What did you do in the Apiary today?

[REDWOOD]

Rain rain, come and stay,
I'm off to a beer fest today,
no wish with bees to play...

That was truly awful!!!!!
Cazza

It started well
but ended up not too swell
hope your beer was flowing
and your bee hive numbers are still growing

 

[VEG]

I didnt venture out today as it rained most of the day, but the bees were out and about

 

[Hivemaker.]

rained all afternoon so just got kit ready for tomorrow's beginners class and pottered around in the workshop. as it was rainong I thought i could quickly level out the hive stand that has sunk a bit into built up ground - rain - pah! my little beauties were still flying even in the heaviest downpours!!

Much the same here, but rained all day, so waterproofs on and carry on the bee work as normal, wet but warm, and they were flying in the rain all day as well.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Let the bees tell you BA

My Buckies told me in no uncertain terms today to %$^& off! My first real "storm" where one sting begat others. Killed lots of bees, sadly. Should've used smoke on a day like today I suppose: time to buy a proper Dadant smoker; my piddly one is useless.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Should've used smoke on a day like today I suppose: time to buy a proper Dadant smoker; my piddly one is useless.

Never even bothered to light the smoker today, too wet, bees have been in a very good mood all day, no stings at all.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Just off to collect the other 11 supers and then to the extraction room!

Managed to get 9 of the 11 off before the rain started. Erred on the side of caution as the last two are on the feisty hive!

Extracted the 11 I collect yesterday and when I had finished the Sun was shining so into the car and head for the apiary!

Bah, massive dark cloud caught me up before I could get there!!!

My new buzz term is 'Weather window'

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I hope it was due to the starvation/weather or there will be a regicide..

I know we are nowhere close but I had incredible aggression from my girls today, including determined following. Very worrying given my setup. And this from a Buckfast colony that is normally super tolerant. I can only think there was a lot of electricity in the air; very unsettled and a bit of thunder. So maybe yours will settle down.

 

[pargyle]

Rain rain rain then ... just a little window of sunshine for a couple of hours. Didn't open them up, just lifted the lid on my original hive and had a peek ... all very busy ... couldn't see much through the clear crown board but they have built out the last empty frame that I put in there and it's filling with capped honey.

The new polyhive is dummied down to three frames and despite being only a few frames of bees they have built about half a frame of new comb, again, just a peek through the clear crown board.

It's another week before I am going to start looking for eggs but at present they seem to be quite relaxed and industrious so I'm hopeful. Three mated queens ??? Please ?

 

[Cazza]

It started well
but ended up not too swell
hope your beer was flowing
and your bee hive numbers are still growing

The beer was great,
the night went on late,
back to bees today, hip, hip hooray.

I promise that will be the last ever poetic effort. Iambic pentameter it ain't.
Cazza

 

[madasafish]

I know we are nowhere close but I had incredible aggression from my girls today, including determined following. Very worrying given my setup. And this from a Buckfast colony that is normally super tolerant. I can only think there was a lot of electricity in the air; very unsettled and a bit of thunder. So maybe yours will settle down.

Thanks for the thought but I just ventured near the bar stewards today and they made a line for my face..It is still raining.. They have till Wed to settle down...

My other hives are as good natured as ever...

 

[madasafish]

The beer was great,
the night went on late,
back to bees today, hip, hip hooray.

I promise that will be the last ever poetic effort. Iambic pentameter it ain't.
Cazza

Wot's an "Iambic pentameter"? Is it related to the Asian Hornet? Homer wrote about them:


"I'll tell you again, son of great Zeus and illustrated Maia, Hermes, god help the gods themselves, there are three venerable sisters, all three virgins, and crossing space on rapid wings, their head is covered a white flour, they inhabit a valley of Parnassus. Outlying men, they taught me the art of revealing the future while I was growing up and I kept the flocks. My father took no pains to m instruct all these things. They fly in all directions, they eat honey and do all things. When satiated honey again, these virgin readily say the truth, but when the sweet food of the gods comes to their lack They are trying to turn people away from the road they must follow. "http://www.launcestonbeekeepers.btck.co.uk/ANCIENTHISTORY




http://kulturica.com/k/litterature/homere/hymne-a-hermes/

 

[yellowrage 53]

just a quick one do honey jars need any thing more then making sure they are clean ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hot water wash,rinse and dry with kitchen roll.Finish in cool oven.
When I had a dishwasher that's what I used. Jars came out clean and sparkling.

 

[Jimmys Mum]

Today I cursed rather loudly and then vowed never to use one of those plastic push in queen introduction cage frame things again! It's probably operator error but the bees soon managed to get under it and Queenie is no more. Does anybody here use them successfully?

On the up side.....
I put a rhombus clearer board on to clear some more rape honey.
I saw 4 of my newly mated laying queens from AS's. They all have very different colourings.
The mood of all my bees is dramatically improving as the season progresses and the swarming is hopefully behind us (famous last words!).

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Wot's an "Iambic pentameter"?

It's a ladies thing I think - bit like a Dutch cap but without the peak

 

[SireeDubs]

It's a ladies thing I think - bit like a Dutch cap but without the peak

 

[SireeDubs]

Extracted two supers with OSR - very satisfying, as first harvest from new bees (and being comparatively new, it's still a novelty). Operation carried out with military precision and now waiting to see what happens with the OSR. Will prob try creamed honey...

Think I need to get a rhombus clearing board as took ages to clear. Bees in one hive have cracked the porter bee puzzle (I don't leave them on all the time, so not sure).

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Association apiary this morning - rain! we waited a while and it cleared up a bit, but decided not to inspect the young colonies so, as I had the Demmarree to sort out, the newbies were in at the deep end for their first ever inspection - hive on three supers and ab - so - lutely bursting with bees. Ably assisted by Redwood, the chairman and vice chairman we made up two nucs and a mating hive with a nice capped queen cell we had spare. Considering the bad weather the bees were still amazingly docile - I think there will be fighting for these two nucs!! checked the WBC nuc we have - overwintered queen but still quite a few frames left to lay - swarmed!.
Back home and didn't do much at mine, apart from last thing this evening carrried on clearing and levelling another bit of the apiary (close to the bees so any earlier and I get chased by guard bees!

 

[VEG]

Just locked in a nuc ready to re locate at my apiary tomorrow

 

[REDWOOD]

I think there will be fighting for these two nucs!!
Not if I get my hands on them first