What did you do in the Apiary today?

[maddydog]

Early morning trip to the moors to retrieve 5 colonies before they woke up. Let them reorientate for the morning then returned in the afternoon to commence feeding.
Should be supers off my remaining colonies tomorrow.

 

[Obee1]

Visited farm apiary to check on queen Gladys.
Last week this hive had eggs but I also found two QC. One emerged, one at purple eye stage. Assume Gladys was being replaced. Looked through today to find Gladys is present and laying. (well someone is laying). I removed Gladys as I really don't know if there is a virgin or newly mated queen running round in there too. Assume Gladys is a duffer and the bees have been plotting her demise. I'm hoping they draw QC now so that I can pop one of my new queens in there. If not I'll have to play hunt the unmarked virgin/new queen to squish her and utilise my new queen.
Also took a super off one hive. You know that horrid feeling when you think a bee is inside your veil. Well I had that happen. False alarm. Then 5 minutes later one really was in my veil. No idea how it got there but I squished it before it stung me. Gave up and came home. Other hive will have to be de-supered tomorrow whilst I wear my bombproof Beesuit.

 

[coatesg]

Converted an old 10l homebrew bucket into a settling tank and then extracted my first year honey harvest. Despite splitting the hive twice, and losing a couple of casts, I got one imperial gallon of honey. V happy with that result, and I have three colonies to try and get through the winter as well.

A bit had crystallised in the comb so I'll nadir those frames after giving them the deep freeze treatment.

 

[pargyle]

well.

A bit had crystallised in the comb so I'll nadir those frames after giving them the deep freeze treatment.

Why deep freeze ?

 

[Etton]

depends - how much?

Not many, and plenty of normal brood and eggs so guess that's ok from the replies

 

[madasafish]

Last Thursday had BI inspection - one year after AFB outbreak. All clear.
They took away a honey sample for VMD to check for heavy metals, antibiotics etc...Result in three months or so..

 

[coatesg]

Why deep freeze ?

To deal with any loitering wax moth egg/larva that might be in the comb before I put it back in the hive.

 

[gregior]

Did a second vape on all but 1 of my hives (which still has a super on) bees in great shape,lots of stored pollen and honey and plenty of bias in them all. Still a very good balsam flow on here which has allowed the hives to backfill the brood boxes.

On the minus side noticed quite a few bees with dwv crawling around on the ground but there are also plenty of healthy young bees in the colonies.

 

[maddydog]

Oxalic vaped 12 colonies and removed the last of the supers from some other colonies. All looking strong and busy in the warm weather. Lots of ghost bees but doesn't look to be a lot of nectar going in

 

[Jimmys Mum]

Hot bees today, beards on most of the hives and increased water collection on the garden pond. I am supposed to be putting the last dose of apilife var on tomorrow. Might wait till tomorrow teatime as the forecast is for another scorcher here.

 

[coatesg]

Put wet cappings back in for clean up this evening. Didn't fully kit up as only adding them quickly and of course a sting as a result for my troubles. Need to make some more thymolated syrup tonight.

 

[Brian Bush]

Spent an hour this morning combining NUCs and giving them some food. The full hives I treated with apiguard. I had the assistance of my Kiwi friend. One of the hives I extracted from 3 weeks ago has refilled the supers. No need to feed them this year.

 

[Tim.S]

Assessing what I thought was only one disused hive on land my family own to have the very pleasant surprise of two nice colonies, albeit in rotten boxes. Took me nearly an hour to cut my way through the brambles to them but worth it! Now to get them home.......

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Did someone abandon the hives ??
Early morning vape and feed today
On a nuc i actually saw the apiguard being taken out too

 

[Millet]

11 frames in two supers almost capped, however this is my third time over a three week period of checking, if they are not capped enough next week they will stay in there, I gassed them also for the first time this season and I felt relieved.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

11 frames in two supers almost capped, however this is my third time over a three week period of checking, if they are not capped enough next week they will stay in there, I gassed them also for the first time this season and I felt relieved.

Have you got a refractometer?

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Assessing what I thought was only one disused hive on land my family own to have the very pleasant surprise of two nice colonies, albeit in rotten boxes. Took me nearly an hour to cut my way through the brambles to them but worth it! Now to get them home.......

I remain convinced that the rebound from varroa is proceeding apace.

Have you got a refractometer?

Ditto

 

[Millet]

Have you got a refractometer?

I certainly do John, I will give them another week then sample some with the refractometer .

 

[deanrpwaacs]

11 frames in two supers almost capped, however this is my third time over a three week period of checking, if they are not capped enough next week they will stay in there, I gassed them also for the first time this season and I felt relieved.

Should you not just leave the supers on anyhow now you have gassed them ?

 

[bpmurray]

I'm off on holidays tomorrow and since nobody left here would dare go near the bees, I decided to feed a couple of the hives that had been hungry, and check my last apidea for eggs. I arrived and found that the strap around the apidea had been removed, along with the lid. It was empty of course. I can only assume someone saw it and opened it out of curiosity, panicking when they saw a cloud of bees. If they had replaced the lid, it would have been OK. I looked around to see if they had simply absconded, but all the empty hives were still empty.

Edit: I forgot to mention, outside one hive were a couple of bees shaking/shivering. Is this an illness? Is it treatable?