What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Tremyfro]

In the pictures I've seen there are never any interested insects! Hope it works out.

Well I was thinking about this and of course...normally...in a good summer...the honey would be extracted earlier.....when there were no wasps. This year, in our area, the nectar flows have been fickle. The weather has been poor. The last couple of weeks it has been a lot better but interspersed with rain. The Flow frames have been slow to fill. Now the wasps are out. I want to get the Flow frames off the hive. We will have to run the gauntlet with the wasps. I don't think the bees will be bothered though...I will let you know!! Ha ha!

 

[Brigsy]

[emoji3]

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

This is the time of year we usually extract - a bit later actually.

 

[Angularity]

That's where mine are for no other reason than that's the only place they can go as the other holes are in the middle. I wonder what the reason for that idea is? Interesting

Apparently the thinking is that as the cluster moves round the hive in winter, it will start the movement away from the draft from the entrance. If the entrance is in the centre the cluster may move back to the back wall, then some may go right, some may go left, and the cluster splits. If the entrance is to one side, then the cluster moves as one.

I have no idea if it's backed up with any science but the logic is simple enough.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I fail to see any logic at all in it actually.
But as an aside - Southern African langs have the smaller entrance to one side of the entrance block

 

[Tremyfro]

This afternoon we drained the Flow frames on our Langstroth hive. We found it a soothing experience....sitting quietly in the Bee Yard listening to the loud hum of thousands of bees coming and going from the hives....whilst the honey flowed out of the hive and into our waiting jars. A few wasps were about looking for an easy meal...but they were unlucky.
And that was it...done. Having a cuppa now.

 

[Millet]

This is the time of year we usually extract - a bit later actually.

I checked the two supers today there is honey in around 12 frames wich is not fully capped yet. they are still bringing nectar in from the Rose-bay willow herb and cover crop flowers so i will look again next week.

 

[Goran]

Asters start opening flowers, fun for the bees..
Had no time for about a week to get near bees, I am a bit nervous..
Talked with my mentor, he has one queen from 2013., never swarmed, always top in strength, top in yields, calm. Also this season performed superbly. He said if survive till spring will get in rearing next season, I will get near in that time

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Checked my ast queen due for mating - she has started laying (saw her scuttle across the frame as well. fingers crossed it's worker brood now.
Checked the two queen hive - both queens are where they should be!! so the top box will be given its own floor and up to Carreg ASAP.

 

[Robbo8916]

Last Friday Gregior came and gave me a hand to get the bees sorted for the winter. He managed to take two capped frames which I am sure he will have extracted along with his. My queens are weird. Even though they were only on 4 frames in the brood box, the queen in the wooden hive had laid in the bottom of three super frames.

Did a bit of rearranging, Greg found and clipped their fourth queen this year. Put the three super frames into the brood box as really needed to get the super off. I am aware this will create a fair amount of comb on the bottom of the frames but that is an issue for Spring. They will probably be re-queened in spring.

We decided to take a frame of brood and stores from the nuc to boost the wooden hive. Decided this after looking through the nuc and they had packed every spare cell with nectar and pollen. So gave them a frame of foundation to work on and give their little super queen room to lay. She isn't very big but she lays like a machine!

Think they will be ok food wise for the winter, they have tonnes, the box weighs a bloody tonne! Very happy with them. As a sort of panicked split for a shot at getting a mated queen post-swarm they have done fantastic.

Wooden hive now have a brood box half of brood and half of stores. May feed them but with the balsam still coming in, and the ivy starting to open, will keep an eye.

Sighed at how fast my first, stressful, hair tearing season has gone!

Took the other super frames home, one of which had one side of honey. Was lovely to taste a little bit of what my bees have managed to produce!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My queens are weird. Even though they were only on 4 frames in the brood box, the queen in the wooden hive had laid in the bottom of three super frames.

not really weird - the bees don't recognise our desire to keep everything within the bounds of a frame - they're just trying to move away a bit from the bottom of the hive whilst still keeping the reasonably round shape of the brood nest - given the choice, they will expand outwards in all directions not just laterally as we demand.

 

[Robbo8916]

not really weird - the bees don't recognise our desire to keep everything within the bounds of a frame - they're just trying to move away a bit from the bottom of the hive whilst still keeping the reasonably round shape of the brood nest - given the choice, they will expand outwards in all directions not just laterally as we demand.

Well yes perfectly understandable. Just seemed odd when there was plenty of empty comb in the brood box. Hey well. It has certainly been a steep learning curve this first season. If I manage to get them through winter, I may be a little more prepared for next year!

 

[Obee1]

Took a super stuffed full of honey off one of my garden hives. Was rather disappointed to see a whole frame full of capped drone brood in the next box down. Bees really bad tempered. I had noticed this hive had less activity and pollen going in than the one next to it. Suspected they may be Q- but unfortunately their poor behaviour precluded me looking any further in the hive. Will have to tackle the problem on the weekend when there are no school kids walking past the garden.
Over in the field apiary looked through the colony of queen Gladys who is a Buckie daughter made this year. She started off with an odd brood pattern with single drone brood dotted amongst worker combs. After a few weeks she came good. However today I found two supercedure cells one of which had emerged. There was lots of bias including eggs. I need to find any queens present and replace with one of my superbee queens from out breeder. No time to do that today. Not looking forward to the hunt.
Meanwhile my stack of boxes awaiting extraction is looking very impressive. Really must order more jars.

 

[Tremyfro]

Ooo eeer.... Obee1... Do keep checking it is still liquid...or you may find it crystallising in the comb. I had some do that when I didn't get around to extracting it last summer...so we ate it in the comb...on toast...yummy. You sound as if you are having another good year...you are our Welsh Queen Bee!

 

[colinc]

Preparing for first winter.

Our single nucleus in April has turned into three good colonies this year so not much honey to extract due to expansion. We got 12lbs for personal consumption. This from the first hive with daughter of original queen. 2 other hives one with original queen and one with another daughter have too much syrup in mix so are leaving a full super for each hive. Flipped the supers under the brood boxes today and removed the excluders and built up 2 more brood boxes so we can change to double brood next year if required.

queens still have a good laying pattern but pretty sure they have slowed significantly.

 

[Briarfield]

One super of heather home from one of my colonies.

Now pressed and bottled into 25 x 1lb jars ready for sale.

The house smells wonderful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Michael Palmer]

Finished harvest from the last production apiary yesterday. Thank God. My shoulders are toast.

Today, we rearranged the 100+ brood factory nucs, so they would have 3-4 stories, with a full box of honey on top. Looking very nice. Not much of a Fall flow here this year. Crazy after last year's spectacular Goldenrod flow. Intense robbing. But they're strong, and lots of healthy looking brood. Tomorrow it's off to the slaughter. Killing varroa.

Yeah, I know. I'm nuts. Looking forwards to winter.

 

[chrisb]

Yeah, I know. I'm nuts. Looking forwards to winter.

Im in that club also

 

[Erichalfbee]

Finished harvest from the last production apiary yesterday. Thank God. My shoulders are toast.

Today, we rearranged the 100+ brood factory nucs, so they would have 3-4 stories, with a full box of honey on top. Looking very nice. Not much of a Fall flow here this year. Crazy after last year's spectacular Goldenrod flow. Intense robbing. But they're strong, and lots of healthy looking brood. Tomorrow it's off to the slaughter. Killing varroa.

Yeah, I know. I'm nuts. Looking forwards to winter.

After that lot I'm not surprised you must be cream crackered. Winter must be the only time you get any rest. Throw another log on the fire

 

[Plenty of honey]

Tiny swarm after adding last spare virgins.

I nearly trod on this, tiny swarm but gave it a chance. it contains a virgin and we've still got great weather. If she mates i can give her a little brood from another colonie.
I put in a spare virgin ( one i had last Tuesday, as i couldn't see any sign of bees doing the normal prep and they seemed queen less. i was obviously wrong with this one!! bees always know best!! That will teach me for over worrying!!

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