm]

Things sound sweet in Croatia.

 

[youngyoungs]

Built brood frames at the NCBKA training apiary, and shared my own version of Simon Rimmer's ginger flapjacks before returning home to inspect my own bees. Old queens hard to find, new queens impossible to spot. Swarm I caught in the middle of the week is still in its nuc whereas the rest of my hives look like they are preparing to leave. They were not impressed by the lateness of the inspection hour, so I'll finish off the rest tomorrow.......

 

[Goran]

Things sound sweet in Croatia.

Yes, just to prices don't give bitter taste.. Will see.

 

[Hachi]

Just in from moving the nasty bee's. Lets hope they settle a bit.

 

[JustAddBees]

Are you Monty Don ?

Not guilty.

Sent from my HTC One mini using Tapatalk

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Declared war on my F1 Buckfast colony. Slowish build up, poor laying pattern and a vile temper. Inserted 2 QEs (among 4 National deeps) prior to Game of Thrones in a week.

<ADD> Oh and more pleasurably, given that Buckfast daughters seem to be iffy, grafted a couple of larvae off my "mongrel" line to keep the Apideas ticking over and options open.</ADD>