What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Tim.S]

Finally getting around to feeding today, everyone else seems in such a rush to shut up shop early! Bees are bringing in a fair bit of Ivy pollen today in the sunshine - makes up for yesterday stuck in the hive I suppose.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Please approve, @derekm !

Added a bonnet to my chimerical mini-nuc. Stuffed it with fondant: let's see how they get on. All other colonies really small.

Before:

After:

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[Erichalfbee]

Good box....like mine
You need to paint it though. The weather and UV degrade the foil.

 

[Fritillary]

What do you paint yours with Erichalfbee?
- And am not sure about making cosies to replace the existing roof on a wooden hive, as I think you do. Does making a cosy big enough to go over the existing roof then mean there is too wide a gap between hive wall and cosy for good insulation?
- Must get started with cold nights arriving!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Masonry paint and a gloss roller.
Three coats..... dry in an afternoon.
No don't wrap the roof.
Don't worry about replacing the roof. Make your winter roof one and a half supers deep. That way it will cover the join if you have a super on as a feeding eke and when that comes off you add another 50mm layer of kingspan cut to fit the crown board.
Edited for spelling

 

[Fritillary]

Thanks!

 

[Pete D]

Bit behind this year, been out today and took the last of the supers off, 26 of them so got some extracting to do in the morning.

 

[Brigsy]

Guys, re the cosy, did you tape the whole of the outside over the shiny celotex, or just the joins then paint?

I've been busy building one as well today but ran out of tape trying to tape the entire exterior.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Just the joints. Inside and out, though inside is a pain, so mark three had the joints sealed with bathroom silicone inside. Mark one was left out in the winter without painting, whereupon the foil flaked off, so that one has ally tape all over, then paint

 

[Brigsy]

I have sealant inside and out. Tape outside. Guess I can paint then thanks.


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[Obee1]

Fed all my garden hives - well one hive and 6 nucs. One nuc has no brood and queen not seen. I suspect she's present but resting as they hadn't been fed like the others. Will see how they progress. They all need vaping next.
Tomorrow is farm apiary day. 2nd apiguards are due there and feeder top ups.

 

[Millet]

Please approve, @derekm !

Added a bonnet to my chimerical mini-nuc. Stuffed it with fondant: let's see how they get on. All other colonies really small.

Before:

After:

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How do the bees get in and out lol, you have sealed them up with Duck tape then put a Celotex box around them , will you stick a gimp mask on them next .

 

[Millet]

I taped the inside this year but it would not fit so i had too mess about three times before i got it on, Ericas idea with mastick is much better for the inside, i painted the outside with ronseal wood stain and it is still the same now, here is a thread from last year.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=35535

 

[Brigsy]

Thanks. Reading now.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Haha @Millet. It's a rear view. Tiny hole in the tape and the cosy between the boxes; the old entrance of the top box.


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[Millet]

Haha @Millet. It's a rear view. Tiny hole in the tape and the cosy between the boxes; the old entrance of the top box.


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[jenkinsbrynmair]

Second dose of apiguard on the association hives then spent late afternoon up at Carreg - don't believe in all this spring clean nonsense so instead I ensure they're nice and clean going into winter so I spent a pleasant evening starting to bleach all the hives, then responded to a call for help from my mother on behalf of her friend who had a house full of 'picwns' (around here this could either mean wasps or bees) - she lives in one of these wooden framed bungalows and the cowboy who had put a new curtain rail up for her had just merrily screwed it into the plasterboard wall - the weight of the curtains had ripped a chunk out of the wall exposing the cavity behind, which housed a wasp's nest!!!! Managed to block the hole, her son is going to seal it properly then we'll let the nest develop and die naturally.

 

[Plenty of honey]

Prepared additional space at my home apiary. Collected concrete blocks from an old apiary, set out new supports, then moved mating nucs out of the mating station. Its not the best place to overwinter.
As usual, one of the bases fell off during my transport from truck to stand, potentially a disaster but somehow manages to escape with only 1 sting.
Thats virtually everything completed now.

 

[Obee1]

As usual, one of the bases fell off during my transport from truck to stand, potentially a disaster but somehow manages to escape with only 1 sting.
Thats virtually everything completed now.

I've had that happen too. Need to find a way of attaching floors to walls. My usual method of duck taping is very time consuming.

 

[B+.]

I've had that happen too. Need to find a way of attaching floors to walls. My usual method of duck taping is very time consuming.

A ratchet strap would solve that problem. It holds everything together nicely during transport.