What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Quatermain]

Plenty of blue cornflowers out when I took the dog for a walk earlier. Or could be Willow herb if a darker blue

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

Today I was stacking up some corrugated roof sheeting for my new bee shed. One of them got hooked up on a tree branch, which then pushed it back at me and hit me edge on, in the face.
It chopped a large chunk out of the bridge of my nose and a 2 inch cut through my cheek. I had to have stitches on my cheek and a skin flap repair on my nose.

The nose doesn’t look good; my wife says I now have a Punch nose, that is Punch from Punch and Judy.
Now when she looks at me she breaks out with “that’s the way to do it”.

Does anyone want a wife.....lol

Brian.

 

[Lance Hutchings]

Does anyone want a wife.....lol

Brian.[/QUOTE]

Errrr not me, on 2nd one and cant afford another divorce .. or wife that is

 

[nosmoking]

Had a very good day.

NoSmoking (Richard) came over to look at my Top Bar hive as well as help me shift a few full 14x12 chambers I couldn't manage by myself on the sky scrapper colony so I could check the mesh floor and remove the jammed varroa tray which has been stuck in place since last year.
Earlier in the year I A/S two colonies to give to new bee keepers and ended up combining them as they both failed to raise a new queen. 6 weeks ago I gave a them a test frame and they managed to raise a new queen and I was pleased to see she is now laying.
Slight issues with the top bar hive, one of the combs was crossed over to another bar, so I carefully cut along the under side to bend it back, unfortunately I cut to deep and the weight of the stores caused the comb to fail and break away. I was a little upset at what I had caused but the comb only had drone brood in it and most of the stores should be recovered.
We then drove to his house and had a look at his top bar hive, they are expanding nicely and are looking very good.

PS. Thank you Richard for all your help, I had really pleasant day working with the bees. Its nice to finally get out and about again although I'm paying for it now as my back has seized up.

​

That's funny Mike I done the same as you yesterday, lol.
Thanks for your help, advice and pictures. Very pleased with the day indeed.
ps. Is that picture you or me?

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Just put on my beesuit and picked up my smoker, started walking down to the apiary only to see a big black cloud of bees disappearing over the trees.
Damnit!!!!
Bundled the kids into the car and tried to follow it but could find no sign.
Now sitting by the phone hoping to get a call from a neighbour.

 

[Chris Luck]

That's a shame, hope you get a call...

...meanwhile something from here... Chris

 

[Hivemaker.]

Just put on my beesuit and picked up my smoker, started walking down to the apiary only to see a big black cloud of bees disappearing over the trees.
Damnit!!!!
Bundled the kids into the car and tried to follow it but could find no sign.
Now sitting by the phone hoping to get a call from a neighbour.

I had real trouble finding the queen last night whilst doing an AS. The light was starting to go and I wished more than anything that she was marked. Maybe now is the time for me to start marking!

Hahaha.........they did it for you....or was this another one.

 

[Mike a]

meanwhile something from here... Chris

Will you be selling pollen patties soon?

 

[greatbritishhoney]

I had real trouble finding the queen last night whilst doing an AS. The light was starting to go and I wished more than anything that she was marked. Maybe now is the time for me to start marking!

Hahaha.........they did it for you....or was this another one.

99% certain that it was one and the same. To be honest I went to bed last night pretty sure that I had messed up the AS. It was too dark, I was in a rush, didn't have the necessary kit to hand. Rookie error and now I have paid for it!

 

[george]

Could'nt put off treating one of my Commercials today .

Put Mite Away pad on (formic acid) . Weather forecast not too warm for the foreseeable so should be safe as far as absconding is concerned . This one has performed poorly this year and to keep it alive through the Winter , early intervention was required .
Lots of varroa damage so no choice really .

G

 

[YorkshireBees]

Checked through 9 of my 14 hives, took 5 hours in total but probably because I had my 8yrs old nephew with me. After the first hive he asked if we could eat our snack already! Got him to wait until we had done 4 hives and driven to my other out apiary.

By the end of the inspections he had become more and more confident, even asking if he could lift the frames and put them back into the brood chamber!

In short all of my hives are doing well (as well as can be expected), of the 9, 7 are in a normal state and in the process of filling supers, 1 has a newly mated queen that needs checking next inspection as it appears that they are producing a supercedure cell and I was not entirely happy with the egg laying pattern and the last has produced a nice queen cell after being Q- for a while and having to be given a frame of eggs from another hive.

Just 5 more colonies to check later this week or the weekend!

 

[Headnavigator]

I was painting the outside of the house, and spent the morning squatting in a large bed of lavender, brush in hand, surrounded by more bees more closely than if I'd just opened a hive. Stupidly I was in painting gear, shorts and old top, and felt totally exposed. This was their perfect chance to retaliate if they so chose. They were noisy, nosy and a few nearly got marked, but not one had a go. Amazing! I do work barehanded but always cover up completely in the apiary so this was a bit of a shock. They get a gold star for that!

 

[wondervet]

In full flow here. white clover 2 weeks ago, then willow herb. Now they've abandoned them and all appear to be on a big bank of thistles across the golf course. bring on the heather.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Checked on one of my strongest colonies. 2 supers being capped over and the 3rd that I put on a week ago is fully drawn and being filled.

I had hoped to be able to move this colony at the weekend but until I can remove the full supers and replace them with new ones I don't think 2 of us can possibly pick it up let alone walk down a field with it!

 

[Ellem]

Not today really, but late last night hived a swarm I'd just picked up from our BKA swarm collector. I know it's late in the season but just crossing my fingers for this lot! (it's difficult to pick the roof up with crossed fingers, so it's helping with me leaving them alone for a couple of weeks! )

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Found the source of the swarm that I lost yesterday.
It had not come from the hive that I suspected but from another swarm that I collected and housed only about 3 weeks ago.
With the weather being so poor here over the last month I hadn't really bothered to check them much, but today I found they have filled virtually all the free space in the brood box with honey as well as filling a full super.

So, I have left them with a nice queen cell and another empty super to play with.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Made up a few supers in the garden with my 4 year old daughter "helping". The lawn is now covered with gimp pins.

You've gotta love the school summer holidays!

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Met a very nice man from the forum who makes hives, and his missus. Admired said hives - almost too good for bees - had a nice cuppa, bought a queen and transported her back from Exmoor to the E Mids.

She has now been enthroned in a nuc, (between showers), without attendants but with tab firmly in place.

Now back to the golf

 

[victor meldrew]

I see you had a treat
He is a knowledgeable nice man and so hospitable

VM

 

[Ellem]

Watched hive entrance and firmly resisted the urge to check on the swarm I hived on Wednesday. (Though I was very, very tempted as there's lots going in & out & I'm so curious to see what they're up to!)

Next project may be figuring out how to install a hive cam (though knowing how bees can be they'd probably end up propolising the lens )