What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Millet]

Nosema is easy to test for if you have a microscope. Here, most associations have a dedicated microscopist, of which I am one. Sounds likely though.
Reducing the volume they occupy and getting them on to clean comb is a good start. A few times I have saved them by feeding thymolated syrup - see hive makers sticky post. I believe tremyfro has had success by spraying them with thymolated syrup, a tip, I think, in Ron Brown's book.

I seen that after my post.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Oooops, me too

 

[chrisb]

Can you spray them with thymolated syrup?

I have just dosed one lot with it, I use hive alive I rely do need to start mixing my own !

 

[bjosephd]

I've been using hive alive autumn & spring... haven't heard of anybody breaking out the syrup yet though this 'spring'...?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Just put in all the inspection trays to do a 21 day mite drop

 

[Tremyfro]

Waiting for a day when it isn't blowing a gale and raining! Then will check the boards. I sprayed my bees last spring with thymolated syrup as one hive tested positive for nosema...in fact I did all my bees....worked a treat and in fact, they all perked up and the colonies grew well...just a pity there wasn't anything to forage on last year.

 

[Beelzebub]

Visited my two hives yesterday. One had no living bees in it but I had half expected that-with hindsight (wonderful science!) perhaps I should have united it with the other in the autumn. No lack of food as I'd left a super of honey and had kept fondant supplies topped up over the winter too. I can only surmise that the queen perished at some stage, given how few dead bees were around.

Other hive; complete opposite with bees coming and going laden with yellow pollen. They'd finished the fondant I left for them 2 weeks ago before I went away on holiday so I gave them more. They have plenty of stored honey too.

Last summer that queen was a prolific layer. If she still performs in the same way I expect that an artificial swarm will be called for in April/early May.

 

[Little John]

Some advice fom the National Bee Unit:

Good husbandry
Instead of using medicines for treatment of Nosemosis, beekeepers should try to maintain their colonies in good health by applying good husbandry practices such as maintaining strong, well fed and disease tolerant colonies, headed by young and prolific queens. Bee keepers should also consider re-queening susceptible colonies with queens from more tolerant stocks of bees which are better able to cope with Nosema infection.

Someone on another thread was asking what diseases can be spread by open feeding - this is one. It's not inconceivable that an infected bee could poop on or around the feeder (or on combs, if left out to be cleared), and another bee ingest some of that poop.
LJ

 

[Brigsy]

Could a mod please have a look. I posted in the wanted section yesterday but I think it needs approval before going live?

 

[Robbo8916]

Went down and removed mouse guards. Both colonies flying really strongly and bringing in bright orange and pale cream pollen by the bucket load! (Crocus and?)

Both hives hefted really heavy and so it shall soon be time to move the nuc down to the new orchard apiary and transfer them into their full sized hive!

I am very pleased with how they have come through!

 

[linoleum bonypart]

How far is the new site robbo

 

[Robbo8916]

How far is the new site robbo

Just short of 4 miles

 

[zrappa]

Was sitting outside this weekend watching my girls being busy bringing in pollen, will crack hives open coming weekend if sunny.
Got 1 nuc last spring, hoping to have 2 overwintered hives this spring

 

[Dadnlad]

Checked fondant on all hives. All of ours 1st tubs have barely been touched, but all the rescued old hives are wolfing it down - onto their 2nd half kilo tubs now !

No losses so far

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bees out on crocuses this morning despite the cold.I think they must be desperate as some bees are coming home with minute amounts of pollen.
In the afternoon the rain rolled in.
The forecast for the foreseeable meteorological future is rain rain and more rain.It's beginning to look like a replay of last year when all the willow got hammered and I didn't get into the bees till the third week in April

I might make up some Ultrabee

 

[Swarm]

Bees out on crocuses this morning despite the cold.I think they must be desperate as some bees are coming home with minute amounts of pollen.
In the afternoon the rain rolled in.
The forecast for the foreseeable meteorological future is rain rain and more rain.It's beginning to look like a replay of last year when all the willow got hammered and I didn't get into the bees till the third week in April

I might make up some Ultrabee

Hold your wrist and repeat, "calm, calm, calm."
It is a mere few days before March shows it's friendlier face. I have a feeling we are going to enjoy this year. Could be another 1976 on the cards?

 

[Plenty of honey]

Bees out on crocuses this morning despite the cold.I think they must be desperate as some bees are coming home with minute amounts of pollen.
In the afternoon the rain rolled in.
The forecast for the foreseeable meteorological future is rain rain and more rain.It's beginning to look like a replay of last year when all the willow got hammered and I didn't get into the bees till the third week in April

I might make up some Ultrabee

Same here, atrocious day, early goat willow in flower, Mimosa looking spectacular, in the pouring rain and gale force 8 to 10!! friday looking warmer and less wind, mine are all brooding, we need lots of pollen!! this is the time of year i would consider pollen sub, but my budget cant run to that at the moment.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hold your wrist and repeat, "calm, calm, calm."
It is a mere few days before March shows it's friendlier face. I have a feeling we are going to enjoy this year. Could be another 1976 on the cards?

Can I hold you to that

 

[Erichalfbee]

Same here, atrocious day, early goat willow in flower, Mimosa looking spectacular, in the pouring rain and gale force 8 to 10!! friday looking warmer and less wind, mine are all brooding, we need lots of pollen!! this is the time of year i would consider pollen sub, but my budget cant run to that at the moment.

Time to get crowd funding Richard?
If a commercial beekeeper can crowdfund after some of his hives got blown over?

Actually jokes apart I feel for you. Hang on in there

 

[Hivemaker.]

Could be another 1976 on the cards?

I hope not, that was way too dry here, another 2014 would be much better.