What did you do in the Apiary today?

[barry]

went about mid day to check on the food situation and put a bit more fondant on for them ( they seem to take that betyter than syrup). lots of pollen going in aswell. shall wait a little longer to open them up. this is our first winter so fingers crossed things seem to be going well.

 

[stubee]

all hives floors changed today brood in all hives. nucs seem to doing better than some of biger hives. may be the nucs are warmer all main hive wintered on OMF.

 

[jezd]

Started to have a **** inside one

Is that safe?

 

[tonybloke]

filmed my bees at 10.15 this morning.

Grass needs a trim !

wife has done that this afternoon!

 

[sahtlinurk]

went through all my 10 hives today. result -2 monster colonies, brood, eggs and larvae on 6 frames ( both have solid floors) ; 2 nice and strong colonies with 4 frames brood, eggs, larvae and enough stores ( on OMF); 3 average colonies - brood, eggs larvae on 3 frames, a bit light, gave them frame feeders with 1 l of 1:1 syrup ( OMF);
2 colonies had a little patch of brood in one corner and not many bees, added also frame feeders with syrup but dont have much hope. should i join them asap? ( OMF) ; 1 colony dead.
all nine have still fondant on and they are taking it down well. generally ok winter.

Lauri

 

[YorkshireBees]

Still too early imho to open my hives unless really required.
Checked the Neopol levels on my 5 hives in main apiary, 3 have almost finished a 1kg bag that I added towards the end of January and 2 don't seem that interested in it.
All 5 hives pretty busy in the warm (12-13degs) afternoon yesterday with loads of pollen / water incoming.

So just sat back and watched and ofc took a few photos!

 

[Friar Tuck]

Stunning Macro shots YorkshireBees !!!

 

[YorkshireBees]

Stunning Macro shots YorkshireBees !!!

Thanks.

I like to combine two of my fave hobbies

tbh The 1st shot was almost pure luck as I was checking the fondant level on the first hive I had several bees land on my jacket and just lined the shot up as best I could!

 

[kazmcc]

Very polleny bees

Is that a word? lol, I love those close up shots. Lovely detail

 

[Hughesie]

stunning photos

 

[Polyanwood]

Today I requeened with a spare queen my buddy had. I reckon that dark little queen was a virgin. (late sueprcedure)

 

[nelletap]

I was about to upload a photo with some of my bees and their yellow pollen. Now I am too ashamed seeing these wonderful images.
Any basic tips for an OK photographer with a pretty fair digital camera to try to get photos showing this amount of detail? or recommendations of a book?
Tricia

 

[MuswellMetro]

well i could not resist any more, 14c sunny ,no wind, bees active SO OFF WITH THE LIDS and Hands in

All Hives seem ok except one,

The majority of the yellow Italians on 14x12s had lots of stored pollen , at least two outer frames of mix of stored syrup and soft granulated ivy honey, nice brood clusters, eggs, larva, no dead bees on the floor so ok , scrapped the cappings off granulated ivy stores, closed up and wrote up the logs

then the Carnie on 14x12, , lots and lots of Bees ,large brood 5 frame cluster ,half a frame of young larva looked good, 3" square cluster of drone brood in a small patch of old drone comb but the older brood was a bit erratic and a few scattered single drone cells, so had to get a second opinion on that

So checked for the queen, yep still there large blue 2010 marked and fat, same july Queen as last summer year who proved very succesfull ,

well second opinion said "what a lot of Bees , doesn't look like EFB but brood lay is poor",

Me thinking could she be out laying EFB

"possibly a failing queen or just mis fire queen taking time to start or perhaps DWV as the hive had a 5000 drop or well could be cold spell chilled the brood "......or


picked a few out and the pupa, they seem ok, no deformities, so I will inspect again next week and see if the brood pattern of the half frame of larva is ok

then Washed and scrubbed gloves and hive tool in soda, just in case, and oh yes, were to get a new non carnie queen

 

[Red Bee]

M,M
Quote
"possibly a failing queen or just mis fire queen taking time to start or perhaps DWV as the hive had a 5000 drop or well could be cold spell chilled the brood "......or

What will your treatment be for the varroa?

 

[margob99]

Just back from three wonderful weeks in New Zealand; despite severe jet lag couldn't resist going into the hive today, particularly once I'd spotted a small batch of bees at my back door, flitting around the dripping tap

The hive numbers were low, really low, and honey stores have been amazingly depleted, although they seem to have at least one full frame left, as well as remains of fondant to chew on and have barely touched the heavy 2:1 sugar water feed I left for them 3 weeks ago. But there is brood - very early, as well as capped brood, although not a lot, and spread out over both sides of two frames. She is laying! Lots of pollen in stores; lots of the remaining bees feeding on honey stores, a good number out foraging and bringing back pollen.

I'm so pleased

 

[Dilligaf]

'Evening all. 1st post for one of the lurkers.
Just finished building my hive today. The Dragon has bought me a WBC for my 50th. 2 coats of cuprinol & it is stood on bricks until I move the flags from the back of the house.
Bees on order & due in June.
Getting rather excited now.

 

[Headnavigator]

'Evening all. 1st post for one of the lurkers.

Welcome, Dilligaf, love the tag-line. Good luck in your first year. (Mine too!)

 

[thada1]

great photos - technical details please? Early candidate for NHS macro photography competition in October

 

[thada1]

bee pond

Got hired help (actually my 12 yr old son) to dig a hole in the apiary so we could sink an old dustbin - to make a permanent water supply for the bees. Also trimmed away the weeds, put some weed mats down, and wrecked my back spreading wood chips. At least I can forget about gardening in the apiary for the rest of the year, and concentrate on the important stuff.

 

[For want of a better word]

Found both Garden hive queens, naughty girls had been up to the now cleaned of honey supers and had a good lay!
So now supers are called SHORT BROOD BOXES

one q was below in the BB other up top in the SBB
so put a QE on the first and left the second to her own desires
gave them some more fondant because they like it

set up a bait hive in the woods