What did you do in the Apiary today?

[The Poot in Somerset]

There are lots of bats in my garden too and looking at the gaps in my soffits, I reckon I could get sssi status for my roof space.

I agree that this year has been good for insects - perhaps the reduction in traffic through lockdown has helped?

There are two tawny owls that hunt around my garden from the vantage points given them by the oak trees. Around ten thirty they fly out of the trees across the field opposite. They’re quite noisy and make some quite eerie sounds.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I looked at a gizmo to attach to the phone but even that is expensive. I’d love to know what the bats here are

I don't think bog standard detectors are too expensive, my daughter did "feeding habits of bats" for her uni thesis which meant dad spent many nights sat in the bottom of the Devils Punch Bowl with his favourite only daughter listening to them echo locating their prey. Having a Belted Galloway sneak up behind you in pitch black can be a bit scary!

The detectors tell you the frequency of the calls which identifies the species.

 

[gregior]

Checked some nucs for starvation during the supposed peak of our main flow-enough said!

 

[pargyle]

I was going to ask about a new pup! What a shame. Have you booked one anyway?

Yes we have our name on the litter list for one of these:

https://afonbach.simdif.com/index.html

We don't know at present whether it will be Rain (Afonbach Song Of Ice And Fire), Arya (Afonbach Dance With Dragons) or Sansa (Danehaven Vermilion for Afonbach) that will have the next litter but they are hoping for one during the coming winter..all dependent upon Covid 19 I'm afraid and it might be spring. We saw them all at Crufts just before the lockdown started and they are all beautiful and such characters. Can't wait - it's awful being without a dog ...

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

That’s a breed I’d not come across, or even heard of!
I guess they’ll be interested in your chickens....
I hope you’re able to get one before too long - I know what a dog shaped hole in your life is like, it just has to be filled!

 

[tonyofarr]

I went to one of my out apiaries yesterday and I have never seen so many wasps, the blasted things were trying to get in all the hives and supers. I narrowed all the entrances and spoke to the landowners who are happy for me to go back with a wasp bane trap.

All of the hives at this apiary are really strong and are now very defensive.

I have never seen wasps being a problem this early in the year, the earlier weather must have really suited them.

 

[pargyle]

That’s a breed I’d not come across, or even heard of!
I guess they’ll be interested in your chickens....
I hope you’re able to get one before too long - I know what a dog shaped hole in your life is like, it just has to be filled!

Originally bred in Canada to swim out and lure wildfowl in to the guns and then retrieve them.. lighter and a bit smaller than our previous labradors as we are getting older we wanted the same big dog characteristics but a bit less of a handfu - our last Lab was a solid muscle 85lbs and if he wanted to go somewhere you needed an anchor to stop him. Duck Tollers have retrievers in their original breeding they are very trainable and are real characters - a bit high energy but we need something to keep us moving .. and they have a really nice temperament - important as we have a 3 year old grandaughter who is scared of dogs and we want her to grow up with it.

The hens usually stand their ground ... the last lot well and truly scared the living daylights out of the dog !

There's a big hole there waiting to be filled ...

 

[Swn58]

Not what I expected

I have some hives on my allotment. It's mostly fine, but lately every time I 'just pop in' I get caught up in something not necessarily bee related. Last Sunday was no exception. I found a dead fox on a neighbours allotment. She was old and obviously been dead a while. There were the usual excuses of.....'I have just had my dinner' and 'Ooooh, my po'er back' so I ended up having to deal with her. An hour spent finding a suitable gravesite and subsequent internment. I barely got to see the bees. I think I'll go in disguise next time!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I have some hives on my allotment. It's mostly fine, but lately every time I 'just pop in' I get caught up in something not necessarily bee related. Last Sunday was no exception. I found a dead fox on a neighbours allotment. She was old and obviously been dead a while. There were the usual excuses of.....'I have just had my dinner' and 'Ooooh, my po'er back' so I ended up having to deal with her. An hour spent finding a suitable gravesite and subsequent internment. I barely got to see the bees. I think I'll go in disguise next time!

I'd have left it in a hedge bottom for some other creature to feed off.

 

[Tim.S]

20 Nucs fed and looking good, honey removed from the out apiary which considering it has been robbed for brood a lot looks set to produce a 250 - 300 pound bonus as far as I am concerned. Enough to keep me out of mischief for another year.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

I went to one of my out apiaries yesterday and I have never seen so many wasps, the blasted things were trying to get in all the hives and supers. I narrowed all the entrances and spoke to the landowners who are happy for me to go back with a wasp bane trap.

All of the hives at this apiary are really strong and are now very defensive.

I have never seen wasps being a problem this early in the year, the earlier weather must have really suited them.

My garden is under siege from wasps at the moment and were a nuisance during inspections today. I have put out a number of cider baited traps today which are already filling...

 

[madasafish]

Checked some nucs for starvation during the supposed peak of our main flow-enough said!

Ditto.
And checked some of main hives.. Most honey in supers eaten..

I think I'll call it an end for this year's honey collection - unless we have a humongous flow early August and concentrate on winter preps.. 30% down on last year..

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Originally bred in Canada to swim out and lure wildfowl in to the guns and then retrieve them.. lighter and a bit smaller than our previous labradors as we are getting older we wanted the same big dog characteristics but a bit less of a handfu - our last Lab was a solid muscle 85lbs and if he wanted to go somewhere you needed an anchor to stop him. Duck Tollers have retrievers in their original breeding they are very trainable and are real characters - a bit high energy but we need something to keep us moving .. and they have a really nice temperament - important as we have a 3 year old grandaughter who is scared of dogs and we want her to grow up with it.

The hens usually stand their ground ... the last lot well and truly scared the living daylights out of the dog !

There's a big hole there waiting to be filled ...

For all the same reasons, we now have a couple of Tibetan terriers, when once it was a bouvier and a schnauzer.
Too old and decrepit to control big strong dogs now.
The TTs are great little characters.
I hope you don’t have to wait too long to get yours, though I don’t quite understand why Covid stops you getting it.
I’ve heard some breeders are charging silly money because locked down folk are wanting dogs and there’s likely to be a lot of dogs needing to be rehomed when (if) the owners go back to work. The charities are appalled that people haven’t thought things through even that far!!! Just can’t make it up can you?

 

[pargyle]

For all the same reasons, we now have a couple of Tibetan terriers, when once it was a bouvier and a schnauzer.
Too old and decrepit to control big strong dogs now.
The TTs are great little characters.
I hope you don’t have to wait too long to get yours, though I don’t quite understand why Covid stops you getting it.
I’ve heard some breeders are charging silly money because locked down folk are wanting dogs and there’s likely to be a lot of dogs needing to be rehomed when (if) the owners go back to work. The charities are appalled that people haven’t thought things through even that far!!! Just can’t make it up can you?

There are not that many breeders in the UK for Duck Tollers and you literally have to put your name down and wait... since March this year there have only been 16 Duck Tollers born in the UK and they were already spoken for. The breeders have been concerned about social distancing considerations to get their dogs mated and had concerned that puppies sold would not be able to be properly socialised with the current Covid situation. We know we will get one eventually but we just have to wait until a litter is born - and even then it will depend upon how many pupples she has.

There is already concerns about dogs purchased during the lockdown now looking for re-homing and we would consider that except our Grandaughter needs to come to terms with her doggyphobia and we think a puppy will be a better way to introduce her to having a dog around and a fully grown and potentially boisterous rescue dog won't fit the bill.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Oops sorry Pargyle, just re-read your original post and I misunderstood. Now understand the waiting. I wasn’t trying to suggest you should get a rescue by the way. I need to read things more carefully

 

[StephenT]

Inspected 2 hives in the garden today. The busiest 'Buckfast' hive are chucking out loads of drones that a couple of the chickens are busy eating. They (the bees that is) also seem to be munching their way through the stores in the two supers. The hive with the swarm we collected in May are still living a bit hand to mouth and so will feed them some more. Plenty of bees and brood now which is encouraging. Left the third hive alone as pretty sure they are in the process of superseding.

 

[pargyle]

Oops sorry Pargyle, just re-read your original post and I misunderstood. Now understand the waiting. I wasn’t trying to suggest you should get a rescue by the way. I need to read things more carefully

I didn't take it that way - no apologies needed. I'm all in favour of rescue dogs and if it wasn't for our grandaughter we would be heading that way but .. we are both now 70 and our last Lab made 15 years so the next one may be the last one we can cope with ... we need a dog with no pre-determined issues to contend with and one with some predictablity in terms of training. Duck Tollers are really keen to learn and are small and light enough for my wife to handle - we looked at all sorts of breeds before making a decision and there were quite a few contenders but ... who could resist the look of these ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Popped down to see how the bees were doing in the new Amanford apiary, all this year's queens and doing nicely thankyou.
One queen, mated early June is rammed full of bees, one super nearly full and they're starting on the second. If there was a flow on I would probably have popped a third super on them.
Another mated a little later, although only on six frames of brood have drawn out all the others and filled them with honey so again, needing a super.
The others are not that far behind, I think they're picking up a little from the balsam in the river corridor, and the rest from urban gardens.

 

[AndyTh]

No sign of any growth, most of the mountain was razed to the ground in a big wildfire at the start of lockdown. No fresh colour at all in the surviving breast

I am sorry to hear that JB, so no heather until hopefully it recovers for next year. A burn should invigorate old heather plants as on the managed grouse moors with a beneficial effect on bloom for a few yeats beyond that.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

A burn should invigorate old heather plants as on the managed grouse moors with a beneficial effect

Big difference between a controlled burn and a wildfire though unfortunately.