What did you do in the Apiary today?

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Nice one JBM lovely day for it, you should have mixed a with b and made c that would have been something to watch
See You Tuesday with some dead bees
 
Finished Apigaurd treatment today from an initial 1 mite in 7 days before treatment, someone asked me what the drop was after treatment but I can't remember who but the total drop in 28 days was around 40, so was it worth treating with such a low initial drop......... yes
Started feeding with HM magic tonic
 
How envious am I!

Inspected boards as I had treated for varroa with a recipe sprayed on to the brood comb. Hive one board had varroa shell on it. I think the ants may have had them. Hive 2 had a funny looking mite that was so small it was difficult to see but movement betrayed it as a live creature, smaller even than red spider mite. Under a magnifying glass it looked nothing like varroa the body was a pale golden colour so small I could not count ther legs but could see it had antenea on a very small head in comparison to the body, it looked a little bit like a tik. Any Ideas?

Pollen mite ?... this is one that was on my inspection tray in July.
 
Started the mega job of cleaning and tidying the bee shed.
Where did all the stuff come from? Why don't I put things away when I use them? Why is the floor so dirty? Why did I let it get to this?
Half done and laid some vinyl on the half I have cleared, looks smart and tidy. Next half today.
Not an unpleasant surrounding to work in as I could see the apiary and hear the ivy buzz.
Cazza
 
Started the mega job of cleaning and tidying the bee shed.
Where did all the stuff come from? Why don't I put things away when I use them? Why is the floor so dirty? Why did I let it get to this?
Half done and laid some vinyl on the half I have cleared, looks smart and tidy. Next half today.
Not an unpleasant surrounding to work in as I could see the apiary and hear the ivy buzz.
Cazza

Finished the job. All neat and tidy with new flooring and all frames Certan'd and hanging up to dry. Time to visit the polyhive sale.......
Cazza
 
Missing my apiary. Am in sicily where there are bees on trees I don't recognise; yellow bees like Buckles.I have seen honey from honeysuckle in the shops. Didn't think bees could use it?
 
I often see bees on honeysuckle here but unfortunately there is never enough of it for a honey crop
 
Took the rapid feeders off today - apart from the mouse guards at the end of the month or whenever the weather dictates that's it for this year outside. I had a quick peek in one of the hives and they are full of stores with a lovely load of grubs and eggs in the centre of the hive. Looking good for next year.
Plenty of prep to do though, I have acquired a number of cedar deck boards which I am going to convert into brood boxes over the winter. You can never have too much kit!
 
Mongrels have trouble with honeysuckle , but manage to use the hole bitten in the area of the nectaries by bubble bees !
VM


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Today I was decreasing the number of colonies.. Merged one with "virgin" queen which would stay virgin.. Unfortunately we don't have here Independent or Daily mail, we have some local newspapers.. But I hope it will work..
At the other hand we have šljivovica ( slivovitz), which diluted in water I spray on two colonies which I merge ( strong smell), of course I first tested the slivovitz on myself ( internaly) to something don't happen to my bees..

At the end it turned to Volohovich method ( gigantic colony) and this colony could go for unreal tournament next season..
 
I fed both hives. Checked how the small colony in the poly nuc was laying and the queens pattern is still not great but hopefully they will supercede next year.
They are still v low on stores and the main brood is on a super frame.
Checked the stronger colony for BIAS to see if the queen was OK (two weeks since MAQS) and all was looking good. Only took two frames out so as not to bother them. Took their smallest frame with a little capped stores and transferred it to the nuc.
The strong colony have 8 -12x14s of stores (with a few patches of brood in the middle) so I'm hoping they have enough now for winter.
 
there is still a few wasps about i have reduced down to one bee space on all my hives but the wasps are hanging about waiting for the weak or dead bees which they take away
But when is it safe to take the reducers off and put the mouse guards on ????
 
Just opened up entrances to stop queue. Never seen them so busy, even in spring.
Lots of ivy and orange pollen.

EXACTLY the same, As I took the block out there was a "swarm" of blocked bees released.

And the bloody wasps still leave me finding abdomen-less bees. I hate it / them.
 
I fed both hives. in the poly nuc ... the queens pattern is still not great

My Red Queen Unseen (after 3 months: it's getting embarrassing) is in a poly box and lays all over the place with no apparent harm. I wonder if this is a feature of poly because the temperature is easier to maintain over a larger area; does anyone else notice this?
 
Today I got stung for the first time and then I got stung another 12 times all on the ankles :( Thought I would be ok without my boots on but no! I then proceeded swiftly away from the hives, slipped down a slope and did my leg so I can't walk, not a great day.

The aim was amalgamating another new beeks queen less hive with my late swarm to give them both a chance. The big hills in the way did not help however they are on and chewing through newspaper at the moment I expect.

Beekeeping is fun:)

Demig
 
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