What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Millet]

I had to level the hive back up today through a mole working under the paving stone, the funny thing about it is i catch thousands of the little blighters every year, i also put a bait hive on the shed roof with some wax and propolis inside on top of the two frames i have in there, there has been bees in and out all day, hopefully not mine.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Spent a couple of hours going through all my hives. The change in the weather has kicked the colonies up a gear. Put supers on three which had nectar being stored at a high rate of knots. The weak hive has begun to improve with eggs now on three sides of comb so I filched a frame of brood with a mix of larvae sealed and emerging brood shook the bees off and donated it to the weak hive to boost numbers.

 

[nantmoel]

Checked on two hives that have only been on the OSR since Thursday, these were 6 frame Nucs a few weeks ago, they are expanding at a great rate of knots. We want to use them as splits on the 25th May, I'm glad we moved them to the OSR to build them up. They were on 4 national brood frames and we have moved them to 14x12, they have drawn 3-4 frames of 14x12 since Thursday, and the queen has all but filled them.

 

[nantmoel]

Just been and popped the tabs on a queen introducing cage, our first 2016 Buckfast.

 

[Dutchman]

At last things are getting better,just when I started to wonder if they were ever going to do anything this year. Went through all 11 hives in beautiful sunshine, the three that were on brood and a half have nearly doubled the size of their brood nest in a week so put all the others on brood and a half as well.

 

[Obee1]

Due to it raining heavily I spent the morning building a brood box, super, roof and some frames. My stocks of kit are being used fast! Then despite the rain went for a peek at my nuc in the garden. (This is a new 2016 Buckfast queen.)I had moved it from a 6 frame box to 8 frame box on Friday. Now four later the two new frames are drawn and one completely laid up,one partly. Decided to take the plunge and move them into a full BB - but 14/12. So added 3 frames of 14/12 foundation. One either end one in the middle of the brood. Then took a peek at my demaree'd hive. Disaster. Swarm cells in the bottom box and queenie looks anorexic. Did a pagden A/S. now out of kit again need to go to my stash and build some more stuff ready to inspect my 6 colonies at the farm apiary - hopefully tomorrow. Two of those were preparing to swarm last week so had to do a snelgrove 2 on them.
Seem to be lurching from disaster to crisis to panic in quick succession.

 

[Robbo8916]

Chucking it down here so I am building boxes too. Not really for any particular reason as I don't need them yet but will be handy to have them built if I do.

Planning a full inspection on Thursday weather permitting to see how they are getting on with the super, they have had it on for a few days now and today is the first rainy one so hopefully they have been busy drawing it out. I wonder if this is one of the jobs they might do on a day like this where foraging opportunities are few and far between?

 

[madasafish]

Chucking it down here so I am building boxes too. Not really for any particular reason as I don't need them yet but will be handy to have them built if I do.

Planning a full inspection on Thursday weather permitting to see how they are getting on with the super, they have had it on for a few days now and today is the first rainy one so hopefully they have been busy drawing it out. I wonder if this is one of the jobs they might do on a day like this where foraging opportunities are few and far between?

Watch out. We are only 30 miles south of you and one hive filled a super in 6 days... yours may be full and swarming by Thursday if the weather improves.

 

[beepig]

put on yet anoother super as filling up fast

 

[Goran]

Yesterday pics, I borrowed a camera..

 

[BeeJuice]

Took a reading from the scales. Had been gaining 2 kilos a day during the recent warm spell. Last couple of days no gain

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Weather turned nicer this afternoon so Demarreed a few of my queens, inspected a few more colonies and added the third super on to some. stopped before finishing the apiary as it was getting a wee bit colder again and the last lot were not happy at all.
Went back to the super shed a bit later as earlier on I hadn't secured the top board properly on the pile as I was using and the whole stack had been invaded by opportunist foragers!! so I just closed everything up properly until the rest gave up and went up at last knockings to release them

 

[Erichalfbee]

Went back to the super shed a bit later as earlier on I hadn't secured the top board properly on the pile as I was using and the whole stack had been invaded by opportunist foragers!!

Eeeek
I remember seeing a video Mike Palmer posted of bees trying to get into his super shed

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Eeeek
I remember seeing a video Mike Palmer posted of bees trying to get into his super shed

It was funny when I opened back up later on and they all sheepishly marched out and went back to their hives - must have been a few hundred in there
Note to self - next year store the drawn deep frames for demarree's near the front not at the bottom of a stack in the far back corner

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Eeeek
I remember seeing a video Mike Palmer posted of bees trying to get into his super shed

Wish my shed was super.

 

[Robbo8916]

Did my first full inspection. Slightly nervous as was on my own but it went well. Eggs, larvae and capped brood. HM seen on second pass of the next to last frame, must have missed her the first time I lifted it out. Thought I saw a full queen cell but on closer inspection it was just burr comb hanging from the bottom of the frame. No other emergency or supersedure cells seen, bees happily moved away from my hand. They are such lovely quiet bees!

The bees are busily drawing the super and after just a week I was stunned to see bee heaven garden really blossoming! As I only had my phone on hand I managed a couple of naff pics of one of my ladies on one of the apple trees!

Edit to add: the two frames of undrawn foundation in the brood box have now been drawn and are being filled with nectar and pollen.

 

[REDWOOD]

Good man a making of a beekeeper


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Millet]

Did my first full inspection. Slightly nervous as was on my own but it went well. Eggs, larvae and capped brood. HM seen on second pass of the next to last frame, must have missed her the first time I lifted it out. Thought I saw a full queen cell but on closer inspection it was just burr comb hanging from the bottom of the frame. No other emergency or supersedure cells seen, bees happily moved away from my hand. They are such lovely quiet bees!

The bees are busily drawing the super and after just a week I was stunned to see bee heaven garden really blossoming! As I only had my phone on hand I managed a couple of naff pics of one of my ladies on one of the apple trees!

Edit to add: the two frames of undrawn foundation in the brood box have now been drawn and are being filled with nectar and pollen.

Brilliant stuff Robbo by the look of things that's a nice bee friendly garden.

 

[Robbo8916]

Good man a making of a beekeeper


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks. I'm trying to do right by the ladies.

Brilliant stuff Robbo by the look of things that's a nice bee friendly garden.

Thanks. It really is, the girls were buzzing on the apple trees (theres 3), pear trees (2) and now that the clematis has opened they are literally all over it, looks like it is alive. Saw a lot of girls in the hive with blue/grey pollen so guessing they're still working the massive patch of bluebells in the front too.

I'm a happy man today

 

[Millet]

I'm a happy man today

That is what makes keeping bees worthwhile, i forget the honey yield if you get some you get it if you do not tough, i find them amazing insects and i could watch them all day long, i am pleased for you and long may it continue, .
Ps seems as you liked that inspection so much you can come and help me pull mine to bits tomorrow,