What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Moggett]

My aggressive dark bee colony is now queenless, where she went is a mystery. Suddenly brood production stopped and there were no eggs, just advanced uncapped and capped brood. I put in a frame of eggs from another colony and they have made queen cells - all but one removed. She should emerge around the 24th.

All colonies are well behaved and I had no need for smoke today. Makes a change from May/June when two out of three were ferocious.

Marked the last unmarked mated queen green having spotted her on a frame.

 

[pargyle]

Lovely evening so ... it's over 10 days since the last inspection so decided it was time to check for queen cells ... all three colonies nice and calm ... no sign of queen cells ... lots of honey in the long hive so gave them another couple of empty frames to have a go at ... If they carry on like this I reckon I'm going to have about four 14 x 12 frames of honey off this hive at the end of the season - considering they swarmed in May really pleased with them. Some of the honey filled frames are so thick they are really heavy to lift ...

Paynes Poly hive now on 10 frames and so they got another frame ... unfortunately my dummy board would not fit in the bit of space left so, foolishly, I went back having modified it (after taking suit and gloves off ... you know what's coming !) and decided I'd just lift the lid and slip it in ... UNFORTUNATELY ... one little darling - just one ... landed on my finger ... that didn't worry me unduly ... then, as I was sliding the frame into the space the little beggar gave me the full works with her sting !! And then half a dozen were coming for me ... so, dummy board remains out as discretion proved the better part of valour... my typing tomorrow at work is going to have a lot of w's istead of e's and d's instead of s's .....

I'm thinking that I will need to put a super on this one as, again, there's about three frames of uncapped honey in the hive and a lot of capped brood.

The Nuc is now on five frames, one frame of honey and pollen and there's a lot of capped brood on the other four frames - HM has really got into her stride so ... think they might need to go into a full size hive before long.

All rather exciting .... but already worrying about next year .... all that equipment I'll need - I've got two allotments and my mum's garden and garage roof so no problem finding space for them but I suspect that I'll be hitting the sales for some kit in September ! Just don't let 'er indoors know ...

 

[drex]

Last weeks inspection showed classic supercedure - 2 queen cells only in middle of frame - result - swarmed.
Today another hive, queen still present, 1 sealed queen cell only, on bottom of frame in top BB ( double BB set up) let's see if they supersede this time!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Prepared my honey for the Royal Welsh - just the cut comb left to do now - just hope the bees haven't messed up the selected super frames for the 'frame of honey ready to extract' category. Tallied up how much honey I extracted last week - 250 lbs or thereabouts, dreading the 'proper harvest' in September!!

 

[Goran]

I changed three suits today.. Showers got me right when I can't leave ( or fast enough). Pretty comic with thunders and flashes in background, I was thinking what a joke would be if one flash got me..

 

[meidel]

This evening gave some super cappings back to bees to clean up - left the sticky tights in as well. So many supers on each colony!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not today, but yesterday. I found some old theatre scrubs.....from a past life....made a superb outfit for extracting.

 

[pre1mjr]

Extracted my first ever super of honey! Tastes a bit like freshly mown grass. Now have to get up early to give the box back to them before work.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Tastes a bit like freshly mown grass.

It does that when you extract it in the apiary.

 

[pre1mjr]

It does that when you extract it in the apiary.

Ha ha.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Sounds like lime. Well done.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

left the sticky tights in as well.

too much information (or too little!) mind is well and truly boggled

 

[meidel]

too much information (or too little!) mind is well and truly boggled

the tights used to strain the honey from the cappings

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Right - I hope the were unused and/or not being worn!

 

[Bosleeu]

Had a quick peek in the mini-hive that had some laying workers a few weeks ago - the virgin from the queencell I placed in it is laying, and there are already a few frames of capped brood! Result! Couldn't see her to mark and clip her, but there were plenty of eggs and brood.

Checked another hive to see if they have capped their top super - disappointed to see not much has happened in the last few days. Could it be that it's getting to the end of the flow down here? Bees were pretty grumpy as well, but then it was almost dark.

 

[meidel]

Right - I hope the were unused and/or not being worn!

Fresh out of the packaging

 

[andycadman]

Yesterday I went down to a field were an old hive of bees had been overwhelmed with wasps two years ago. I had the intention of cleaning it up and putting it on *-bay. The land owner had moved the hive up close to the hedge at the side of the field. The idea was to bring the “empty” hive back to my house and put it on *-bay. Was just about to take the roof off and noticed bees flying in and out!!!!!! A swarm had taken up residence!!!!!!!! They seem to like hives with old “manky” comb.

Went back home to get some kit to give a quick inspection.

Seems quite a nice gentle colony covering seven frames or so. Eggs, brood etc.At first glance they look very healthy and have cleaned out the hive really well. It was just so lovely to handle bees again. They have certainly given me the “bug” back again. The land owner seemed very keen for me not to take them away which is very positive.

Seems I am taking up beekeeping again.

 

[Dishmop]

Finally summoned the enthusiasm to get the power tools out and make a brood box.

Not too bad a result..
Rather more inferior than previous efforts....but.... Its a box. It has a temporary roof consisting of a crown board and some Kingspan because I didnt have any big enough bits of wood left after I made the floor.
I suppose tomorrow it will rain and I cant transfer the overflowing double nuc into it.

I now need to find my painkillers...

 

[Elaine]

Due to the number of splits and collected swarms my store of super frames is all deployed, and I have resorted to extracting honey in the evening to return supers the following day! My emergency order of super frames and foundation eventually arrived yesterday so we sat in the apairy/garden with a beer making up frames! That is probably the signal to the bees to stop collecting

 

[madasafish]

Finally summoned the enthusiasm to get the power tools out and make a brood box.

Not too bad a result..
Rather more inferior than previous efforts....but.... Its a box. It has a temporary roof consisting of a crown board and some Kingspan because I didnt have any big enough bits of wood left after I made the floor.
I suppose tomorrow it will rain and I cant transfer the overflowing double nuc into it.

I now need to find my painkillers...

Glad you are getting better. Don't overdo it...