What did you do in the Apiary today?

[WelshPaul]

Thanks TB, I was hoping that too, I know what its like when a human get dehydrated.

 

[TOBY-3652]

Did some more feeding/ reassembled hives that i united and got a sting on my finger

 

[busybee53]

Welshpaul. Hows the dog now?

Regarding the apiary: Found out today that at last my queen is laying again following a 4 week rest (like last year). She does like her holidays. I am so pleased as I didn't want to be doing test frames etc. so late in the year. Lots of stores in both hives and a hot weekend and 27 degrees predicted next week. Yipee.

 

[VEG]

Put apiguard on the bees today they are still going like mad on the balsom

 

[newportbuzz]

went out for a watch of the bees. only had a veil on and one got up my teeshirt and stung me in the armpit. she fairly got my attn and i left with my tail between my legs. hope your dog gets better.

 

[Cazza]

Such a perfect day....
Checked mite drop a.m., checked feed p.m., watched flow activity all day...still smiling.
Beautiful day here in Suffolk, perfect gardening weather.
Cazza

 

[psafloyd]

Took another super off my main hive and extracted more than I have got from any other and from only six frames.

Discovered I had missed their window slightly as some comb had been capped and they had built new, deeper comb on top, filled it and capped it.

Clearing one off a swarm from May tomorrow hopefully.

 

[WI-USA-BEEK]

Gave in again to apistan. Was too scared of the new Mite Away Quick Strips that came out this year in USA. Horror story after horror story about queen loss scared my pants off and I returned my pail of formic acid. Hope to trickle OA end of November and use HoppGuard in summer then cross fingers mites are low enough to wait or OA in November.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Never heard of Hopguard so had a look around on google. I could find data on daily mite drop but nothing on % kill rate.
There are indeed lots of horror stories about mite away and I see lots of beekeepers are advocating checking you still have a queen one week into treatment....
Is thymol not available in the USA?

 

[starflex]

Watched very busy bees moving in loads of bright yellow pollen. Happy to see all hives flying. Filled all feeders with what should be the final feed of 2:1. All hives are now quite heavy to heft, and we still have the ivy to come.

Good to have a day when I could do more watching than doing!

 

[hallshoney]

sun came out this afternoon so took my eldist daughter (11) and son (5) to the bees still out on exmoor went through 9 hives took two supers off found the rest only 40% capped !

 

[WI-USA-BEEK]

Yes Thymol is available. We have apiguard. Its to cold to use it now. I want to try it.

What I really want more than anything is treatments that can be used with honey supers on or dont require the combs in brood chambers to excluded from honey extraction.

there is not very much data available for hopguard yet. From what I am told it will not work as a control but will keep mites in check until a better method can be used. Every tool we have that can be used with supers on is a major step forward in beekeeping in my opinion. I feel safe with OA, formic acid, and hopguard as far as not contaminating honey with any real potential risk to the consumer.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Was too scared of the new Mite Away Quick Strips that came out this year in USA. Horror story after horror story about queen loss scared my pants off and I returned my pail of formic acid.

Yes i have read lots of bad reports about the MAQS, not good for a new product.They should be available here next year,don't think i will bother to try them though. Formic can be responsible for some queen losses though, until you get the knack of using it,i don't believe it actually kills the queens directly,i believe the bees do that, when they panic and end up balling the queen. I lost a few back in 2002 when i used quite a lot of formic.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Went to the association apiary, put first lot of Apiguard on all hives one hive had three supers on (one full and the other made the best part of one super up) so we used it to supplement the weaker hives - fed all the hives but balsam still coming in big style

 

[WI-USA-BEEK]

Hive maker. Yes you are probably right about most queen deaths being due to balling. However, If I remember right formic is a 1 to 2 or something like that for strength needed to kill the mites versus bees. Meaning it only takes twice the strength lethal to mites to be lethal to the bees. Not a very big spread at all.

So even if its not killing the queens directly, it has to have effect on the queens health. This may not be a big deal as far as the worker bees as they get replaced every 6 weeks. I want to keep queens two, three, even four years to propagate from. I wont be using formic acid in full strength. I may try one pad/strip instead of two. It still kills mites just wont penetrate the capping as well. Instead of using it for a control, I would use it as to keep mites in check till OA or something else can be used.

Hopefully more queen friendly organic mite treatments will come soon. I know a few are in the works.

 

[Pete D]

Not today but Saturday....... right good day.
Inspected my original 4 hives, all doing well, lots of stores and brood on 3 to 4 frames. Removed Apiguard as 4 weeks (2 of 2 treatments) now up. Still got a feeder on each hive and they are taking a bit but plenty of pollen still coming in. Thinking of adding a super this weekend (and stop feeding) to a couple of them which seem really strong. Will they move any of the sugar syrup up ? thus not filling a few frames with genuine honey. Bees all very calm, worst score was 4 out of 10 and 2 of them scored 2. Strange as few weeks back they were 7s and 8s with at least 4 stings from my worst lot. Does the treatment calm them at all, or maybe the wasps are easing off, stores are filling nicely and all is well in bee world till spring.
Anyway moved on to my recent aquisition of 6 colonies and 3 nucs which I picked up last weekend. These are sited together about 120m from my other 4, together because I thought when I looked at them prior to purchase that I would have to unite a few of them. Anyway started treatment of Apilife last weekend, soon as I sited them and added a feeder to each. So this weekend was full inspection on each hive, copious notes, 2nd week of treatment added and top up feeders again (did this midweek too).
Well what can I say, unites been put on hold for a couple of weeks or so as all colonies had a laying queen with between 2 and 4 frames of brood, stores about half full so plenty more feed to go in (of the 6 hives 4 are 14x12 and the 3 nucs are all 14 x 12) and the temperment was very good, again no more than a 4 and that was the last couple after I had done their 7 neighbours and there were a few agitated bees about. (no stings or agressive behaviour all afternoon.)
All in all a good day, 13 colonies all doing well, stores building nicely, laying queen in all of them. I had a good afternoons beekeeping and was well chuffed with myself afterwards.
Weather permitting I will do another inpection in a couple of weeks and decide on uniting then. Meantime keep topping the feed up and week 3 of treatment on new hives next week.
Also just been given permission to site 3 or 4 on a wild flower growing farm (seed production) about 4 miles from me who claim they have flowers from March to October, about 40 acres so off for a look this weekend.
Wait for it................................ bump............................yes that it me coming back down to earth ! ha ha cheers
Pete D

 

[witchcraft]

I fed both my hives (though sadly one of my MM sourced plastic Ashforth style feeders had a load of drowned bees in it)and stuck on a final batch of APV, I was very pleased to see that there was new brood in my hive with a brand new queen. Last time I guess I'lll take the hives apart this year.

 

[milkermel]

had a nose at the board under my omf I am nearly into week 3 of apilife var treatment and from having very few to count when checking before treatment I was horrified/please - depending on which way you look at it! to see the board covered with mites - I was only have a dozen or so a day which I didnt think was bad but dont think I could have counted how many there were on the board! They were treated last year and it has been a strong hive this year should have taken a photo but forgott! At least it shows its working!

 

[itma]

Yes i have read lots of bad reports about the MAQS, not good for a new product.They should be available here next year,don't think i will bother to try them though. Formic can be responsible for some queen losses though, until you get the knack of using it,i don't believe it actually kills the queens directly,i believe the bees do that, when they panic and end up balling the queen. I lost a few back in 2002 when i used quite a lot of formic.

Isn't Formic Acid going to say 'stinging ants' to the bees and get them wound up at their inability to find and deal with the things?

 

[Gower]

fed my colonies, had a minor fit and rampaged against robbing wasps, and destroyed a QC; quite worrying.