What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Tremyfro]

Still no ivy...perhaps we won't get any this year. 2 colonies are a good weight and won't need feeding. 2 have had a last top up. 3 may need another top up. 1 will need several more feeds.
Need to make 2 covers for the nucs. I don't think the walls and roof are as thick with the poly nucs as the full size hives.
Also, I have started to put in the insulated blocks under the beehaus...as we are in an exposed position here. All the national hives will stand on slates...to reduce draughts from the OMF.
Soon all the feeders will be removed.
Spent some time spraying the last of the comb in the supers with certan.
Still lots of jobs to do in the Bee Barn.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Noticed that the swallows seem to be spending even more of their time near to the apiaries.

What's with the swallows this year? They seem to be late going.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

What's with the swallows this year? They seem to be late going.

Our lot cleared out a while ago. Must be warmer down South

 

[Tremyfro]

Our lot cleared out a while ago. Must be warmer down South

Ours went ages ago too. The Canada geese are flying in formation back and forth from the lakes to their grazing each day...love that honking!

 

[madasafish]

Weighed weakest hive (National) which I have been feeding since 29/9,
Weight then: 19.25kg
Weight today: 24.85Kg

Stopped feeding. Insulation bonnet on full now.

 

[nantmoel]

Fed 3 Nucs and 4 out of 6 hives, the two hive are on a brood and a half and both still have suppers on them. Bit chilly to look at the supers need to remove them and use them as feed when needed. Bee's really working the Ivy now even though its overcast and cold.

 

[Helen]

Added insulation to another hive. As I've got a load of 150mm thick celotex, I added 300+ mm celotex to each end of the hive (inside), leaving a space in the middle for the frames and bees. Another 150mm across the whole top. The top has a small hatch&lid to be able to feed the bees fondant if necessary. This is in addition to 50m across the outside which is on now all year around.

(Dartington hive).

Whilst moving the frames, I managed to see the queen, safe and well. This hive was a tad regicidal this year, and killed a queen I introduced earlier in the year, and then raised their own drone-layer. So, I introduced a queen from a friend, and kept my fingers crossed. Found new capped brood so things look good at last.

 

[Tremyfro]

Added insulation to another hive. As I've got a load of 150mm thick celotex, I added 300+ mm celotex to each end of the hive (inside), leaving a space in the middle for the frames and bees. Another 150mm across the whole top. The top has a small hatch&lid to be able to feed the bees fondant if necessary. This is in addition to 50m across the outside which is on now all year around.

(Dartington hive).

Whilst moving the frames, I managed to see the queen, safe and well. This hive was a tad regicidal this year, and killed a queen I introduced earlier in the year, and then raised their own drone-layer. So, I introduced a queen from a friend, and kept my fingers crossed. Found new capped brood so things look good at last.

Sounds as if you have it sorted!

 

[Helen]

Sounds as if you have it sorted!

Almost. Got 1 more hive to insulate - next weekend.

This is my second year of having bees, and seem to have had loads of queen issues this year. All learning experiences though. Roll on next year and a new set of issues to deal with.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Carried on with vaping at Brynmair and then went on a rescue mission - an acquaintance of mine started beekeeping a couple of years ago but has had a crisis of confidence due to a severe allergic reaction to a handful of sting to the back of the neck at the beginning of the season, also his 'mentor' seems to have let him down and parted company (good thing I think with some of the duff advice he'd been given) the hives haven't been looked at for some time apart from the addition of some supers so they desperately needed to be sorted out for winter.
Colonies looking much better than he feared, only one with brood (quick check only) but about right for around here and one Q- with a laying worker which we shook out. all hives now sorted and a vaping booked for Wednesday, he also has some supers to extract. He's determined to carry on keeping bees but we've agreed he'd be better off looking after two or three well rather than eight or so badly. More mentoring to be done in the spring by the looks of it.
Bees seem to have found the ivy around here - although the flowers around the apiary are closed tight there was a heavy traffic of bees bringing in both pollen and nectar even in today's cold conditions, the bees at my friands's apiary had quite a bit of ivy nectar stored as well.

 

[nantmoel]

Carried on Vaping hives, continuing to feed, some hive are getting there. Bees are working the Ivy like crazy, its been a much added bonus to what has been a poor year.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

The rain's back; I have fed the one nuc that I didn't want to have to worry about and all mite treatement, merges, swaps to poly boxes etc. done. So that's it for a very decent season.

I don't like winter around here so will [try to] see you next season. Have a good winter.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Picked some dead/drowned bees off landing boards. A few alive and warmed in my hands to fly away. Some have deformed wings......not a surprise considering the horrendous drops I had on two colonies. These two are still dropping mites despite the fourth treatment a month ago. I'm hoping the bees are just clearing out cells.
On a brighter note, one colony has two seams of brood cappings on the inspection board and not a single mite

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

wet and miserable here as well bu the bees are having none of it - flying constanly for the ivy and you can hear the bees in the apiary a hundred yards away

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Much rain during the night and still drizzly this morning. The bees were starting work in the drizzle and as the day has worn on the drizzle has gone and all hives have a torrent of bees coming and going.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Today the busiest I've seen them in a while....Alot just hovering around the hive.....then I catch a drone in my house first one I've seen in a month or so

 

[Tremyfro]

Topped up a couple of feeders in the Bee Yard today. 4 colonies now ready for winter. My nuc is still finishing off their last feed...so will take off the feeder soon. My double nuc was topped up as still a bit light. I am going to put insulation on both of these even though they are poly nucs.
The colony which had the blocked feeder has only taken a little of the syrup down....hmmmm....what to do as I still feel the hive is too light?
Shall I remove the feeder and give a slab of fondant on the bars inside an insulated eke?

 

[nantmoel]

Cut a sheet of 4mm Correx into 440x440 for OMF inspection boards, sealed the open end with silver tape to stop insect etc taking up home. Continued to feed hive that need feeding. Bees still flat out on the Ivy here, even out first thing in the morning.

 

[Tremyfro]

Cut a sheet of 4mm Correx into 440x440 for OMF inspection boards, sealed the open end with silver tape to stop insect etc taking up home. Continued to feed hive that need feeding. Bees still flat out on the Ivy here, even out first thing in the morning.

Good thing to seal the edges...took me ages to knock out the earwigs from my boards!

 

[pargyle]

Good thing to seal the edges...took me ages to knock out the earwigs from my boards!

They are the good guys .. mopping up any live or dead varroa ...I'd encourage them not knock them about !