What did you do in the Apiary today?

[nantmoel]

Gave 3 Paynes Poly Nucs their first coat of paint, foolishly though it would be a one coat job! Looks like they might just need three.

 

[Brian Bush]

I have just been down to the apiary to find the queen in the bees from hell. There are thousands of them and brood through the brood box and 2 supers. I thought I had driven her down the other day when I put the QE in but she was laying in the supers.
Today I went armed with a spare Brood box and started to remove bees from each frame in turn trying to ensure they were all going down. On the second frame I moved there she was. Enormous queen. I don't' know how I missed her. She is now marked and safely below the QE with the super frames with brood just above. This is the 4th time I have tried to locate her. Hey!! Ho!!!

 

[Cazza]

Changed some floors today, swapped mouseguards for reduced entrances and admired the bees collecting water and pollen. All good.
Couldn't find my favourite smoker lighter and j tools. Lost somewhere in the cavernous bee shed in The Great Annual Tidy Up. Not so good. they may turn up but then again,still waiting to find my copper smoker lid lost last year......not so good.
Cazza

 

[bjosephd]

Been away a couple of weeks and got back last night… not making any inspections of course, but amazed how they seem to think it's a good day for collecting pollen… they are out and about in 25mph wind! Is that normal?! Nutters.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Same here
I guess they need it so they fly

 

[Millet]

I checked the hive yesterday the mercury was reading 52f and the bees are very busy backwards and forwards too the willow wood around 25yrds away.

 

[B+.]

Foolishly got stuck in the field when I went to collect varroa inserts (beware folks: it may look dry enough but its still quite wet under the grass). Even the Jeep that came to pull me out almost got stuck too - so much for 4WD

 

[masterBK]

Quick checked 28 colonies today. All in good fettle apart from one queenless colony and one with a drone layer and with workers with CPV . Most of them had 5 or 6 combs of brood, a few with 7 or 8 and a couple with just 3. Loads of pollen coming in and also nectar appearing in brood combs (two nearby OSR fields just started flowering). Found one queen strutting her stuff on the floorboard.

 

[birdsandbees]

Quick check through my three home colonies this afternoon, two queens located, one in TB wasn't seen but lots and lots of brood and eggs.
All three have Drone brood present and the first few Drones are starting to appear on the combs and entrance of the Top Bar hive.
Found three empty play cups in the TB on comb faces, one in the slow to build National (empty) and the other had two, one of which had an egg in it!
The slow to build queen may have got the idea now as she's laying more and the brood patches are growing at last!

 

[Goran]

Seen first queens of this season.. unfortunatelly. One colony which I inspected 27th march is quenless and emergency queens just leaving qcells.. Even the happening itself is pleasure to watch, the reason for it spoils it.. Seems I kill the queen or lose it from the hive. I planned to change the queen anyway due to grumpy bees and more swarmy. Now definitelly will do it..
First batch of half frames distributed, in coming week hope will manag to place others.
Some beeks would like to buy colonies but say is expensive.. For cheaper, I would shake out bees in the grass..

 

[nantmoel]

I posted this morning that I had given 3 poly hives their first coat of paint, well today I realised I had four to paint, so I decided to use a foam radiator roller. The hive I missed yesterday was done in one coat (gloss paint), I wish I'd thought about a roller yesterday!

 

[victor meldrew]

Changed some floors today, swapped mouseguards for reduced entrances and admired the bees collecting water and pollen. All good.
Couldn't find my favourite smoker lighter and j tools. Lost somewhere in the cavernous bee shed in The Great Annual Tidy Up. Not so good. they may turn up but then again,still waiting to find my copper smoker lid lost last year......not so good.
Cazza

Job I have to do yet ! At the mo it's blowing a hooligan here !

 

[Erichalfbee]

I posted this morning that I had given 3 poly hives their first coat of paint, well today I realised I had four to paint, so I decided to use a foam radiator roller. The hive I missed yesterday was done in one coat (gloss paint), I wish I'd thought about a roller yesterday!

Oh go away!!!!!
I've just spent two days giving three broods/roofs three coats of paint on the dining room table and we have eaten in front of the tele

 

[Tremyfro]

Fab idea...I need to paint some of my beehaus....can't stand to bold colours! A roller would do it in half the time....if it ever stops raining....or I could move them under cover...now why didn't I think of that...but into a stable...not the kitchen this time.

 

[Cazza]

Job I have to do yet ! At the mo it's blowing a hooligan here !

Thanks VM, I was trying to remember which queen colour to use this year. You arrived just at the right moment.

Pleasant day here, not warm but sunny.
Cazza

 

[YorkshireBees]

Just did a lunchtime check of 2 hives in one apiary on a nearby farm.

One (poly) hive needed a super and the other (wooden) hive got transferred into a PolyNuc it was that weak!

 

[alldigging]

Absolutely nothing. It's quite mild just blowing a storm! Bees are flying though fetching back bright yellow pollen.

 

[Robbo8916]

Absolutely nothing. It's quite mild just blowing a storm! Bees are flying though fetching back bright yellow pollen.

Same here! Really warm when I went in my yard as it's sheltered but when I went out the front felt like I was in a remake of The Wizard of Oz!

Blowing an absolute gale here!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Absolutely nothing. It's quite mild just blowing a storm! Bees are flying though fetching back bright yellow pollen.

Yes between the rain and the gales mine are getting out to the dandelions.
It might be warm enough to look in tomorrow but then it gets cold so next week might be more opportune

 

[nantmoel]

As its been peeing down most of the day, so I fitted the wax into 18 frames for the Nucs I painted. Also cleaned and fitted starter strips into 3 mini mating hives.