What did you do in the Apiary today?

[B+.]

You wait until post Brexit when it all has to go through PPD in the Midlands.

What are you talking about JBM? Shirley it can't be worse than it is already!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What are you talking about JBM? Shirley it can't be worse than it is already!

it's another two links in the chain. I remember well pre 1992!

 

[chrisb]

I have 2 instrumentally inseminated NL line carnica and some micropipettes of drone semen coming from the Netherlands. I have been tracking their progress as the package travels to this country.
At 23:23 last night they were marked as "Sent to country of destination". Since then....nothing! Does it really take 15hours for a plane to fly from the Netherlands?
Come on Royal Mail. Get your act together!

no but it takes royal mail 2 days to deliver

 

[B+.]

no but it takes royal mail 2 days to deliver

It would be nice if they even scanned the tag to say that it had arrived in the country.
Is it too much trouble to scan a tag? Everyone else seems to be able to manage it.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Anyone know the routine for honey judging ....I was hoping for a bit of feedback ....a scribbled note on how to improve next time

 

[nantmoel]

Made up a three frame Nuc, I will say that the bees which are normally gentle were very aggressive, one managed to get inside my veil and sting me on the ear, I also took 4 stings to my hand when I went up a little later to move the Nuc.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Anyone know the routine for honey judging ....I was hoping for a bit of feedback ....a scribbled note on how to improve next time

Depends on the judge. you usually only get a note if he/she is particularly impressed with your exhibit or if something is glaringly amiss.
Chalk and cheese at the Royal Welsh this year - one had put good feedback (positive or negative as necessary) where it was required. The other one had obviously had a bad egg for his breakfast Monday morning - the Judge's steward said he was a real pain and seemed to pick for the sake of it and wasn't very consistent - the few notes he'd left (in full view for all and sundry to read) were nuggets of pomposity and very little constructivity - other national judges I know, and who were there said the same thing. In fact, his judging was very poor.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Anyone know the routine for honey judging ....I was hoping for a bit of feedback ....a scribbled note on how to improve next time

I visited the Beverley BKA stand at Driffield show this afternoon. Very impressive display.
Couldn't ask if you were around as I only have your group name
Are you going to the session at Dunswell on Saturday morning?

 

[Chriszog]

Checked on 4 colonies today lots of nectar being collected and may need some more supers next week!

 

[Tremyfro]

Hived up a national nuc as it was bursting at the seams. Lots of brood and bees and the queen still going well. She is a blue queen which the bees in the langstroth didn't like...so I popped her in the nuc for safekeeping. Seems she liked the nuc.
Also started an inspection...but had to abandon when the weather turned nasty with a howling wind. Managed to lift the lids on the beehaus's to check space in the supers...ok til after the weekend....lets hope they have foraging on their minds ...not swarming.

 

[gregior]

Just been through all mine, late evening in thundery weather not the ideal time and they were pretty grumpy! But i'm away on Holiday next week so had to be done.!st one i checked was swarming so i AS'd it with some of my fast disappearing spare kit. All the others were fine and have put on around 20lbs in weight this last week on average.
Lots of sealed brood and young bees but egg laying definitely reducing now,varroa becoming a little more numerous but not too bad just yet.

How can 5 bees find a hole in my veil that's invisible to the naked eye????

 

[beeno]

Hived up a national nuc as it was bursting at the seams. Lots of brood and bees and the queen still going well. She is a blue queen which the bees in the langstroth didn't like...so I popped her in the nuc for safekeeping. Seems she liked the nuc.
QUOTE]

Well that is very interesting. Let us know how she gets on in a full sized hive.

 

[Obee1]

Built 40 super frames and four supers. - and must say didn't take all day- but only because I bought myself some poly supers that just need pushing together and screwing. So much easier than building wooden ones. I know I should paint them prior to use but the bees need them now. Will be extracting some frames the bees have filled and mixing the extracted drawn frames in with the foundation.
Unfortunately the weather appears to be on the turn but will still add the supers as poor bees so short of space one colony has taken to sitting on the front of the hive and chilling in a big circle on the landing board (aka garden table being used as a stand) - all day and at night. Picture shown taken at around 10pm but they stayed there all day too.

 

[Tremyfro]

Obee1... You will soon be the Cardiff Queen Bee at this rate. I find my few hives a lot to get through....especially on warm days. I'm thinking of doing nucs on a separate day to the main hives. It must be that fab forage available to your bees. Mine are doing ok though....keeping themselves this year with no supplimentry feeding. Which is a bonus. Last years memories are full of mixing syrup up by the gallon!

 

[madasafish]

Built and painted 4 Lang Bee Development (was Mann Lake) supers.. 10 minutes each to build. Aldi wood paint.

Now for the ritecell (easy)

 

[Dadnlad]

Got a call to for a swarm, nipped out of work about 2pm and found them only 8 foot up a hawthorn. Shook them into my swarm box, upturned onto a sheet propped one corner and watched them walk in
Returned at 8.30pm having got a hive and foundation set up for them - gone, empty swarm box
Ungratefull gits !

 

[B+.]

gone, empty swarm box
Ungratefull gits !

Same thing happened to me last week Dadnlad - A huge swarm absconded without a trace. The queen was probably lost in the process as I found mating nucs covered with bees the next day

 

[Erichalfbee]

I hived a small swarm last week but the bait hive I'm sure they were eyeing up still has 50 or so scouts constantly buzzing around. They must have spent the night in the box and missed the move.

 

[B+.]

An unusual swarm call: I received a swarm call from the National Grid. They have a number of swarms in/on their blockhouses that house the equipment at the power station. This one is under the canopy of the building and has been there long enough to start constructing combs. I have arranged to go back on monday and rehome the swarm.
I removed a swarm from the riggers rope bag on a pylon last year so they kept my number for future incidents.

 

[maddydog]

Checked twelve colonies. Obviously been taking advantage of the good conditions and have been packing away the nectar. 3 superbee colonies that were 3 frame nucs in june are now bursting out of 14*12 and each have 3 shallows 2 of which are full. Their temperament has altered from very calm to moderate which is interesting. Their performance is definitely a cut above most (but not all) of my carnie mongrels.
Found and marked two newly mated queens so hopefully the colonies they belong to can build up