What did you do in the Apiary today?

[BrianO]

I love you

Now that's Funny !!

 

[BrianO]

Yep. The whole week is gonna be very mild here, in Sligo, with temps over 8`C almost each day up untill the end of the next weekend. If stores will go down noticeably, It means that brood rearing is going well, as it`s a brood that consumes majority of stores. So I`ll be only happy. And I do not worry for the stores, as all my colonies had full langstroth BB of stores each, on top of the BB with empty combs or foundation or little stores. And even if a cold snap will get back, I`m pretty sure my system is able to provide enough defense to the brood. Thus, my colonies have a good chance to get big in the middle of April, when normally a good flowering starts here, and April is often warmer than May or June in my memory. I`m planning to form some strongest hives out of the strongest colonies in the first decade of March, adding some brood frames from those colonies that will be able to leave on as nukes 6-8 brood frames( capped brood preferably) per colony in March should suffice me think in the trial to catch Blackthorn, Dandelion and some Sycamore/Maples honey , just for the beginning if the weather permits. At the moment some colonies had sort of clinging flights; the biggest removed dead bees even, just like in spring

Watched mine clearing out dead bees from some colonies on Sunday, what a season, still no prolonged cold snap. So strange ! Never remember one like it.

Keelings ( massive fruit/flower grower here that exports a lot reported fields of Daffs in full flower 3 weeks early, never experienced it before.

Spring only weeks away...but who knows Mamma Nature has a habit of biting back and hard. Though there is the chance of reaching Spring with no extended cold snap...

Not Good !

 

[Finman]

Now that's Funny !!

Jenkis is desperately queenless, I bet, and nothing funny in it. Jenkis is begging sympathy, but he needs worker layers.
.

 

[BeeBeeKa]

Watched mine clearing out dead bees from some colonies on Sunday,

How much poo did you see? Two hives out of 9 got plenty of it at an entrance, in my instance.

 

[For want of a better word]

How much poo did you see? Two hives out of 9 got plenty of it at an entrance, in my instance.

Hope it is not Nosema?

Nos da

 

[BeeBeeKa]

Hope it is not Nosema?

Nos da

I hope it`s just clinsing as temps allows
Nosema is in any poo anyway, so I would worry only if bees would be suppressed and sluggish. But they are very proactive, thus I do not worry much.

 

[masterBK]

Tried on my new sage coloured beesuit (BB1) from BBwear today. Ordered it over the phone yesterday afternoon and it arrived this morning all the way from cornwall in the post. First non white suit ever for me. At my age this suit will probably be the last I will need to buy. For 1st 20 years just had a veil and a boiler suit. Next 35 years got through two white jacket types. I also have a pristine white beekeeping jacket (swienty) for doing beekeeping demonstrations and assessing other beekeepers for Basic, General and advanced husbandry so this only gets used a few times each year.

 

[Finman]

Nosema is in any poo anyway, .

That is wrong. Only in sick hives.

http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agric...al-diseases/bees/nosema-disease-of-honey-bees

 

[Finman]

.
Here is UK advices for Nosema. It does not pay much attention on nosema tolerant bee stock.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...bee-health-consult-nosemaprofile-20130110.pdf


This is one example about nosema tolerant bees

Abstract

Queen bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus) from different sources representing various geographical areas in North America were evaluated for reaction to nosema disease (caused by Nosema apis Zander) in 1963 and 1964. Normal, healthy queens were individually inoculated with Nosema spores from a micropipette. The most suitable criterion for measuring the response of queens to the parasite was lifespan of inoculated queens. About one-fourth of the queens appeared to tolerate the effects of the infection longer than the majority. These queens probably had an unknown physiological trait favoring tolerance to nosema disease. Queens from different sources were not significantly different with respect to tolerance to the disease. The time required for one-half of the queens in an inoculated population to die (TK50) varied from 23 to 52 days.

2#
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=35382
.
.

 

[BeeBeeKa]

.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...bee-health-consult-nosemaprofile-20130110.pdf
Abstract
These queens probably had an unknown physiological trait favoring tolerance to nosema disease. Queens from different sources were not significantly different with respect to tolerance to the disease.

Got no time to argue on obvious things today

 

[nantmoel]

We have finally had a day without rain, the first in 10 weeks! I looked at two of the hives we have in my garden that I put fondant on in December, they have not touched it. We did have one hell of an Ivy flow in October mind, where they really pilled it in. So hopefully they are using this together with what I fed them in September. Still feel quiet heavy.

 

[victor meldrew]

I love you

No chance he's into sheep !


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Erichalfbee]

We did have one hell of an Ivy flow in October mind
Masses and masses of flowers here in this part of Wales too but looking at them very few appear to have been fertilised and producing berries.......I blame the rain!

 

[Tremyfro]

We have finally had a day without rain, the first in 10 weeks! I looked at two of the hives we have in my garden that I put fondant on in December, they have not touched it. We did have one hell of an Ivy flow in October mind, where they really pilled it in. So hopefully they are using this together with what I fed them in September. Still feel quiet heavy.

To see the sun..fabulous...we have had 2 days without rain...hard frost last night. The bees here didn't seem to bring much ivy in during the autumn....too cold and wet...there was no smell on the hives...not like the year before.
I am having to check regularly that they have enough fondant.

 

[madasafish]

I have actually seen a (very) few bees flying in today's sun.. Checked varroa drops.. Minimal

The ground is cold, and muddy but most of the snow has gone. Fondant this weekend - forecast 8C

 

[fincaazul]

2 degrees Celsius

Just checked apiary. One colony has a fair number of bees flying in and out quite purposefully, no sign of pollen. Fair weight to hive. Any ideas on what is happening ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just checked apiary. One colony has a fair number of bees flying in and out quite purposefully, no sign of pollen. Fair weight to hive. Any ideas on what is happening ?

They're popping out to dump their guts

 

[madasafish]

Just checked apiary. One colony has a fair number of bees flying in and out quite purposefully, no sign of pollen. Fair weight to hive. Any ideas on what is happening ?

Bees do not defecate inside a hive. They hold it in their body and on a fine dry day , fly out and crap everywhere.

 

[pargyle]

Bees do not defecate inside a hive. They hold it in their body and on a fine dry day , fly out and crap everywhere.

They seem to prefer cars or washing on the line as targets for for their toilet ....

 

[madasafish]

They seem to prefer cars or washing on the line as targets for for their toilet ....

Schh .. my neighbours will hear you