What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Tremyfro]

Visited farm apiary to do a snelgrove 2 on my colony that has started swarm threats. There are swarm cells not yet sealed and 12 frames of brood. Moved parent box to new spot. Then checked my meanies. They are on 11 frames of brood and had a charged queen cell. Snelgrove 2 on them - parent box on a new spot. So 4 colonies now on 6 spots. A fellow beek has brought his bees over for an OSR fest so that's 8 colonies in all.
Back at home my demaree is going great guns. My nuc I made up for a bought in Bucky queen has outgrown its 6 frame box so moved it into an 8 frame nuc and added two foundations. My apideas are now both outdoors. One was a virgin I found in a superceding hive and one was a queencell from my demaree.

Suddenly that mountain of bee kit I splashed out on last year - that I thought would last me all my beekeeping days - is pracically all used up. Drawn comb becoming a rare commodity.
And it's 22 days till my daughter's wedding. I need to make up the wedding favour honeypots.

At this rate...you won't have time to go to the wedding...you will be too busy catching swarms, doing snelly2s and making frames. Don't bother with a hat for the wedding ...just wear your veil...ha ha ha

 

[Goran]

Some extraction, some rain, some splitting..

Reprise.. Mnucs in the apiary, jenter still not in action ( just "sitting" in the breeder). I wait to see what will be with black locust, cause I have to sacrifice yield of it for 4 strongest colonies for breeding..

Splits already have new owner, but will wait to develope in full and to requeen with new queens..
For a moment I will be at number of colonies I went into winter..
Black locust on, but rain and wind shake it down..

 

[Charlieanne]

Bad day today.

Hive 1 - lots of bees, no queen, 20 or so eggs throughout brood and half, several unsealed QC, reduced to one QC, see what happens.

Hive 2 - several DWV virus bees, varroa mites seen on a few bees, and dead emerging seen, so MAQs put on today with minimal disturbance (other two hives fine and all had same treatments just this one struggling)

Hive 3 have swarmed - one sealed QC, several open ones, no emerged ones, less bees than last inspection last thursday (had to work last weekend so couldn't check). Reduced to the one QC and removed some frames as although a super put on have not touched it and just filled BB with honey. Lots of eggs present so just missed it as well (Extracting the honey which is the one good point over all this)

Any other suggestions welcome feel bit of a failure in my first year today!

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Bad day today.


Any other suggestions welcome feel bit of a failure in my first year today!

Don't feel a failure, especically if you are extracting. Congratulations.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Grafted my 2017 queens, with any luck.

 

[wessexmario]

Did my first inspection of the year today.

The first hive were angels.. This is my brood and a half that has had a 25mm celotex cosy on it all winter. They were the weakest going into the winter but have come out at least as strong as the others. Hardly a murmur from them on opening up or going through the brood box, very little propolis, no brace comb, I didn't have to calm them at all. I couldn't believe it was the very start of the season.

The next hive was completely different, it might also have been because the direct sun went in and it started to feel decidedly humid with the lightest touch of rain drops. It's a double brood and I had to give up after going through the top box, brace comb with brood between the top and bottom box and everything really sticky with propolis, cutting that brace brood out upset them, two stings, and they kept pinging me. So I scraped all the frame tops of the bottom box, closed them up and left them in to it - I'll finish them tomorrow - the forecast is for a good day so hopefully they'll be in a better mood.

 

[drex]

Most of my colonies are on double brood. After last weeks inspection, I was thinking this week would be right to swap over boxes. However they have been bringing in nectar like nobody's business, and BB's filling with nectar, despite most having supers with room. - they were full too, so added another. Anyway, saw bias and open queen cells. Tried snelgrove 2 manipulations for first time.

 

[Sadders]

My first attempt at queen marking yesterday. Used a COT. Unfortunately I unpinned her a bit too early and she speared the paint across her wings. Hope she is ok.

 

[Erichalfbee]

The bees might clean her off.
At least when they swarm she won't be able to fly anywhere

 

[chrisb]

discovered a mass of squatters in the compost bin,garden bumble bees
they have made some nice comb

 

[Erichalfbee]

Pictures?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Watched a reddish brown (carpenter?) bee checking out a series of old screw holes in a shed doorframe. Eventually after going round them all it chose the largest (about 6mm diameter) and reversed down the hole out of sight.
Chances of a bit of egg laying?

 

[madasafish]

4 days since start of national - langstroth conversion so checked National for QCs. None found. Bees disliked me intensely. Due to be requeened end May.

 

[REDWOOD]

Marked a few queens on the biggest colonies just in case. One colony had loads of emergency QC's, can't bear to think what I done with the queen last week.

 

[Tremyfro]

After testing some dried up dead bees from a dead hive and some from my colony with suspected nosema...and finding nosema in both samples....we decided to spray all the colonies with thymolated syrup. The bees were fab and were soon licking themselves clean. A fairly sticky job so the bee suits will require a wash. We smell of thymol....

 

[B+.]

killed a queen in a colony that was earmarked for requeening

 

[chrisb]

Pictures?

trying ! as soon as they turn there backs ill be in like david bailey

 

[Blakebees]

So, I have just split the hive into another. Hopefully it has prevented swarming given that they were on the verge, full of queen cells! Hope that that does the job.



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[pargyle]

So, I have just split the hive into another. Hopefully it has prevented swarming given that they were on the verge, full of queen cells! Hope that that does the job.



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Do you mean you have just split the colony or have you done a proper Artificial Swarm ? Just splitting the hive when you have QC's in the hive will only have a modest chance of stopping them swarming ... You may need to have a good read of the following ..

Wally Shaw ... 'There are queen cells in my hive'

Find it here: http://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/There-Are-Queen-Cells-In-My-Hive-WBKA-WAG.pdf

The worst case, if you haven't done it properly, is that you will have virgins that then go off with caste and subsequent swarms ...

 

[Blakebees]

Thank you, will read!


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