What did you do in the Apiary today?

[beehive1234]

Watched the Warre as it looked as though it would swarm. My bait boxes are out. When I bought this house it had Black bees in the walls. Stupidly I trusted Bee Associations and they were killed. Small beautiful Black bees. Their dead colony still in my walls.

 

[Glenviewbee]

Was inspecting one of the colonies today and the new queen was marching along quite happily on the frame I was inspecting - I popped her in a plunger cage, primed my Uni-pen on the hive stand to ensure it wouldn't splurge all over her - and then the pen promptly splurged all over her when I applied it to her thorax
Not very sure that she will survive the insult
Truth will out when I have a look see in the hive next week I suppose.

 

[jonnybeegood]

At least youll find her easily if she dies

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Did the same a few years ago queen covered in yellow and she scooted back between the frames. Next time I opened up the workers had cleaned her up leaving a perfect yellow dot on her back - she's still there!

 

[hedgehog66]

Splodged 4 queens in a delightful reddy orange colour on thorax and wings
Probably still struggle to find them at next inspection ......

Found 4 sealed queen cells
PANICKED !!!!!!!

 

[wessexmario]

Discovered there's a benefit in not hiding boxes of bee supplies.
They've taken over the garden house where we keep the table, chairs and other garden stuff,
so Mrs WM has suggested that I might like to get another, bigger shed to keep everything in.
Result!
So spending yesterday and today making a space in the garden for it (before she changes her mind )

 

[curry756]

Was inspecting one of the colonies today and the new queen was marching along quite happily on the frame I was inspecting - I popped her in a plunger cage, primed my Uni-pen on the hive stand to ensure it wouldn't splurge all over her - and then the pen promptly splurged all over her when I applied it to her thorax
Not very sure that she will survive the insult
Truth will out when I have a look see in the hive next week I suppose.

I did exactly the same thing on Sunday - Waiting till next inspection to see if she is still there. Kept a QC, 2 frames and some bees in a nuc just incase she doesnt. She is my best queen too

 

[maddydog]

Inspected two colonies for the first time this year. Not ideal temperature wise but just wanted to check stores, bias, and laying room so was as quick as possible. Both looking very good with 8-9 frames of bees and bias. OSR around week or two from full bloom so will super up on my next visit.

 

[pargyle]

Lovely afternoon here and night time temps still above 10 degrees so had a quick look through all three hives .... pleasantly surprised ... four or five frames in each hive with BIAS - not full frames by any stretch but plenty of polished cells in the vicinity. Even the small colony queen has got her act together so put two more frames in there and removed the insulation I had in the spare space (Paynes 14 x 12 dummied down over winter). Long Deep Hive VERY full of bees ... plenty of space still for HM to lay and about six frames of honey still in there .. nicked a frame and it's straining at the moment - nice and runny and lovely taste. Will have to have some more frames out next time round as they have more than enough to keep them going - today was just a quick look.

No sign of any queen cells, no chalkbrood (although I did anticipate some as there were a handful of mummies on the landing boards of the two polys) - bees reasonably well behaved and all looking in really good condition. Queens obviously there and doing a grand job but didn't bother looking for them. Small amounts of drone comb in all three hives but not excessive.

There's a fair amount of hive tidying to do ... quite a bit of comb in places it doesn't need to be ... chopped some of it off but not really what I would describe as a spring clean.

So ... that's a relief. Going to leave them all for a couple of weeks now and see what happens ... No OSR within sensible flying distance so just spring garden forage at present and not really any significant nectar flow of any sort. Lime trees, Horse Chestnuts and Sycamores are looking greener down here so I reckon they will be out soon.

 

[JohnyP]

First swarm call. Bees coming through light fittings, through roof hatch into kitchen, taped up extractor fan. Having to rush in through door past a cloud of bees. HEEEELP.

Arrived an hour and half later to find nada, nothing, zilch. Not a bee in sight, and no it wasn't 1st April

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I Might have Killed the Queen

Lovely day here - 23°C, calm and sunny so I decided it was perfect for my first inspections. Apart from checking brood and stores, I wanted to find and mark the queens in my two colonies.

All went well in the first hive with four frames of brood and one and a half of stores. Found the queen on frame 7 and caged her with a plastic "crown of thorns" (CoT - see photo) and marked her. I waited for the paint to dry and removed the CoT but she did not move. A couple of bees gave her a nudge but still she did not move. I put the frame back in the brood box and checked the rest of the frames and came back to no. 7 - she was not on the frame but I saw her, unmoving , on the OMF. I left her there and closed up the hive.

I took my records over to my mentor and he said he had a similar problem with a plastic CoT - the queen appeared to 'faint' but she revived after 10 to 15 minutes and was ok after that. Anybody had a similar experience of queens 'fainting' or problems with a plastic Crown of Thorns?

If I have killed her, I'll be low on workers for the flow in late May/early June but on the bright side, they won't swarm!

The plan, if you can call it that, is to wait a couple of days to see if there are queen cells. If there are, leave them to it for a month. If not, continue with routine inspections - after all, the queen is marked!

Any top tip for using a Crown of Thorns - I guess one would be "don't kill the queen"!

CVB

 

[B+.]

Any top tip for using a Crown of Thorns

I've never used the plastic ones but I have used the ones with metal pins for many years. The only problem I've had with them is the spacing in the thread can sometimes be a bit inconsistent. I had queens wriggle through the net last year.
I think you just have to be a bit careful not to press too hard, either with the cage or the marking pen. I'm not sure how springy the marking area is in the plastic COT. This is, perhaps, one of the good things in the older style. The top is strung like a tennis racket with thread so there is a bit of give in it.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I took my records over to my mentor and he said he had a similar problem with a plastic CoT - the queen appeared to 'faint' but she revived after 10 to 15 minutes and was ok after that. Anybody had a similar experience of queens 'fainting' or problems with a plastic Crown of Thorns?

Yes have had the problem with queens going into a state of shock/comatose on a few occasions, but never with a crown of thorns, as i have never used one.
They have always come round after a few minutes of resting back on a comb of brood with the bees.

 

[alldigging]

Went and cleared up the burnt hive from the apiary. I know it's been over a month but none of us really wanted to look at it. It was pretty sad though, still brood in the puddles of melted stuff.
A new plot holder came over and helped me break up the burnt stand.


Yesterday: looked in my hives. Two ok, queenright and good number of bees, nice pattern.
One very few bees - following the dousing in thinners there had been piles of dead bees bought out - but a nice laying pattern.
The other had very poor brood pattern so am thinking of merging them.

The weather was a bit grim today with cold drizzle. Not many bees out

 

[MikeT]

Any top tip for using a Crown of Thorns - I guess one would be "don't kill the queen"
This may be completely wrong but it may be relevant .

Some years ago I had the task of investigation a problem of dying tomato plants in a large glasshouse. The grower had purchased new hose pipes from a different source than his normal supplier. These pipes were imports. On investigation and chemical analysis it was found the plasticiser used was toxic, giving off chemicals which caused scorch on the tomatoes. I am wondering if the crown of thorns was British or a Chinese import. Just a thought as the queen is in close contact and at a relatively warm temperature.

Mike

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Any top tip for using a Crown of Thorns - I guess one would be "don't kill the queen"
... I am wondering if the crown of thorns was British or a Chinese import. Just a thought as the queen is in close contact and at a relatively warm temperature.

Mike

I bought the CoT locally but it is marked "Maisemore Apiaries Ltd www.bee-online.co.uk" As you see from the photo, it's a plastic copy of of the much more expensive metal and wood CoT.

I don't think the 'fainting' was related necessarily to the plastic nature of the CoT (on re-reading my first post it looks like it was the plastic that was the problem but it was more likely to be the caging, I think). The queen fainting or me pushing the CoT too hard is not yet known yet but I'm hoping she fainted.

CVB

 

[For want of a better word]

Went through 12 colonies today , caught and marked and clipped 3 overwintered Amm queens.

Used stainless steel queen catcher, butterfly clip thingy ( left the clear plastic one in the bee shed!)

Marked them green.... I think! colour not written on Posca pen!


Yeghes da

 

[TOBY-3652]

killed 5 queens and united shame 3 were last years but no one wanted them so by by

 

[For want of a better word]

killed 5 queens and united shame 3 were last years but no one wanted them so by by

Could have stocked them in nucs?


Yeghes da

 

[TOBY-3652]

could/ but I have to many bees far too many had to cull some and unite and I have got 2 in nucs already