What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Poly Hive]

Snowing gently here and lying on the fields but not the road so far. Not that it is gritted as we are too minor a road to bother with.

The flakes are getting bigger so not boding well.

PH

 

[Beefriendly]

I often wonder how 'stingless' would effect the hobby of beekeeping.

Be nice....but then everyone would be doing it.
The problem with many of the current stingless bees is their habitat is restricted and their honey crops are poor. They store their honey in egg shaped cups to the side of the brood nest. Some "spit" an acidic substance, but most are said to be very docile.
When Am was introduced in many of these areas it became more popular because of the yields it could produce. Not sure how the Africanised bees affected things later.

 

[bjosephd]

Not sure how the Africanised bees affected things later.

Maybe they cross bred with the stingless lot and now costa rica has really angry bees that can't sting you!

Which just makes them even more angry.



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[Beefriendly]

Maybe they cross bred with the stingless lot and now costa rica has really angry bees that can't sting you!

Which just makes them even more angry.

Wishful thinking....they are different species and don't interbreed. Some of the stingless bees are smaller than a house fly.....so the erhum "size of the apparatus" involved would also be incompatible.

 

[bjosephd]

Wishful thinking....they are different species and don't interbreed.

Ermm... Kangaroo Mouse, Leopard Seal, Tiger Shark, Jesus Lizard, Ninja Turtle.

I rest my case.



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[Tremyfro]

Bliss...Oh Bliss...terram laid...bark chippings spread and my hives are now in place...a small move forwards...so I hope they don't bump their heads coming in...lol. Weather here is cold and more forecast...so they should be staying inside for a few days. No one came out to see what was going on.....so they are either all dead...or snoozing...lets hope for the latter.
Now all the hives are around the perimeter of the Bee Yard...facing outwards...a much better arrangement...and there is space to work with each hive on both sides.
How do you arrange your hives?...rows...circles?

 

[Dadnlad]

Day off today trying to snow this morning, blinking chilly when I checked the apiary, so spent an hour or so burning old black broodframes to keep warm
Five spare hives all finished and in position ready for swarming season, frames built just waiting fot our foundation order

 

[Millet]

A tad chilly over here today - being next to the North Sea an' all .... Had a couple of hours of snow this morning, but luckily it didn't settle. Glad the fondant's on.
LJ

Tell me about it , my hive is less than 2 mile away from the North east coast, blooming Baltic it is..

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Tell me about it , my hive is less than 2 mile away from the North east coast, blooming Baltic it is..

You could try suspending them in a wicker basket on the outside of the North wall of Berwick castle for three years as allegedly one of our kings of old did to teach his wife and mother in law some respect. It's said they were fed just enough to keep them alive. Now that's a cold spot

 

[Millet]

You could try suspending them in a wicker basket on the outside of the North wall of Berwick castle for three years as allegedly one of our kings of old did to teach his wife and mother in law some respect. It's said they were fed just enough to keep them alive. Now that's a cold spot

I think i will give that a miss , i don't think my lady friend would be happy hanging in a basket for three years..

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I think i will give that a miss , i don't think my lady friend would be happy hanging in a basket for three years..

I'll bet the two in the basket weren't that keen either. A second round would be something to avoid at all costs.

 

[REDWOOD]

!2c and sunny here today which gave me the opportunity to heft and feed a couple of nucs, ended up feeding all hives with fondant as I had it all made up although none of them really needed it. no dead outs and all were doing orientation flights.

 

[madasafish]

Sunny 6C and very windy but bees out. Topped up pollen patties in a couple of hives.. need to make some more up.

 

[REDWOOD]

Sunny 6C and very windy but bees out. Topped up pollen patties in a couple of hives.. need to make some more up.

recipe and method please

 

[BrianO]

To smaller out Apiary of two, hefted and as an insurance slapped on 5 hives fondant blocks prewarmed, only the best for my Bees !

Touch of Spring in the Air , even some early Dandelions showing ��

 

[Tim.S]

Further to my hive moving at the weekend, they were out in sizable numbers today and no strays that I could see. Magic twigs work!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Fondant on one hive which is getting mighty light
Lots of bees out today collecting water

recipe and method please

Can't vouch for madasafish but my bees love Ultrabee. I make it up with invert adding syrup to powder till I get a rollable sticky goo. Gets rolled out onto greaseproof and put on top bars. I have used rice paper too

 

[REDWOOD]

I've never used pollen subs but interested how it's made


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[Erichalfbee]

Everybody gets one the first time I take the top off. All get eaten up, largely.
I got a free tub to try once and ended up buying another when it got used up

 

[madasafish]

recipe and method please

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=532188