What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Lucky Bee]

Put the QE on stat.
Congratulations! Great feeling isn't it...

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Thanks TryingToLetThemBee - will do

 

[Motobiman]

Swarm Nuc, Topped up feeder, drawing out three frames but slow, BIAS, saw Q, she's small so let her alone.

Hive - removed five capped Q cells and two were just about ready to emerge so put into cages in case anyone at the BKA tomorrow is desperate. BIAS and Q seen so clipped her.

First year colony in Nuc, BIAS and stores in two BBs, will add QX and another BB in a week or two.
Q marked and clipped.

Swarm Nuc, Blue Q found and clipped. Some stores, topped up feeder.

Good day at the apiary.

 

[Tremyfro]

Thank God we inspected the bees yesterday as it is raining today.
We fed all the nucs with fondant. All the mature colonies were holding their own. Nothing in supers but a fair amount of pollen and nectar on the brood frames.
Yay....much more nectar in the Flow frames....now it's raining again...so they will eat it.....

 

[philipm]

Removed the biggest wasp nest I've ever seen from neighbors shed at least the size of a beach ball .sorry I didn't take any photos.

 

[Hivemaker.]

at least the size of a beach ball

What diameter was it?

 

[Motobiman]

What diameter was it?

Well if it was an American beach ball, big as a house.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

The warm weather is coming !!!

 

[B+.]

Just had an interesting skype call with my contact at Arista Bee Research / BeeBreed-NL about beginning a Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) selection programme using single drone insemination (sdi).

Interesting times ahead!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Keep us updated B+ please

 

[B+.]

Keep us updated B+ please

Will do...

At the moment I am just doing some practice tests on my existing stock. I expect to receive some tested queens in August which will be an initial step. Next year, the really interesting stuff begins when I inseminate and test some queens. I am told that Arista have 100% VSH in the Carnica line in 2 generations of sdi. Now they need other high VSH lines to cross them with. Hence my interest.

 

[Erichalfbee]

What happens if you inseminate a queen with her own sons B+?

 

[B+.]

What happens if you inseminate a queen with her own sons B+?

This is actually a very interesting area, which I wont bore everyone with. Suffice it to say, the brood will be inbred but their traits would be intensified. This is something that should only be done with extreme care though.

 

[bpmurray]

One of my apideas has absconded - there were eggs last week, and I wanted to be certain that her brood was OK, so today the apidea was completely empty, except for a couple of abandoned eggs in the comb.

 

[protheroe]

I've had 3 go over the last few days.it happens.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Damp dreary and misty here so spent most of the day preparing exhibits for the Royal Welsh - no cut comb this year as the bees don't seem to want to cap anything.
Had to do a few inspections this afternoon - Demarrees to tend and and colonies running out of space even though the weather has been dismal - I must say that a five super Demarree is a bit of a work-up

 

[masterBK]

bpmurray. Absconding is a known problem with mininucs but easily solved. As soon as you see eggs you pin the plastic excluder over the Apidea entrance to stop the queen absconding.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Damp dreary and misty here so spent most of the day preparing exhibits for the Royal Welsh - no cut comb this year as the bees don't seem to want to cap anything.
Had to do a few inspections this afternoon - Demarrees to tend and and colonies running out of space even though the weather has been dismal - I must say that a five super Demarree is a bit of a work-up

JBM when do you stop lifting frames in a Demaree? My strongest has brood on about 16 frames, 9 down 7 up. As I lifted 4 today it struck me they'll be foragers about 1 Sept. ie just mouths to feed. It seems like time to let them shrink the brood nest. Have you stopped lifting by now?

 

[Goran]

Few days ago 37C day temp, on Friday and yesterday day temp was 20-21C and rain pouring down as blessing.. We hadn't such summer rain recently, usually all was scorched by the sun. This season I am hoping to get decent yield of hazelnuts due to this summer we used to have before climate change..
Today I am going to place board in breeders ( third attempt, two before I was restrained.. first time harsh a day before I had to harvest qcells, second by my " pay job" - like something don't let me to succeed), I will need boots.. I still don't give up, maybe I should?

 

[Robbo8916]

Going to go check and see whether my girls have given up on their swarm preps. Hopefully their new frames and the incoming balsm flow will give them something else to think about!

Hopefully they will be out and flying today, considering it isn't supposed to rain for once.

 

[Swarm]

JBM when do you stop lifting frames in a Demaree? My strongest has brood on about 16 frames, 9 down 7 up. As I lifted 4 today it struck me they'll be foragers about 1 Sept. ie just mouths to feed. It seems like time to let them shrink the brood nest. Have you stopped lifting by now?

I was thinking much the same with mine. I'll probably give them another week before putting the top box below and allowing them to move any nectar up and then leave them on double brood format for Winter prep.