What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Teemore]

hospital has put manuka honey dressing on maybe that not helping it

Put your own honey on it.

Hope it heals well for you.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

hospital has put manuka honey dressing on maybe that not helping it

Could be worse - heard that some daft people put it on their toast!!

 

[nantmoel]

Who said prime swarming season was over? I had a call to go and collect this swarm this morning, someone spotted it there yesterday.

 

[B+.]

This is more a "look what the postman delivered" post.

I just received 3 Arista VSH queens from The Netherlands. They were posted on Monday afternoon so sending parcels express certainly helps (my last consignment took 7 days!)

 

[snelgrove]

First five colonies prepared for heather. Chock with brood and bees but no stores in brood chamber. Couple of frames of honey place in heather super as safe guard. Will remove and replace when flow starts.

 

[nantmoel]

Gave my smoker a de-coak! Bloody hard work mind, how do others here clean their smoker? It had to be done because it became almost impossible to open the it went cold.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Gave my smoker a de-coak! Bloody hard work mind, how do others here clean their smoker? It had to be done because it became almost impossible to open the it went cold.

blowlamp - got to give it a long blast though to make sure all the gunk inside bubbles up and burns totally - then just a quick scrape and it's done

 

[Eyeman]

Gave my smoker a de-coak! Bloody hard work mind, how do others here clean their smoker? It had to be done because it became almost impossible to open the it went cold

Just give mine a scrape with the hive tool when the lid get stuck or the nozzle gets clogged. Deposits come off easily.
What are you guys smoking to need a blow torch?

 

[Obee1]

Looked in my nuc that had a frame of eggs from our breeder queen. First QC is capped.

There are only two - the other one looks close to being sealed. They are on different sides of the frame so can be separated easily when the time comes.

In the kitchen I cut some comb honey and put in boxes. Frame looked too good to chop.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Gave my smoker a de-coak! Bloody hard work mind, how do others here clean their smoker? It had to be done because it became almost impossible to open the it went cold.

Soak it overnight in a bucket of washing soda solution.

 

[madasafish]

Gave my smoker a de-coak! Bloody hard work mind, how do others here clean their smoker? It had to be done because it became almost impossible to open the it went cold.

Heat with blowlamp until on fire.
Scrape off deposits with flat bladed tool.(putty knife is ideal)
Job done in 10 minutes or less.

 

[B+.]

In the kitchen I cut some comb honey and put in boxes. Frame looked too good to chop.

Nice one Obee1!
Did you use thin foundation?

 

[Robbo8916]

ARGHHHH!!!!!

Went down to make the transfer of the bees from the 5 frame nuc to the 6 frame. Popped the poly nuc on the grass while I chatted to the lady who owns the house.

Notice a couple of bees checking it out. Looked up in the tree and there was a lovely football sized swarm in the tree! Downside being it is from my larger colony! AGAIN! This time I know it is mine as the queen is clipped and after a thorough search through the hive found one single newly hatched queen cell and no queen.

I shot home to grab some more frames, nicked a drawn frame (empty) from main hive and stuck it in the box with 1 frame of foundation. Put the nuc on top of a wheelie bin, and knocked the bees down into the box. Left it an hour and put the rest of the frames in.

All went quiet, bees dutifully making their way into the entrance. As I got home (thinking I will pop back later and move the nuc) I got a phone call saying there was a large cluster of bees in the tree again.

Will be having another go at knocking them in, in a moment.

I have never handled a swarm before but was pretty confident HM was in the box.

If this year doesn't put me off beekeeping for life I am in it for the long haul lol.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Watched all the hives being really busy. There is balsam less than half a mile away but not a single white bee. Everything else is finished. Where ARE they going?

 

[Cussword]

Balsam??

There's not one sodding plant anywhere near my hives...

.

 

[Robbo8916]

Disaster averted! The bees went home!

One queen undoubtedly lost, didn't have time to look for her but seeing as there was a newly hatched queen cell in there and my bees' apparent skill at raising new queens I am sure they will do ok. Will of course monitor the situation.

All that stress and sweating for nothing. Nuc now installed in their 6 frame poly box complete with extra already drawn frame (I didn't want to annoy the others by poking around again to put it back).

The nuc queen has a beautiful almost 'textbook' laying pattern. Perfect oval in the centre arced by pollen and honey. Didn't see her but did see BIAS and no signs of swarm preps.

Always cool to see the girls help orient their sisters to a slightly higher, different shaped entrance. Hive in exactly the same place as the old one. I wedged a piece of wood under the front to stop them walking straight under the poly box as it is higher off the stand than the old one which didn't have feet. It is also cool to see just how many bees are actually arriving at any one time when they are slightly lost and not sure where the door is. You don't notice so much when they are oriented.

Both hives working the balsam with gusto. Nearly every single bee coming home 'ghosted'. Wonderful sight!

Now (since I got up at 4am for work and have a rare weekend off) time for a beer! Phew!

 

[madasafish]

Lots of balsam here. But when it rains most of July and August so far and is cloudy when it ain't raining there is no nectar.

So far two more DLQ s- late swarms. Two queens in mating nucs - both DLQs and the one laying queen in a mini nuc was robbed out.

No successful matings since mid July...

Weather a bit better today 20C - the third day this year (!) .

Not a wonderful year but I have had 30 lbs honey from Spring hawthorn and should get another 60 .. better than nothing but pretty poor from 8 hives.

 

[einsteinagogo]

Beautiful evening, 26 degrees C - lovely to be back with the bees.

Could not leave it any longer, wasps were hammering the national, and I want to try and save this cast (if possible!)

Had a plan, executed it perfectly, move cast swarm from national into a 6 frame poly nuc, with feeder, time will tell, if it builds up well enough for winter. The bees were extremely calm, just on frames, no smoke needed, lovely bees

What I didn't expect, after I closed up the nuc, it looked as if, every bee decided then to leave the nuc, into the air (swarm like).

what a sight, being in the middle of it all, and after 30 minutes, all return to the nuc...

time will tell if they don't sod off....

 

[Robbo8916]

What I didn't expect, after I closed up the nuc, it looked as if, every bee decided then to leave the nuc, into the air (swarm like).

what a sight, being in the middle of it all, and after 30 minutes, all return to the nuc...

time will tell if they don't sod off....

That is essentially what my larger colony did today! Thank the lawd they went home! Can't afford to lose them all again!

 

[chrisb]

added a queen to a nuc that i over cooked, they were so not happy the noise coming from them ! I thought they were going to rip the nuc to shreds.
put cage on top bars for a moment whilst I dug the support for the cage out my pocket, looked back they were all around her with about a dozen fanning like mad.
got her between the frames and last glance seen workers with tongue's out trying to feed her. happy bunny when lid went back on

fingers crossed she will be happy and still there when i check she has been released