What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Erichalfbee]

What did I do in the garden today

Lots of scouts busy around bait hive in the garden all day yesterday well into dusk.
I thought there might be a swarm hanging out in the trees somewhere.
8.30 this morning they were still there and suddenly they weren't.......
and over my head at the other end of the garden I heard them.......
Wonderful to watch them pile into the hive.
I suppose that as they came in the morning and will have all day to forage I will have to move them a fair distance away before bringing them to the apiary.
They are in a five frame 14x12 box so probably a cast but free bees to draw comb.

 

[stephenpug]

Just been to a neibours two doors away " got a massive swarm in my small cherry tree " so I got suited and booted sorted out a nuc to put them in lit my smoker and went around ! No massive swarm but about 1/200 stragglers to be told they have been there for two days I lit the barbecue under them last night to get rid of them they must have gone ..the public really need to be educated and no they weren't my bees I have just checked my hives even though I had gone over them on Friday with no sign of swarming from any of them

 

[stephenpug]

Oh and the bees in the swarm or the stragglers anyway were all very dark almost black bees

 

[SireeDubs]

Caught my first ever swarm in a bait hive!

Just arrived as I got home late afternoon with kids. We all stood watching and the kids (7 and 4) loved it!

Still here this morning, and by the size of swarm I think it was a prime. I need to move them by about 10' to better spot, so will do at close of play tonight (found a good thread on here from May).

Weather is great, so not sure whether to feed or not. They have mostly undrawn foundation, so I think I will in a day or two. I understand it's good to let them use up their stored honey first...

I do hope they stay. It's been an otherwise rubbish year so far. Just off now to shake out a LW colony, so when one door closes....

 

[Gribbee]

Oh and the bees in the swarm or the stragglers anyway were all very dark almost black bees

They would be if they had had a barbecue underneath them.

 

[wessexmario]

busy yesterday and this morning...
Moved a log store away from next to two hives to the other side of my chicken run, had to do it in my beesuit as it was only a yard away from both hives - they're not bad, but having to stand, work and walk in the flight path of both hives.
Painted the now exposed shed wall to match the other sides - bee suit required again.
and moved the third hive halfway back towards the new space.

I'm happy as I've now doubled the size of my garden "apiary corner", and her indoors is happy as she gets her garden seating area back - it was the only practical space I had to put the swarms I collected earlier.

 

[Firefly]

>> What did you do in the Apiary today?
Got very, very hot

Funny how no-one mentions this to new beekeepers. It seems to me that being able to cope with sweat-drenched clothes is far more important than finding the queen

 

[Gilberdyke John]

>> What did you do in the Apiary today?
Got very, very hot

Funny how no-one mentions this to new beekeepers. It seems to me that being able to cope with sweat-drenched clothes is far more important than finding the queen

Amazing how sweat trickling out of a nitrile glove down towards your elbow can feel like a bee inside your suit sleeve ;(

 

[Obee1]

I can't believe she's gone! How naughty is that! I told her she was going to be a Town Queen...much more upmarket than a Country Gal. All the bright lights must have dazzled her!
Can you give them a frame from your tower block? At least if there are eggs there...you know they are from the sadly departed Bucky queen.

Your little hussy better be gone cos if she shows her face back here she's in for a whuppin. Dirty little stop out. I will put a test frame in. Don't fancy tearing into tower hamlets hive now it's queenless. Will take the easy route and use my hivemaker nuc ( now a pretty tall hive itself) and seems a good choice for making queens from.

 

[Obee1]

>> What did you do in the Apiary today?
Got very, very hot

Funny how no-one mentions this to new beekeepers. It seems to me that being able to cope with sweat-drenched clothes is far more important than finding the queen

You're not kidding. I was soo hot the sweat trickled into my eyes and I couldn't spot the queen let alone eggs. Not pleasant weather for bee suits. Decided to wait till later when it's cooler to go hunt out a test frame.

 

[REDWOOD]

>> What did you do in the Apiary today?
Got very, very hot

Funny how no-one mentions this to new beekeepers. It seems to me that being able to cope with sweat-drenched clothes is far more important than finding the queen

You get used to it after a while, inspected a few of mine 9am this morning and ended up in a pool of sweat, supers seem to get heavier every year

 

[Jimmys Mum]

Finally got around to checking out a swarm which arrived into one of my bait hives last week, a 14x12 poly nuc with an extra eke. It only arrived last Thursday and has already drawn out all 6 frames of foundation and there are eggs on 3 frames. Lovely gentle bees with a chestnut brown coloured queen. Reckon she's a keeper! Popped them in a full sized brood box and hopefully they will do well.

Had a count up and surprised myself....I seem to now have 18 colonies! How did that happen?... No wonder I'm so blinkin busy.

 

[Heather]

Mystery... I gave a colony to a new bee keeper a few weeks ago.. He rang today... swarm in tree, can I help?
On visiting, got swarm down, and prepared his 2nd hive (my loan... again) so checked his original colony, muttering 'odd, as not big, must be swarmy whotsits'... Not one queen cell capped, none ripped down..but 3 at about 4 day charged.. No queen seen in hive...1 day eggs. Have you known a colony swarm with no capped Q cells???

5 frames wall to wall brood too... may grab a queen cell in 10 days.

 

[Firefly]

>> What did you do in the Apiary today?
Got very, very hot

Funny how no-one mentions this to new beekeepers. It seems to me that being able to cope with sweat-drenched clothes is far more important than finding the queen

Just spoke to a colleague in Portugal. 40 deg C! And so bankrupted by austerity they barely have a working fire service. And his wife wants him to get all their money out of the bank fast before it's too late

I'll stop moaning

 

[REDWOOD]

Finally got around to checking out a swarm which arrived into one of my bait hives last week, a 14x12 poly nuc with an extra eke. It only arrived last Thursday and has already drawn out all 6 frames of foundation and there are eggs on 3 frames. Lovely gentle bees with a chestnut brown coloured queen. Reckon she's a keeper! Popped them in a full sized brood box and hopefully they will do well.

Had a count up and surprised myself....I seem to now have 18 colonies! How did that happen?... No wonder I'm so blinkin busy.

I have heard of it but not my experience

 

[Jimmys Mum]

I have heard of it but not my experience

Was quite a biggy. Husband was trapped in his workshop for an hour when it arrived into the hive which was positioned just outside! I wasn't there but apparently the air was black....

 

[Steve H]

Managed to do my first real inspection this morning on my lured swarm.I even Managed to find the Queen And get a royal portrait. (Photos available on request) HAHA. didn't find any eggs though but i think she is laying in quite a good pattern. there also seems to be a fair bit of stores "pollen, Nectar. and capped cells not to sure if they are brood or drone though Only been at this for a month. any guidance gratefully received.

 

[psafloyd]

Took two stings yesterday. One to the heel of my right hand and one to the pad of my ring finger on my left.

First ones of the year and both my fault as I squashed bees on a very full frame that had some brace full of honey break away so they were all over the lugs.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Thought I'd take a mid morning 'lunch break' and inspect the Carreg apiary - pressing phonecalls and a few rollickings sent out for not reporting lost kit meant the inspection started at midday! It's hot up there!! checked the hives with sweat running everywhere and confirmed another nuc with a fertile laying queen going like a good un, so back up at dusk this evening to move them to their final site. all the stand by supers at Carreg in use now so a little frame making tomorrow evening methinks

 

[Michael Palmer]

What a nice catch yesterday. Group three mating nucs. Eight of us...some employees some observers...some finding queens, some running the comb with the queen to me. So fast there were two or three in line to have me catch their queen. Had to get help putting attendants in the cages after marking. And to boot, it didn't rain! 133 caged from 148 mating nucs. Largest one day total ever.