What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Tom Bick]

Finman size!

I think they have a bit to go before they reach Finmans size and I think my nerves may just get to me if they were to. I put this down to a bit of luck and great knowledge and skill (not me)

The luck was catching a cast swarm from my TBH following its AS and first giving it to someone else but then later collecting it again from a tree and deciding to keep it just in case.

The knowledge and skill comes from Hivemaker who gave us the recipe for treating nosema during the active season and autumn. This hive was one of three in that apiary last year that were on their way out without the treatment and after treatment never looked back. The three hives received new queens in the end with one being superseded and this hive in the photo getting the queen from the cast. This hive actually went Q- at one point and very fast had laying workers so even more luck.

All three hives affected by the nosema last year are all very strong for the time of year and just goes to show for me that thymol for nosema is a great tool.

 

[jd101k2000]

First Drone of Spring

I was photographic the girls, as they were out parading the new pollen colours. Saw the first drone of spring.View attachment 9978

 

[philipm]

13 degrees here today the bees have been on the May blossom but they have started on the dandelions today plenty of pollen going in.

 

[Roola]

watching the bees come and go from the bait hive.

 

[lebouche]

Moved one of my hives early this morning to a new site and I have been offered a hive of bees as the person is giving up beekeeping and wants me to have the bees. So following an inspection tomorrow afternoon may move them Friday evening to the new site. The good news is the new site is 15 min walk from my small workshop.



As this new site is slap bang in the center of Brentford and coincidentally has a pub called the beehive, but importantly Brentford football club is known as the bees I am thinking I may be able to sell some honey to the bees from the bees at Brentford

I've been to that pub. They don't have any bees though. It's about ten mins walk from my house. I have given up looking for a site locally as there seem to be many people keeping bees around the area. I did ask every allotment and they all have hives.

 

[djg]

Tom Bick,

100% agree about HM's thymol emulsion mix. Nosema not a problem over last winter.

 

[Tom Bick]

I've been to that pub. They don't have any bees though. It's about ten mins walk from my house. I have given up looking for a site locally as there seem to be many people keeping bees around the area. I did ask every allotment and they all have hives.

Sorry but this will come as bad news I have moved a hive to a site just at the back of the high street and will be moving another there tonight. It's a bit industrial but secure.

 

[Tabby15]

Ok I am going to risk a stupid question but will you simply split by removing one of the brood boxes to a new hive?.

 

[Tom Bick]

Ok I am going to risk a stupid question but will you simply split by removing one of the brood boxes to a new hive?.

The easy thing to do would be to simply split and walk away without the queen but that won't work if the box is full of sealed brood so I will probably go through the boxes and have a nice mix of eggs pollen stores and sealed brood but with perhaps minimum open brood. It won't be perfect but good enough for me. I will remove queen cells that are sealed after five days of the split (I think that's right and need to check) and then providing I have any left will then hope to split the remaining frames into nuc's each with a queen cell. What would also work out is if in the next few weeks they decide they want to swarm and start plenty of swarm cells.

 

[Nige.Coll]

Had a look through the hives today .
Got a shock when i lifted a the shallow frame in there for drones. They had built brace comb onto both sides of the hive and larvae went everywhere at the disgust of my bees.
Then i had to scrape the comb of the inside of the hive now full of very annoyed bees.
On a brighter note when i looked there were no varroa in the cells at all.
They weren't anywhere near developed so i guess there are some varroa somewhere.

They are drawing the comb out nicely now we have some decent weather.

Plenty of brood in the other hive but still couldn't find the queen . Given up looking for her now .
Both hives now have a few drones .

 

[Erichalfbee]

Set up two Bailey comb changes. Both hives bursting so hope they get on with it. No feed as there is a flow on and I left supers of nectar on top.
One colony has a lot of drone brood on one outer frame....looks like it might mean business soon. Hope the extra work keeps them back. I wish I didn't need to change comb this year. Would have loved some spring honey.
Supered the wooden hive....maybe they might give me some.
Checked test frame in Q- colony....nothing doing (only two days though so will look again on Sunday).

13 degrees here today the bees have been on the May blossom but they have started on the dandelions today plenty of pollen going in.

That's early for May blossom. Here it's still quite embryonic. You don't mean blackthorn do you?

 

[theeggman]

HM's Thymol Mix

Last year a member of our branch had high Nosema in all colonies.
I gave him a copy of the recipe AND he used it, this year all but 1 nil and a small problem with the last one. The cost is peanuts but it might help with disease issues.

 

[einsteinagogo]

Setting up Apiray No.2 strummed all grass and nettles, put down 10mx5m weed fabric and secured with pegs. Put on hive stands and a single nuc, two nationals to go on, await colonies!

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[TOBY-3652]

went to check supers.. absolutely pouring nectar in them hope the weather keeps up.. spraying rape 4 bugs insecticide and fungicide. he assures me he will start very early

 

[Itchy]

Where can I find this recipe?

 

[yellowrage 53]

hi guys what is best way to light a smoker also what to use in it

 

[Alabamaeee]

Go into the woods and collect dry, rotten wood. It has to be so rotten that it crumbles easily between your fingers. It is the best fuel I have used, just roll up a ball of newspaper, light it, drop into the smoker and feed in a little of the crumbled wood. After a few goes on the bellows it will be well alight and you can pile in some more wood and off you go.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Where can I find this recipe?

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6513

 

[WelshPaul]

Opened the hive today, god it was full, it's a brood and a half, brace comb everywhere, had to put a QX on and a super, very surprised that the hive was that full at this time of the year.


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[Goran]

Today I went one step back, merged two colonies in one. From two separate problems I made one "big problem". Less to worry and more to count on..
Temporary is pile of four lang boxes, but when they sort out will reduce to three.