What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Swarm]

First quick look into a stock in 2017: double brood overwintered on their own stores. Frame pulled from top box. My father is posing with the frame whilst I was on camera duties. From looking down between the frames there are at least another four frames like this one in the top box. If the Queen hasnt been superceded, this will be her third full season.

Still a lovely brood pattern too

 

[beeno]

Inspected two overwintered double broods. One had brood on four frames and the other on five with good laying patterns. Both marked queens were spotted and one was busy laying. No dead bees on the floors and no signs of DWV. Good year for overwintering no losses as yet!

 

[birdsandbees]

Inspected two overwintered double broods. One had brood on four frames and the other on five with good laying patterns. Both marked queens were spotted and one was busy laying. No dead bees on the floors and no signs of DWV. Good year for overwintering no losses as yet!

yes, no losses for me either all ten made it through, even the weak one I thought would definitely fail is now brimming with bees, the only concern I have now is that they still have loads of stores in the brood boxes I'm hoping they will use it up or move it up otherwise I will have to do something with it before they run out of space.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes I suspect there is going to be quite a bit of syrup in our supers unless we do something about it!

 

[Robbo8916]

Managed to inspect the cedar colony with the help of Greg. Today they were lovely in stark contrast to yesterday!

I got stung again on the same hand as yesterday!

Wall to wall brood in stunning patterns in both colonies and spotted both queens. Sadly both colonies are suffering with varroa quiite badly despite best efforts. They will be treated immediately.

The poly colony are already drawing out their new frames of foundation. Pretty impressive for March!

Varroa aside I am pleased with them and hopefully treatment will sort them out!

 

[For want of a better word]

I added some fondant to a few of the lighter colonies... all yellow stripies... the black ones still seem to be quite full of stores... and flying and bringing in baskets of bright yellow and lime grey pollen.... even on a dull cloudy day.

Just need a good happy bees summer to make up for the last bad one!

Yeghes da

 

[Parsonage Bees]

The girls also noticed that there was something strange about this guy. He tried to get in. Repelled with vigour.

Hairy-footed flower bee.

. . . . Ben

 

[drex]

Quick look in the five over wintered nucs . Brood on 3 frames in all of them.

 

[Tonyatcwfarm]

Dropped off 3 nucs to their new owners this evening
Ill go back Saturday to transfer them to full hives
Added a super of stores under the brood box of 2 colonies that seemed to have got very light in the last week,all the other colonies were over wintered on brood and a half so they are still heavy with stores
Im back to 7 colonies for the season

 

[Hivemaker.]

Checked a few hives and added supers as needed, checked a few mini nucs to see if the virgin queens had emerged okay.

 

[B+.]

Checked a few hives and added supers as needed, checked a few mini nucs to see if the virgin queens had emerged okay.

Virgins already? Crickey, I won't even start for another month! I've no drones yet

 

[Erichalfbee]

Can you freeze drone sperm?

 

[victor meldrew]

I would imagine so .


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[B+.]

Can you freeze drone sperm?

Drone semen can keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature (although there is some loss of motility the longer it is kept).
See: http://www.coloss.org/beebook/I/instrumental-insemination/5/3 for a discussion of freezing drone sperm.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Took six of the Brynmair colonies up to Carreg then loaded up six from carreg to go to the new out apiary. Too dark and wet bu that time to get them up on to the field so they're sat outside awaiting an early morning start

 

[nantmoel]

Within a few metre's of the apiary they have been clearing the lane verges and spreading all the earth around, I took the opportunity to sow a load of Borage seeds. All these were patiently collected from the ones I grew in the garden last year.

 

[Bee Bumble]

Checked the hives at home yesterday and at an out apiary today. All healthy on 5 to 8 frames of brood. Some with drone brood (checked for Varroa - none present) and put a super on those with 8 frames of brood. Marked a couple of queens I missed last year, set up some bait hives.
Tomorrow will check another out apiary and transfer a nuc to a hive if the colony is big enough, then put out another bait hive. Afterwards, will make melt foundation into some more wired frames and paint / varnish some more hive parts.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Checked a few hives and added supers as needed, checked a few mini nucs to see if the virgin queens had emerged okay.

Really. My queens haven't even begun laying. I guess we'll have pollen sometime in April.

 

[Barbarian]

Changed the OMFs for clean ones. I am undecided about replacing the mouseguards. Some colonies seem quite strong. I will have to watch out for starvation if we get a spell of non-flying weather ..... the other alternative could be early swarms.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Drone semen can keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature (although there is some loss of motility the longer it is kept).
See: http://www.coloss.org/beebook/I/instrumental-insemination/5/3 for a discussion of freezing drone sperm.

Thanks for that
Current techniques demonstrate that fertility is adequate to produce sequential generations of queens inseminated with frozen-thawed semen for breeding purposes, although they are not sufficient to head productive colonies

I was wondering if that's what HM might be doing but he probably just has sufficient drones already.
I never noticed any drone brood in mine, just doing a cursory flit through 2 weeks ago