What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Monsieur Abeille]

One of my hives is a poly, and true to form it was slower off the marks than the wooden ones. Two weeks ago, before the cold spell, there was little brood and I held off adding a super. Today, first look since then, and they have really kicked on with the brood box overflowing, so super now deployed.

 

[Robbo8916]

Gregior managed to snap me in my shiny new suit having a quick look at my girls:

 

[madasafish]

Inspected all hives, added a super, all OK.
Started conversion of National to Langstroth (see http://tinyurl.com/hlkuy8c).

Decided to requeen two when queens available from home rearing...June.

 

[gregior]

Gregior managed to snap me in my shiny new suit having a quick look at my girls:

Nice to meet you today very happy looking colony,i'm sure they will give you many hours of pleasure (and some honey too with a bit of luck!)

 

[Erichalfbee]

Gregior managed to snap me in my shiny new suit having a quick look at my girls:

Ha....you must be a young bloke with a good back....

Maybe not for long though.......................

Me, I supered two hives. Weather is looking up, the dandelions are colouring the fields and the Sycamore is almost here.
Though they are tight shut there are masses of flowers-to-be on the Hawthorn

 

[chrisb]

spent a little time myself in the sun and built 3 mating nucs, so hope it keeps like this for a while

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Checked the home apiaries - poor weather or not, they're finding forage somewhere - bursting with pollen, brood and fresh stores, so much that some colonies are now on their second super.

 

[steph333]

Enjoy Robbo it's a great experience.

 

[nantmoel]

Just prepared two hives ready to move to the OSR in the morning, big thanks to my fellow Beek.

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

Tonight third supers on eight strong colony's that are in the middle of nowhere and not much visible forage but going great guns. A few AS need to be done next week as q-cells starting to appear. farmer left a message on my phone this morning I am spraying today with maverick, had a look this evening no harm done it seems and might knock a few mites with luck I put slides in last year after spraying and had a lot of mite drop for about a week.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Tonight third supers on eight strong colony's that are in the middle of nowhere and not much visible forage but going great guns. A few AS need to be done next week as q-cells starting to appear. farmer left a message on my phone this morning I am spraying today with maverick, had a look this evening no harm done it seems and might knock a few mites with luck I put slides in last year after spraying and had a lot of mite drop for about a week.

"240 g/litre tau-fluvalinate" hah! amazing! ADD http://www.adama.com/new-zealand/en/Images/Mavrik Fact Sheet_tcm42-17285.pdf

 

[dpearce4]

had to do my first AS for the year today. wasn't expecting QC yet as most hives still quite week. This one wasn't though even though it was 2weeks ago.

 

[masterBK]

Only had time to check 20 colonies this afternoon. Most on 12 to 15 combs of brood (I run my colonies on double national broods) . Only one building queen cells and not unexpected as it is headed up by a 3 yr old queen. Not a lot of honey coming in yet but hopefully a few days of good weather will help.

 

[Millet]

My intension was to open up yesterday as it was around 65f with lots of activity but I was in too much grief so I had to call it of, last night I went for a listen and the air con was definitely turned right up so I will attempt it today if the pain stays away.

 

[Robbo8916]

Went and put the first super on my girls as I won't be able to check them for nearly a week. Poor lady who has them in her garden got stung on the head twice. She put tea tree oil on the first and when she came back out they mobbed her and she took another sting.

Do bees not like tea tree oil?

I got away without being stung but they were following me a little way down the garden.

Hopefully they will calm down now being left alone for a few days, they have had a stressful couple of days bless them.

It is absolutely scorchio here today! Watched the direction of the streams of bees coming and going, followed it and found a large beech tree positively alive with the little ladies. They're spoilt for choice, with a few still bringing in dandelion.

 

[nantmoel]

Moved two strong Nuc's that we moved into full 14x12 hives last week onto the OSR, we need these to build up so we can split them for our new queens that arrive towards the end of the month. They have already drawn two new frames and the Queen has started laying in them.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Went and put the first super on

I'd think twice about supering - they're nowhere near strong enough yet for all that empty space.

 

[bpmurray]

It ounded like a swarm, but it was just the bees working a couple of sycamore at the front of the house. They were across the road too, again on sycamores. Does that give nectar or only pollen?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Popped second super on one hive - not ready for it yet but I wont be back for at least a week and it may be too late then.

 

[Robbo8916]

Been back and taken feeder off. Hadn't been touched anyway. The bees didn't even notice me. They were busy glueing down the crownboard when I took it off, looked to be a fair few bees already working in the super from view through hole. Popped slate over hole and closed up.

If anything it is even hotter than earlier now. Topped up the water dish as it is being used by a lot of butterflies too.

Bees are bringing in pollen from the willows, sycamore, beech and dandelion.

Now to leave them alone for the week while I try and refill my bank account and start my sales fund again!

I have a sunburnt face too!