What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Elaine]

Checked my strongest hives (ones most likely to swarm) after we dared to go away for 6 days. Still seem to have lots of bees, and no swarm cells. Checked the bait hive and our trees, no sign of any of the others having 'got out' either ! (I did do a full check of all the hives before we went - but I don't trust the little **** )

 

[pargyle]

Checked all three hives last night ... Long hive is now a huge colony ...gave them two frames to fill the hive - pretty good natured but there are so many bees on there and they are building comb between the tops of the frames that its a beggar to inspect ... Managed to get through all the frames ... No sign of swarm cells and lots of brood and stores ... Took a couple of stings more or less as I was closing then down ... Think they had had enough by then and it was getting late.

Poly hive are drawing comb out in the super but still seem intent on storing honey in the brood box ... Still room down there and all seems well ... No QX so that's not an issue ... They know what they are doing.

Nuc is now looking very good ... They will go into the new Paynes poly hive next week ... Just got to make another stand for it ... Should have three good colonies going into winter. No signs of any disease ... Varroa levels checked on boards are very low and I uncapped a section of drone comb in the long hive ... No varroa there at all.

Very little drone comb now in the poly hive or the nuc . Still no treatment but keeping a close eye on things ...

Very pleased with them ...

 

[Dishmop]

I was busy in the kitchen cranking...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Me too. I thought I had three supers but a few frames have to go back and a super and a half are Manleys for cut comb.
A couple of frames had crystallised honey in about a third of the cells. I wonder where that's from?

 

[Dishmop]

I keep going back for another go....

 

[Headnavigator]

I accept the hazard of being stung by my bees, though they are pretty good even when provoked, however I feel absolute outrage at just having been double-dipped by a wasp (TWO stings) while I was tending the bonfire. Really odd how very different wasp stings feel to bee stings, most unpleasant and I'm finding it hard to ignore them in the way I can just carry on regardless if a bee should sting me.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Got wet trying to inspect the cathedral hives.

Done nothing more.

Discovered women's international rugby on the tele.


Dusty

 

[pargyle]

I accept the hazard of being stung by my bees, though they are pretty good even when provoked, however I feel absolute outrage at just having been double-dipped by a wasp (TWO stings) while I was tending the bonfire. Really odd how very different wasp stings feel to bee stings, most unpleasant and I'm finding it hard to ignore them in the way I can just carry on regardless if a bee should sting me.

Yehhh... I seem to able to handle the bee stings .. apart from the initial prick they don't seem to cause much pain .. swell up a bit the following day and itch like crazy but manageable. Wasp stings .... something else altogether - I really don't like them, pain from the outset with almost immediate and pretty excessive swelling and soreness. I try to avoid them at all costs.

I've been using yellow Marigolds for the last couple of inspections as I've found the surgical gloves I bought last time seem to tear very easily with the amount of propolis my little darlings make and then the flapping bits of latex really get in the way of things. I'm not as happy in the Marigolds but they were all I could lay my hands on when I gave up on the rubbish surgical gloves. Not sure that the bees like them as much either .....

 

[Headnavigator]

Ha ha, well I've now got a red marigold style right hand without any glove at all. Reassuring to know I'm not the only one who reacts worse to wasps than bees, thanks Pargyle.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Discovered women's international rugby on the tele.


Dusty

One of my step daughters plays .....b****y stupid game for a girl.

 

[pargyle]

Ha ha, well I've now got a red marigold style right hand without any glove at all. Reassuring to know I'm not the only one who reacts worse to wasps than bees, thanks Pargyle.

Yep... that's the boy ... got stung on the back of my hand by a wasp two years ago .. hand swelled up to the point where I couldn't bend my fingers - indeed my fingers were so swollen that they were like four pork 8's. I nearly OD'd on Histamines getting them back to normal. Not nice at all ...

 

[nosmoking]

First honey

Absolute deep joy! Took 12 frames of capped honey from my hive. Would have taken more but was on my own, very hot and sweaty (Monday mid morning). This is the first amount I have had in my time except one jar from moving from TBH to national. Have been very unlucky up til now. Recently moved so had to do the 3 mile move and back again with my bees. They seemed to bee ok with both moves and nice to report NO stings at all, not even in my suit!
Have spun the combs and waiting for jars so I hope to get at least a dozen average sized jars

 

[Erichalfbee]

It's rained for 36hours. The sun is out now and then and practically every bee coming home has a white dot
One colony has twenty drowned drones on the landing board

 

[Bosleeu]

Saw a few Varroa mites on capped brood and bees earlier this week, so treated the hive with some MAQS strips yesterday afternoon. There was also one bee with deformed wings that I could see.

Last night when I went out to check on the hives before bedtime, there were no bees at the entrance. Peeked along the bottom bars - only a few bees seen. Lifted the roof and saw very few bees through the cover board.

So I fear that unless they are all clustered up in the central area of the brood boxes, they may have absconded! It's never happened to me before.

I will wait a few days like the instructions say and have a look.

 

[tractorjohn]

Only had a quick look at the hives at home, since the rain stopped they have been going mad I have lots of balsam around but they are not on it yet as the willow herb has about another couple of days left and its closer.

Lots of dead drones have appeared in front of the hives.

 

[madasafish]

After largely ignoring HB, Some hives have 80% of bees entering the hive dresesd for a wedding...

 

[joctcl]

Noticed 50-60 drones clinging onto a corner last night, after the mad rain they are all washed off and or dead

 

[Glenviewbee]

Checked on the unite I did on Monday - everything AOK, queen laying and lots of activity bringing pollen in - looks like bramble again.
The other 2 colonies are also building back up nicely after the various excitements of the last couple of months; BIAS, capped stores and good amounts of pollen.
Aiming to take these 3 colonies into the winter and out the other side to start 2015 on a good footing.

 

[kazmcc]

Ye gods Hive 2 were feisty today!! As soon as we took the roof off they were fizzing. Had a quick check to make sure they were Q+, BIAS seen plus queenie herself. Closed up and moved on to Hive 1.

Hive 1 was a pleasure to inspect. The test frame we inserted last week was reared as normal brood, no QCs. Saw eggs and very young larvae. Didn't find the queen, but it started raining so we closed up and left them be.

I'm giving Hive 2 the benefit of the doubt, they behaved last week, and with rain in the air, I'm putting their naughtiness down to that lol

Thanks again to Dusty for allowing me to assist Top bloke

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

A real pleasure, Kaz.

Tell you what, chaps and chapesses, it's a pleasure and an education to inspect a hive with Kaz. She has a real intuitive feel for the bees and can sense their mood and state, at a much deeper level than I can.

I may have more hands-on experience and technical knowledge - but I wish I had Kaz's intuition.

So, we're finding it mutually beneficial.

Dusty