What did you do in the Apiary today?

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Well done JCB. Could you put a thread on about what it's like to study for/take the basic exam?
 
I think there are threads about it on here already.....here's one

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7818&highlight=Basic+exam+questions

A group of us found it very helpful going quickly through the syllabus one evening with an experienced beekeeper. We were able to ask questions in areas where our knowledge was short.

It does feel good to know that we finally have a certain level of basic knowledge........still plenty more to learn though!
 
Bee inspector came. Bees behaved themselves. Weather great (this morning). Ling now in full flower. Five colonies all a bit weak tho after a season of bad weather. Might get the odd super filled.
 
Reduced the entrance to the hive, wasps starting to be a pest.
 
Got back after 3 weeks away!
Immediately got a call for a swarm from a local pest management guy. He had been called to an apparent wasps nest only to find a swarm that had already built comb 10ft up a tree.
He held the ladder for me and became very interested in bees and beekeeping in the 1.5hrs it took me to gently remove the comb and fix it into frames.
Although I didn't see the queen the swarm must have been there a while as there was sealed brood in some of the comb and even a few that appeared to have emerged already.
Received 2 stings, one to the ankle and one to the fore-arm but happy to rescue the colony from the tree.

Managed to then do a quick inspection on one of my hives that have all been left alone for 4weeks!
Sealed queen cells but the original queen still happily wandering about laying eggs! reduced the QC's down to the best looking one and left them alone.
There appeared to be far too many QC's for supercedure and all on the bottom of frames but I thought I would see what happens. In the meantime they have almost filled one super and started capping it over and there was some nectar in the 2nd super.
The heavens then opened so the rest of the hive inspections will have to wait!
 
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went (with 'outlander' ) to see about a colony cut-out in a 3rd story flat roof.
scaffolding will be put up before work starts!
the entire roof is being removed and replaced, bees been in residence over 10 yrs. there is a possibility that it's 2 seperate colonies, we won't know 'til we open up the roof.
 
tonybloke said:
went (with 'outlander' ) to see about a colony cut-out in a 3rd story flat roof.
scaffolding will be put up before work starts!
the entire roof is being removed and replaced, bees been in residence over 10 yrs. there is a possibility that it's 2 seperate colonies, we won't know 'til we open up the roof.
Click to expand...

Any chance of photos when complete?:)
 
Just checked my two hives and hive 1 has 7 frames of brood (quite a few just been laid so still at egg stage), 2 frames of stores, drawing last undrawn frame, was absolutely packed with bees.

Haven't seen queen last 3-4 times ive been in she was marked yellow. I specifically went in to look for her (started at other side of the frames) and found her unmarked, so used a crown of thorns and marked her white as didnt have a yellow pen. Took it really easy though as it was my first time doing it!

Hive 2, this was the weaker hive on friday I added a wall-to-wall frame of brood from hive 1 quite fresh as had recently been capped. I noticed that that this seemed to have kick started the queen to lay as its completely fully of eggs now. Spotted yellow marked queen, more bees flying on this hive they generally are a little more active. Had 7 1/2 frames of brood, 1 frame of stores, but lots of stores on each frame in arc shape at top.

Generally looking really healthy with bias - however, hive 1 I did see a dreaded varroa mite on the queen :(.

Question is I think there ready for a super each, but I dont have any of the frames made. So im wondering what todo and hoping they'll be ok till thursday evening. Both hives did seem full of bees compared to usual, there was a thunder storm about an hour before with black clouds not too far away heading away.

Good news was the gloves i got from lakeland helped with me putting frames back which meant hardly any squashed bees!
 
chrisbond said:
Generally looking really healthy with bias - however, hive 1 I did see a dreaded varroa mite on the queen :(.

Question is I think there ready for a super each, but I dont have any of the frames made.
Click to expand...

Are you sure it is varroa and not Braula/bee louse? Braula more common on queens than varroa on queens and can look similar at first glance. Seen some braula this year.

Most of us are trying to get our supers off so that we can treat with thymol now while it is warm. Do you really need a super now? Good news is thymol kills bruala as well as varroa i heard.

Today I opened the mating nucs, apart from the ones that appeared to have welded themselves shut, that I will attack tomorrow with a knife.
 
itma said:
Useful to find a tub of such a neat size!

Andy (or anyone else), have you got any recommendations for such things that might be widely available?
Click to expand...

One of our beek group picked it up at pound-------stretcher for a couple of quid last year.Just a lucky guess size wise. It's obviosly not food grade plastic, we just use it to carry wet or capped frames to and from site building/hives. We have some old plastic bread trays/baskets that are perfect for storing new or dry shallow frames. Try washing up bowl for Belfast sinks, I think that's what it was described as????
 
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I made this and we put it in the apiary last week. It was only this morning I worked out how to rotate my pictures, so here in all its glory is my bird of prey - meant to scare off the pesky magpies and pigeons which have been coming in to feed on our bees. Don't say I mollycoddle
picture.php
 
Polyanwood said:
Are you sure it is varroa and not Braula/bee louse? Braula more common on queens than varroa on queens and can look similar at first glance. Seen some braula this year.

Most of us are trying to get our supers off so that we can treat with thymol now while it is warm. Do you really need a super now? Good news is thymol kills bruala as well as varroa i heard.

Today I opened the mating nucs, apart from the ones that appeared to have welded themselves shut, that I will attack tomorrow with a knife.
Click to expand...

Unsure was concentrating more on trying to mark the queen without hurting her as it was my first time on a non drone (even that I only did once).

I have no supers on, there was fresh nector on both hives, I have hivemakers thymol nearly ready to go should have it done for thursday evening. Just want to make sure i've got enough space most of the frames are now laid wall-to-wall.
 
The bird of prey really made me smile.

Chris, see what others think. I'm in London where is is warmer later than in most places, and I am getting all the supers off this weekend and Hivemaker's thymol treatment on.
 
Chairman of N Staffs Association plus 9? 10? other members inspected all my TBHs this pm.

It was dry! Overcast but 17C. All bees behaved as if they had been smoking weed.:party:
 
Put wet frames I had just extracted back on the strongest hive (yes I read the robbing thread!).

Got stung through the veil above my eye. Looked a little like a Junior Klingon at the restaurant last night.

Woke up looking like Elephant man - half my head swolen up and right eye slightly closed. :rolleyes:

Still - I've got 16 500g jars of lovely clear honey! (First ever for this second year beek). So I'll take it...
 
Took some super frames off for cutting out and making chunk honey.

I was curious about the taste, as a lot of the honey has come from the nearby privet hedge. No, it is not all that wonderful. Tastes like honey, sure, but has an edge to it, leaves a sharp, raw tang in the back of the throat as an after-effect. Interesting.

:( Never mind.

Lots of chunk honey tubs made up, and I decided to try just popping the empty frames back in the super - keen to see if they will draw their own comb, as this colony is VERY busy all the time making brace comb absolutely everywhere, in every nook and cranny (no, I do NOT have unnecessary empty spaces in the hive - they are just perverse, that's all).

All in all though, a lovely feeling to be harvesting honey again, after a one-year gap, and interesting to be making chunk honey from wireless foundation for the first time.

Definitely intend to continue doing it. The privet hedge might have to go, however :)
 
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