What did you do in the Apiary today?

[tonybloke]

Nice vernier Tony, and there's no "a" in that one .
Good pic, at that size even I can read it.

it's a lovely piece of kit, made in the USofA by 'Starrett'

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Looked out of the window at the drizzle and decided the apiary was not going to be very exciting. Will wait until tomorrow for a fondant check. Planning to delve into some frame construction later on today and dig out the extractor for a demo.

 

[Bad Boy Bee]

Got bored making up frames today, so decided to see if i could make one up blindfolded, ouch, oh ahh, can't wait til the season starts proper.

 

[freethorpe bees]

Got bored making up frames today, so decided to see if i could make one up blindfolded, ouch, oh ahh, can't wait til the season starts proper.

Silly sod!

 

[tonybloke]

met with a couple of folk who want bees on their allotments

 

[RoofTops]

1.173" ? (inside)

 

[tonybloke]

no specific measurement, It's just how far i opened the gauge before the photo!

 

[tonybloke]

Oh, and just ( literally) put more fondant on one of my colonies. They'll be off to near a OSR field soon.

 

[grizzly]

IM SO HAPPY, the Bees are good, the sun is out and i was able to see them fly in numbers for the first time this year. Thats the fix i needed to refill the tank, bring on spring.

 

[simonf]

Put some fondant on one of my hives , the girls were really calm, quite a bit of activity with some pollen coming in some yellow and some greyish

 

[TOBY-3652]

Just had a look at bees queing up 2 get in 2 hive looks realy good{they must of liked cold hive this winter reg toby2222

 

[Headnavigator]

Planted a pyracantha hedge round the apiary. Bastard heifers (someone else's) broke into the garden last Autumn and ate the mixed hedge I was growing, along with the entire vegetable garden and most of the soft fruit. Time to get nasty, give 'em a taste of the spikes on that!

 

[MJBee]

A very pleasant +16C, bright sun and no wind. Took the opportunity to have a look at three colonies - unexpected results:-

Dadant overwintered on 7 frames - 5 frames of brood filling more than half the frame. Second cycle - sealed brood on outside eggs and larvae in the centre of two frames. a few drones wandering about. The queen must have started laying early February. Given the final 3 frames, the fondant is almost finished so will replace with 1:1 syrup a pint or so a week to keep them ticking over.

Commercial - query nosema - has survived just. Bees on 4 frames, 1 frame has a saucer sized patch of brood on both sides, loads of sealed stores and fondant untouched.

Single National - bees covering all frames brood on 6 frames - wall to wall on one - I want to change this colony onto 14 x 12 but it is too cold at night to give so much "vain space". Perhaps a super to stop them getting too crowded.

If my other colonies are developing at the same rate I am going to have my hands full with swarm control quite early this year - Happy days of great joy

 

[beeboybee]

looked at bee's returning to hive for 15mins, still non with pollen......hurry up spring!!!

 

[borderer]

Went to check on hives, all were flying around midday and all were carrying pollen in. First time that I can really say that this year. I was a little suprised as it was only 7C according to the car temperature gauge. Topped up fondent and pollen patties and guess that it is time to start getting ready for the new season

 

[Bad Boy Bee]

Checked all the hives - it was a really nice day. Only two hadn't found the fondant but they were both flying happily and, by the heft, probably didn't need feeding anyway, (duck) I will check them in a couple of weeks to see how they are going.
I put some Nektarpol on a couple that had devoured the fondant and had no signs of pollen coming in, hope they're not Queenless, but hey try anything once!
Queen rearing preparations started about July last year and still not even remotely ready.
Nucs ready some - Nucs required lots.
Apiaries ready two - Apiaries not ready, too many
Time off sorted, very little - time off required lots
Techniques - tried a few and will try a few more but getting the impression easiest is best
Stock - best in the fn world, they must be, they survived my manipulations and the abominable NW weather.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Single National - bees covering all frames brood on 6 frames - wall to wall on one - I want to change this colony onto 14 x 12 but it is too cold at night to give so much "vain space". Perhaps a super to stop them getting too crowded.

MJBee - interested at to why a brood and a half would suffer less from vain space than a 14x12?

 

[MJBee]

Bon jour Monsieur, To get them onto the new format I planned to find the queen in the National and move her + the frame she is on and the bees to the centre of the 14 x 12 fill with foundation and place on top of the National over a queen excluder. The "vain space" would therefore be a 14 x 12 brood box with (at first) only 1 frame of bees in it. Rgds Mike

 

[Erichalfbee]

I want to change to 14 x 12 too, I'm not brave enough to do a shook swarm but my mentor is so we are going to do it together

 

[belinda bee]

Went out to the top field today to check bees all out and bringing in plenty of pollen really chuffed spring is well on its way thank goodness .