What did you do in the Apiary today?

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Warm weather. Young bees orientation course underway.


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Feeders mostly all off now. Put fondant over hole in the crown board on one colony who steadfastly refused to take the syrup down and are still a bit light. Will check for Nosema in this lot in the spring, assuming they are still alive!

Wasps seem to have vanished here........

Found an hour or two for a bit of bee related study. I'm signed up for a couple of modules next month.....what was I thinking?...
 
Weighed them today which was 76lb this time last year they where 97lb so i give them one more 4litre feed as i am sure they will be more bees in there than they was last winter, i also checked the inspection tray and it was covered in Varroa again and they have had four gassing sessions, i did not do a 5th but i will continue to monitor over the next week or two, hopfully the big drops will slow down so i can leave them alone till after Christmas time.
 
Weighed all hives and nucs and removed feeders from all but two - which had not been fed but had lost several kgs in last two weeks |(due to brood?).

Nice warmish (12C) sunny day with no wind.

Langs averaged 32.9kg up 2.5kg from 2 weeks ago.
Five frame Nucs averaged 12kg - up 2 kg from 2 weeks ago
TBH was 36kg + - up 6kg from 2 weeks ago
(one side was 20 kg plus -too heavy to lift with scales and rope loop)

I expect to lose 1 nuc (dodgy queen) and possibly one full hive - dodgy queen.
Neither would be a disaster as I have no spare full size hives left and don't want any more)
 
Popped over to the association apiary to check/top up feeders. weather lovely here and bees flying srtongly (quite a bit of HB still in bloom around the Penllergaer valley as well as ivy) they're hoovering down the syrup though - second gallon now on.
 
Got the last of the filled supers off... another 30kg of finest honey to bottle once ripened.

Batteries charged and Varrox ready for this evenings vaporising.... when the bees are all at home.

Yeghes da
 
Checked the two hives in the garden - smells like a chemical factory with all the ivy. Moved 2 frames from super on one to the other, in the hope that they'll just manage to fill those supers - that would be plenty for them for the winter, and I don't want them to fill the broodbox with the stuff.
 
Final varrox round, and all fed I think, though may double check one later on. Only remaining jobs once the weather cools is put on mouse guards, and top insulation on wooden hives.
 
Took the feeders of and stuck the super underneath the brood box, dear god was it heavy (it must have been full to the brim with syrup + honey), stuck the cosy on and strapped them down, that will be them left alone until spring as they are still piling pollen in from somewhere and they where very active today, i say i will leave them alone however i will monitor varroa and blast them when i feel the need.
 
Cleaned up all my gear, including frames and boxes. I then burn sulphur in them and use a ratchet strap with thick ply boards top and bottom. Took my suits home for a good wash and mend. All ready for next spring. Pity I do not keep my bee sheds so clean and tidy during the season.
 
Fed all the black bees... and did the last feeds for 95 Paynes poly nucs, I really like the built in feeders in these nuc boxes.
 
Pete how do you prevent drowning: with the single wooden rod floats or a mod.?

Don't really have any problems with it, even when there are a lot of bees in the feed section, they rise to the top with the syrup, get cleaned up and carry on, sometimes a few may drown, but more often none do.
 

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