What did you do in the Apiary today?

[abi-e]

Entered the honey show!! 2 jars of cystallised honey and honey and choc -chip cookies. I feel some practise baking coming on!!

 

[troedyrhiw]

Just replaced the crown boards with DIY perspex ones so we can see through without interfering with the colonies

 

[pigletwillie]

Three out of six colonies moved to the local farm for a short vacation, the rest follow tomorrow. With them gone I can move a really big compost bin and install some fence panels to make a proper secure apiary. A neighbour who does not have a fence adjoining a shared drive where my bees are is complaining because they fly at low level in her garden. WTF??? At least I am attempting for force them up some.

The dreaded environmental health bods are visiting in around ten days

 

[Goran]

Yesterday, one qcell opened in my car, I thought what nuisance of a fly. When stopped a car I saw the beauty itself trying to go somewhere ( luckily didn't find opened window).. She is in a hive now, will see how she will go on. She is in some testing - experimenting with a colony. Don't count as important, rather to prove me something.
Checked some "new hopes" for next season, 4/5 in some progress, started with laying. One unfortunately gone.. But I think I will have chance to get my hands on jenter next week, and have candidates ( calm, no swarming, doesn't leave the brood-not nervous on the frame, higher yield than other every season, no disease problems, seems good hygiene behavior, explosive spring build up - my point of view as someone with no great experience).

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Inspection of Garn cottage and home hives today - flow seems over for now - not going for the balsam either. Most bees a bit tetchy so copped a few stings through gauntlets and beesuit sleeves whilst sorting out the 'big' hive - 41/2 supers filled thus far, and as long as the late August flow comes off I'd expect a tidy bit more. The 'bonus' nuc a small cast swarm is confirmed doomed with still nowt but drone brood - I'll shake them out tomorrow as it was a bit hectic in that corner of the apiary with all the mad bees out.

 

[cjhart2]

Just when it seems everything is going well ,the Asian hornets arrive , put the blocks in the entrances and swatted one . Mind you it is the first one i have seen since June .

 

[richardbees]

its cost me a fair few pairs of shoes

 

[VEG]

Put clearer boards on today taking some of the full supers off on sunday then I get to play with new uncapper

 

[Chris Luck]

Just when it seems everything is going well ,the Asian hornets arrive , put the blocks in the entrances and swatted one . Mind you it is the first one i have seen since June .

I wouldn't put blocks in myself, it only slows the bees down and makes it easier for the Asian Hornets to grab them and to be frank unless you have a real mass of hornets constantly around I would leave the entrances fully open for August at any rate.

Asian Hornets aren't interested in getting inside the hive, certainly not this early in their season and I've never seen one go into an active colony for more than a second or two. Still swatting the odd worker is rather irresistible.

Chris

 

[sunhivebee]

I marvelled at most of my colonies today which took a good part of the day, and then I approached my first ever topbar hive (I don't really believe in these shallow brood nests) and "spaced" the brood nest following closely the method recommended by Les Crowder in his new book. It worked like a treat, the bees were sweet, and I hope they will build the comb on the newly introduced top bars as straight and lovely as they have done so far.

Thankfully this particular top bar hive has a very thick roof, so they should be ok in winter, although dread stories about isolation starvation in tbh abound. I will follow the book about the management of this child coffin style hive to the letter, and trust that they will be ok.

One of the ferals in a gigantic oak on my drive threw a swarm today, which went straight iinto a tree hollow roughly 10 mtrs from origin. Good luck to them.

 

[user 6228]

Walk across Heath

Heather still not in full bloom explains why the bees are not very busy yet.

 

[lebouche]

Went to my first BBKA meeting in 26 years. Went when I was 9 or ten last.
Nice people and place.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Jarred 45lb honey.
I bought some 12oz octagonal jars from a well known supplier.....I thought they would look nice with chunk honey left over from my cut comb attempts.....
They are NOT 340g, more like 380 Grrrrrrrr!!!! I'll have to put jam in them!

 

[oliver90owner]

Jarred 45lb honey

Wow, you were up early?

RAB

 

[Erichalfbee]

OK yesterday

 

[Graemeb]

Received my first nuc of bees last night from local association. So here goes. Everything seems to be 3-4 weeks behind up here.
Been looking forward to this day for ages.

 

[Stiffy]

Saturday
After meeting some at a farmers market had a few beeks from Roseland group to look at my bees. Even with most having 4-5 supers the bees behaved and impressed. Nice morning and beeks now looking to re-queen .
S


Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

 

[cjhart2]

I wouldn't put blocks in myself,
Chris

I always take your advice . Just been down to hives in the fog (feels like autumn ) to remove them . Hive 3 , the one which has been going flat out all week , already up and flying in the fog !!!!!!

 

[Goran]

Something we get beside honey from bees..
I may say they did good work as each year, just droughts were the problem..

 

[Mike a]

Finally got round to extracting the honey from a hive that I left in a friends garden for the OSR last week, sadly the colony didn't collect much but they did well on something else which I'm guessing might be brambles or possibly hawthorn but after warming it through gently I was very surprised to see the OSR hadn't crystallized and it came out with ease.

I then uncapped the medium/dark honey (wet cappings) and extracted that separately into another bucket.. Whatever it is plus a tiny amount of OSR that was still in the bottom of the extractor it smells and tastes lovely with a nice warm colour.

Freshly jarred just needs time to settle to clear the bubbles.


Kept several 1 lb jars of both types put to one side to be filtered and re-jarred ready for our honey show later this year.