What did you do in the Apiary today?

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Inspected my two hives. Both just on half of a 14x12 although I robbed the stronger of two full frames of honey a few weeks ago to strengthen the other hive which is now doing much better.
Plenty of BIAS. I stopped inspecting the 2nd hive after seeing the first patch of brood as the wind was picking up. I'm away for the next three weeks (although my mom will be there to look out for them if any crop spraying etc) and hope that they will have enough space but figure they are no where near ready for supers even though its a big osr area. Hopefully my hunches are correct.
Also put out three bait hives.
 
Moved 8 colonies of bees from their winter home of 6 frame poly nucs into full brood boxes. Made these on august 1st last year to over winter. They were bursting at the seams, 2 of them with 6 frames of brood the rest with 5. Most had a few drone brood so maybe thoughts of leaving home soon.
Inspected a further 5 colonies, the biggest at 8 bias on 14 x12 which was supered couple of weeks ago.
 
Got into mine for the first time on Saturday.

Main site:
1) 14 x 12 banged out with brood (bar one half chewed frame at the back) and half a super already filled, but no rape nearby. Will be keeping a close watch on this as none of my Qs are clipped. Removed drone brood from standard brood comb for varroa inspection.

2) Was small colony with only six frames and dummied down. Also going great guns, so box filled with comb for HM to fill.

3) 14 x 12 This one also very full of brood, but not quite as full as 1. Keeping a close eye, though she was a 2013 queen from AS. Had built comb above QE so have supered.

4) Doing well and has built some comb above the crownboard. Stripped it, supered and left for them to recycle.

5) One colony to be checked on a friend's plot. Lots of activity from what was a late swarm (yes, one of my own), so need to move them across, but will have to stuff with grass as there won't be any more cold weather.

Second site:
1) Very strong colony doing very well. Lots of lovely patterned brood, no signs of any disease and stores being packed into a super. Hope to split ASAP and breed from this Q as her army is industrious but always very even-tempered. Have a hive to fill on this site as the split I did last year starved over winter. I though they had enough (they had more than some of my other colonies) but didn't make it.

Third site:
Couple of colonies to check as neglected due to my own illness end of 2013, wife's operation and mum's own health. Hope to get there this week to see what's what. They had a good deal of stores, but will have to see how the land lies.

Have to prepare for AS. Now where is my staplegun?
 
First chance to check the hives this year - although suspected all would have brood because of activity. Put a second brood box under the strongest hive - which was a swarm (from my bees) in late June. 2 other hives are starting to build up, but apart from removing feeding ekes, no action required. The 4th hive, which was a June swarm, from a split, so quite a small colony going into winter isn't doing so well, and has some sac brood so I left them with the remains of the fondant they had, and won't bother them again for a couple of weeks, as I don't want to add any stress. We decided to leave the experimental hive for another time - as I know they will have plenty of space, and they still have the remains of some fondant, and the temperatures indicate they have brood.
 
Gave a couple of 6" deep roofs I had made a coat of green fencelife. Then wandered down to the apiary for a beewatching sit down. Every hive working hard and bringing in lots of yellow pollen. Next door farm has a five acre patch of scrubland which is yielding to willow and a muted hum can be heard amongst it. My plum trees and Blackthorn hedges are coming into blossom so April is likely to be a busy month with all this to forage on!
 
Checked the garden centre hive (swarm that moved in four weeks ago) queen seen but they've totally ingnored the orientation of the frames and built comb all ways, ho hum.
Checked Mamomosire's hive (mad old lady, great fun, she almost wet herself laughing when one of my trainees got stung) which had been put together with the super below the brood (no need for that out here - even strong colonies struggle to fill a langstroth deep) again, comb all over the place but chock a block with honey, mindful of not disturbing the brood at this time of the year, and having some brood in the shallow as well we put the super in it's proper place and harvested four frames of honey - the first crop they've had off the project :hurray:
 
We did our first full inspection yesturday. What a beautiful day. We have one suspected drone layer but all the hives have done good so far.

The bees are flying really hard on the oil seed rape.
Moved a nuc to another site and within an hour they had found the rape and were going crazy.
 
Swarm said:
How does it taste? :)
Click to expand...

Excellent - not quite as floral as the honey from the hive half a mile down the hill - but not bad at all. The best thing is, you don't really need a clearer board. I plonked the frames in a bowl a couple of feet from the hive while I closed up thinking 'how on earth am I going to bet these bees away and the honey into the house ten yards or so away?' I turned around to find a leafy branch (we've got no bee brushes here either) and noticed the frames almost totally clear of bees - I do like African bees!
 
Placed out my bait hive today after using a permanent marker to put a date and postcode on all the frames. A few drops of lemongrass on the frames. And as I left there was a bee having a look around the entrance.



Sent from my GT-I8190N using Tapatalk
 
i learned that 3 days is a long time in a beehive.

i went to put a super on my weak hive and it's not weak now. full of bees and they have filled it with nectar and pollen .
i was feeding them uptil last week as they had no stores.
they had loads of space at weekend when i inspected them and a lot less bees.
i thought i saw a queen cell on the face of the comb but it was 2 play cups , nothing in them and not very large. that made me worried for a mo.

super added and they can draw it out at their leisure now. no QE atm hoping they will draw it out better .

i was shocked at how much they had filled it up in such a short time.
osr has kicked in well and truly though now.



note to self.. next time take more than 1 super with me and get those frames finished lol.

my wifes horses found out today what happens if you stick your nose near beehives.
 
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We are in the middle of a willow flow here :)
First inspection of this year. I had to take out a few frames of stores and I will freeze them and put aside for future use. One of them has mostly fresh capped honey ....ho hum. I'm sitting looking at it wondering whether to give it back to the bees at some time ......................................or EAT IT!!!
 
Erichalfbee said:
We are in the middle of a willow flow here :)
First inspection of this year. I had to take out a few frames of stores and I will freeze them and put aside for future use. One of them has mostly fresh capped honey ....ho hum. I'm sitting looking at it wondering whether to give it back to the bees at some time ......................................or EAT IT!!!
Click to expand...
Eat it. :)
Willow flow here too, the bees were hitting the landing boards hard.
 
BigAshW said:
Placed out my bait hive today after using a permanent marker to put a date and postcode on all the frames. A few drops of lemongrass on the frames. And as I left there was a bee having a look around the entrance.



Sent from my GT-I8190N using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I would personally move the hive 1 square diagonally so that you are able to move the whole way round.
 
Can you play beehive dominos lol lol
 
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