What did you do in the Apiary today?

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Helped man the association stand at the Royal Sandringham flower show on Wednesday. Spent most of my day manning the observation hive chatting to everyone and helping the little uns find the queen so they could have a 'I found the queen bee sticker'.
Pete D

it's great fun manning assoc stands at local shows - means you can talk to people about bees without their eyes glazing over - I seem to get that response from family & friends now ;)
 
Went through the hive for the 3rd time since receiving a swarm from a kind member on this site, they have drawn out all the frames and I have capped brood on 8 of them, they are expanding at an alarming rate.

should I put a super on for the stores with the hope they leave the other frames for more brood ?
 
Went through the hive for the 3rd time since receiving a swarm from a kind member on this site, they have drawn out all the frames and I have capped brood on 8 of them, they are expanding at an alarming rate.

should I put a super on for the stores with the hope they leave the other frames for more brood ?
with capped brood on 8 frames, I'd add a super!
 
Well, the hive with my newly introduced Lithuanian Buckfast has produced 20 emergency cells from the test frame......No queen then :biggrinjester:
The other two introduced Exmoor Buckies are away and laying HOORAY!!!!
 
Hi Erica
Can I ask why you buying in queens - are there no locals available or is there something special these queens do that locals don't? Not having a go just curious - I've got locals and am trying to choose/breed 'good bees' so interested in why? PM me of you want to chat.
Eb
 
Went through the hive for the 3rd time since receiving a swarm from a kind member on this site, they have drawn out all the frames and I have capped brood on 8 of them, they are expanding at an alarming rate.

should I put a super on for the stores with the hope they leave the other frames for more brood ?

Hi ma1308 I did send you a pm did'nt it come through yes put a super on give them some room they sound as if they are doing well.
Taylan
 
Hi Taylan, no PM from you yet, they are doing very well I was really shocked how much brood was in there when I went through them yesterday. I am putting some frames together for the super today I never had any ready as I did not think I would need them this year, I am one very happy newbie :)
 
Routine inspection today. Bit of a disappointment to find the warm spell has not meant any more stores being laid down.
 
Went through all the hives yesterday, 7 hives now have a forth super and the rest are still on 3 supers each. The weather over the last week has helped.
 
A split from 4 weeks ago made because the BB was overflowing now has eggs. A couple of sister Queens in different colonies stopped laying about 3 weeks ago. Both have started layig again. No Q cells in either over the last 3 weeks, so this seems to be what happened. One colony from which I took an AS a while ago is now a DLQ. The AS seems to be thriving though. Another AS from June now has DLW. I have one colony which looks as though it might give me a crop of balsam honey. In process of doing a trap out which has provided 2 nucs and probably caused a swarm that I collected, so could yield 3 colonies. I moved this swarm into a full sized BB. Need to watch this one tho as the bees seem calm, but have stung me 3 times now. Another 2 colonies have little brood, but now loads and loads of eggs. It looks like one of my collected swarms has a very good Q who is laying like mad in a perfect pattern. Another swarm is laying, but I noted it was spotty. I want to check that it isnt just one of these queens that doesnt lay in cells by the wires. - Didnt think of that at the time, so something for next week.

Mixed as usual, but at least there are some positives. I'm blaming the weather for all the -ve things.
 
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Sadly had to put my hand in my wallet and pick up a van full of new gear, more plastic hives, honey pots and buckets, BB frames and so on...adds up, I'm in the wrong business.

....going to cry quietly now.;)

Chris
 
want to check that it isnt just one of these queens that doesnt lay in cells by the wires. - Didnt think of that at the time, so something for next week.

Quite normal behaviour IMO

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
 
Did usual inspection and came away with a virgin queen which popped out just as I was removing teh QC...was trying to give it away on here but post moved to 'Queen for sale/wanted' - so cancelled and put her into a mini hive instead...oh well, so much for trying to do a favour. Obviously not allowed...
 
Feel good five minutes

Not in the apiary as such but one of the crew just rushed off deck and asked me
'can you do anything for a dying bee?, well i think it's a bee" picked up an exhausted little worker from the deck and put her on a work surface, dipped my wet finger in some sugar first of all she groggily put her proboscis out and took some sugar, then put her forelegs on my finger for a better go at it (to the amazement of the crew), she then perched on the end of my finger, had a quick mooch around my hand and was last seen flying strongly across Torquay harbour.
Photos were taken but unfortunately we haven't the means to upload them but we're working on it:) (I've now been labelled the bee whisperer:D)
 
Kit time - put together a couple of supers, made up frames & foundation, all ready now to go on #1 & #3 in the morning.
 
It's been a crazy week for us new beekeepers in Dorset. Our colony swarmed on roasting Tuesday - our neighbour watched them go, took some photographs, then wondered if maybe he shouldn't be standing quite so close, so picked the cat up & went indoors.

We found the bees in the next road over, in a rather lovely fir tree & boxed them, but when we went back in the evening they'd absconded... :(

Having hived our new Queen last night, we left them well alone today.Will check tomorrow...

Am currently collecting dead bees to send off for analysis - local poisoning? Lots of dead or dying bees every day outside the hive for the past few weeks. Feeling a little dispirited, but hoping that things will start to improve for the colony if we can maybe get some answers & the new Queen is accepted.
 

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