What did you do in the Apiary today?

[bpmurray]

Hole? Are they supposed to have a hole? No wonder they didn't work in my CD player

Couldn't you arrange matchsticks across the hole?

 

[JWF]

Couldn't you arrange matchsticks across the hole?

Only if the matchsticks are aligned with a ley line.

 

[chrisb]

and dont cause global warming due to big lines in the sky blocking the sun

 

[Millet]

Hole? Are they supposed to have a hole? No wonder they didn't work in my CD player

Forget the CD's just stick a bit of Varroa mesh floor over the hole.

 

[Erichalfbee]

You lot are daft.
All you need to do is slide the cd over till the hole in the middle is not over the hole in the crown board.

 

[Millet]

You lot are daft.
All you need to do is slide the cd over till the hole in the middle is not over the hole in the crown board.

Oh i see now , how come i could not think of that, silly me

 

[Obee1]

Checked my mating nucs and found 6 queens are mated. 2 are present but not yet laying. Two appear to have gone awol. Waiting to check its worker brood before deciding what to do with my superbee queenies.

 

[madasafish]

Vaped all hives at 7.30am before it rained.(third session 5 days apart)

 

[Tremyfro]

Off to Moreton in the Marsh Show.....so no bee stuff. Now possess a new woolly hat with a furry Pom Pom.

 

[GaryB]

Why have you got the porter escapes in when you are not clearing bees? they're not much good at the best of times - worse than useless when they have been clarted up with propolis by the bees.

Thanks guys for the suggestions. They are porters, but just the shells with mesh inserts. Only got them to cover the crownboard feeder holes. I know the hive doesn't need them as ventilation as they are on a mesh floor, and you're right they are a pain to remove as they love to glue them in. Slate sounds like an ideal solution, as weighty enough for the bees not to be able to move it or squeeze under, and I think I will go for a clear board next season. Reason I am feeding with a super is that they were a hived swarm end of June, and although they have done very well, I want to overwinter them on a brood and a half, and they have only filled a few frames of the super, and am not sure how much more forage there will be for them in the next few weeks. Unsure what the ivy situation is around my area. Am I on the right track?

 

[bpmurray]

Dir a round of 2:1 feeding and then decided to clear up the mess. So I decided to melt down the box of wax which went great until I realised I was surrounded by about 1000 bees & wasps. No biggie or so I thought - I do it outdoors (on SWMBO's orders). I poured the hot water & wax through a sieve to get the cocoons and tipped them in the bin, but then the bees decided to swim in the hot melted wax! Before I upended a bucket over the bowl of hot wax, it was covered in about 100 bees and wasps. I'm going to have to rethink my processes for wax.

And to make things worse, I left the shed door open and one of the cats decided to sharpen his claws on a wet super covered by a plastic bag, opening its contents to the world. By the time I got back to the shed it was more like a hive. I managed to seal up the bag with duct tape, but there are still loads of bees and wasps hanging about, looking for an easy meal.

I decided to sit in front of the keyboard and let nature take its course for a while.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

although they have done very well, I want to overwinter them on a brood and a half, and they have only filled a few frames of the super, and am not sure how much more forage there will be for them in the next few weeks. Unsure what the ivy situation is around my area. Am I on the right track?

It looks like they'd be happy enough on just the brood - forget the half for now, feed them up on just the deep and think of expansion in the spring.

 

[Anduril]

Checked one apiary today and discovered no bees coming out of one hive, on closer inspection I had placed the entrance block in the closed position. Fearing the worst, opened up and there were only a few fatalities.

 

[nantmoel]

We removed the final few frames of honey from an out apiary, mainly heather. Made up a few Nucs from queen less hives and introduced our own bred queens.

 

[GaryB]

It looks like they'd be happy enough on just the brood - forget the half for now, feed them up on just the deep and think of expansion in the spring.

Thanks JBM. I was almost thinking that. In your experience, should I place the part filled super under the brood box for overwintering

 

[Brigsy]

Very pleased to report that the queen I introduced last week, during the chaos of my bee massacre, is still alive and a few patches of young larvae evident. Phew. Hope she finds her stride in the next week or two. My other queen also survied.

I am going to open up the remaining semi filled capped frames in the one remaining super for them to restock and take off the last super on the other. Then feeding and varroa treatment.

 

[Plenty of honey]

Checked one apiary today and discovered no bees coming out of one hive, on closer inspection I had placed the entrance block in the closed position. Fearing the worst, opened up and there were only a few fatalities.

So easily done, i went to a teaching class once where the guy had put on a magnetic strip over over the entrance one of his hives, great and worked well, so the bees are distracted to try and get in and out of the hive while you strim around the hives. all great until you forget to remove it and the week after your students ask whats that in place for!! oops!! whats a waste of a colonie!! But it happens.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Thanks JBM. I was almost thinking that. In your experience, should I place the part filled super under the brood box for overwintering

Yes, if there's some stores in there, it would be better off at the bottom now.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Supers off. Left more under brood boxes than I took off. Rubbish this year. All colonies so short of pollen that they all have pollen sub patties on now. Vaping tonight.

 

[Brigsy]

Just made my first batch of Hivemakers potion. I was a bit messy and it certainly smells, I fear I may be in trouble later