What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Plenty of honey]

So basically you've bred yourself a load (well, a handful anyway) of shaite bees which are no use to man or beast but at least (so you claim) don't need treating, you are now going to throw in a random shovel full of hybrid bees which is proven world wide to need constant tweaking to maintain integrity of the line and you hope after three years of open mating with your poor quality mongrels that you are going to end up with the definitive superbee.

Forget Donald Trump, it's a wonder that Daffy Duck isn't the forerunner for the presidency

you didn't mention the "fairy dust" you disappoint!!

 

[NewBeeMan]

Not a lot

Checked wasp traps and fed my week hive.

 

[Obee1]

What will you do if you end up with 13 mated queens?

Do the happy dance. I have no expectations of 13 mated queens. But all are gratefully received. I will use some to requeen my less desirables. Some will overwinter in dummied down poly Nucs. I'm new to this so its all a learning experience.

Cussword they are from our superbee breeder queen - and will be open mated. Certainly not buckshee! buckfast (ish) more like!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not much but, as everyone seems to be wetting their knicks over these 'high winds' I thought I'd better check my poly nucs were still standing. bit breezy here but wet, constant heavy drizzle/rain and a steady stream of bees heading out for balsam bashing down the river - easy to spot the white dots flying back through the rain!!

 

[Cussword]

Cussword they are from our superbee breeder queen - and will be open mated. Certainly not buckshee! buckfast (ish) more like!

 

[Stiffy]

Took 11 supers off today, same tomorrow and make up some nucs to over winter, if weather holds.
S

 

[For want of a better word]

Took 11 supers off today, same tomorrow and make up some nucs to over winter, if weather holds.
S

Pissing down all day today.... Stiffie mus be on another planet!

Yeghes da

 

[Stiffy]

Pissing down all day today.... Stiffie mus be on another planet!

Yeghes da

Floppett.
Yes, in the best part of The Duchy not straddling England. No rain in the west 1pm-5pm.

“Vescere bracis meis"

 

[deanrpwaacs]

Was quite pleasant in Egerton today for a few hours . Got what i needed to do done at the farm . Then hit the rain on my way back home . Holiday for a week now so bring on the sun .

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Utter chaos continues. Was combining my now hopelessly Q- production hive 2 with a Q+ nuc in winter-ready 2-storey nuc format and a cluster of bees would not leave the floor. Shook it off hard onto the landing board, noting the tiny piece of comb. What's that white dot? The (fabulous, June 2016) Q from the last attempt to re-Q whom they rudely superseded and shoved out the door. Guess the Opalith disc stopped her flying (certainly did for a virgin :-/). So no chances, she's in a cage now. Wretched bees; a real mess-up that wasn't my fault for a change.

 

[Goran]

You can feel in the apiary calmness. Even is warm,nice weather bees are preparing for winter. They almost don't notice me. In most cases smoker isn't needed. Bees are wonder as some say.. yesterday saw pics how ordinary bee lay egg in qcell - laying worker.. caught in action..

 

[beeno]

Confirmation of new laying queen, from different strain due to chalkbrood, in one of my colonies. Laying 11 days after emergence. Nice black one. We have had super weather and lots of drones.

 

[Obee1]

I removed an empty emerged QC which had brace comb alongside the QC. Showed it to OH five hours later - he commented the brace comb looked like it contained a QC. I peeled it open - to find a live queen. Covered her in honey and dropped her in the apidea that had torn down its QC yesterday.
Now I wait....

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just watched: had a quick scoot around the home apiary yesterday as the sun had come out - just to check on the status of a few nucs, when a swarm came in and landed on a tall spindly holly tree in the hedge. No way of getting to them as I didn't have a cherry picker handy that can reach well to the side as well as up so just have to hope they might fancy one of the des resses dotted around for them. As they settled in the tree, the rain came and hasn't stopped since. They're still there now!!

 

[Swarm]

Just watched: had a quick scoot around the home apiary yesterday as the sun had come out - just to check on the status of a few nucs, when a swarm came in and landed on a tall spindly holly tree in the hedge. No way of getting to them as I didn't have a cherry picker handy that can reach well to the side as well as up so just have to hope they might fancy one of the des resses dotted around for them. As they settled in the tree, the rain came and hasn't stopped since. They're still there now!!

Nice day tomorrow .... Fingers crossed eh?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Nice day tomorrow .... Fingers crossed eh?

I don't care where they go - rather than just hang around there and die. just no way I can get to them safely (or even unsafely come to that! )

 

[beeno]

They will be fine in the short term when clustered as the rain falls off the outer bees. However, it is not recommended to try to collect a swarm in the rain as they get cold and wet and they may actually die from it, unless it is a quick snip and into the box.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Just watched: had a quick scoot around the home apiary yesterday as the sun had come out - just to check on the status of a few nucs, when a swarm came in and landed on a tall spindly holly tree in the hedge. No way of getting to them as I didn't have a cherry picker handy that can reach well to the side as well as up so just have to hope they might fancy one of the des resses dotted around for them. As they settled in the tree, the rain came and hasn't stopped since. They're still there now!!

Question - do you really want a tall, spindly holly tree in your hedge and can you accurately drop it where you want it with a chainsaw

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Question - do you really want a tall, spindly holly tree in your hedge and can you accurately drop it where you want it with a chainsaw

Getting at it is an issue full stop (it's not massively high BTW) it's due for a pruning this winter as does a pretty cheeky willow that's gone berserk next to it. awkward to explain but it's between the hedge and a six foot high chainlink fence surrounding the workshops nearby so it will be a matter of clambering over the (six foot high) hedge and having a go at it with a billhook. the height of the hedge there has no real problems - stops the great unwashed seeing in when they take their dogs for a sh...walk (the units are on a bank a few feet higher than the apiary) and doesn't block the sun as it doesn't get to that position until well into the West and setting

 

[Erichalfbee]

JBM, you'll have to stand next to an empty hive and drum them down