What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Obee1]

Just about to set out and take the last few bits, super,feeder etc down then there is literally nothing else practical I can do. One more sleep!!!

I think you're more excited than my kids were at Christmas! Just hope you don't discard the bees prefer to play with the box
I'm sure you will great great pleasure from them.

 

[Obee1]

Inspected my home hive - the demaree'd one. All is well and as it should be. The nuc I made up from them for a newly purchased queen is doing well too. Then onto the farm apiary where there are 4 hives

No 1 all good. Added first super
No 2 - superceding - or made eQC I think. No sign of queen or eggs but lots of bees and capped brood. Found a queen cell that looks like it emerged and got resealed with 2 house bess in there. That means I have a virgin running round in there. Opened up 5 other QC. One was a duffer and four had live virgins who crawled out. I brought one home plus a shake of nurse bees to go in my apidea - just to see if they will draw me some comb in there. The other 3 I did my first ever hive tool tests on They all failed! I found it really hard to squish virgin queens but had nowhere to put them - and have enough Bucky queens on order for my needs.
Hive 3 is really busy and has found the OSR. They all had yellow heads and a nasty temper. Ran out of time to inspect so just tipped top box on its side to check for QC. Saw none. Put a second super on them even though first is quite empty.
Hive 4 - my real meanies. Just slapped a super on and ran.
Came home and put virgin and nurse bees in apidea.
And that took me all afternoon..... Haven't done any things I needed to do today!

 

[gregior]

Inspected all mine today.Mixed bag.

Hive 1; was the Q+ portion of an AS i did a couple of weeks ago,but when i opened it up there was no young brood and emergency QC's so something had happened to the queen (my best one too)

Destroyed all the cells and reunited it with the Q- part of the AS which has a virgin in it. This is now a monster colony so i'm a bit concerned the virgin will take a long time to mate as seems to happen to big colonies with virgins.

Hive 2; 10 frames bias loads of Q cells managed to find the Queen so AS'd them-lets hope this one works out better!

Hives 3,4 and 5 all building up nicely with no swarm preparations evident.

Supered all hives as it finally looks like the weathers going to pick up.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hive 1; was the Q+ portion of an AS i did a couple of weeks ago,but when i opened it up there was no young brood and emergency QC's so something had happened to the queen (my best one too)

Swarmed - did you go in a few days after the A/S to check for any more QC's?

 

[Plenty of honey]

.
I go to move some hives to outer pastures.

It is promised the whole week 18-20 C. It is best blooming with willow.

Apples have swelled buds so much that I can see what they are alive.

Then inspecting hives first time and clipping queens. I have not even tried this spring, do they have food.

When does your willow start where you are? was this year like us, a few weeks later? Just interested!

 

[gregior]

Swarmed - did you go in a few days after the A/S to check for any more QC's?

I did check them a couple of days later yeah and found and destroyed a couple of cells,but wasn't able to get into them again until today the weather has been so bad i was hoping to get away with it .She was clipped so i didn't lose any bees,spent 20 mins looking around on the floor for a clump of bees but didn't see anything.

 

[Goran]

I was racing in time with shower front.. I watched shower curtains approach from afar and how circling around me. I thought it will pass.. But then in a moment when I was concentrated with work in the hives it flanked me, and stopped me in a work.. Black locust scent can be felt in the air, but cold and rainy. Grimm prognosis for black locust this year, will see..

 

[For want of a better word]

I was racing in time with shower front.. I watched shower curtains approach from afar and how circling around me. I thought it will pass.. But then in a moment when I was concentrated with work in the hives it flanked me, and stopped me in a work.. Black locust scent can be felt in the air, but cold and rainy. Grimm prognosis for black locust this year, will see..

Congratulations on 1000 post Goran!

Checked Native Black bee nucs as it was sunny this afternoon.... looks like I will need to order more poly hives to house the sweet little dahlings in!

Yeghes da

 

[Goran]

Congratulations on 1000 post Goran!

Checked Native Black bee nucs as it was sunny this afternoon.... looks like I will need to order more poly hives to house the sweet little dahlings in!

Yeghes da

I didn't noticed, untill you said. Thanks. Well, I will change avatar to change something..

 

[Robbo8916]

I think you're more excited than my kids were at Christmas! Just hope you don't discard the bees prefer to play with the box
I'm sure you will great great pleasure from them.

I am more than excited! Daft i know but it has been 5 years of planning and research and life getting in the way! It is now happening!v

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Flow on here. Strongest hives "air conditioners" at night. Wish the rest had overwintered stronger but plenty of time for these conditions to build them up for the main flow.

 

[bontbee]

I am more than excited! Daft i know but it has been 5 years of planning and research and life getting in the way! It is now happening!v

Congrats on your first beekeeping day - may it be a long, pleasurable, sting-free(!), super-filled career!

 

[Robbo8916]

Congrats on your first beekeeping day - may it be a long, pleasurable, sting-free(!), super-filled career!

Thanks! Picked a beautiful day for it too

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I am more than excited! Daft i know but it has been 5 years of planning and research and life getting in the way! It is now happening!v

Hope everything goes well for you.

 

[Robbo8916]

A glorious day. The bees are here, fifteen minutes after install and they were going great guns piling in pollen from dandelions and the pear trees in their haven of a new home. Wonderfully placid ladies.

Tore myself away after an hour and a half to let them get settled, leaving Joan with her cup of tea sat in the sun watching the hive.

Will pop back later to put the feeder on just to give them a boost while they settle.

I'm officially a beekeeper!

 

[misterbee82]

A glorious day. The bees are here, fifteen minutes after install and they were going great guns piling in pollen from dandelions and the pear trees in their haven of a new home. Wonderfully placid ladies.

Tore myself away after an hour and a half to let them get settled, leaving Joan with her cup of tea sat in the sun watching the hive.

Will pop back later to put the feeder on just to give them a boost while they settle.

I'm officially a beekeeper!

Congratulations Robbo glad you're getting a lot of joy out of watching them. They're always fascinating to watch.

 

[B+.]

I'm officially a beekeeper!

There is no hope for you now

 

[Robbo8916]

Three hours after they arrived my ladies are out in force!

https://youtu.be/Ss8IlhtAp0s

 

[theeggman]

Congrats Robbo,

Now the fun starts.

 

[Tom Jay]

Delighted to read Robbo's posts! All the best!

I did the first full inspection of four of my five hives, the fifth being so small I am leaving them undisturbed a bit longer.

Brood areas still smaller than I thought in three of them but eggs seen. Store quantity very light in one of them but given the weather forecast and the abundance of forage around here I'm leaving them to get it themselves.

No swarm preparations evident.

I worked smartly as there was a bit of a breeze so I only saw one queen - the lady whose workers last season gave me my biggest honey harvest. She looked healthy, and huge. Very special to see her and 'have a word'.