What did you do in the Apiary today?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

At the Royal Welsh - on the WBKA stand talking bees - meeting with National Resources Wales head of Western Fisheries talking salmon and sewin, Countryside Alliance talking hounds and spaniels and then the honey show - first for my cake of wax, second for wax bloxks and a third for my medium honey - hoped for better, but I'm chuffed enough with that

 

[BeeJayBee]

Well done.

Pics please!

 

[Tremyfro]

Well Done...the placing cards are lovely from the Royal Welsh Show...I have many from when I used to show the sheep.
Always used to enjoy adding them to the tack room wall. Looking back on glorious days at the Royal Welsh.
Learning about how to prepare products for shows is still on my list of 'things to learn about'!
Congratulations.

 

[psafloyd]

Moved a colony to an out apiary I took on earlier this year. I now have two there and judging by the honey being packed away by the other one, it is as good a site as promised (thanks, Chris).

Also first time I used this new travel screen of punched galv steel. Worked really well and I think I will be using it for when i take off supers for added protection.

 

[B+.]

Had a visit from Prof Brascamp from the Netherlands.
Discussed bee breeding theory including one of his papers (http://www.gsejournal.org/content/46/1/53) at a local cafe.
A good day

 

[Erichalfbee]

The hive my new Buckie is in has finally stopped making QCs and settled downafter I took them out twice .....beginners DO NOT try this.
I moved a cast swarm from an out Apiary to their new home with the others. Three weeks ago I put them in a six frame nuc with fishing line/starter strips on five 14x12 frames. They have drawn all the frames and filled five with brood!!!!
Marked the queen and put them in a full sized hive.
Micro cast of similar provenance is now on three frames, eggs seen but couldn't find the queen.

In the garden I spotted lots of scouts trying to get in under the roof tiles of my potting shed; NOT having that. As many gaps as I could get to are now sealed up and there is a five frame 14x12 wooden bait hive in place. They are happily going in and out of that. I'm hoping they are a nice big prime that decides to go somewhere else. I DO NOT WANT MORE BEES!!! but equally I don't want them in my roof.

At the Royal Welsh third for my medium honey - hoped for better, but I'm chuffed enough

Well done......
Some really naff entries though. I was amazed at some of the really untidy cut comb winning prizes and there was a frame that had a long dent where the comb had been drawn unevenly against its neighbour.
I asked a steward what sort of honey was black to be told they black out the jars so that the honey is judged on taste alone

 

[Tom Bick]

Transferred six queen cells to mating nucs.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Some really naff entries though.

Did you see the frame of honey in the open section (back, far right) it was disgusting - uneven, dirty, patchy - i would have been ashamed to show it to anyone!

 

[kazmcc]

Did you see the frame of honey in the open section (back, far right) it was disgusting - uneven, dirty, patchy - i would have been ashamed to show it to anyone!

Aww haha! That's someone's pride and joy that is!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well done.

Pics please!

Here you go - also a few of today's work extracting a dozen supers - over 200 lbs of honey (all but one of the settling tanks lined up ready for putting in buckets Friday (Royal Welsh again tomorrow!)

 

[kazmcc]

Here you go - also a few of today's work extracting a dozen supers - over 200 lbs of honey (all but one of the settling tanks lined up ready for putting in buckets Friday (Royal Welsh again tomorrow!)

That is the loveliest wax I've ever seen! Honey looks good, it looks like caramel! I'm going to be helping Dusty soon. Can't wait!

 

[Obee1]

Yesterday I released 36bee from her push in intro cage and watched her saunter down into the nether regions of the late meangreen daughter's hive. They had several more eQC built in there since I looked in a few days ago so squished them. Today I went to apiary no 2 and looked in on my swarm which I caught 6 weeks ago. Not as big as I hoped. Bees covering 7 frames of bias but very few stores. The other 4 frames are drawn but they have barely touched the super. Thought it would be poor forage over there (in a garden but area full of student types so no flowers being grown - did smell weed though!) and seems i was right. Will have to feed them methinks - and then find them a better home. Did find the queen finally and marked her with white as that's all I had on me.
Still not extracted my boxes of honey on the kitchen table.
Not enough hours in the day ....

 

[BeeJayBee]

Here you go - also a few of today's work extracting a dozen supers - over 200 lbs of honey (all but one of the settling tanks lined up ready for putting in buckets Friday (Royal Welsh again tomorrow!)

Ardderchog! That's a beautiful block of wax.

 

[beeno]

Cake looks good enough to eat Jenkins. Well done!

 

[beeno]

Tried non-smoking my most aggressive colony. Could not believe my eyes, they were like lambs. Can't remember who gave the tip, but thanks. Still my least favourite colony though.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

well, Royal welsh again today - Redwood and i were on the 12 'til 3 shift on the WBKA stand, arrived nice and early, decided to visit the ratchet shop again (you can never have enough hive straps! ) then back to the honey show to photograph the ffensive honey frame for Kaz. When we got there I noticed another card on my winning wax block (pink this time) I've won the EJ Tanner Perpetual Memorial Trophy (big silver cup) for the best cake of wax in show - what more can I say?

 

[Hachi]

Moved the last of my nucs and hives from my garden to one of my out apiaries tonight. Also tomorrow might be a good day, I will hear about another out Apiary tomorrow that hopefully will be the answer to all my woes. we'll see.

 

[pargyle]

well, Royal welsh again today - Redwood and i were on the 12 'til 3 shift on the WBKA stand, arrived nice and early, decided to visit the ratchet shop again (you can never have enough hive straps! ) then back to the honey show to photograph the ffensive honey frame for Kaz. When we got there I noticed another card on my winning wax block (pink this time) I've won the EJ Tanner Perpetual Memorial Trophy (big silver cup) for the best cake of wax in show - what more can I say?

Best grow a few roses then !! That rose bowl is going to take more than a couple of dozen to fill it.

I suppose you will be totally insufferable now .. perhaps a change of member name to JTW (Jenkins the Wax) ?

Well done ... it's a very nice looking wax cake...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Best grow a few roses then !! ............................Well done ... it's a very nice looking wax cake...

IT smelt good too
And talking of roses I made some rose petal and honey jam and it tastes heavenly on ice cream
The jams were a bit boring....I might make some of my more exciting ones and try the show next year.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Best grow a few roses then !! That rose bowl is going to take more than a couple of dozen to fill it.

They took it out of the safe for two minutes for me to hold and photograph - the only thing I get to keep is the gold medal!

IT smelt good too

The jams were a bit boring....I might make some of my more exciting ones and try the show next year.

I must admit I didn't really put any TLC into the gooseberry honey jam or rhubarb - so a challenge for you nextyear - and as you'll have to come to Builth to enter your exhibits, might as well enter your honey as well