What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Brigsy]

Added a couple of sugar blocks in each in lieu of fondant. Seems to be going down well.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you use invert you don't need the vegetable oil

 

[madasafish]

If you use invert you don't need the vegetable oil

I thought the oil was to keep it moist and sticky - avoided drying out if only water based. (but wdik.)

 

[Erichalfbee]

It is, because it goes rock hard made with sucrose but if you use invert it doesn't go so hard before the bees eat it......I read that somewhere and tried it.
Actually there is no reason why that should be the case but there you go.

 

[amigadave]

Loads of activity today, and pale yellow and bright orange pollen coming in. About a quarter of the 1 kg block of fondant that I put on the top of the frames last month is left, so I think that I got that just right. Temperatures tomorrow are set to rise to about 12°C, so hopefully there will be even more to see then.

 

[drex]

Warmish but not many bees flying. Painted the hives with clear water repellant. Never had any problem doing it with bees in the hives in the past. Keeps the cedar looking good. Tomorrow will check the fondant as it is forecast to be warmer.

 

[Little John]

Warmish but not many bees flying.

Same here.

These are my lunatic bees - in a (wooden, sorry Derek) 5-frame nuc who fly when no other colony is flying. Photo taken at around midday when the temp was 5-6 deg C. Some colonies were just putting one or two scouts out - most, none at all - but not these crazies. It was the same behaviour during late autumn: up and out first, back last. 'All-weather' bees.
Lunatics - they have fondant if they need it (still untouched) - so there's no pressing need to go out just yet. Try telling them that.

Weather forecast to be much warmer tomorrow.
LJ

 

[madasafish]

Made up another 5kg of pollen patty mix.. Quite tasty!

 

[JWF]

I didn't do anything today, but the bees were incredibly busy. With the temperature at 11c and sun shining on the hive they were bringing plenty of yellowy orange pollen back. Plenty of orientation flights going on too, they clearly have brood in there.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Stan and I planted up the sunny bank on the apiary pond island with Butterbur. Pretty cold waist deep in water, I can tell you.
The bank is maybe five feet high and we discovered quite a few holes and the grasses growing by the bank were neatly chewed off. Have we got water voles?
Camera in position and I'll drop some apples there tomorrow.

 

[drex]

@little john.
I have taken 5 nucs through winter in home made wooden boxes. All side by side with celotex round the outside of the block. They are always flying well before my full colonies. No problem with stores. I wonder why they seem to fly more readily. A couple of my full colonies did have several bees on orientation flights later in the day.

 

[Tremyfro]

Ooo Ericalfbee....how exciting...love water voles.
Did some garden planning with reluctant OH.
Our neighbour brought a bucket full of cut logs for us with his tractor...so we spent some time stacking them...I expect they will become a home for wasps next autumn...lol

 

[Tremyfro]

@little john.
I have taken 5 nucs through winter in home made wooden boxes. All side by side with celotex round the outside of the block. They are always flying well before my full colonies. No problem with stores. I wonder why they seem to fly more readily. A couple of my full colonies did have several bees on orientation flights later in the day.

My nuc is the same...a poly nuc...they are always out it seems...whereas the bees in the other hives only come out if the sun is shining and the temperature is up. Today is cold and misty...just beginning to rain.

 

[Swarm]

Stan and I planted up the sunny bank on the apiary pond island with Butterbur. Pretty cold waist deep in water, I can tell you.
The bank is maybe five feet high and we discovered quite a few holes and the grasses growing by the bank were neatly chewed off. Have we got water voles?
Camera in position and I'll drop some apples there tomorrow.

Nutters!!
Keep us posted about the Water Voles, lovely little things, I used to see lots of them where I grew up. Sounds very promising.

 

[Swarm]

Didn't expect to see much today, cold, wet and miserable but the black bees were still busy.

 

[JWF]

Stan and I planted up the sunny bank on the apiary pond island with Butterbur. Pretty cold waist deep in water, I can tell you.
The bank is maybe five feet high and we discovered quite a few holes and the grasses growing by the bank were neatly chewed off. Have we got water voles?
Camera in position and I'll drop some apples there tomorrow.

We've got loads of watervoles in the drainage network where I work. I've heard them scurrying about and go *plop* into the water but I haven't seen one yet, shy little things!

From your description of the neatly chewed grass it sounds like they could be voles thst have moved in

 

[Erichalfbee]

Oh I hope so

 

[Goran]

I now know the frustration of Wile E. Coyote when unsuccessfully chasing road runner.. In this case road runner is woodpecker.. But seems temps are going up and bees will sort it by themselves..
All bees seems.. nice.. Temps are going up, brooding... This stronger cold winter seems was beneficial to bees.. I am late in finishing building and repairing woodenware, time is running..
Hazels are offering abundance of pollen to bees right on time..I believe first nectar from cornel will be soon ( and some forest flowers)..
This year could be " hold onto your pants" for black locust if all goes as so far " by the book".
Went on beefair last weekend.. beeks are buying " everything" like mad.. seems they know something..

 

[amigadave]

A quick inspection to check stores, as the temperature was a roasting 12°C today. We found five full frames of honey towards the outer edges of the brood box, and the bees had mostly been ignoring anything outside the cluster, so we moved one full frame into the centre of the box. Saw the queen and she had been laying a bit (some larvae and capped brood were visible), and the bees at the entrance were now bringing back greyish white pollen too.
The weather looks to be about the same for the next 10 days or so, and hopefully at the next inspection there will be more bees (or at least more brood)

 

[Etton]

All 4 hives out flying today and bringing white pollen in, see them on the snow drops.