What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Finman]

BP we have them breeding for a few years now and increasing their range.

http://www.irelandswildlife.com/great-spotted-woodpecker-ireland/

I have thise birds in my cottage yard every day. Their favorit food is pine cone seeds. As well they eate spruce cones.

In spring it has special habit. It strikes line of holes into birch trunk, and when sap starts to run. Sap dries in air and sugar invites insects. Then woodpecker picks the bugs.

 

[Plenty of honey]

So do you make a wood poly sandwich for the nucs Richard ??

Yes i suppose so , We have a home made wooded base, because if not, mice easily they their way through the base in the winter.
The middle section in the "Mini-Plus" Poly nuc and the top is the roof we make.
will try and include some pics, but not sure how many i can include.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=12634&stc=1&d=1452898714

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=12634&stc=1&d=1452899083


http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=12636&stc=1&d=1452899499

 

[ga5321]

A chilly 5°C this morning. Cleared dead bee from entrances no sign of life in all but colony 6! As soon as I touched the hive they were out in full defensive mode. (The colony was a swarm catch from last year and have always been a little aggressive.) :

 

[pargyle]

Hmmm ....that doesn't bode well for later in the season ...an early requeen if they start to be a handful ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

pottered around taking inspection trays away after Monday's vaping thought I'd spend a little time counting the mite drop then had a terrible attack of common sense so went back inside for a cup of tea

 

[bpmurray]

BP we have them breeding for a few years now and increasing their range.

http://www.irelandswildlife.com/great-spotted-woodpecker-ireland/

That's interesting - up to 25 breeding pairs of the Spotter variety in 2013 - presumably that's increased three years later. At least it's not the bee-eating Green variety.

 

[nantmoel]

Vaped the last of our hives today, the nasty one in an out apiary, even though it was 3 degrees out the little buggers were there to greet me, and when I removed the vaporisor about 30 more can out!

 

[madasafish]

-5C overnight.

Went to Association apiary and counted varroa drop. (-1C there at 10am)
Too cold to do anything else.

 

[Swarm]

Treated the bees. The bonkers colony is doing well, will be a fun time come Spring.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hmmm ....that doesn't bode well for later in the season ...an early requeen if they start to be a handful ?

I have two of those...
They were like that last year.....cast swarms into bait hives within a week of each other....same source?
What is it about free bees? I should have just combined them when they showed their true colours.

PS.....husband and I lugged a 900x600mm paving stone to the apiary this morning. Your hive stand is painted, a new Paynes floor has arrived so bring on the next swarm

 

[Finman]

.
-25C here. I was not enough motivated to put woodpecker cages.

 

[Cussword]

.
-25C here. I was not enough motivated to put woodpecker cages.

You couldn't motivate me to get out of bed at that temp

 

[stephenpug]

spent my day getting all my hives ready to sell as they are all national and we are moving to france in may

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

just finished mixing a gallon of OA syrup - enough for the association apiary and all the members who want some

 

[Plenty of honey]

spent my day getting all my hives ready to sell as they are all national and we are moving to france in may

Good Luck Stephen, where about are you moving too? anywhere near my neck of the planet?

 

[BeeBeeKa]

Done oxalic acid trickling today, first in my life Took about 20 minutes for 9 hives. No bee suit, no smoker… Next time I`ll put suit on, definitely
About 2/3 hives are proactive, the rest is sluggish, but all are alive and feeling great It`s the first relatively long period here this winter when average daily temperature is lower or equal to 5`C for 10 days since 6/01/16. There is a believe that queens do not lay eggs at T lower than 5`C… Not true, I checked it. But I`m pretty sure the queens are much more reluctant of doing this at such a low T, so I trickled Took 300g of water, 60 g of sugar, and 12g of oxalic acid; 5 ml per seem as I counted that 6 seems of bees per hive should be my average figure. I did not mistake much … Let` s see how it works

 

[Finman]

Took 300g of water, 60 g of sugar, and 12g of oxalic acid; 5 ml … Let` s see how it works

From where heck you got that mixture. Makes no sense.
Unefficient formula. Sugars duty is to work like a glue, and when bees rub it, they spread stuff all over their body. It works several days.

When you put mere water, it dries up very quickly.

It should be
180 g water+ 180 g sugar + 12 g OA = 3,3%

5 ml /seam is for 2-box colony and

3 ml/seam for one box colony.

How it works? ... it has been researched enough how it has worked during 18 years.

 

[ga5321]

Hmmm ....that doesn't bode well for later in the season ...an early requeen if they start to be a handful ?

Agreed doesn't bode well!

 

[pargyle]

I have two of those...
They were like that last year.....cast swarms into bait hives within a week of each other....same source?
What is it about free bees? I should have just combined them when they showed their true colours.

PS.....husband and I lugged a 900x600mm paving stone to the apiary this morning. Your hive stand is painted, a new Paynes floor has arrived so bring on the next swarm

i have another stand to make for my spare hive and I've a plan to get some paving slabs under my hives as the pallets (predictably) are starting to rot a bit. It won't be long to swarm season and we will all be lamenting the relative calm of the winter !

 

[BeeBeeKa]

From where heck you got that mixture. Makes no sense. Unefficient formula.

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/250g-Oxalic-...hash=item3cc0595748:m:m5ebkyHKSLOxCSyGpVGQtYw
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Sugars duty is to work like a glue, and when bees rub it, they spread stuff all over their body. It works several days.

Yep. And the more water in it, the slower it dries up, the longer it`s efficient, the higher gets acid concentration during evaporation per a unit.

When you put mere water, it dries up very quickly.

Nope. The more water the slower it`s evaporation->logical

It should be
180 g water+ 180 g sugar + 12 g OA = 3,3%

5 ml /seam is for 2-box colony and

3 ml/seam for one box colony.

All my bees are on double BB, but I`m not sure who occupies top BB and who both…And I have no wish to dismantle this beautifully looked structures As it may cause more harm than help.

How it works? ... it has been researched enough how it has worked during 18 years.

When do you want me to show the pictures indicating that everything goes ok? ))