What did you do in the Apiary today?

[user 6228]

soldering up the i2C multiplexer board for the latest hive...

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Busys busy busy (with my one hive!). Made up an acrylic/wood crownboard for easy peeking in winter. (Workshop thread, I know... And how the heck will I cut a feeder hole?). Transferred to a wooden box and back to fix the rails on the poly box (dumbkopf! sorry, bees), put up wasp "pane".

I had been agonising over whether to go to double brood as they are getting crowded and even drawing the last FTMNBD (frame that must not be drawn!) because worrying about wax moth and mould. But pollen pouring in and an apparent lack of space meant I had to do something.

Then, brainwave! Foundationless frames! As an experiment, one foundation in the middle then empty frames alternating with strips of one third of super foundation.

So, last but not least, went to double brood. (Under, to be clear). We'll see what happens, but they've stopped gnawing at the OMF. Bless them, if they were indeed gnawing for more space, that is some effective gnawing!

 

[Chris Luck]

I was pleased to see yesterday that the Queen that hatched a week ago mated immediately during the first few days and is laying like a good 'un.

Chris

 

[garlicpickle]

Final super off (no balsam round my way) inspection boards in, thymol on. I feel a bit sorry for them really, that stuff stinks.
I'll be extracting tomorrow.

 

[drstitson]

"And how the heck will I cut a feeder hole?"

you won't. because you planned ahead and made the CB with 8-9mm (1 beespace) frame on one side and a taller raised eke on the other - allowing you to flip it as required to treat with apiguard and to stick on a decent 4-6kg block of fondant midwinter.

 

[itma]

To follow-up on the good Doctor's comment.

Its generally not a good idea to put a syrup feeder on a clear plastic coverboard. The weight causes it to flex and sag, which reduces the beespace, which causes the little dears to make a mess of the once-nice clear board.
I used to buy ones with holes from T's until I realised what was going on. Now I buy the no-hole versions.

Feeders go onto strong wooden boards with holes.
My current thinking is that these should double up as Rhombus clearer boards. Tall eke side down for clearing, beespace side down for feeding. Now if the eke was at least as tall as the feeder ...

And yes, as the Doc says, asymmetric (much taller one side) frames are absolutely the right starting point. Whatever way you are going!

 

[pargyle]

QUOTE]

Busys busy busy (with my one hive!). Made up an acrylic/wood crownboard for easy peeking in winter. (Workshop thread, I know... And how the heck will I cut a feeder hole?).

The answer is, slowly with a tank cutter mounted in an electric drill ... go slowly or the heat generated will melt the acrylic and it will clog up the cutter. Save the piece you have cut out and glue a slightly larger square of perspex or plywood to it and you have a ready made lid to go over the feeder hole when you don't need to feed them. The bees will glue it in with propolis so there's no draughts.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/11PC-HOLE...Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item3cb7d5b36f

Not the best quality in the world but I have a set and they work OK for the money.


Then, brainwave! Foundationless frames! As an experiment, one foundation in the middle then empty frames alternating with strips of one third of super foundation.

You really need to wire the frames horizontally if you are going foundationless as that holds the comb in place when you are inspecting, otherwise it can sag a bit under the weight. You only need about an inch of foundation as a starter strip - the bees will sort the rest out. All my frames are foundationless and they are fine - only mistake was mine when I built the hive I left 2" of space below the bottom bars and the mesh floor - so the bees extended my frames downwards and I now have 14 x 14 frames !!

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8543&page=882
Post #8818,

All their own work - you don't even need to altenate with full foundation, as long as the first frame gives them a guide they will be fine

 

[cjhart2]

Long day , due to return to UK soon so trying to cover all bases . I know it is sad but carried out an inventory of all the kit . Looking at an expansion next year and i need to know what i actually have . More than i thought but every beekeeper would say that .
Went down to the apiary after that and looked at the hives , the bees were so peaceful , decided to take the super off No 1 , did not even bother to have a go at me , some uncapped but the refractometer is showing 17 % on the uncapped honey , so happy . Placed a clearer board on the Italian mob , one super will come off tomorrow . They are still working flat out and i still have no idea what they have found . Using the clear crownboards as an aid to moving the supers on and off the hive is a great help ,seems to keep the bees a lot calmer , going to get a few more of them .
Some days beekeeping can be a face full of bees the other days it can be absolute pleasure . Today was a absolute pleasure .

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Thank you itma and drsitson: really good comments and absolutely on the fondant eke part. On sugar I was thinking of making up an insulating board with a ply "outer layer" and a smallish 1.5cm or so wooden tunnel through it and mating directly but no pressure on the crownboard. Sugar would then go on top of that. Is that just asking for chaos?

Thanks pargyle; noted on the wires. Top tip. BTW, on wired foundation, mine aer doing a fine job of gnawing completely away from it, making it obviously ineffective. Luckily I at least know that strange 3-D spin to avoid sagging (Hah! famous last words!)

 

[pargyle]

To follow-up on the good Doctor's comment.

Its generally not a good idea to put a syrup feeder on a clear plastic coverboard. The weight causes it to flex and sag, which reduces the beespace, which causes the little dears to make a mess of the once-nice clear board.
QUOTE]

My experience of making my own clear coverboards out of 6mm acrylic with a timber frame around the edge is that they haven't sagged with test weight of 2Kg on them - I was a bit worried but didn't want to have a greater thickness than 6mm.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

To follow-up on the good Doctor's comment.

My experience of making my own clear coverboards out of 6mm acrylic with a timber frame around the edge is that they haven't sagged with test weight of 2Kg on them - I was a bit worried but didn't want to have a greater thickness than 6mm.

This stuff is expensive though! Or I need a better source than Wickes. £16 got me enough 2mm for 2 crownboards and a wasp pane

 

[itma]

My experience of making my own clear coverboards out of 6mm acrylic with a timber frame around the edge is that they haven't sagged with test weight of 2Kg on them - I was a bit worried but didn't want to have a greater thickness than 6mm.

T's use polycarbonate, rather than your acrylic.
Theirs do deflect enough with a 4-pint rapid feeder full of syrup (total almost 4kg?) to promote brace and prop. It was the brace and prop that made me notice the deflection ... And after you remove the feeder, they still add to the brace and prop that they had started ...

Hence I have clear boards with no holes.
And I have thick plywood boards (with a hole) as clearers and feeders. Neither of which should be on for very long.


/ And given the cost of the material, I've simply bought the clear ones from T's ...

 

[Chris Luck]

Took some photos of bee predators..

....as well as the Asian Hornet in that thread...

Crab spider.

​

and Zebra spider with web in front of hive.

​

Chris

 

[Polyanwood]

Nice Chris.
Second thymol treatment on today and I removed queens ready for requeening.

 

[Goran]

Took some photos of bee predators..

....as well as the Asian Hornet in that thread...

Crab spider.



and Zebra spider with web in front of hive.


Chris


I have few, but if I post them it could be off topic ( don't know for new regime..), should I make some photo album?

 

[youngyoungs]

Post holiday inspection.

Hive #1, Q+, laying as expected, good strong hive with busy workers.
Hive #2, Q+, laying as expected - smaller colony as recently rehomed from nuc.
Hive #3 and hive #4 - were left with queen cells as they balled their queens during my last inspection. Today in both cases the queen cells torn down / opened. Both hives are small colonies, with little/no sealed brood. From their behaviour today, one is Q- and one Q+. Suspect I will be uniting these.

Saw a few wasps about - so reduced entrances in anticipation of trouble.

Can't believe we're nearly at the end of the summer.

 

[user 6228]

After rewiring it 3 times (phones distracting me) I proceeded to test the mux board. THen got the mux to hive wiring wrong twice... Not my day. Got all 32 sensors to respond so Tomorrow should see the hive conductance tests start, with bees in it hopefully by the end of the week.

 

[mbc]

, should I make some photo album?

If they're half as good as those two lovely pics, yes! or just post them here
Thanks Chris, keep them coming.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

lovely pics,

No. Beautifully executed and interesting, definitely. Lovely, no.

 

[pargyle]

This stuff is expensive though! Or I need a better source than Wickes. £16 got me enough 2mm for 2 crownboards and a wasp pane

T's use polycarbonate, rather than your acrylic.
Theirs do deflect enough with a 4-pint rapid feeder full of syrup (total almost 4kg?) to promote brace and prop. It was the brace and prop that made me notice the deflection ... And after you remove the feeder, they still add to the brace and prop that they had started ...

Hence I have clear boards with no holes.
And I have thick plywood boards (with a hole) as clearers and feeders. Neither of which should be on for very long.

/ And given the cost of the material, I've simply bought the clear ones from T's ...

I picked up my 6mm from ebay ... seller I found is not on there at present but there's a similar one here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5MM-PERSP...t=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item41719a63bf

It's 5mm thick and a 400 x 400 sheet is £12.53 including delivery - by the time there's a frame around it you have a standard hive size ... better than the 2mm thick polycarb from Th's and £6 cheaper (without any delivery charge as well).

500 x 500 is £17.39 which is still cheaper than Th's and you could use the offcuts to glue round the edges as a frame and stiffener.

I'm sure if I looked a bit further into ebay there would be more ..

I do understand what ITMA is saying ... my thinking was that with a hole in the clear crown board (filled with the infil piece as I've made) it would be possible to see into the hive and add either fondant or later on, in spring, a rapid feeder without having to remove the crown board. Just use the hole which is a lot less disruptive than taking off the whole crown board which the bees will have propolised as well.