What did you do in the Apiary today?

[oliver90owner]

Checked varroa inspection boards after one week in place. Two give the impression of good sized clusters with only three varroa between them.

Third colony, no varroa dropped but eight severed bee heads, some abdomens, legs and wings.
I'm thinking from fights with wasps?

This colony, although heaving with bees through into late September, seemed to allow wasps in - often removing them when dead - but lacked the defensive spirit of my other two colonies. The cluster size is smaller than I would like to see.

Any thoughts anyone?

Resident mouse?

 

[manek]

A few quiet minutes watching the one remianing hive today. A few bees were out and about despite temperatures hovering around 10 degrees C. And then there were workers dragging not just drones but their own sisters out of the mouseguard holes. Bit odd, since the dragees were alive...?

 

[Stedic]

Visited the bees. Nice and sunny with quite a few orientation flights. Roofs off and all hefted. One light, one lightish. Shoved fondant on, over the CB for now as we have warmer weather for a bit, and clusters were visible under the CB holes.

Changed 2 thin metal roofs for new Abelo poly ones, seem much better.

Found my nuc was dangerously light. It was a late nuc (swarm) so I guess that isn’t too unusual. Wasn’t expecting it though, so had to improvise. Pull sides out of Maisie’s miller feeder that was still on and put fondant in there. Should give them some food. Will take a brood box extension up in the next few days and add some frames of food. Didn’t want to give them to volume to heat, but needs must.

 

[Somerford]

Went around a number of exposed apiaries checking for any wind damage from Storm Diane...the worst was a stack of poly nucs (empty) blown asunder at my storage apiary.

Phew !

KR

S

 

[Millet]

Changed four abelo poly roofs for the ones I painted with floor paint..also vaped a colony for the second time..I thought I had got on top of the varroa problem but obviously not..this hive is small and still has drones flying so I think they are on borrowed time.

 

[simonforeman]

14 degrees this morning and all 4 hives out flying in large numbers....

Newbee question... when it's mild during this time of year will all bees come out to fly or just some... reason I ask is I know all 4 hives are strong so when the opportunity arises to get out you would expect to see thousands flying at and time.

 

[Millet]

14 degrees this morning and all 4 hives out flying in large numbers....

Newbee question... when it's mild during this time of year will all bees come out to fly or just some... reason I ask is I know all 4 hives are strong so when the opportunity arises to get out you would expect to see thousands flying at and time.

This time of the year weather permitting i have watched mine exit the hive and have a quick poop and go back in...not in big numbers though unless the younger bees are doing orientation flights..

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

Finished melting honey out of capping's and cleaned out the Api-Melter, this was a job I was dreading but they are so easy to clean. A quick scrape and cut out the wax then fifty lts hot water with soda crystals and came up like new, only took about an hour to complete. Shocked how much honey came out of the wax, put in 240 lb and got 170 lb honey.

 

[enrico]

14 degrees this morning and all 4 hives out flying in large numbers....

Newbee question... when it's mild during this time of year will all bees come out to fly or just some... reason I ask is I know all 4 hives are strong so when the opportunity arises to get out you would expect to see thousands flying at and time.

You may see a few hundred flying close to the hive for 20 mins or so, but they soon go back to a much less frenetic flow. They tend to come out en mass just as the temperature hits perfect flying temperature. But blink and you could miss it
E

 

[simonforeman]

I did notice that enrico..... when I posted earlier there were lots flying in the sunshine. 15mins later sun went in and there were the odd ones in and out.....

 

[Beefriendly]

This time of year, blink and you can miss them. Often see several hundred flying and ten minutes later there is just the odd one.
Often refers to hives being visible from front room....so often observed.

 

[Stiffy]

Lots out flying at home Apiary, so took opportunity to take apivar off. All looking good with lots of stores to see them through.
S

 

[Goran]

Hey ho!
Lost one colony.. This must be record for me.. so quick.. Heavy with stores but seems not enough winter bees, mild autumn and might be naughty in robbing around, counted approx 550 varroa.. All the bees on the floor..
This will be interesting winter, the rest is avg on 5 seams of bees - so far..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6CDYxMQ_dM

 

[Beefriendly]

Vaped all the garden hives today. A couple were dropping more varroa than I would expect, so dosed the lot.

 

[Millet]

Vaped all the garden hives today. A couple were dropping more varroa than I would expect, so dosed the lot.

I have had similar with two..one was suspect but the other had been dropping nothing after the first round of vaping..however it had started dropping more than i would have liked so the two of them have been vaped twice up to now.

 

[madasafish]

Checked and fed three mini mating nucs.

 

[B+.]

Checked and fed three mini mating nucs.

What sort of nucs are they Mike?
Mini nucs are pretty small. I know people have done it but I've not overwintered anything smaller than miniplus

 

[madasafish]

What sort of nucs are they Mike?
Mini nucs are pretty small. I know people have done it but I've not overwintered anything smaller than miniplus

1. A Home made poly one based on FatBeeman You tube (5 frames. 1/3rd lang width)
2. Ditto with OSB3 walls and a poly cover
3. Two apideas joined together with gaffer tape..(not the extension) with a poly cover
All have poly covers ..50mm celotex.

Edit : in line with my philosophy, done at minimum cost (the home made ones cost approx £2 or less (a lot less))

 

[Podilia]

Hey ho!
Lost one colony.. This must be record for me.. so quick.. Heavy with stores but seems not enough winter bees, mild autumn and might be naughty in robbing around, counted approx 550 varroa.. All the bees on the floor..
This will be interesting winter, the rest is avg on 5 seams of bees - so far..

Robbing is not the reason. What treatment did you apply? Many our beekeepers use stripes (fluvalinate) made in Serbia and Bulgaria; amitraz from Hungary, something else from elsewhere... They are supposed to be high quality. Russian are bad in general, often with antibiotics. Russia does not care about antibiotics at all. Our local producers also falsify their production, sometimes it works but often doesn't.

colonies of 5 seams are small in my conditions. 4 is a minimum that can survive in open air if winter is warm. My 3 frames baby is still alive and buzzing after -18 at some nights.

Is amitraz allowed in Europe, EU, Britain? In our forum often discussed the issue that Europe uses only organic acids. Is it true?

 

[Millet]

Robbing is not the reason. What treatment did you apply? Many our beekeepers use stripes (fluvalinate) made in Serbia and Bulgaria; amitraz from Hungary, something else from elsewhere... They are supposed to be high quality. Russian are bad in general, often with antibiotics. Russia does not care about antibiotics at all. Our local producers also falsify their production, sometimes it works but often doesn't.

colonies of 5 seams are small in my conditions. 4 is a minimum that can survive in open air if winter is warm. My 3 frames baby is still alive and buzzing after -18 at some nights.

Is amitraz allowed in Europe, EU, Britain? In our forum often discussed the issue that Europe uses only organic acids. Is it true?

I have some in my fridge that i never used this year.. it was ordered from a UK company..