What did you do in the Apiary today?

[MuswellMetro]

Supered the poly hive. Received news that a friend was hospitalised after being stung so trying hard to think up a solution with regards to resiting their bees. Seems like these adverse reactions are increasing? I'm beginning to wonder what's going on, so many allergies these days. Food additives?

common NSAID like ibuprofen can cause sensitivity to stings

 

[TOBY-3652]

checked 2 nucs both laying and collected a swarm

 

[Queens59]

Extracted 35lb ish honey and 19 cut comb 'lumps' most I have had -but due to me not them!

 

[hiveabee]

It rained most of Thursday up here so I just tidied up around hives. But I did find my other hive tool which I thought had been lost.

 

[Pete D]

Spent the last 2 evenings at a local beekeeper who has asked my to take their hives off their hands as they want their garden back. Said I would be doing them a favour and they didnt want anything for them just the knowledge that they were going to a good home and that they could call me now and then and maybe help out with the odd inspection.
Argued the toss about paying them but lost. They wanted to pay me as I was doing them a big favour !
Anyway took 2 hives Wednesday night and 4 more last night so all gone and I have 6 more hives with bees in. Took an age to close them all up as the bees just wouldnt go in, even in the dark in the drizzle. Finally loaded up about 10.45.
These hives are some which I have been helping them with over the last few weeks as they found the inspection process of a busy hive in swarm season very daunting. (they have had 5 swarms that they know of !) Did AS on 2 of them last week and they did one themselves the week before. Will leave them to settle for a few days and then assess what I have actually got bee wise other than 6 wooden national hives.

Off to do a display and demo at a local school today with the chairman of our local association. They are formally opening their wildlife garden and we are going along to promote bees and honey. Lots of sticky fingers by mid afternoon me thinks !
Pete D

 

[Teemore]

Checked through 5 hives and two Nucs last night both Nucs have newly mated and laying queens . I'll leave them for another couple of weeks before i go looking for the Queens and mark them. One full colony is still showing no signs of wanting to swarm; I'll be giving them a second national BB with frames of foundation under the current one tonight. Removed another Queen to a Nuc and transferred that to an out apiary as there was a capped QC and several uncapped in the hive. Also popped bees into two Apidea and two kielers. Need to get geared up to try the Miller Queen rearing method in the next week or so... One of my bait hives appears to have worked for the second time and I need to go and check a second one as a swarm may have taken up residence in it as well... (thankfully not my bees!)

 

[tonybloke]

A/S'd my other hive today, and clipped the queen while I was at it
took off a full super from one hive, added the rhombus clearer to the other (parent a/s) hive

 

[johnmcc]

(Back Story: I moved my hives from my garden on Wednesday, but they were in attack mode when I let them out at the new site - too soon, probably - so I did nothing but retreat.)

I'd taken a full super off each hive before I moved them, but the OSR's all over round here, so today I stuck the full super and an empty super back on each hive.

I moved the bees because they'd become so stingy, and on Wednesday I seriously thought about killing the hives, they were so overwhelming. I had a total of 14 stings through at least two layers of clothing and through my gloves, though none had left the stinger in, obviously, and I must have looked like a walking cloud of bees with thousands pinging and stinging. There's a permissive footpath 50 yards from where the hives are now sited, and I thought they might go for ramblers.

BUT - today they're like different bees. I smoked 'em a couple of minutes before I opened the hives, with another puff under the crown board, then put the supers back on and the lifts and roof. No attempt to sting, a few pings, and no following for more than 10 yards - on Wednesday it was 100 yards. So does relocating a hive often change its character?

 

[Mike a]

Another day another swarm

Two calls today so far, one in a chimney the other see below.

You may of noticed the school crossing pillar across the road. Thankfully I got most of the bees interested in the nuc before the infant school finished for the day. Warned the crossing lady to move along the road slightly and moved the sign the home owner put up across the path to his front door so it could be seen by parents well before they got to the house. Right now the nuc is strapped down to the bin ready for tonight.

 

[flemage]

Checked two splits i made 5/5/12 both had eggs in so i have new queens in there some where! Bees are still very skitish on the frames though.

Checked again on the fist split i made back in april and what were eggs are now capped and no drone cells that i could see so at lest she's not a drone layer.

another very good beekeeping day!

 

[enrico]

Checked through one of my hives. Last done five days ago, found two capped queen cells AND the queen so artificially swarmed them. They were swarm cells and not supercedure so not sure why she hadn't swarmed, good weather for it too. Really quiet bees so don't want to lose her. Just proves they don't read the same books as me!!!
E

 

[tonybloke]

Checked through one of my hives. Last done five days ago, found two capped queen cells AND the queen so artificially swarmed them. They were swarm cells and not supercedure so not sure why she hadn't swarmed, good weather for it too. Really quiet bees so don't want to lose her. Just proves they don't read the same books as me!!!
E

same experience here, enrico, last inspection, 6 days ago. today, sealed cells, and the queen (although slimmed down) still there, so I A/S'd them, and clipped her wings whilst i was at it

 

[flotess]

What did I do??? My first solo inspection!!! Soooo exciting! Bees calm, not even smoked.
From the nuc i installed 6 days ago they have drawn one and a half frames of comb.

My five year old daughter joined once I'd established they were calm (in her bee suit) and squeeled with excitment when she saw HM! She then saw a bee in the grass, picked her up and placed her back home. She's gone to bed telling stories of her 'bee rescue'!

Brood in all stages, plenty of watery looking uncapped stores.

Very pleased with myself (and them I guess)!

 

[TOBY-3652]

Checked 2 more nucs both laying. And checked the swarm that i got 1 and a half mile away yesterday. And im sure that its the one that went tue or wed the queen was marked but i did notice last time that i checked that she only had a small white spot in the middle where she was marked so what luck.. Been and bought a fivers worth of lotto tickets

 

[nosmoking]

Two calls today so far, one in a chimney the other see below.

You may of noticed the school crossing pillar across the road. Thankfully I got most of the bees interested in the nuc before the infant school finished for the day. Warned the crossing lady to move along the road slightly and moved the sign the home owner put up across the path to his front door so it could be seen by parents well before they got to the house. Right now the nuc is strapped down to the bin ready for tonight.

You got any room left in Hampshire Mike? lol

 

[nosmoking]

Made up enough frames for 1 brood box and 2 supers. Just have to put the foundation in tomorrow and knock up a flat pack 2nd super. (And repair a brand new super that was damaged in transit as the ebay seller is being an aerosole!)
Thumbs intact, at the moment!

 

[Mike a]

You got any room left in Hampshire Mike? lol

Wondering when I will get a day off from collecting swarms, I'm not complaining as I've donated so many swarms to new members this year its fantastic. I'm guessing it had to happen soon or later though as there has been so many new bee keepers for the last few years that they have been caught out this year or not bothered to inspect as often as they should, so the colony throw a prime swarm then several cast swarms as a result.

Just waiting for the brood in the feral swarm I collected to be capped, I am really interested in seeing the brood pattern, quantity of eggs per day and if there is any chalk brood and what their temperament is like. Fingers crossed they are hardy stock and healthy as they are out flying in force much longer than all my other hives.

 

[stoneleighhouse]

Chased a Queen ( Bee )

 

[springers]

Artificial Swarm in the rain!!

Frantically making up frames this morning, (Bee keeping? Woodworking under pressure more like. ) one hive left to AS today, but its just started raining!!! Its got to be done today, so hopefully it will dry up while I have a brew and finish the frames. The hive we AS on Wednesday all seems fine.
The swarm has some beautiful sealed brood.........in the super. oh well, removed Qx and will be brood and a half for the time being. The other 2 are awaiting queens to mate. fingers crossed (again).

 

[Shabro]

Introduced a new queen into a hive that had gone q- with a lot of help and checked on the other 2 at the same site....