What did you do in the Apiary today?

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Removed varroa boards. Drop over seven day period ranging from zero for most hives one and two and the only significant drop, one hive had around twenty. This after MAQS treatment in July. Bees still busy.
 
Went to the association apiary to distribute fondant orders and hefted hives - not light but not much stores left by the feel of it - put fondant on .
Hefted hives in the home apiary - all O.K. but three may need feeding in a couple of weeks.
Bees flying well today especially in the association apiary.
Tidied up the official bee shed and checked my stores of runners and castellated spacers in case there's a sale on somewhere.
Went up to the attic to get the Christmas decorations down to save SWMBO the hassle (and seeing my other beekeeping stores) After the strong winds last week I'm concerned that the roof may lift so maybe the answer is putting some more ballast up there - some glass jars would do the trick - have to ask my old mucker veg whether he knows where I could get some :D
 
All hives but one still have good weight but very few flying bees, two hives slightly awake as the sun shone on the entrances but the other three fast asleep! Will watch the lighter hive carefully over the next couple of weeks. No need for fondant just yet.
E
 
Sad day had to moved my hives from my apiary due to the new land lord is apparently allergic to bees but never mind pastures greener and all that. I Just remembered I left the gate open and all them sheep are going to enter his farm and have a good munch and I couldn't see anyone home to stop them :D
 
Sad day had to moved my hives from my apiary due to the new land lord is apparently allergic to bees but never mind pastures greener and all that. I Just remembered I left the gate open and all them sheep are going to enter his farm and have a good munch and I couldn't see anyone home to stop them :D

Good forage Pantlasau/Rhydypandy way, pass that way every day and can't but help assessing the land - I reckon you'll be better off, should have given me a call - back's not that goosed!
 
Last edited:
Good forage Pantlasau/Rhydypandy way, pass that way every day and can't but help assessing the land - I eckon you'll be better off, should have given me a call - back's not that goosed!

Thanks for the offer but didn't take long, the land does look a better place for bees
 
I had a call from my allotment saying my bees were swarming. When I got there they had all gone back in with just the odd one flying, must have been draw out be the mild weather and the mid day sun. I checked all three hives and they all gently buzzed as I hefted them.

Mike
 
what is the meaning of Pantlasau

possibly green hollow (cultivated lands) the area would have originally have been part of Llangyfelach church glebe. The church of St David & Cyfelach (12th century) is built on the site of an older monastery founded by St David and some of his relics were held there.
 
4 hives asleep and 2 hives really busy even though they are quite heavy so full of stores
(nought as strange as bees) lol
 
All hives busy with bees wandering about.. Toilet breaks I assume - no pollen seen although winter jasmine is flowering.
 
My girls were out from mid morning, bringing in pollen off what's left of the ivy. Be interesting when winter actually starts. Looking to put some fondant on next month.
 
I love Oxalic Acid!!

Counted mites following OA yesterday. About 230 in 30 hours, so I probably had very close to 1,000 in there and they would have made a real mess of spring buildup. Bees seem fine. I have read all the OA threads on here and seriously thought of bumping one.

Anyway, the forumula I ended up using was the Enolapi "6% in 30% sugar solution" sold by the big stockists. This has been endlessly discussed and it's not clear exactly what it really contains. I mixed 37ml syrup to 13ml of water to make 50ml. I added no sugar, so down around 22% sugar and I THINK about 3.2% by weight OA as we measure it. But anyone who wants to talk formulae can bump a thread...
 
Last edited:
Counted mites following OA yesterday. About 230 in 30 hours, so I probably had very close to 1,000 in there and they would have made a real mess of spring buildup. Bees seem fine. I have read all the OA threads on here and seriously thought of bumping one.

Anyway, the forumula I ended up using was the Enolapi "6% in 30% sugar solution" sold by the big stockists, which as endlessly discussed who knows what it really contains, cut 37ml to 13ml of water to make 50ml. No more sugar, so down around 22% sugar. Anyone who wants to talk formulae can bump a thread...

That's the oxalic I have. Did you use straight from the bottle? Second paragraph makes no sense
 
That's the oxalic I have. Did you use straight from the bottle? Second paragraph makes no sense

Sorry: reworded as below. I cut the syrup with a bit of water and no sugar.

"Anyway, the forumula I ended up using was the Enolapi "6% in 30% sugar solution" sold by the big stockists. This has been endlessly discussed and it's not clear exactly what it really contains. I mixed 37ml syrup to 13ml of water to make 50ml. I added no sugar, so down around 22% sugar and I THINK about 3.2% by weight OA as we measure it. But anyone who wants to talk formulae can bump a thread..."
 
watched the bees flying, the experimental hive had quite a few orientating etc... (they did get the floor replaced a week a go) ... the very small colony is holding the top at 14C with the outside at zero. 23C was seen in the afternoon
 
An Italian brand..I think. without struggling to post a pic of the label.
It says 6% Oxalic, £30% Sugar, Water up to 1litre (A 1 litre bottle)
No instructions, nothing! Unusual for the UK, normally we get an idiot list!
 
Back
Top