What did you do in the Apiary today?

[milkermel]

dodging the rain storms I managed to get my empty supers back onto hives for cleaning.

sun is now out, but know if i go back to inspect other hives it will only start pouring again! now waiting for the nice courier man to bring me my new hex jars!

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Did the normal checks, applied week 3 apilife var to two of the hives, left the other as the drop was zero and she needs to get laying. Will be feeding all 3 this evening as they continue to be light on stores. Daughter acting as young assistant spotted an elusive queen I've yet to mark, but she gave us the slip after a good chase around with the plunger.

 

[madasafish]

Topped up feeders in four hives, checked mite drop (being treated).. maximum drop over 24 hours 19..

Went to Association Apiary, helped treat hives with Apiguard and move filled supers to a house for subsequent extraction next week.

Received no stings despite weather being cool and wet. A first for several weeks.
Got soaked instead!

 

[MrB]

last 2 hives got their apiguard treatment started.

 

[WelshPaul]

Opened up the hive today, still seem to have lost more bees, god knows if HM is there, seen a tiny bit of drawn comb. Gave them a 2:1 sugar syrup, hopefully this will work. Fingers crossed.

 

[drstitson]

knocked up a Rauchboy type smoker insert - 5 mins work drilling the tin can which was a perfect fit for the smoker chamber.

now lights easily without using blowlamp and smokes wonderfully.

Now just need the temp to drop in next or so and i'll be ready for an inspection (35-40 C for last fortnight).

 

[Mike a]

Now just need the temp to drop in next or so and i'll be ready for an inspection (35-40 C for last fortnight).

I assume your not in Surrey, Lincolnshire at the moment...
35-40 'C would of made the news compared to our variable 8-16 'C down on the south coast.

 

[Chris Luck]

Not in France recently either other than last Friday and Saturday.

Chris

 

[fatshark]

Checked three mini-nucs to find the queens have all mated and are laying That's the last grafting for the year. Now wait until the Apiguard finishes to introduce one of the queens to a nuc that needs requeening. The others will be overwintererd in two-storey Kielers.

And got drenched ...

 

[user 6228]

Put the MB poly brood box together ready for tommorow- The 2nd stage of getting the big colony acclimatised for PU nr2 hive.
Made the entrance bits and roofs for PU hives 2 & 3 and PU eke kits.
Made a wooden polyhive style 4 way excluder eke for the wood hive.

Watched the bees going berserk bringing in pollen. The gorse and heather heath in full bloom is only 130m away.

 

[witchcraft]

Took ten pounds of really floral honey out of my last supers and put the feeders on as well as clipping the grass under the OMFs which the bees hated. I'm planning to put down paving slabs during the autumn

 

[Headnavigator]

Checked, tweaked and double triple checked the set-up of Miller and Ashforth feeders; no more drownded bees, just a couple of wasps, which tends to confirm the suicide cases were getting in from outside, ie robbers, and a closed well-held down unwarped crownboard is the final solution.
Don't they just love thymolised syrup? Amazing greed for it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not feeding yet n our area - spent a very pleasant morning at the association apiary No1 hive full of very tetchy bees - damn - didn't wear gloves to impress the newbie I was talking throgh the examination so tomorrow is another Kenny Everet hand day! (Q- a few weeks ago with Q cells so either a virgin queen or Q- so put a test frame in), then two more hives not too bad. Got home to find my wife's dog (litttle sausage dog I call the F**CK*R, wouldn't swap her for the world) stretched out near dead by the back door - all afternoon at the vets :emergency operation which she didn't survive: spent the rest of the evening digging a grave in a place of honour with all my best gundogs, and watching my bees still bringing in the balsam like idiots. Can't believe a man whose got the lives of 30 couples of foxhounds in his hands (and is not bothered) can get so upset about a bloody lapdog!! I can take all the crap thrown at me on duty but I'll miss old Biscuit

 

[Erichalfbee]

Sorry about Biscuit.
Had to put my old collie to sleep some weeks ago. I'm holding onto his ashes to scatter in Bushy Park where he grew up.
It's good to be silly about a pet.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Made up a couple of insulated dividers for use with smaller colonies this winter

 

[Legs]

Checked over our supered hive and showed it to my visiting parents. Sadly, the bees have been taking a fair bit of the honey back down - the only nectar source they really seem to be exploiting at the moment is Himalayan balsam. Didn't see the queen.

Then my folks left and my missus joined in to check over the two half-full colonies which we're going to unite. One queen has definitely been less prolific than the other, so she got whisked off to be dunked in gin. The other queen got clipped and re-marked.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Prefer a slice of lemon and some ice with my gin - or a drop of pinkers when in the mood!

 

[oliver90owner]

Hope you haven't dunked her in gin just yet. Marking, clipping and uniting always have a risk factors involved. Think before you dunk?

RAB

 

[Legs]

Prefer a slice of lemon and some ice with my gin - or a drop of pinkers when in the mood!

I'm not keen on drinking this...!

 

[madasafish]

In between showers refilled all feeders (thanks goodness for cheap sugar deals).
During showers made one side of an insulated top bar hive - experimental..
(thanks goodness for free pallets)