What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Itchy]

just been out to bring a swarm I've boxed in a garden home to lift it and find there are too many under the nuc box on the damn mesh to move it. Will try again tomorrow night.

Note to self - tape up mesh floor next time. Once all in, close door, tear off tape and turn box on its side (assuming you don't put frames in) this gives them plenty of ventilation for the journey.

 

[Helen]

A ladder?

Bit difficult balancing on a ladder 12m up, esp when there is nothing to lean it against. My balance isn't that good.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Got called to a swarm. Huge prime swarm. Unfortunately, it was 10+m high up on the whippy end of an old willow tree branch. There were no climbable branches near it. So I couldn't get at it.

Are there any techniques/methods/tools to get hold of a swarm out of reach like that?

Chainsaw

 

[Barbarian]

Got called to a swarm. Huge prime swarm. Unfortunately, it was 10+m high up on the whippy end of an old willow tree branch. There were no climbable branches near it. So I couldn't get at it.

Are there any techniques/methods/tools to get hold of a swarm out of reach like that?

Try setting up a large bait hive. Bait hive should not be close to the swarm. I would suggest at least 50m away.

 

[Finman]

Tupla

 

[Finman]

A ladder?


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My friend uses riffle, and cut the branch with bullet.

Once he dropped my 5 kg swarm from 15 m high twig. Half of bees squeezed, when swarm ball dropped down.
.

 

[madasafish]

12 meter fishing pole is what an old beekeeper uses. With a bait hive on the end, winched up...

 

[Rock_Chick]

Today I've treated my 5 hives with the MAQS strips,I've added empty super boxes on each to allow ventilation and opened the entrance to full, also put in mesh floor tray as recommend in the instructions. After 1 hour 2 hives are all over the front of the hive,the other 3 so for seem ok.
some one told me to put a matchstick on each corner between boxes to alow a bit or air though. Any thoughts on that idea.

 

[Robbo8916]

12 meter fishing pole is what an old beekeeper uses. With a bait hive on the end, winched up...

I saw on Facebook a person who has an extendable window cleaning pole with an upturned office water cooler bottle attached to the end which they use and hit the swarm from underneath and they fall in.

Seems quite effective.

 

[Sadders]

1 hive wonder on 14x12 nationals.

On 8 frames, added super last week. Super barely touched although they are starting to draw out a frame.

5 QCs today, all charged so did an AS.

What surprised me is that most of the flyers were returning directly to the now Q- hive to the side of the original position rather than the Q+ hive on the original spot despite a few fanning furiously on the doorstep.

 

[MuswellMetro]

spent most of the day with the new north London Seasonal Bee inspector, and i am all clear but i am being extra vigilant as EFB is within half a mile of my home apiary. Took a further four supers off two hives and will extract tonight as OSR

 

[nantmoel]

Checked the AS I did on Monday on the OSR, I really don't think the "flyer's", returned to the Nuc I left with the queen in on a frame. They had started to draw the foundation either side of the frame, there didn't look like there was anymore bees that on the frame I put in there. There were 5 sealed QC's in the other hive I'd move about 10 yards away.

 

[JWF]

12 meter fishing pole is what an old beekeeper uses. With a bait hive on the end, winched up...

A couple of kilos of bees suddenly dropping into a bucket on the end of a twelve foot long pole sounds like something best watched from a distance!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Made up a nuc from the Garn cottage Demarree and checked the brood box - queenie already filled four frames of brood in a week, but not to be beaten, the old red queen at Brynmair, demarree'd a fortnight ago is on her seventh frame. Did a few more inspections and marked the last blue queen before the thunder came. Realised later I'd left my pocket notebook outside in the downpour luckily pencil doesn't smudge much

 

[madasafish]

A couple of kilos of bees suddenly dropping into a bucket on the end of a twelve foot long pole sounds like something best watched from a distance!

Fishing line for pike iirc.

 

[BMH]

did my first pagden on my biggest hive yesterday. Found the Queen no problem. I reckon they would have swarmed today if no action was taken as they were very nearly sealed cells but all still open a tiny bit. it's like a lean beekeeping process. JIT

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[Erichalfbee]

If they were nearly sealed and there were lots and the colony is big make sure you keep an eye on the box with the queen

 

[beeno]

Call to a swarm in a chimney yesterday which has been there 14 days. My quick assessment suggests it might be in the roof void. Going back for further investigation, but only if attic is boarded!

 

[BMH]

If they were nearly sealed and there were lots and the colony is big make sure you keep an eye on the box with the queen

ok. filled up the brood box with fresh foundation. what am I keeping an eye on? new queen cells or absconding?

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[BMH]

ok. filled up the brood box with fresh foundation. what am I keeping an eye on? new queen cells or absconding?

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the colony was huge BTW. completely filling brood and a half with brood on all frames barring the 4 outer frames. the Queen less boxes that were moved I distributed a lot of the sealed brood to other weaker colonies, left them a nice unsealed queen cell and replaced lots of frames with foundation/drawn comb. fingers crossed

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