What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Plenty of honey]

contemplated having a sneak look yesterday against my better judgement but decided that the was still a cold here, today hail showers

Yes indeed, colder for the next 3 days, then their giving us the barmy 18 degrees for next week, could be the start of the spring OSR flow!

 

[Tremyfro]

Passed through the Bee Yard on the way to let out the chickens....not a bee in sight...they must have known the wind and rain was coming.
Spent the day drinking tea.

 

[B+.]

Passed through the Bee Yard on the way to let out the chickens....not a bee in sight...they must have known the wind and rain was coming.
Spent the day drinking tea.

Do chickens drink tea?

 

[Cussword]

No, you should read it again, it was the bees that were drinking the tea.



.

 

[Goran]

Some more colonies sold. I like that most of them bought one beek who I respect due his knowledge and experience. Fine young queens..
Again been pushed to start qrearing soon, but I don't know to which side I turn due other obligations. I would love to manage it, but.. like in a joke: I have where and with what but have no time.. Difficult to match all three..
My mentor has some really awesome queens, I would like to have more time to rear some queens together.
Nectar and pollen are still filling hives, boxes with every day heavier and heavier..

 

[Swarm]

Some more colonies sold. I like that most of them bought one beek who I respect due his knowledge and experience. Fine young queens..
Again been pushed to start qrearing soon, but I don't know to which side I turn due other obligations. I would love to manage it, but.. like in a joke: I have where and with what but have no time.. Difficult to match all three..
My mentor has some really awesome queens, I would like to have more time to rear some queens together.
Nectar and pollen are still filling hives, boxes with every day heavier and heavier..

How is their temper now? Have they calmed down?

 

[Goran]

How is their temper now? Have they calmed down?

Mostly still pretty nervous. Not just me, others also said they are aggresive. But few colonies surprisingly really calm, even full hives with bees..
Few most aggresive will requeen, but as some here asking for aggresive bees maybe will have their wish fullfilled..

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Fetch them to the UK .....we need cheap nucs

 

[BeeJayBee]

Yes indeed, colder for the next 3 days, then their giving us the barmy 18 degrees for next week, could be the start of the spring OSR flow!

Odd that, seeing as the Beeb was forecasting gloom and doom and high temperatures for Thursday, telling all and sundry to stay indoors on a 'hot' day because of all the Sahara sand the warm winds would bring.

Pity about the hailstones again today, got soaked and cold. Feeling sorry for the bees trapped inside when they should be out foraging for Pussy Willow pollen and nectar.

 

[Tremyfro]

No, you should read it again, it was the bees that were drinking the tea.



.

Ha ha.....i drank the tea.....the chickens ate the worms.....the bees guzzled the honey...I think the bees had the best of it. It must have been much warmer in the hives than it was outside.....the chickens and I had to brave the ghastly weather.

 

[Goran]

Fetch them to the UK .....we need cheap nucs

in this time of year - productive colony which will develope for black locust cost around 100 euros ( some less, some more) - in this moment should be 7-8 frames of brood+2-3 frames of stores.
After black locust price goes down, after you can buy it for about 70 euros or even less..
5 frame nuc cost about 40 euros ( 2 stores+3 brood).
But in buying should not be lead by price itself, more important who sells it. If stock you bought is swarmy, lot of trouble and You lose black locust forage. As last year one beek bought cheaper than I was selling and said he had plenty of swarms. When other beek asked him - honey? No honey.. Some are so swarmy that swarm swarmed again..

Forgot - hornets are flying already, cutting bark from lilac ( Syringa)..

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Popped down to Garn Cottage with the trusty Husky to sort out a failing damson tree that had gently keeled over on to the hive stands soI could sort out the apiary in preparation for moving some bees down. As with everywhere else in the locality - too cold for bees or inspections: some blossoms now showing on the tops of the plum trees. Went home to see the Brynmair bees resolutely flying and bringing in water and bags of pollen but not in great enough numbers to get me excited

 

[nantmoel]

Snow, Sleet and rain, ice warning in the car, its 3 degrees here in sunny (not) Wales. Who said winter was over and Spring had arrived.

 

[Cussword]

The sun is out but it's still too cold to bother the bees.
Nothing but rain to come for the foreseeable.

.

.

 

[Tremyfro]

Raining here too.....so OH is checking directions for Harper Adams.....for an afternoon at the trade hall.

 

[Cazza]

Pleasant day yesterday. Checked out apiary for the first time in 4 weeks. Looking good. A colony had scoffed all the fondant I had left on and started to build comb in the empty container as they do. I had a suit on but no tools so I whipped the container off, checked for the queen. She had just begun to lay eggs in the fresh comb but was not present so I shook out the bees. With no smoke to shift the bees down via the cover board hole and lots beginning to pour out I used my brain and blew hard onto them which reversed their direction back into the hive and whipped a cover slip on fast. No bees squashed and the rest I brushed off with a dried flowers stalk. Job done.
Lots of willow pollen roaring in and great to know the queen is laying nicely.
Cazza

 

[Tremyfro]

We finally arrived at the Spring Convention....bought our tickets for the trade show....and they were busy packing up...at 3pm a fair number were almost ready to leave....by 4.30....only a handful left.
I have to say it was very disappointing...since it was supposed to finish at 5pm.
However...we did get a short look at the microscopes....and met a lovely man who talked to us about winter losses. He had an interesting idea about pollen levels and fat winter bees....I think I will be better prepared next winter thanks to him.
I did get a couple of wax moulds...and some hive record cards.
And had a good look at the new langstroth poly Honey Paw hive....interesting.

 

[MuswellMetro]

inspected with a friend his hive, a bit cold and 12c and spitting rain, but it turned out out be on 9 frames of brood (almost ever commmercial frame full of brood and low on stores They didnt l like us but we put a super of comb for space with a few l solid osr frame for
stores

 

[Goran]

Lilacs are in flowers.. Usually they flower at end of April, beginning of May.. We over here, have to throw away books about when some plants flower..

This is older pic from beginning of May of one year..

 

[Tremyfro]

So how do you find out whether you have type A or typeB?