What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Blakebees]

Ps, here is the swarm

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[Sadders]

Obviously don't need to be stuffed with syrup any more and personally I think when you open up next week the queen will be long gone - with half the colony.

Yeah, stopped feeding. I fed 1:1 up until last week as they still had 4 frames to pull and the wether was set to be changeable for the week.

If they are gone next week then they will be gone. We will see.

 

[Tremyfro]

Sunny afternoon in the Bee Yard. I went with two queen cages in my pockets and an apidea. The plan was to scoop some bees from the beehaus for the apidea. Managed that without too much trouble. Then very carefully released the virgin queen which emerged yesterday in my hand.
Next it was requeening the beehaus with my new carniolan queen. By this time the bees which were slightly annoyed at having their Sunday afternoon siesta disturbed....required a bit of smoke to persuade them to stay in the hive. Slipped the queen cage between two frames. 2 minutes later all was quiet. So they are either very glad to get a queen or else they are busy trying to kill her through the walls of the cage. Hopefully the former.
We did a quick check of the nucs and our Hygienic queen had been released ...she looked very happy on the frame with a little retinue of helpers. She was checking the cells. She just needs to get mated now. She is destined to requeen a second beehaus as I believe we have a drone layer queen in there.
Nuc 2 still had queen cells ...none emerged as yet.
The last nuc ...the queen had emerged from her queen cell. A beautiful black queen. The first we have had...with spidery brown legs. I hope she has a nice temperament. She originated from my Buckfast colony. Which are all gingers.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Help!!!!

I got home from a kids party, went for a stroll in the field and found a swarm. I quickly caught them, put them in a nuc with frames, and whilst doing it realised that they were mine!!!

A couple weeks ago, I mistakenly, accidentally dropped the queen, whilst in the cage whilst making her. It ends up she died, I ordered a new buck fast, marked and got (I think) all the queen cells, on Tuesday checked she was out the cage, she was laying! I was hoping to get some honey this year .

Does it mean that I missed a queen cell and that my main hives queen was hatched? I carefully went through and couldn't see any queen in there.

Advise needed please


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How do you know the swarm was from that hive?

Is the swarm headed by your new Buckfast queen? if so, there could have been another QC in the hive. and the Buckie swarmed on the strength of that. Happened to a queen of mine a few years ago.

 

[Blakebees]

Yeah! Saw the new marked buckfast in the swarm!


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[Blakebees]

Could have been an easy way to spend 50£


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[Charlieanne]

Lovely sunny weather today.

Made a nuc up from my favourite hive as they are making QC, foundation to replace frames removed, added a super as well as half filled their current one, want to increase to 5-6 hives eventually from my current 3 but do it gradually so get some honey too

Swapped out a couple of the oldest darkest brood combs from my other wooden hive - they are going into the bait hive - still waiting to catch a swarm!

Poly hive saw new queen again, she's small and dark, not laying yet but hopefully has managed to get mated.

Away over Bank Holiday weekend so hopefully they will behave until next Tuesday

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yeah! Saw the new marked buckfast in the swarm!


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Go back into the original hive and check very carefully for QC's or even another queen. If you find QC's you could just take them all down making the colony hopelessly queenless and unite the queen and swarm back into it in a few days.

 

[Blakebees]

If I find another queen is it worth leaving them to get on?


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[Blakebees]

Then I have gone from one to 3 in the space of a month!!


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[Dadnlad]

Two half-capped supers passed the shake test today, so clearer boards deployed, time to get the extractor out of the garage again - happy days

 

[sugarbush]

Two half-capped supers passed the shake test today, so clearer boards deployed, time to get the extractor out of the garage again - happy days

New one on me. What is the "shake test"?

 

[snelgrove]

New one on me. What is the "shake test"?

If frames are not sealed, shaking the frames and no nectar falls then it is safe to extract. Honey being ripe.

 

[Dadnlad]

If frames are not sealed, shaking the frames and no nectar falls then it is safe to extract. Honey being ripe.

Yep - but only this time of year with OSR about- summer honey I wait until all capped

Have made the mistake of leaving spring supers on too long before

 

[Brigsy]

Observed what I think is Horse Chestnut pollen coming in today. Amazing colour, both on pollen baskets and their heads and bums.

 

[Charlieanne]

Meant to ask before, saw a few bees covered in a brick red type pollen, any ideas? Horse chestnut?

 

[snelgrove]

Meant to ask before, saw a few bees covered in a brick red type pollen, any ideas?

chestnut

 

[Charlieanne]

chestnut

Glad they have found the many trees around them, still some with the yellow OSR pollen coming in so glad there is an alternative and hopefully won't get grumpy when it does end

 

[Fatbee]

Removed a super of OSR honey on each of main hives now rape is going over. Will be some more to do next week. But more importantly used latex gloves rather than my old leather ones because leather left at home and will not be going back! Can feel so much better and bees nice and calm.

 

[beeno]

Inspected my double brood hives all good, no QCs and a super full each. Hope the weather holds so that they don't eat it!