What did you do in the Apiary today?

[drstitson]

re the photo above

anyone have any thoughts on pollen laden bees dying near the hive?

have they just exhausted themselves at the blossom and underestimated the energy they need to get home in current weather conditions?

 

[iball]

Small amounts of pollen coming in yesterday.

 

[Poly Hive]

Bees will be dying of now in considerable numbers.

this is the population drop time, which continues until the cross over point at which time the hatching rate exceeds the death rate and the colony grows instead of dwindling.

Once had an apiary in an old silage pit and the ground was near black with dead bees, looked like spraying, but was just *just* LOL the foragers too old and too tired to make it back to the hives.

Nothing to worry about unless the change over fails in which case "spring dwindle" and death of colony.

PH

 

[iball]

The local Coal Tit population are having a high old time picking up the corpses around the hive entrance.

 

[drstitson]

PH - thats what i thought - its just sad to see failed deliveries rather than dead on floor of hive.

 

[drstitson]

pollen collection and laying

Thought everyone would like to see this post from the italian forum - posted by someone in bergamo (ie in the alps!):

"In my opinion at this time laying and import of pollen go hand in hand with the force and the relative development of the colony.
In the sense that a strong family will certainly have already begun major brood rearing in the order of 2 - 3 frames with beautiful rosette of brood 10-15 cm in diameter together with a visible import of pollen, while a weak colony will still be a little bit retarded - smaller rosettes and present on a smaller number of combs, and a smaller number of bees at work outdoors.
There is also a genetic predisposition to leave sooner or later regardless of the climate but I think this has less impact.
The proof is a check done by my father on a sample of our hives earlier this week.
Where strong & management of Varroa has been successful all have the same development with 2-3 frames of brood, and in the nuclei where varroa has hit hard we are slightly behind."

 

[drstitson]

clarification

just to clarify - here's the weather in Bergamo for the last week or so:

 

[nonstandard]

Sat in the apiary at the moment while Mrs B makes some lunch bees flying and pollen arriving.

Orange which I guess is chocs and snowdrop and white which I'm sure is viburnum tinus.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

 

[PeteN]

Took Varroa boards out and dud some counts, averages between 2 and 0.2 a day over 5 days. Bees staying in windy and cooler today.

 

[blackbrood]

quick look at the entranes this afternoon to see bees flying from both hives and some were laiden with pollen

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

Weather was so nice again today, so I decided to put the pollen patties on while it was so fine. Bees where out in force and it's so good to see that after all the cold....

Brian

 

[jallen]

lots of pollen coming in today

 

[MJBee]

Hazel pollen going in by the bucket load - well almost

The water station was very busy too - a couple of dozen bees sucking water out of a block of Oasis, and a few trying to drown themselves on the water butt.

 

[freethorpe bees]

Weather was so nice again today, so I decided to put the pollen patties on while it was so fine. Bees where out in force and it's so good to see that after all the cold....

Brian

You must be in a different Norfolk to me. I didn't see the sun all day!

 

[nonstandard]

...... pollen arriving.

Orange which I guess is chocs ......

Damn that predictive text -Crocus

 

[tonybloke]

watched a few bees collecting pollen from crocus

 

[belinda bee]

I made up one hundred deep national frames today arms are killing me and those gimp pins grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr they get rite up inside you're nails.

 

[Onge]

Try a frame jig "maybe you do already"

Here is mine.

P.s. I use a nail gun too.

 

[tonybloke]

nice jig, Onge!

 

[oliver90owner]

A nail gun is the answer?