What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Monsieur Abeille]

Put a test frame into a suspected Q- colony. Assuming QC gets formed a merge planned for the weekend. If no QC will probably go for a shake-out

 

[pargyle]

Spot on ... there were a couple of dozen mooning about on the landing board ... crept up from behind and started to just mist very slightly from above - worked a treat ... the bees fairly quickly went back inside. I've sealed the entrance with aluminium tape ... there's a mesh floor in the hive so plenty of ventilation. It was a bit dodgy trying to relocate them tonight so I'll be up at the crack of sparrows kneecaps in the morning to move them into my garden ...

Think I've just about won with this lot .... if my antics of getting them off the branch had been filmed by now it would be viral on the internet ....

All safe in my garden now ...there must have still been a few either under the hive or in the tree as there were some (only a couple of dozen) flying around this morning when I went to move them - I've left a box where the hive was and this evening, with any luck, they will find it and any stragglers can find shelter if it rains and I'll take them round to join their sisters tomorrow.

The swarm is already drawing out comb ... not looked at them - there's loads of wax scales on the inspection board. Going to give them a couple of litres of 1:1 tomorrow to help them along as the forecast for later this week is looking decidedly stormy !

 

[Fatbee]

Took off the last of the spring OSR crop - been a good year so far considering the cold start to spring.

Noticed on a few frames some much darker honey. Think sycamore is my other main spring crop - do people know if this is a darker honey?

 

[Tremyfro]

Phew...a bit of an epic beekeep today!
Firstly.....we had to check the langstroth...remove the queen from the bottom box and put her in the q- nuc. Then go through the top brood box and remove the queen cells...all dead so the emerged virgin has been vicious. Put paper between the boxes to combine them. Added the prepared flow frames super.
Checked the Hygienic queen nuc...yay she is laying.
Green Beehaus donated a couple of frames of bees to a nuc for the ousted blue queen from the langstroth hive. They have filled one super and well on the way with a second. So the clearer board was put on. New supers added.
The colony which had nosema earlier in the year, was bursting with bees and 10 frames of brood so we gave then a second brood box..and they are just beginning to put some nectar in the frames we gave them last week.
Purple Beehaus, which had a new carniolan queen, now had eggs everywhere so lots more bees in a few weeks.
This year is full of new things to learn about.
Hive swapping to boost a weak colony.
Diagnosing nosema using my microscope.
Treating for nosema by triple spraying.

 

[Erichalfbee]

They have filled one super and well on the way with a second. So the clearer board was put on.

Lucky you.
I have three supers on one hive, all the frames are full in two but nobody is capping anything

 

[sbisme]

I have three supers on one hive, all the frames are full in two but nobody is capping anything

I know the feeling, checked today and one hive has three heavy supers but they are reluctant to cap them.

 

[BMH]

I know the feeling, checked today and one hive has three heavy supers but they are reluctant to cap them.

Im in the same boat.

got 2 hives that I placed the 5th super on today, the first 3 supers are completely full and around 50% capped with the 4th not far off.

Crazy spring weather around here. I dont actually think it has rained since April!

 

[Tremyfro]

Well it was a beehaus super...they are half size.....so don't get too excited! All capped though. The other half super is part filled and part capped. However....for someone who wasn't expecting any honey this year...I'm a happy beekeeper!

 

[B+.]

I'm a happy beekeeper!

Whats wrong with you? Don't you know that beekeepers have an image to uphold? We're all grumpy old men (or so I'm told). Its people like you who are giving beekeepers a bad name!

 

[Tremyfro]

Whats wrong with you? Don't you know that beekeepers have an image to uphold? We're all grumpy old men (or so I'm told). Its people like you who are giving beekeepers a bad name!

I'll be grumpy tomorrow but today I am a happy beekeeper....

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

They have filled one super and well on the way with a second. So the clearer board was put on.

Lucky you.
I have three supers on one hive, all the frames are full in two but nobody is capping anything

as long as the honey is ripe does it matter? you're only going to rip it all off anyway . Booked a day off Monday to do the first extraction, hopefully I can get most of it done in a day.

 

[gregior]

Checked all mine today,one had a Dlq that i dispatched and replaced with a queen from my mating nuc which has proved invaluable this year,getting me out of trouble a few times, the other 2 new queens are laying well and seem fine. The other 3 hives all doing really well,no signs of swarming.

All the bees look really healthy and have loads of pollen stored,average surplus is about 35 lbs per hive which considering the main flow doesn't even start for a few weeks around here is pretty damn impressive!

 

[Obee1]

Well B+ will be glad to hear that I am a grumpy beekeeper today. Went to farm apiary to give my wally Shaw a/s done on Thursday a bigger box than the 8 frame poly nuc they have been bearding all over. Then checked the parent hive - no eggs teeny larvae or sign of queenie (who is unmarked). Don't think they swarmed - the a/s half is really big - but it looks like she's been gone since about.... the day I did the a/s. Maybe I transferred her on the one brood frame- but didn't see eggs in that box either.
Then looked in on my two new bees - both released on Friday - but no eggs in either nuc. Finally checked in on the meanies who swarmed after an a/s on 15 May. I thought I'd made the parent colony hopelessly q- but alas eggs! I don't want their nasty genes. Must have missed a QC. all this took ages in sweltering heat - but ever the professional beek, I decided to look in the a/s half of the meanies also hopelessly q- (I hope). First frame out they went for me. Multiple stings through suit and jeans. Through gloves and sleeve plus cardigan. Ouch. Ouch ouch. Shut them up and ran.
To top my wonderful day I looked in on the apidea at home containing two bought in virgins. Been lovely mating weather lately. No eggs. Virgins still there with bees but no laying.
I live in hope that the third purchased mated bee at home in the garden, released Friday is actually laying. Will look tomorrow. If I have t burnt my suit and given up beeking in disgust.

 

[Erichalfbee]

as long as the honey is ripe does it matter?

Nope, perhaps I should get in with the refractometer

 

[drex]

Did my first extraction last week- mainly osr. Probably less than 20% capped. Checked often with refractometer. Water content 17.5-18.5. It has already set in the buckets.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Nope, perhaps I should get in with the refractometer

That's what I'm doing - shake test didn't release a drop so a quick dab with the refractometer when I'm putting on the clearer boards.

 

[domino]

Last night I set up my mating nucs for the very first time. Five queen cells into five nucs - fingers crossed. If I get one mated queen this year I'll be very happy.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Did my first extraction last week- mainly osr. Probably less than 20% capped. Checked often with refractometer. Water content 17.5-18.5. It has already set in the buckets.

Likewise. Some had even crystallised upcapped

 

[castanea]

So if all beekeepers are grumpy old men what about the ladies.? Now you can let it rip!!!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I woke up feeling grumpy this morning - but then she had to go to work