What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Luminos]

I finished bottling my first harvest from my first hive!

The large bottle on top is the first I bottled.

It's for my godson and his fiancee, whose marriage I'm taking in November.
Plenty of sermon material there!
("Remember, D - there's only one queen bee!" etc)

Dusty

Superb - well done, you must be very pleased with that!
Looks like you might need a bigger table next year?

 

[Outlander]

Started making a double hive stand at my out apiary which is Village Girls garden but out apiary sounds good.

Also thinking of making two triple nuc stands as I would like to start up rearing some of my own colonies for next year. I have a friend and a colleague who are both keen on taking up beekeeping, so have told them if they get themselves on a course and then get their equipment together I would sort bees out for them because I'm nice like that.

 

[gerrysw]

No food!

Went through ours today. Removed super, it was getting a bit heavy about two weeks ago - now light as a feather. Went through BB and there was no stores at all as a result of the bad weather I guess. Sooo I am going to give them a gallon of 2 to 1 tonight. Fellow keepers locally (N Somerset) have similar probs So I hear

 

[alysonmaria]

Checked brood box after uniting Q- small colony and Q+ small nuc last week. Queen seen and is laying well, BIAS, bees lovely and calm, smoker not needed today. 17 year old daughter came along for the experience and was delighted to see her majesty-she even took photos to show to her friends!

 

[Chris Luck]

Started taking of the supers, looking to be a poor summer yield after all the crappy weather we've had this year apart from the last few weeks....

Chris

 

[Hivemaker.]

Please remove this site. It is the most useless piece of old crap. Never once have I read anything constructive

I think it would perhaps be easier to just remove you, being as you appear to be the only one who needed to moan about it, how about that for an idea?

 

[Lesley Hoppy]

United my Queenless Colony in a National with my WBC colony - which originated from a swarm from aforementioned National.
Couldn't put brood box on top with newspaper between - due to the diff sizes of brood box. So.... doused both colonies with icing sugar and shook bees in frame by frame.
During the previous week I had been inching them closer and closer together - so hopefully they will accept each other without too much trouble....

 

[REDWOOD]

I finished bottling my first harvest from my first hive!

The large bottle on top is the first I bottled.

It's for my godson and his fiancee, whose marriage I'm taking in November.
Plenty of sermon material there!
("Remember, D - there's only one queen bee!" etc)

Dusty

Well done dusty it's looking good and bet you'r feeling proud as punch, talking about alcohol don't forget the mead as a traditional wedding present

 

[Andy Duff]

I think it would perhaps be easier to just remove you, being as you appear to be the only one who needed to moan about it, how about that for an idea?

Takes all sorts I suppose, keep him on, as he makes me look normal

 

[Andy Duff]

Not wishing to brag
Bottled another 30lbs of the good stuff

 

[Walrus]

First inspection for 10 days as just back from holiday. Could not see eggs in any of my 3 colonies but saw queen in 2 of them. The one where her madge was absent/hiding seemed very calm and no QCs so hopefully OK.

Decided not to extract honey from my supers as not really enough to bother with - going to put below BBs.

 

[youngyoungs]

General inspection. Nuc has sealed brood, 3 queen (supercedure) cells, couldn't see eggs, did see sealed brood. New swarm looks good, BIAS and lovely fat queen doing her thing. Other hive has stores for England, but no sign of the new queen I introduced a week ago. Ho hum!

 

[jackbee]

New honey bucket with tap arrived so emptied tapless bucket in and left to drain.

Ten minutes later - had a nasty thought - I had been playing with tap earlier just to make sure it was OK - did I close it, uh-oh

But I had, so no 50lb of honey all over floor, but, what could have been

 

[Mart_got_hives]

Regular inspection. Brood in all stages, couple of play cups not charged, surprised to see one hive still raising drones. Supers still a work in progress but one almost ready for clearing. After tweezering about 15 sacbrood larvae from second hive last inspection I was fairly happy to only spot one this time round.

 

[drstitson]

Close shave for OH.

I was in process of removing full supers prior to thymol treatment.

1 bee got into house and OH made mistake of trying to swat it out of door - ended up in hair and stinging.

Good going severe systemic reaction ensued - all over urticarial rash, chest tightness/wheezing, tingling lips etc. etc.

however BP nice and high so no actual shock - held off the adrenaline and just relied on iv antihistamine and steroids. brief visit to local volunteer ambulance station for some oxygen while the piriton did it's job.

now back home just feeling shite and sleeping it off. rash fading somewhat.

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Got back from up North and went to do general inspection. Got to out apairy and forgot main fuel for smoker. Even know it was too minutes away decided to do it without smoke.

Spotted queens in both hives and bias, plus good capping going on the 2.5l 2:1 I fed a week ago. Not as much new eggs as not as much room to lay so going to leave feeding unless emergency. Tried blowing as didn't have smoker to push them down and appeared to work for the first time. One blighter did try sting me on frame 10 but didn't get through gloves.

Put 2nd thymol treatment that was made up a few days ago. Getting into the rhythm opening my hives now just need to try slow down a bit doesn't help SWMBO is waiting for you.

 

[Lorenz]

Today I sold the health food shop another tray of honey. I sell for £4 a half. He sells for £7.50.

Accompanied SBI to look at bees I've started minding that I was worried about . Varoosis was really bad which was causing the melted looking larvae. Apiguard started 2 weeks ago.

 

[Tom Bick]

Simply went and counted Varroa on inspection trays and watched plenty of pollen entering the hives.

 

[alysonmaria]

Transfered new nuc into my 2nd hive. All went well, Queen and BIAS seen, pollen and stores aplenty . Spent some time just watching the bees from both hives coming and going-1st hive very busy, 2nd hive took a little while to settle but soon doing their thing too once the weather warmed up a bit! My bees are fab I'm loving being a bee keeper

 

[jp19sqn]

What a lovely day

A friend of mine from near Yeovil came to see me today. We used to fly fighters together in the Royal Navy. He let it be known last year that he was a beekeeper with 3 colonies so I invited him to help me in one of the apiaries today.

We had a lovely time!!!!

warm sunny lunchtime, bees industrious but friendly....

We united a Q- nuc with a colony in single brood cedar and made it up to double brood poly national. We double brooded 2 other hives and fed syrup to get the wax going....I reckon just a few more weeks on the Balsam here and then it's show over.

Today reminded me why I took up this craft in the first place....Magical!!!