What did you do in the Apiary today?

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@nige Have they plenty of stores and good flow coming in? They sound defensive.
if it's not fresh wax they sometimes don't bother so a very light go with a hair drier or one or two rubs with some old wax gets them interested to go up, as soon as they start make sure she is downstairs before it goes back on.
 
Nige
It's foundation as I have no drawn comb so I removed the QE to see if that helps.

In my opinion that's a big mistake as it won't help with comb drawing BUT you have now let the Q up into the super - and created 'brood and a half'.

I suggest you go there tomorrow and replace the QE - after checking the Q is still in the bb
richard
 
Teaching day this morning at the association apiary - the only mentor to turn up with me was Redwood so we were flat out - confirmed another mated queen and the two other newly mated ones were laying properly. Redwood performed a nuc A/s on one colony and I checked on the progress of the Pagden - chosen QC looks wonderful, we took down the dozen or so emergency QC's drawn in the last week.Selected a few nice capped super frames for possible showing at the Royal Welsh next week from my colony down there. Back home hived another nuc and put a super on one hive awaiting queen mating as there was hardly any space due to stores. Checked on a swarm caught in a bait hive two weeks ago - queen laying beautifully although I must admit they have been very artistic in drawing comb on the three foundationless frames they had. Plenty of room for the queen (and QC's) to play hide-and-seek!
 
richardbees said:
Nige
It's foundation as I have no drawn comb so I removed the QE to see if that helps.

In my opinion that's a big mistake as it won't help with comb drawing BUT you have now let the Q up into the super - and created 'brood and a half'.

I suggest you go there tomorrow and replace the QE - after checking the Q is still in the bb
richard
Click to expand...

They were a brood and a half already large colony. The super has mainly stores in it the queen has only layed in about 4 frames and only near the bottom. I don't think she will pass the stores to lay in the top box . it's been on a week and no interest at all but they built comb through the crown board and under the roof so I thought they wanted more space.
 
joctcl said:
@nige Have they plenty of stores and good flow coming in? They sound defensive.
if it's not fresh wax they sometimes don't bother so a very light go with a hair drier or one or two rubs with some old wax gets them interested to go up, as soon as they start make sure she is downstairs before it goes back on.
Click to expand...

defensive is an understatement. 10 stings and luckily the bee i found in my trousers had already stung me somewhere less painful.
That hive is next to a colony that has been behaving oddly living under the omf, i'm hoping their attitude was due to bees trying to enter their hive, they were fine a week ago.
I saw a few dead drones stuck in the entrance and on the floor I suspect fighting/robbing. I need a bigger apiary :)
 
Hmm
My own experience of aggressive bees was when I was too rough, over inspecting, wrong climatic conditions or they were being robbed. Wondering are you seeing a shortage of forage or are there lots of other breeks locally, and fatties being chucked out or murdered?
Is the brood box jammers right out to the end?
Do you want to operate brood and a half? I was thinking that if you put your brood then new then old super? It's easier for them to draw and traffic across fresh frames tends to get them drawn in my experience.
I'm suggesting this in the context of the value of drawn comb for supers.
 
Last edited:
It's only a brood and a half because I ran out of brood boxes.
For them to change so much in a week i suspect them being bothered by the hive next door it has to be some outside influence.
The brood box is full 9 frames of brood 2 outer frames full of stores, wall of brood on every frame apart from where the wires run through the foundation she won't lay in those cells, super is full, brood in middle 4 frames rest are capped honey.
2014 queen from calm hive (12/5/14 is her emergence day lmao) but no idea what she mated with, had to feed them beginning of june before supers added in any way, increased to brood and a half around 29 june.
I try to do 7 day inspections but as quick as possible, I don't spend ages looking for queens if I see eggs.
Been a hard year for me, had to try and learn a lot in a short time.

Drawn super frames are great to have I started the season with none lol.
No idea how many I have now.
 
AS'd a very vigorous 15 frame TBH nuc.. made a 3 frame split into a recently made double mating box (4 frames each side, dummied to 3). Minimal fuss: 20C and very placid - could have done it without veil. An ankle was then stung by a crawler...:serenade:

Added another super to MB Lang - natural comb. I expect the hot weather forecast for later this week is going to see a huge flow from lime. And HB which the bees are now harvesting in bulk.

Cut grass round hives : rewarded by a rare sting (rare when grass cutting! - on my shoulder under my T shirt..

Trying to work out how to reduce number of nucs/hives - started year with 6, now 12 or is it 13?

Two frame queen raising nucs - Queens emerged...hope they mate soon and start laying for requeening of main hives later on...

No more wood for new hardware.. so that's it.
 
Had a few followers follow me a fair way. Thought talking to the landowner who was in a T shirt and shorts was rude whilst I was fully protected. Checked to listen if all was quiet....... Yup..... off with the veil...... BAM right on the eyelid!!!!!!

OWWWWW....

Bit straight away into a tablet, swelling minimal happy days
 
yellowrage 53 said:
hi guys just had a look in hive three with three supers on they are filling up nicely but when i got to the bb there was not one egg !!!!!bees was storing honey/pollen so i take i need to do some think p.d.q can anyone help
Click to expand...
hi guys i was hoping for a little more help by now does this mean all is lost for this hive?
 
yellowrage 53 said:
hi guys i was hoping for a little more help by now does this mean all is lost for this hive?
Click to expand...

Sometimes queens stop laying and then start again. If you are concerned you can go back and inspect again and if no change give them a test frame.
 
yellowrage 53 said:
hi guys i was hoping for a little more help by now does this mean all is lost for this hive?
Click to expand...

As i said before, a little more info would be helpful - as would starting a separate thread on the subject - it would gain more traffic that way
 
yellowrage 53 said:
hi guys i was hoping for a little more help by now does this mean all is lost for this hive?
Click to expand...
As I understand it, sometimes the Queen is a little shy and/or brilliant at hiding, if you have brood at all stages there's a good chance that she's still there, I have problems spotting eggs even while I have my reading glasses on and frame 1 inch from veil,
 
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