What did you do in the Apiary today?

[victor meldrew]

Check for wasp activity !


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[TryingToLetThemBee]

I know we're not supposed to personalise our bees but if this Q survives my galactic incompetence I need to flex that. So I knew, and had checked, her new nuc was hopelessly Q- but then reading a post on here I realised I HADN'T CHECKED THE BOX. For Gd's sake! So back in quick before the fondant went but too late and there she is running around like she owns the place. Phew, and close up. And of course I jar her frame... Nowhere to be seen so off to the Apidea (QE off again now). There she is indeed, being balled! Obviously they reckon they are just fine thankyou with their two nice EQCs... Get her free and off she goes again. Rinse, wait and repeat. Pick up the whole ball, pick off the baddies, hold her firm but well in range of her sting, wondering what THAT is going to feel like, and run her back into her entrance. Where hopefully she is not balled... We'll see. Poor thing; sorry!

 

[einsteinagogo]

On the way to work this morning, I spied a field of borage, starting getting excited, about moving some colonies for the borage....

later this evening, I visited the field, only to find it was purple flowering potatoes!

Umm, not borage!

Not much this evening, other than received a new blow torch for my calor propane bottle to flame hive parts!

 

[beeno]

I know we're not supposed to personalise our bees but if this Q survives my galactic incompetence I need to flex that. So I knew, and had checked, her new nuc was hopelessly Q- but then reading a post on here I realised I HADN'T CHECKED THE BOX. For Gd's sake! So back in quick before the fondant went but too late and there she is running around like she owns the place. Phew, and close up. And of course I jar her frame... Nowhere to be seen so off to the Apidea (QE off again now). There she is indeed, being balled! Obviously they reckon they are just fine thankyou with their two nice EQCs... Get her free and off she goes again. Rinse, wait and repeat. Pick up the whole ball, pick off the baddies, hold her firm but well in range of her sting, wondering what THAT is going to feel like, and run her back into her entrance. Where hopefully she is not balled... We'll see. Poor thing; sorry!

Hi TTLTB, The box bit, are you doing a unite? Sorry, if my brains don't work very well, but I do have a headache. I seem to recall reading here or somewhere else not to put the queen back in through the front entrance as she is likely to be balled even if her original flight has made them Q-. Saw one of mine trying to get into her nuc and they would not let her back in, guard bees and foragers. She tried the next door too, but had no luck. I wonder if they keep trying? Fingers crossed though. Let us know how it goes as this is interesting.

 

[lilybetbee]

Fed all three nucs who seem to have used up all stores; even though all colonies very active yesterday more bad weather forecast

 

[ga5321]

wasps were present.

 

[Obee1]

Hi TTLTB, The box bit, are you doing a unite? Sorry, if my brains don't work very well, but I do have a headache. I seem to recall reading here or somewhere else not to put the queen back in through the front entrance as she is likely to be balled even if her original flight has made them Q-. Saw one of mine trying to get into her nuc and they would not let her back in, guard bees and foragers. She tried the next door too, but had no luck. I wonder if they keep trying? Fingers crossed though. Let us know how it goes as this is interesting.

Oh dear. I posted my queen back in through the front door last week after she sneaked out on a frame I removed with eQC on it. As I darent open the hive again lest they misbehave ( garden hive with peeps in near vicinity) I just let her walk in and I walked away. Wonder if she survived. - but not enough to go take a look. Nothing I can do about it now.
Yesterday I found a dead wasp in my little nuc that is hosting a virgin they raised. Ordered a wasp trap but not received it yet. Today weather is bad but I may well move the nuc a tadge so wasps cant find it.

 

[Obee1]

I know we're not supposed to personalise our bees but if this Q survives my galactic incompetence I need to flex that. So I knew, and had checked, her new nuc was hopelessly Q- but then reading a post on here I realised I HADN'T CHECKED THE BOX. For Gd's sake! So back in quick before the fondant went but too late and there she is running around like she owns the place. Phew, and close up. And of course I jar her frame... Nowhere to be seen so off to the Apidea (QE off again now). There she is indeed, being balled! Obviously they reckon they are just fine thankyou with their two nice EQCs... Get her free and off she goes again. Rinse, wait and repeat. Pick up the whole ball, pick off the baddies, hold her firm but well in range of her sting, wondering what THAT is going to feel like, and run her back into her entrance. Where hopefully she is not balled... We'll see. Poor thing; sorry!

Ha! Was just reading about you on bbka website - said you are one of the UK's largest and most experienced beekeepers! Assume it means you have more bees than most rather than you are larger than most
Good to know even experienced Beeks (large or otherwise) make mistakes too.

 

[B+.]

Good to know even experienced Beeks (large or otherwise) make mistakes too.

Everyone makes mistakes. Beware of people who say they don't because they're lying to you.

 

[Lucky Bee]

Cut a "one bee size" gap in the centre of a standard Thornes entrance block then flipped the block so that the bees only have the tiny entrance/exit. Fascinating to see the foragers working it out before disappearing inside then exiting the hive like quick sand. Hopefully will keep the wasps at bay. Now to set about doing the rest.

 

[Obee1]

Made my 3 garden nucs into one bee size entrances - two had discs to turn the third one I stuffed with newspaper- then primed my new waspbane with fruit cider and my delicious honey. Hopefully sacrificing this small amount will save the bees stores from being robbed out. Hung said trap in Apple tree - now we wait!
Also moved my tower hive a further 3 feet to the right. As I had to dismantle it I inspected. So much brood. 18/22 frames have brood on - some full, some being relaid. Only one starting to backfill. They have 3 frames of food and one drawn comb. When rebuilding left the QE off but there is a super almost full of honey above the second broodbox so I assume HM won't go above it.
I won't post a picture this time as I don't want to make anyone jealous

 

[nantmoel]

Made my 3 garden nucs into one bee size entrances - two had discs to turn the third one I stuffed with newspaper- then primed my new waspbane with fruit cider and my delicious honey. Hopefully sacrificing this small amount will save the bees stores from being robbed out. Hung said trap in Apple tree - now we wait!
Also moved my tower hive a further 3 feet to the right. As I had to dismantle it I inspected. So much brood. 18/22 frames have brood on - some full, some being relaid. Only one starting to backfill. They have 3 frames of food and one drawn comb. When rebuilding left the QE off but there is a super almost full of honey above the second broodbox so I assume HM won't go above it.
I won't post a picture this time as I don't want to make anyone jealous

Did they behave?

 

[Tremyfro]

I have some pieces of wood that I slide across the entrances...I can reduce right down to a couple of bee spaces or open up for access on a flow....not that there is any chance of a flow around here...weather dull and gloomy....I have just put the lights on in the house.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

never put honey in wasp traps - unless you want to fill them with dead bees

 

[Tremyfro]

Did they behave?

That would have been Obee1s Bucky hive...not Meangreendaughters hive. They are still very mean.
Feel free to post pictures of your tower...I'm so over it now...very much last seasons tower!
I am doing Reverse Therapy for my bees....a little give back....syrup ready for tomorrow!

 

[alldigging]

Not in the apiary at all - but met Dusty! He was doing a talk at the cathedral about keeping bees.
Was very good and the honey was very delicious!

The fire alarm going off was nothing to do with his smoker either!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The fire alarm going off was nothing to do with his smoker either!

I've heard it's something they've set up to stop him rambling on too much

 

[malx]

Well looks like the hive I put a new queen into last week has swarmed. No sign of any bees. Oh well.
Fed hive 2 and 3 and also added a new queen to 3. Hopefully hive 3 will stop being aggressive now they have a queen. If not, I'll need to get rid of them.

 

[Erichalfbee]

never put honey in wasp traps - unless you want to fill them with dead bees

Waspbane instructions recommend it. I use it and mine have never caught any bees.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

that's a new one on me then - but just need to make sure people using homemade traps don't make that mistake