What did you do in the Apiary today?

[BILL.HEARD]

Noted today bees working the white clover for nectar and pollen, must be some moisture in the ground. Bramble will start in a couple of weeks down here and the Lime also, but this rarely gives a good flow.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Found 2 emerged QCs on the "anchor brood" of an AS (transferred back to the virgin side) as I checked the virgin side. Saw the survivor plus BIAS and no swarm on the Q+ side so I got away with one there. Very sloppy.

 

[Obee1]

Got a call from security guard at OH work to say the swarm was back there. Not possible as I moved them 10 miles. We did leave some fliers behind on Thursday evening as the site shut at 6pm. Went over this morning to find a little clump of bees in same spot as before - photo attached. The original swarm was covering the concrete lump. The second one dangled below. Popped them in a travel nuc, brought them home and dumped them in with the original mob who are now in a ploy national brood box. Maybe the queen was in the second lot. Haven't managed to spot her yet. They have drawn 6 frames of foundation in 24 hours so even if they abscond I'm a happy bunny. Really need a stock of drawn comb.

 

[einsteinagogo]

Went to the apiary this evening to check up, suited but only with jacket and nitriles on, and I felt a sting on my calf muscle, I thought it was a stinging nettle, and saw one of one my the little girls stinging me!

Oh well!

 

[Minxpinx]

United two small swarms that I collected a few weeks ago.
Found sealed brood in my apidea - very chuffed... Not that I need another queen at the moment...

 

[deanrpwaacs]

Helped at my mentors apiary today . Checked on an over marked queen (slip of the brush ) and she was fine . Found and marked another queen . Took 4 supers and extracted 50 odd lb . Then returned them to be cleaned and filled again .

 

[Goran]

Extracted partially honey, tomorrow will finish. Awesome honey, beautiful aroma.. In buckets is black, when in a jar brown.
My head is like baloon..

 

[Duckduck]

Noted today bees working the white clover for nectar and pollen, must be some moisture in the ground. Bramble will start in a couple of weeks down here and the Lime also, but this rarely gives a good flow.

Wild Blackberry has started flowering here.

 

[protheroe]

Blackberry starting here too.I am glad because I am feeding a lot of hives with no stores at the moment

 

[Summerslease]

That's good news Duckduck. But where is 'here'?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

That's good news Duckduck. But where is 'here'?

Over by there

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

For those who have forgotten or never knew, beekeeping as an incompetent is REALLY HARD. Buckybeast was bearding like mad so panic inspection in light drizzle. Flyers everywhere but just tolerated (thank you, Pete!). No QCs in the 2BBs but no immature brood either. Sure enough, upstairs in the Demaree, laying up all that drone comb I have separated out to use in honey boxes. So now I have to find her.

 

[Obee1]

For those who have forgotten or never knew, beekeeping as an incompetent is REALLY HARD. Buckybeast was bearding like mad so panic inspection in light drizzle. Flyers everywhere but just tolerated (thank you, Pete!). No QCs in the 2BBs but no immature brood either. Sure enough, upstairs in the Demaree, laying up all that drone comb I have separated out to use in honey boxes. So now I have to find her.

Lots of ideas on how to find elusive queen on my thread about requeening my angry hive!

 

[Roola]

Buckybeast was bearding like mad

sounds like an ex girlfriend of mine....

 

[Cussword]

Checked the swarm I picked up on Wednesday. All six frames in the Maisie nuc drawn, eggs, & a beautiful orange, green marked queen.

Happy bunny

 

[Erichalfbee]

Drone queen laying in brood half of Modified Snelgrove found and squashed.
Bees being reunited to their original queen.
Will sort the frames out on Wednesday

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Lots of ideas on how to find elusive queen on my thread about requeening my angry hive!

Yes: we are both discussing regicide over by there. So today I found my suspect Q using methods discussed. Colony of course behaved magnificently, but had to ignore that and thought of how it would be if I put it through Buckybeast's ordeal (to follow). So it was the Ann Boleyn treatment; sad, my first increase colony. United to an AS nuc from colony 2A that has gone nuts: great little Q deserves a trial in 4 boxes.

The Q of Buckybeast luckily showed up in the Demaree brood (she could also have been in 2 honey boxes below it) but only after a messy filtering. Amazing how few bees die on these occasions. They were not impressed but took it like troupers. I grabbed her by the wings and offered her up at the entrance. All seemed good on the reintroduction ("Daughters, this is your mom") so hopefully she is there in a week. One way to Demaree, I suppose. Not recommended.

 

[Goran]

Finished extraction of honeydew at tropical heat..

 

[Jimmys Mum]

Drone queen laying in brood half of Modified Snelgrove found and squashed.
Bees being reunited to their original queen

Same here with one of mine. Not a drone layer, the new queen just vanished! Confirmed absent with a test frame. Will reunite with the original BF queen, one of Petes from last year so no problem with that!

One of my already reunited modified snelgrove hives is full of queen cells again just 2 weeks after the unite. The newly mated queen is still there and laying well but it looks like I underestimated how crowded the unite would make them. Presumably it is what tipped them into swarm mode again. The others all seem fine. Here we go again.....

Clipped and marked 3 new queens blue - just need to see how their temperament pans out now.

Oh and found that I have had a small swarm take up residence in a brand new hive - Open mesh floor and squeaky clean. A nice surprise as not from my hives.

 

[Anduril]

Just finished extending my out apiary with 4 posts sunk 2 1/2 feet down, 8 feet apart and sheep fencing in place. Apiary now twice the size.