What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Goran]

Yesterday sold 2 more colonies..
Placed new jenter into breeder, to get "scented".. Forgot to spray with some honey.. Three boxes full of bees, joy to watch.. Some daughters of this line follow the same..

 

[Somerford]

true though

Well I was educated under a Tory government and can both read and write.

And I don't believe I'm the exception that proves the rule.

 

[Barbarian]

Yesterday I set up a bait hive in a friend's garden.

One empty old brood frame, one empty part drawn frame and a dummy board. All in an old WBC brood box with a small entrance on top of a stack of 3 milk crates.
Cold and wet at the moment so I don't expect any interest for a couple of weeks.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yesterday I set up a bait hive in a friend's garden.

One empty old brood frame, one empty part drawn frame and a dummy board. All in an old WBC brood box with a small entrance on top of a stack of 3 milk crates.
Cold and wet at the moment so I don't expect any interest for a couple of weeks.

Where did you put the dummy board?

 

[bontbee]

...As about 40 litres is the preferred volume for bees looking for a new home...

 

[Barbarian]

Bait hive interior set up.
Hive wall... dummy board... brood comb... foundation... empty space... entrance in far end.
No special reason to have a dummy board .... handy if I need it.

Hive in partial shade facing South.

 

[bontbee]

Ooo, do you mean empty space? You'll have to be quick off the mark if a swarm moves in and there are only two frames in there... (apologies if I've misunderstood).

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Saw a large trailer ten foot high with brand new hives leaving our town ...heading for rape I guess

 

[Swarm]

15 minutes after putting them in their new home.
Aren't bees wonderful......and so is the lovely fellow beekeeper who gave them to me.

That's great, very happy for you. I bet they put a smile back on your face.

 

[bpmurray]

Moved hive to new apiary only 300m from home - locked them in last night & I'll release them tomorrow through magic twigs, with a nuc on the old site to check if anyone heads home. Checked on the other double-brood hive in the new spot, and it's really strong - 10 frams in the lower box & 3 frames loaded with eggs above. This is on new foundation from a couple of weeks ago, so I'm impressed at both their comb building and HRH's egg-laying.

 

[Eyeman]

Pigmy shrew ? finished off one of my 14x12's, although I'm sure I saw a field mouse scurry away. Mouse guards came off a couple of weeks ago. Must look into permanent reduced height entrances.

 

[Eyeman]

And here is its larder!
Anyone know why I can insert more than one image into a thread?

 

[Eyeman]

Removed a queen 10 days ago from a strong hive to get some emergency QC's. The Q went into an Apidea with starter strips and 300 of her workers. Today all frames in Apidea nearly drawn and plenty of eggs & larvae. I harvested 8 QC's from the queen less hive which went into incubator and the Q from the Apidea went back to her original hive. Job done. When the first virgin emerges in my incubator she will go into this apidea, any others will have new Apideas.
In a further 10 days time this original strong hive will pretty much have zero sealed brood so will have OA sublimation.
By combining QC production (emergency) with brood breaks you can create an environment that ideal for getting mite levels down. It's nice and simple for small scale QC production.

 

[foghornleghorn]

Had a look through a few here today, best two hives have a double brood fully layed up and amother lang deep three quarters full, wish they were all that good...

 

[MuswellMetro]

after the third swarm call, i turned off my phone !!!! and checked my own bees and clipped two queens

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Nothing - cold and drizzly all day here, although quite a few bees out collecting water mostly. Spent the day in the workshop.

 

[Plenty of honey]

Amazing day here. added more supers to hives to find first honey already crystallising.
Made my first cell builder queen less, as i cant do it tomorrow morning. will graft tomorrow pm. Setting up and stocking second cell builder this evening.
Pollen trap in place,, so tomorrow, will harvest what i have caught and rub that in to a drawn up comb making a lovely pollen frame.
All kicking off really, too much to do. Ohh and small swarm from my brood factories in lovely conditions.
Its great to be working bees again.!!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Nothing
Weather looking up from tomorrow though.

 

[nantmoel]

Made up a dozen 14x12 frames complete with foundation in readiness for swarms, I don't want to be caught out with no frame made up for Poly Nucs.

Watching country file and the weather is picking up next week! About time mind.

 

[masterBK]

Eyeman : Not a pigmy shrew going on evidence from the 2nd photo as shrews strictly carnivorous. Most likely a mouse either House mouse (Mus muscularis) or field/wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus)