What did you do in the Apiary today?

[madasafish]

Lovely sunny day after torrents yesterday.
Keiler mini nuc queen plus all bees absconded and sat on edge of top bar hive. Brushed them back into hive, left it 30 mins for all stragglers to enter and relocated them into full sun (they were in shade).
Success!

Mating flights galore in the sun - I saw a returning queen.

Looks like loads of forage when sun is out and it's dry. But limes still closed.

 

[JWF]

All my hives are now expanding rapidly after laying slowed down for a bit a couple of weeks ago (I guess, by looking at the ratio of eggs/larvae/capped brood). There's also a flow of nectar once more after a very noticable gap this June. Helped by nearly continuous sun over the weekend.

Also took some QCs out of my only 14x12 - I'm less than impressed by how swarmy they've been!

Finally, shook out the hive that had turned laying workers - put the nuc with the two frames containing QCs on the original location to catch the flyers, the rest got tipped on the floor and I was amazed how they didn't really get very grumpy during such a traumatic process. Fingers crossed they don't cause any mischief in my other hives.

 

[Tremyfro]

Since the weather forecast for tomorrow is rain...we did our inspections today.
Beautiful day...bees out all day foraging...lovely.
The langstroth is doing ok....enough stores and eggs and queen seen.
Of the 4 nucs.
No 1 ...has a queen cell.
No 2 has a laying queen..expanding slowly. This is the Cleaneze Queen....so she has to make her own brood without help from extra frames of bees.
No3.... Has a laying queen ...3 frames now.
No 4... Was the nuc which was made for a new queen. She was removed last week and they have made several queen cells.
The beehaus's are doing ok and the national was rehome do into a beehaus. 8 frames of brood and given 2 frames of stores as they were a bit low.
All I all...feeling pleased....no honey except in the corners of brood frames.

 

[gregior]

Inspected all mine today for the first time in 2 weeks due to the shocking weather,was expecting the supers to be a lot lighter than they were last time,but was pleasantly surprised to find they were roughly the same or even slightly heavier then last time.

All queens laying well and plenty of young bees in them ready to get on the balsam which is looking in great shape this year and should be flowering in a couple of weeks.

Noticed the varroa levels are creeping up so will have to think about treatment in the not too distant.

Today was the first decent foraging day for at least a week and the bees were taking full advantage

 

[bpmurray]

The queen managed to get up into the supers (well, a brood box which I was using to get some drawn comb, and a couple of supers) of my strongest hive - a real pain and upwards of 40lb of honey frames contaminated. Another hive wasn't doing well on stores so I game them a frame of honey. With the flow starting, they should be just fine.

 

[abm]

Collected a swarm last week and purposely left in basket with top bars on to try in my TB hive. Left alone a good week..

Now swapped over to their new home

 

[Charley]

Collected a swarm last week and purposely left in basket with top bars on to try in my TB hive. Left alone a good week..

Now swapped over to their new home

Fantastic pics, what a great exercise. Sorry to be ignorant but what is a TB hive?
Lucky bees.

 

[abm]

Googs TOP BAR HIVE, just another way of keeping bees.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

First decent foraging weather for weeks. Blackberry essentially over and lime a no-show, but they seem to be finding something to hum over in the evenings. I am boxes and boxes behind last year on each colony though as it stands.

 

[Goodwood]

Blackberry over?
Blimey just getting into its prime here and loads to come over the next few weeks I hope!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The queen managed to get up into the supers (well, a brood box which I was using to get some drawn comb, and a couple of supers) of my strongest hive - a real pain and upwards of 40lb of honey frames contaminated. Another hive wasn't doing well on stores so I game them a frame of honey. With the flow starting, they should be just fine.

why contaminated?! just move her back down, put QX in (how did she get up there in the first place) and once the brood has emerged the frames are fine for extraction.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Perfectly OK to spin brooded frames full of honey

 

[Roola]

Just watched a swarm arrive in my baithive via webcam.

 

[Jimmys Mum]

Just watched a swarm arrive in my baithive via webcam.

Lucky you. I've got 5 bait hives up now but not a sausage. There have been very few swarms reported around here. Reckon the local beekeepers have been swotting up on swarm control! The only one I've heard about turned up in next doors garden and was one from my own hives when I missed a queen cell a few weeks back! Doh!

 

[bpmurray]

Perfectly OK to spin brooded frames full of honey

But not cut comb!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You said you wanted the deep frames for drawn foundation - just extract and bob's your uncle.

 

[YorkshireBees]

The queen managed to get up into the supers (well, a brood box which I was using to get some drawn comb, and a couple of supers) of my strongest hive - a real pain and upwards of 40lb of honey frames contaminated. Another hive wasn't doing well on stores so I game them a frame of honey. With the flow starting, they should be just fine.

What do you mean by that. Let the brood hatch out and they will clean and refill the cells with honey. No problem.

 

[Erichalfbee]

But not cut comb!

bit chewy

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Perfectly OK to spin brooded frames full of honey

Especially after Brexit.

ADD Just to be clear; being flippant, not political. I know they thought of a directive on this but I think backed off.

 

[madasafish]

bit chewy

Added protein - a unique selling point.