What did you do in the Apiary today?

[nantmoel]

Photos please! Sounds very nice.

Never thought to take any, I will take some next time I go up my brothers. It was a pleasure putting it all back together. Its the same extractor that we had years ago. The electronic had been 'botch' a little but I sorted them out, only run on speed No. 4 thats fast enough empty, it goes up to 10.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Added a 3rd super on a hive that has built up from a Nuc made in April!

Then painting poly hives most of the day.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Added a 3rd super on a hive that has built up from a Nuc made in April!

Then painting poly hives most of the day.

Pah! just put another super on a hive - queen mated mid June and colony on mostly foundation.
Rushed around the association apiary this morning, shut up a hived nuc sold on to one of our beginners (at a stupidly ow price before you ask!), checked a few of the other nucs - two had nice QC's in which should emerge by the end of the week, another packed full of eggs (also two frames BIAS) so will be picked up by another beginner next week and probably a couple of dead losses from earlier on in the season. Did a few inspections with the beginners and got stung on the nose (my fault for pushing veil close to face to check for eggs!) Then home for lunch, quick wash and change before loading the car and driving to Llanelwedd to put in my entries for this week's National Honey show. Just hoping now they cook the judges egg to his liking in the morning!!

 

[einsteinagogo]

Dressed up in two bee suits, leather gauntlets and took the petrol strimmer down to the apiary to cut the grass, I thought I was going to be in for trouble this evening....

other than hive, where there were clustered outside, they all went in, and another colony, they all came out, to see what the noise was, I wasn't bothered at all....

and then the petrol ran out....and I only got half done, it was hot wearing two suites!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Dressed up in two bee suits,

Why two beesuits - i don't geddit - why not just put an extra layer of clothing on under your one beesuit.

 

[einsteinagogo]

Why two beesuits - i don't geddit - why not just put an extra layer of clothing on under your one beesuit.

I don't own anything else other than thin t-shirts and thin summer trousers. (and bees easy sting me through my trousers...!) - it's true....

and to be honest with you, I don't like wearing many layers close to my skin, e.g. I don't own a jumper, tank top, or cardigan.

So I wear my full bee suit without veil, and just wear a jacket with veil on top.

It works for me, despite being hot, but I don't notice, until taking it off!

bur clearly not needed today!

 

[Anduril]

Sorted out my killer bees done in 2 parts over the week (well they did cover me head to toe) Farmer is now happy, luckily he has a sense of humour. One of his dogs got chased back to the farmhouse. I dressed up in polo shirt, lumberjack shirt (lined for winter), hoodie, 2 pairs of jeans, bee suit, wrist sweatbands and gaiters over the boots. The bees were really nasty in the air, the sound was deafening and the alarm pheremone was really pungent. No stings to the leather gloves as I had nitrile gloves over them. Should be OK in a few weeks time.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Then home for lunch, quick wash and change before loading the car and driving to Llanelwedd to put in my entries for this week's National Honey show. Just hoping now they cook the judges egg to his liking in the morning!!

I'm going tomorrow. When's the judging? Good luck E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'm going tomorrow. When's the judging? Good luck E

Judging this morning, I'll be there tomorrow and Thursday - doing the 12 'til 3 stint at the WBKA stand both days - we're down in the forestry area this year with our new partners Coed Cadw (That's the Woodlands Trust for those who only speak the mongrel tongue )

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'll pop in to say hello. I don't suppose you have a spare queen to bring? I could do with one of those 100 kg ones

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'll pop in to say hello. I don't suppose you have a spare queen to bring? I could do with one of those 100 kg ones

Today is wet, drizzly, humid and horrible - noone in their right minds would be clattering around the apiary!! errm..................

Took what will probably be the last QC out of the latest Demarree (this is from a frame taken from my good old yellow queen who I think is on the way out - only got five supers on her at the moment and she is now in a nuc as they are trying to supersede) and made up a nice strong nuc - fingers crossed for this one!!
Put clearer boards on half a dozen hives including (the last one) one of my more aggressive colonies (she's too good to squish!) now today they were a wee bit more p!ssed off than usual (I do like understatements) If you want to meet a properly agressive colony I can always arrange an appointment - as an entree we can also go and see Redwood's bonkers colony!!

 

[REDWOOD]

Redwood's bonkers colony!!
to say the least lol
If things don't go as planed then dived and conker technique.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Redwood's bonkers colony!!
to say the least lol
If things don't go as planed then dived and conker technique.

I'll have more time next Sunday - we'll have a good look once the beginners have gone (be warned, I won't be stopping for anything )

 

[gregior]

Took off 4 full frames of unwired shallows at 11am to make some cut comb for next weekends markets, replaced them at 6pm and the bees had already built 3 inch strips of brace comb down from the crown board into the gaps! Good flow on here.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Topped up the venom to stay desensitized; working v well; about an hour's local rash. The benefits of opening for a quick manipulation late on a cloudy day with everyone home

 

[Obee1]

Added a 3rd super on a hive that has built up from a Nuc made in April!

Then painting poly hives most of the day.

Pah! Look at my hive that was an overwintered nuc off Pete. It's my pride and joy.

Today I did nothing in my apiary as I went to the royal Welsh. I did look at the 4 boxes full of frames on my kitchen table - mainly rose size and brood box size, and thought about extracting them- but didn't. Yesterday I inspected my 3 colonies over on caerphilly mountain and moved the last nuc onto a full hive.

 

[Obee1]

Judging this morning, I'll be there tomorrow and Thursday - doing the 12 'til 3 stint at the WBKA stand both days - we're down in the forestry area this year with our new partners Coed Cadw (That's the Woodlands Trust for those who only speak the mongrel tongue )

Didn't see you there jbm but did your award winning block of wax seems like most of the honey prizes went to one bloke with a double barrelled name I forget. Something llewellyn?

 

[nantmoel]

Pah! Look at my hive that was an overwintered nuc off Pete. It's my pride and joy.

Today I did nothing in my apiary as I went to the royal Welsh. I did look at the 4 boxes full of frames on my kitchen table - mainly rose size and brood box size, and thought about extracting them- but didn't. Yesterday I inspected my 3 colonies over on caerphilly mountain and moved the last nuc onto a full hive.

What supers are those?

 

[Obee1]

What supers are those?

The tower is - from the bottom: broodbox, broodbox, shallow, shallow, rosebox, rosebox, shallow. A total of 5 supers. The rose boxes are 7.5 inches deep ie halfway between brood and shallow size. I read the book of the rose hive method and did plan on using all rose boxes for everything but sadly they weigh a lot and are poorly made - cheap though! I only have 4 rose boxes and matching frames so decided to use them as emergency supers. Way too heavy for me to lift though. Luckily my extractor will take big frames.

 

[madasafish]

Requeened colony in brief sunlight after making Q- yesterday.