What did you do in the Apiary today?

[BrianO]

Don't you think vaping when the bees are so active is defeating the object ?


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Was thinking about that whilst watching them, but Needs Must,.

Working 6 day week cannot always pick a time to carry out the necessaries

 

[BrianO]

I think the bees absent while the hive is closed up will soon pick up oxalic acid crystals.
Of more concern to me would be the hordes of bees trying to get in for the time the entrance is closed.

Not a problem, 15.5 degrees, no chilling problems, bees waited, entered as soon as rags removed

 

[Dave /Oscroft]

Roofs, stands and frames etc

well not exactly in the apiary, but in the workshop, told to clear off out of the way ! so went to the workshop at the bottom of the garden and caught up with a few horrible jobs like cleaning off the wax on some used frames and scraping wax off the QX's , easy when its cold but a b***er to do in warm weather ! made a few more hive stands and a couple of roofs.

And stopped out the way !


Dave (with kettle and camping stove in workshop)

 

[Erichalfbee]

Brian......you've still got your Christmas decorations on.

 

[Millet]

Was thinking about that whilst watching them, but Needs Must,.

Working 6 day week cannot always pick a time to carry out the necessaries

How can it be a problem Vaping a hive when the bees are active, apparently the vapor chrysalises inside so the bees and Varroa will come into contact with it at some point..? .

 

[BrianO]

Brian......you've still got your Christmas decorations on.

I Know..... This day 11 months....

Time to get the decorations down out of the attic

 

[Tremyfro]

Tried to find room in the Bee Barn for all my sales goodies...faint hope!
ATM they are decorating my kitchen.....

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bee Barn


I like the Barn bit

I spent a little time rearranging stuff to make room.
Husband is away and has lost a little more space in his workshop.
I wonder whether he'll notice?

 

[wessexmario]

Brian......you've still got your Christmas decorations on.

I saw my first easter egg yesterday!

 

[BrianO]

Madness !!!

Woke up ... as you do... worrying about my hives. Storm force winds, was concerned after adding supers ( as ekes !!! ) to my Polynucs when feeding fondant that the bricks on top would not be sufficient.

Thought would call at lunchtime to check... but cracked.. darted over to apiary and found myself in my work clothes / office garb standing in storm force winds trying to strap down hives.

Why the hell did i not take up Airplane spotting or stamp collecting !!!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Madness !!!

Woke up ... as you do... worrying about my hives. Storm force winds

I've been known to get up in the middle of the night and struggle up the hill with a torch ......madness indeed

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

storm force! pah, struggling to reach gale force really, but then again the fashion in the UK at the moment is two snowflakes within ten feet of each other is considered a blizzard

 

[Tremyfro]

Bee Barn


I like the Barn bit

I spent a little time rearranging stuff to make room.
Husband is away and has lost a little more space in his workshop.
I wonder whether he'll notice?

He won't...especially if you ask him to find something.....he will toss it all about and never remember that it was all differently arranged.
If it wasn't for the raging wind and rain and sleet.....I would go out to make a little more wriggle room.....well read that as... piling up OH stuff in the corner!
Ha ha...my aim this year to reclaim the Bee Barn as my own...get electric laid on...put up guttering to save the water off the roof...so I can have a pipe into a sink inside. Ooooo major plans...he doesn't know yet.
Weather is pretty horrible here...wind straight off the Atlantic ...more battening down the hatches. All the hives are kept strapped down.
Still, having downed a bowl of homemade tomato soup I feel ready to face the weather again....going to fetch the mare and foal in...I expect they have had enough fresh air by now!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

He won't...especially if you ask him to find something.....he will toss it all about and never remember that it was all differently arranged.
If it wasn't for the raging wind and rain and sleet.....I would go out to make a little more wriggle room.....well read that as... piling up OH stuff in the corner!
Ha ha...my aim this year to reclaim the Bee Barn as my own...get electric laid on...put up guttering to save the water off the roof...so I can have a pipe into a sink inside. Ooooo major plans...he doesn't know yet.
Weather is pretty horrible here...wind straight off the Atlantic ...more battening down the hatches. All the hives are kept strapped down.
Still, having downed a bowl of homemade tomato soup I feel ready to face the weather again....going to fetch the mare and foal in...I expect they have had enough fresh air by now!

I'm pretty old style but I don't think I would be keen to use roof collected water in a sink. I know my grandparents did but they had charcoal filter pots.

 

[Tremyfro]

I'm pretty old style but I don't think I would be keen to use roof collected water in a sink. I know my grandparents did but they had charcoal filter pots.

It's not for drinking or using for humans....it's for hand washing, cleaning bee equipment, chickens, horses....etc.
When I lived in Oman, we had our water delivered in a bowser and pumped into a tank on the roof. We filtered it in a large earthenware jar. Inside were 4 tubes...these were the filters...they were like white chalk....and a tap at the bottom. It didn't take long for the water to filter. I was rather dubious to begin with but soon realised it worked well. Quite a lot of sand used to collect in the filter...I think I remember that it was debrined seawater.
We collect as much water as we can from the roof of each barn and the stables.
Eventually, when all the construction work is finished we will increase our collection containers ...it's amazing how much water is used by livestock. As long as it isn't left to go stagnant.

 

[victor meldrew]

I was brought up in similar circumstances
My school chum lived on a farm with no services whatsoever!
They caught water off the roof , it was stored in huge slate tanks . His mum had a sink in the kitchen that was it , however ,there was no tap , this was on the tank itself , it featured a shank with a square end to it . His mum would take her bucket and a spanner in order to draw water .there was no drainage, gas or electricity .
George was always envious of my racing pigeons, he wasn't allowed to keep them for fear of their droppings on the roof getting in their water supply !
Filters ? They'd never heard of them
I spent all my free time there including school holidays.
None of us came to any harm !
I'm still batting in my seventy ninth year


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[Obee1]

In the past few days I have visited all 6 of my colonies. Peeking through clear crownboards I can see plenty of bees walking around inside them. A little worried that one of my garden hives seems to have fewer bees visible - and out flying - than the others. This is the hive that I had lots of queen troubles with last year and they spent a fair few weeks without a laying queen. Wasn't even sure they went into winter queenright as they were too arsey to inspect - so a pleasant surprise they are still alive.
This weekend I start moving the hives to a local farm - farmer is concerned that there are lots of badgers there - so need to anchor hives down very well.

 

[nantmoel]

Had my delivery from Thornes (Supers) yesterday, I must say the quality is really good for seconds, some have not knots at all. Excellent purchase at £12.50 each if you buy 10.

 

[sbisme]

farmer is concerned that there are lots of badgers there - so need to anchor hives down very well.

I have been setting up an out-apiary over the last few months which also has badgers in the area, I have made a wire mesh fence all around hopefully this will keep them out.

 

[Tremyfro]

I have been setting up an out-apiary over the last few months which also has badgers in the area, I have made a wire mesh fence all around hopefully this will keep them out.

There you are Obee1... a fence! Sheep hurdles would work too and act as wind break.