What did you do in the Apiary today?

[madasafish]

12C and not too windy. No rain in day. Dull. All bees flying, lots of pollen.

Inspected a new hive acquisition (quickly) with a beginner- queen laying well.. BIAS.Nice calm bees.

She's going on holiday for a week with no worries..

 

[Goran]

One old variety of apple in full bloom and scent all over the yard. I love spring.. Also today was interesting sunset.. One cloud thin and straight and miles long, red sun hidden behind - and above cloud is glowing orange, and below the cloud glowing purple.. Nature is so amazing..
Also service tree start to open flowers, again toooo sooon......
Colonies are growing, there are some really beauty queens, but there are some really disappointments..
Material for breeding I have, that is most important. Also my mentor has more.. We will exchange some..
Interesting, some slovenian carnies we got had slower start in spring ( in few seasons as we observed) than ours. But later they catch up..

 

[Obee1]

Sat in my front room with windws and doors shut when I heard a loud buzzing -an enormous bumble flew past my face. No idea how it got in. Caught it in a glass and released it out of the front door.

 

[Obee1]

Lovely sunny day 14C in my garden. Had a quick look in my Bucky hive. Double national covered in poly bonnet. Only looked in top box. 3 food frames. 8 frames with bias. (3 completely full of capped brood - others had capped brood plus lots of eggs.) Some capped drone brood built at bottom of a short frame. Removed this. Found a few varroa but it was quite a wide strip of comb. Swopped one food frame for foundation as no drawn comb to hand - OH tidied my bee kit!
No smoke needed. Love these bees. (Thanks Pete!)

 

[Fritillary]

OH tidied my bee kit!

Have often wondered where people obtained these very useful "OH"s.
As have always, clearly, used the wrong suppliers.

 

[Obee1]

Have often wondered where people obtained these very useful "OH"s.
As have always, clearly, used the wrong suppliers.

They really aren't all that wonderful. He tidies things away, sometimes never seen again. I suspect he's taken them to the dump.

Anyhoo be careful what you wish for. I now have loads of drawn comb. Just went to visit my hive a mile away. Double brood box. No pollen going in. Quite a lot of bees flying but no sign of brood or eggs. Lots of stores and empty cells upstairs. Downstairs all drawn combs. Empty. Starting to go mouldy at end frames. Brought the bottom box home. Now have 11 drawn frames - will hide them from OH!
She was a swarm queen from last year so maybe she just pegged it. There was brood there at end of last season. Will unite bees with a smallish colony I have at the farm site.

 

[beeno]

Panic, panic, panic as I saw some bees coming back with a little yellow dot at the front of their heads as this means OSR which I have not had in any quantity before. Other colours going in as well including yellow without a dot so hope that is willow. Do they get a dot from gorse? Anyhow, one brood box no room at all, so swapped the boxes around. She had been down in bottom brood box and neatly picked out the drone cells as a first priority to lay in which I thought was very clever of the workers.
The other large colony had not bothered to draw anything in the super, but brood box very full of brood, bees and stores so made them double brood as well on drawn comb bearing in mind that we are going to have three very nice days on the trot! Also uncapped some drone cells and found some varroa.

 

[nantmoel]

Moved a hive over to a 14x12 BB, moved 6 frames that had bias and plenty of stores, gave them new 14x12 frames to fill the BB. Did the same with a Nuc, 4 original frames and added 2 new ones. Will feed a weak syrup later to stimulate them to draw comb.I got a few spare frame of honey ready to make some Nucs up later in the year.

 

[madasafish]

Inspected all my hives (except TBH) in a brief spell of sunny warm windless weather.

Jumbo langs: 1 on 7 frames brood(lots of bees and some drone brood), 1 on 6 , 1 on 5 and 1 on 4.
(some very light on stores and require continued feeding)
AMM mongrels (nats) : 4-5 frames of brood.



TBH : did not inspect but opened roof to find a queen attempting to nest in the insulation blanket. Turfed her out - bumblebees not welcome.

No signs of disease.

 

[Obee1]

Moved a hive over to a 14x12 BB, moved 6 frames that had bias and plenty of stores, gave them new 14x12 frames to fill the BB. Did the same with a Nuc, 4 original frames and added 2 new ones. Will feed a weak syrup later to stimulate them to draw comb.I got a few spare frame of honey ready to make some Nucs up later in the year.

Seems us welsh Beeks are basking in some sunny weather - if we listen carefully we may hear the roar of JBM clattering round his brood boxes.

 

[Millet]

Its been lashing down here all day and now there is a mist in the air.

 

[mbc]

Gorgeous day down in west wales, the air's been loud with queen bumbles and birdsong.
Supered the first hives and promoted some poly nucs into full size boxes, those paynes nucs are wonderful things for bringing through bees.

 

[MuswellMetro]

brilliant sun this morning and sun plus white puffy clouds this afternoon with one ten minute shower, Temp about 17c but temp in one apairy in an old walled garden felt higher

 

[Tremyfro]

What a beautiful day for beekeeping....early fog burnt away by brilliant sunshine. The hives were buzzing and the air thick with foraging bees...how marvellous....what a great opportunity to do the first inspection of the year...wrong....the fencing man decided to come back and continue with the fencing of the Bee Yard...so no inspections possible. The bees were fantastic...ignored him completely...even though he said he hated bees. I offered a beesuit and a hood but he declined. Still ...no stings was a bonus. Next time he is coming back when it is raining....ha ha.
Then this evening...we went to Cardiff Beekeepers club to hear Dinah Sweet give a talk about Swarm Management....and very good it was too. Dinah and John are so generous with their time and always helpful. Much enjoyed by all.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Thick fog this morning, sunshine midday then, just when I'd decided it was the right time to put on that bee suit for the first time this year, hail and then rain!

... I saw some bees coming back with a little yellow dot at the front of their heads as this means OSR which I have not had in any quantity before. ... Do they get a dot from gorse?

No, not from gorse, but it could be other brassicas.

 

[beeno]

Thick fog this morning, sunshine midday then, just when I'd decided it was the right time to put on that bee suit for the first time this year, hail and then rain!


No, not from gorse, but it could be other brassicas.

Thank you.

 

[bontbee]

Found QCs with eggs, so will be keeping an eye on them....

Contrary to what I anticipated, they have persisted in building QCs - several on the point of sealing...

 

[Tremyfro]

Queen cells!!! Now you are scaring me. However, today could be the day of our first inspection. It's misty here and the sun is struggling through....if it is a repeat of yesterday we may get to see how they are managing this spring.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Putting bait hives up this afternoon.
Two in the apiary and two at home.
I need some more bees

 

[gregior]

Supered 3 of my 5 as they needed the space all hives going great guns,huge maiden flights going on today.Willow,dandelion and laurel pollen coming in by the bucketload,odd drones seen flying too, at this rate i reckon they'll be thinking of swarming within the next couple of weeks.