What did you do in the Apiary today?

[irobson]

Well a really poor year from the East Midlands.

3 strong colonies going into the spring, lots of cold weather in May, all colonies swarmed as soon as warm enough....despite a/s ....new queens introduced...Little nectar at the right time...all washed out with constant rain every 3 days or so.

We managed 7 lbs of honey vrs 90+ last year. Feeding and mite control all complete for this year...over 18 kg of syrup taken by each colony so far...

I Reckon I should sell the local honey for more than a VW at the moment.

Why are we transfixed with these stupid insects?

 

[Fatbee]

Why are we transfixed with these stupid insects?

Stupid is not what I would call bees - my lot are experts at putting things back together when I inadvertently cock up

 

[BrianO]

Indeed.... stupid they are not...

Infuriating, Mesmerizing, Intriguing, Non Conformist, Wondrous, Stress Inducing and above all Fascinating !!!!

 

[Jimmys Mum]

Sorted through a unite from a few days ago, all seems well. No fighting and queen is laying ok.
Planning another unite tonight. I'm aiming for 10 strong colonies going into winter.

 

[Tremyfro]

Farewell Number B74.

Finally I have had to admit defeat with this queen. She has been on death row for some time. When she arrived...the nuc, which was made up for her accepted her readily...however we had a number of superceedure attempts. I took some of the queen cells on separate occasions and made 2 more nucs. The first is now a strong colony in a national...the second was later and has suffered from wasp predation but is still going. I had moved B74 into a nuc as she was only laying very slowly....I had hoped she would make enough bees but was clear a few days ago when the wasps made a concerted attack that they were too few to protect themselves. I reduced the entrance further by putting a pipe entrance whilst I decided the next step.
Today... a lovely sunny day....the decision was made to amalgamate the 2 nucs.
So using 3 nuc extensions we transferred the frames and joined them over newspaper. Keeping B74's daughter...who was still laying brood. The feeder was filled.
In B74's nuc I only found drone brood. So she finally became a drone layer.
I will add some sealed brood once I know the combine has worked to boost numbers for winter.
Looking at it positively, B73 and 74 have both been superceeded. 2 strong colonies hived in nationals and also a nuc with an extra B74 daughter...which I hope will survive winter with a little help from the rest of the Bee Yard colonies. All the new colonies had their feeders refilled. Hives are beginning to feel heavier.
It has been a fascinating journey this summer...making increase, introducing new queens, recognising when to feed as nectar flows were non existent, marking queens and all the regular aspects of beekeeping. Now slowly winding down as autumn progresses. Soon the Bee Yard will be quiet.

 

[For want of a better word]

Requeened a couple of strong doner buckieyellowishstripeytype bee colonies with pure black Cornish native queens from last of this years apidea .... after straining out the remaining drones from them with a qx and finding the yellow queen... put those majesties into a couple of nucs to overwinter... so we can rock & roll next year!

Nos da

 

[bontbee]

Not in the apiary, but I've just picked up a very small, desperate swarm. I thought that they had only just arrived, having been alerted by a lot of activity in the neighbour's hedge, but it's just that they were working flat out. They'd decided that this was the best they could do for a home and had started comb building. There was a piece of comb the size of a small (flat-ish!) pear with a few cells of ivy pollen and a few glints of nectar.

It's the second latest swarm I've ever picked up....do I unite, quarantine, or what..?! Can't remember what I did last time.

 

[8ace]

Did my first wax harvest from the Cappings of the 4 frames I extracted

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not in the apiary, but I've just picked up a very small, desperate swarm. I thought that they had only just arrived, having been alerted by a lot of activity in the neighbour's hedge, but it's just that they were working flat out. They'd decided that this was the best they could do for a home and had started comb building. There was a piece of comb the size of a small (flat-ish!) pear with a few cells of ivy pollen and a few glints of nectar.

It's the second latest swarm I've ever picked up....do I unite, quarantine, or what..?! Can't remember what I did last time.

You just know you have to nurse them through the winter. Go on

 

[einsteinagogo]

lots of activity on the ivy, many bees bringing back lots of yellow pollen.

a neighbour mentioned was I going off to collect a swarm, I was just going to the mating apiary, to put on Apidea top feeders with fondant, as two Apidea's are eating through fondant very quickly using the internal feeder, so I've removed the internal feeders, and replaced with top feeders, only to discover, many bees on one apidea outside, are they too hot, trying to abscond, or swarm!

checked, no queen cells present, blue marked clipped queens present, maybe they got a little warm, will check again tomorrow, and allow more ventilation, I do have an OMF for the Apidea as a work in progress, I may work on this, this week, and swap the floor.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Removing frames of heather honey and giving back empty combs in the brood boxes, and started transferring the first of 92 queens from their mini mating nucs into the quad boxes for over wintering.

 

[Erichalfbee]

quad boxes
Is that four little colonies in one brood box?

 

[nantmoel]

Removing frames of heather honey and giving back empty combs in the brood boxes, and started transferring the first of 92 queens from their mini mating nucs into the quad boxes for over wintering.

Do you use a 'Heather Roller' to loosen the honey before extracting?

 

[nantmoel]

Spent the day at one of our Apiaries showing young children (and parents) how bees make honey, beautiful day, however I have to move inside! As soon as the bees knew there was some free honey to have they started appearing in their hundreds! It was a good day and they all loved the honey.

 

[Roola]

Did some pre - winter Q+ checks and feed top ups in one apiary. Mixed bag in colony strength. Not much in the way of eggs or larvae in most colonies, one had none... saw the queen, plenty of bees and space but she aint layin! I think others have noticed this also?

 

[Hivemaker.]

quad boxes
Is that four little colonies in one brood box?

Yes, similar to a national shallow divided into four, with five small hoffman spaced frames in each section.

Do you use a 'Heather Roller' to loosen the honey before extracting?

No i don't.

 

[Cazza]

I hope you're feeling better when you wake up

Thank you B+. I have recovered well and will be able to finish my varroa treatment later today which I have been looking forward to all week whilst laying about like a rotting sheep.
Cazza

 

[Tremyfro]

8 Little Honey Bears will bring back the sunshine this Christmas for some of my lucky Family and Friends

 

[snelgrove]

Had a look through a couple of colonies after returning them from heather, loads of bees and a good quantity of heather honey in a thick arc. However no brood at all and alot of empty cells in centre of nest where last brood has emerged. This year queens, Gallon of syrup with thymol fed.

 

[B+.]

will be able to finish my varroa treatment later today which I have been looking forward to all week whilst laying about like a rotting sheep.

You should see a doctor about that ;-)