What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Rio]

Just jared the last honey of the year after feeding the bees this evening. had to batter a few wasps who were gorging themselves on a leaky feeder. oops. Delighted with the honey. Thank you mother nature, thank you 2013. Now to feed the bees well over the coming weeks, insulate, and batten down the hatches for the winter.

 

[victor meldrew]

Inserted clearing boards . Maybe premature! Supers are light .bees are extremely busy , maybe I should have waited . I assumed after the bumper crop last year, in spite of the wet wet Summer that I'd do even better!
Not so!
I haven't fed bees for Winter for a few years now, so with the ivy coming on flow I reckon the honey to come is all theirs.
After all I consider honey a bonus rather than a priority.
VM

 

[pargyle]

I assumed after the bumper crop last year, in spite of the wet wet Summer that I'd do even better!
VM

Ha ... I knew it was always raining in Wigan .... and there you all were trying to convince me that it was the St Tropez of the NW !!

 

[victor meldrew]

Ha ... I knew it was always raining in Wigan .... and there you all were trying to convince me that it was the St Tropez of the NW !!

Er! That was LAST YEAR when the whole country was awash!
I'll bet it's persisting down in Yorkshire right now ,whilst it's sunny here right now ?
VM

 

[pargyle]

Er! That was LAST YEAR when the whole country was awash!
I'll bet it's persisting down in Yorkshire right now ,whilst it's sunny here right now ?
VM

I'll give you that one ... my daughter was in the park with my grandson in Sheffield this afternoon and it was very overcast and started to rain as she was walking home ... just overcast for me down in Hampshire today ... but chilly - less than 12 degrees.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

About 15 degrees this afternoon. One or two hardy girls coming and going from the hives but nothing to compare with the traffic and orientation flights of a few days ago.

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Had news that I passed my BBKA Basic!

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well done herefordshirehoney!


Dusty

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Bottled some of the association honey, had my tea, labelled the association honey then bottled some of my honey from one settling tank then put the remainder in a bucket as I found out last night the valve wasn't tightened in properly and I had a bit of a leak (not too serious but needed addressing).
Starting to label my own honey now

 

[Pete D]

Quick stop at out apiary to remove maqs treatment that has been on ten days. Couldn't get back any sooner. No real sign of any dead bees, didn't pull any frames though. Plenty of wasps around but hives strong enough to repel the onslaught, loads dead outside one hive. Entrance blocks now in. May consider treating earlier next year before wasps become so interested, depending on drop.
If its as good as it says we shouldn't have to do oxalic ? Could treat in spring I guess. Will need to keep checking drop regularly.

 

[Roola]

Topped up syrup in feeders and checked how they were doing, filling with stores nicely and drawing some comb too.

 

[garlicpickle]

Took Apilife and inspection boards off - maybe 100 mites dropped on one hive and only about 20 on the other, although earwigs and suchlike might have nabbed some.
Took syrup with me to top up the feeders but they hadn't taken much since Monday, so they may be full up now. Will open up briefly next time we get a decent day to check stores.

 

[victor meldrew]

Had news that I passed my BBKA Basic!

Congratulations , I passed mine after donkeys years of beekeeping and was caught wrong footed a couple of times during the assessment .
One was not pointing out a little chalk brood which of course experience had taught me not to worry about !
I quick reminder sharpens attitudes
Vm

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Congratulations , I passed mine after donkeys years of beekeeping and was caught wrong footed a couple of times during the assessment .
One was not pointing out a little chalk brood which of course experience had taught me not to worry about !
I quick reminder sharpens attitudes
Vm

Thanks, I fancy doing module 1 in a few years but wondering if i'll bother with any others - I did get drilled about differences between AFB and EFB. To be fair the ex-bee inspector was great really steered you in the right direction.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

stood and scratched my head

Trying to reduce all hives to single brood (ish) for Apiguard treatment. But one hive isn't having any of it! - when I cleared five supers out of six for extraction, I put an emty one under the super I left on to give them space (this hive is jam packed full of non prolific native dark AMM types) also on top of the crown board were some frames with a bit of fresh stores in for them to rob down; Today all three supers are still jam packed full of bees, they're filling the empty super once again are they are not having any messing around!! looks like overwintering on brood and three halves!!
All the others are either now reduced or have clearer boards on. As soon as the Garn cottage hives come home treat and feed those who need it.

 

[victor meldrew]

Just been checking if bees have cleared supers ,they have apart from one hive , a surprising amount of uncapped honey in all but the top supers ,did a quick shake test ,all appeared to be ripe .
I'll lift them away tomorrow ,sort sealed from unsealed ,any sealed will be replaced over a crown board .
Apart from a few wasps and the odd bumblebee ,very few honey bees working the balsam but all hives are bucketing something in, I should think, ivy, hence my removal of the supers.
Some foragers were bringing large pellets of loosely packed white pollen .
Knotweed is only just out properly, I didn't realise how late this year has been!
Vm

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Trying to reduce all hives to single brood (ish) for Apiguard treatment. But one hive isn't having any of it! - when I cleared five supers out of six for extraction, I put an emty one under the super I left on to give them space (this hive is jam packed full of non prolific native dark AMM types) also on top of the crown board were some frames with a bit of fresh stores in for them to rob down; Today all three supers are still jam packed full of bees, they're filling the empty super once again are they are not having any messing around!! looks like overwintering on brood and three halves!!
All the others are either now reduced or have clearer boards on. As soon as the Garn cottage hives come home treat and feed those who need it.

Maybe it's sample bias given the number of posters, but Wales seems to be having an incredible August/September.

 

[JCD]

I've got two very strong colonies....checked them both out today. On 31st August both colonies had one full super of honey which I'd deliberately left for them. Today, one colony still has a full super to go into winter, (good, good!) and the other one, the one in my back garden, has nothing left at all !! I'm sure they haven't been robbed by wasps, or anything else, they are so strong, and guard very well......so why would that be ? The hives are about 100yds apart. Sugar syrup is currently cooling down, and they will have some early in the morning.

 

[drstitson]

robbed by the adjacent colony?

 

[Chris Luck]

Strong colonies don't get robbed in my experience, only weak or failing colonies.

Most likely took the stores down stairs although even that would be a bit unlikely if they were capped, emptying a full super is a lot of work.

Chris