What did you do in the Apiary today?

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Hi cjhart2,
Do you let your bees swarm naturally then rather than swarm control? Make a thread if you do. Beginning to think it is less bother! Lovely pic by the way. If we were all successful A/S-ers then we would never get to see this wonder.
 
beeno said:
Hi cjhart2,
Do you let your bees swarm naturally then rather than swarm control? Make a thread if you do. Beginning to think it is less bother! Lovely pic by the way. If we were all successful A/S-ers then we would never get to see this wonder.
Click to expand...

Yes, we are one of 'THOSE ' natural beekeepers . There were lots of discussions on here last year as we do not treat for varroa either , the natural swarming process is also part of this process . The other part is natural genetics , letting the strongest survive . The bees are a little more p***y than the average also we tend to leave the honey for them , we take a little but we do not over do it . As to a thread , this subject has been debated several times and normally gets heated . Getting to old for heated discussions , mellowing in my old age .
Natural swarming is down to your own circumstances in our case we are in the middle of nowhere , so the only people it affects is us .
 
Performed AS on my TBH I have been expecting them to hit the button soon and gave me a good opportunity to reduce the size so I split the remaining combs into nine each with queen cells in both halves. Two lucky recipients through my association will benefit from a good reasonable TBH colony providing the queens come through ok.
 
Chris Luck said:
Did you hive them OK Mr Hart?

Chris
Click to expand...
Yes , Mr Luck :). , Just watched them walk in up a ramp , such a wonderful sight , good size swarm as well .

Thanks for the tip off about your swarms in Vienne yesterday , :thanks: kept me on the look out for different behaviour today . The bait hive still has bees looking in , but they are not my bees , these have large yellow stripes , so may have another lot soon .
 
inspected hives at one apiary, supered one and looked into the next one and there was queen cups everywhere, a couple charged , a few with eggs in and a few empty, knocked them off to hopefully give me a couple of days.
Came home and started knocking a new hive together to perform an AS in a couple of days.
 
cjhart2 said:
.., not to the bait hive that would be too simple , no , up an Oak tree ....
Click to expand...

Those "bees in the know" have probably cased your bait hive already, but it needs a proper debate and then a vote from the full "new nest planning commitee", Which was in session in the oak tree :) you can't circumvent the process :)
 
Was watching my hive at around midday (sunny, breezy and about 15 degrees) and noticed a whole load of drones coming out for a fly around. This freaked me out a bit (being a newbie) and I was spurred on to have a look into the hive (it's been a week since the last inspection)
There were more bees than a week ago, and brood on 6 frames. There was evidence of chalk brood on one of the frames and I noticed some queen/play cups on the bottom of a couple of frames but they didn't seem charged to me (though not really sure what I am looking for!) There seems to be a good amount of stores, pollen, nectar and capped honey. I reckon there is still room for the queen to lay, so just shut up the hive again.
So, I am thinking I am ok for another week???
 
I have had a couple of phone calls from a couple of eager swarm collectors. I'm sure they think I'm keeping them all to myself. I don't mind these calls querying me but their also so much more experienced than me. So yes spring was late and swarming is late. So for those of you that have not been keeping an eye out for those QC, I predict the next really nice warm day we have we then the swarming begins.
 
Glenviewbee said:
Was watching my hive at around midday (sunny, breezy and about 15 degrees) and noticed a whole load of drones coming out for a fly around. This freaked me out a bit (being a newbie) and I was spurred on to have a look into the hive (it's been a week since the last inspection)
There were more bees than a week ago, and brood on 6 frames. There was evidence of chalk brood on one of the frames and I noticed some queen/play cups on the bottom of a couple of frames but they didn't seem charged to me (though not really sure what I am looking for!) There seems to be a good amount of stores, pollen, nectar and capped honey. I reckon there is still room for the queen to lay, so just shut up the hive again.
So, I am thinking I am ok for another week???
Click to expand...

The idea is to keep ahead of the bees . In the circumstances you describe I would add a super as the bees need room to ripen honey before storage . Remember there is forage out there and the bees will collect it :)
Lack of space ,not only for the queen ,is a primemover in the swarming stakes!
VM


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Checked the bees at 2 apiaries. At one point there was a downpour with hail, thunder and lightening! Some of the colonies are bringing in nectar and filling the supers. Mostly the colonies are still small for the time of year. Recombined 2 artificial swarms.
 
Cold and breezy with us today with the occasional sharp shower perfect, I thought to do a bit of civil engineering work near the hives (wanted to move some rubble and soil to extend the level area where the hives are to accomodate a few more stands)without bothering the bees.
What actually happened? me and the bees busily working through the rain - bees took no notice of me so apart from the odd bee on a mission who hadn't noticed me who bounced off my head befoe carrying on to the hive we allachieved our objectives - nice to see them working on regarless of the haistones and wind!
 
it's just under 7 deg C or 44f in old money, blustery and raining so I'm off to the shed to build something......... probably an ark.
 
Added another ratchet strap, this time over the hives and onto the apiary fence, to stop the hives + metal stand moving in the gale force wind.
The hives are strapped to the stand but I had visions of the whole lot going over.

Tim
 
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