What did you do in the Apiary today?

[nantmoel]

Opened up the hives we moved on Saturday, one or two came out for a nose. Its was only 3 degrees but it warmed up this afternoon. Bee in the home apiary were all out flying well.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Feral colony in a log - update.

Carried the log hive a quarter mile out of the wood to the roadside. Nearly killed me as it weighed 35kg! Bees survived though. Topped up the fondant, and will take to a friend's farm nearby tomorrow. Erica - I'll post some pictures.

Wonderful. Thanks for posting

 

[Swarm]

Come on Andy, the girls run quarter of a mile carrying a 40lb log on Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge.

 

[Robbo8916]

Mild and sunny today so popped down to check on the girls. Both colonies flying strongly and bringing in some orange pollen (snowdrop?)

I am pleased with how they have come through so far. Soon be time to start thinking logistics and making the move to the new farm orchard apiary!

 

[Swarm]

More likely Gorse, Rob. It's a bit early for Snowdrops.

 

[snelgrove]

More likely Gorse, Rob. It's a bit early for Snowdrops.

Snowdrops flowering here, cold north east

 

[madasafish]

Snowdrops flowering here, cold north east

Ditto cold Staffordshire Moorlands.

 

[B+.]

Ditto cold Staffordshire Moorlands.

and Bedfordshire

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Three wood floors made for my swienty 14 x 12 brood boxes

 

[BrianO]

More likely Gorse, Rob. It's a bit early for Snowdrops.

Not here , have some flowering pictured 15th January !

 

[BrianO]

More likely Gorse, Rob. It's a bit early for Snowdrops.

Or what about these Guys.... picture taken last Sunday ! .... Usually March for these !

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Blooming heck must be tropical in Ireland

 

[BrianO]

Blooming heck must be tropical in Ireland

Toootally Tropicalll Maaan !

 

[Goran]

I forgot for how long we hadn't plus temps, but for weekend seems will have temps around 0C..

Bees are much higher and further in a fog on a pic..
All are hoping for decent season as we have proper winter..

 

[Millet]

Weighed the hive today and it was 70.5lb so that means they have gone through 6.5lb of stores in 16 days, it was -1 C on the mercury but i took the cosy of anyway to feed them and they had very little fondent left, when i moved the slate from over the feed hole they came out in good numbers so they are not clustering even in cold temperatures, i gave them around 2lb's of there own set honey in a inverted takeaway tub over the feed hole and 2lb's of candipollen gold which they where on like a rash, the cosey will not accommodate the takeaway tub so i put a super on the crown board with two slabs of polystyrene inside that will have been 4in thick crown board taped on top of that and cosey back on.
I also checked the inspection tray and i could clearly see they are well into there stores by the lines of white cappings and there was also two seems of brood capping so the queen is still there for now (lets hope it is not all drone brood), she is not doing bad for a 3yr old granny even though her daughters are evil..

 

[Quis Custodiet]

Toootally Tropicalll Maaan !

Totally Tropical Flavour!

 

[Plenty of honey]

Weighed the hive today and it was 70.5lb so that means they have gone through 6.5lb of stores in 16 days, it was -1 C on the mercury but i took the cosy of anyway to feed them and they had very little fondent left, when i moved the slate from over the feed hole they came out in good numbers so they are not clustering even in cold temperatures, i gave them around 2lb's of there own set honey in a inverted takeaway tub over the feed hole and 2lb's of candipollen gold which they where on like a rash, the cosey will not accommodate the takeaway tub so i put a super on the crown board with two slabs of polystyrene inside that will have been 4in thick crown board taped on top of that and cosey back on.
I also checked the inspection tray and i could clearly see they are well into there stores by the lines of white cappings and there was also two seems of brood capping so the queen is still there for now (lets hope it is not all drone brood), she is not doing bad for a 3yr old granny even though her daughters are evil..

Well done for weighing!! your seeing real weight loss as it happens. Ours are losing 100 grams per day on average, might not seem lots but thats the average. when it warms up the seem to loose more, every other day we get a blip on the scales of 200 grams.! all winter weight data is interesting.

 

[Millet]

Well done for weighing!! your seeing real weight loss as it happens. Ours are losing 100 grams per day on average, might not seem lots but thats the average. when it warms up the seem to loose more, every other day we get a blip on the scales of 200 grams.! all winter weight data is interesting.

Thank you for that, i am getting to worrying point again so can i ask you a question if it is allowed on this page..?

How long should the stores i have give them last before i need to hit the RED panic button, 2lb of each basically and the bees are local angry mongrels when they want to be..

 

[Erichalfbee]

Mine get fondant if stores dip to 10lb.

 

[Plenty of honey]

Thank you for that, i am getting to worrying point again so can i ask you a question if it is allowed on this page..?

How long should the stores i have give them last before i need to hit the RED panic button, 2lb of each basically and the bees are local angry mongrels when they want to be..

In a normal well stocked hive in the late summer Autumn, they will have enough to last. However putting fondant on top of the bees in January or February will give you the security your looking for. Generally bees dont get diabetes!!
You've weighed it, you know how much they have lost and you know what they should have left, so you've done everything correctly. Fondant is a good security if your worried,
Remember, now is not the most dangerous time. Here we have a really worrying time at the end of march, first two weeks of April, where their flying well but there is no real food coming in until the first flowers really get going and the temperatures warm up, thats when a colony can suddenly starve overnight. Nights can be cold even in May and you need to give a spring feed when there conditions are right and they are going to take it up. Warm syrup, half a litre max, on a warm evening if your at all worried. If they take it up sometimes they dont.
Some say this also stimulates the queen into laying more, knowing she has the feeling of good stores coming through the door. This is a big debate!!
But it was just to make you aware that bees, with a laying queen are pretty safe now, it's later on in early spring when your queen get laying and the remains stores plummet, you need to be on your guard. A very fragile time.