What did you do in the Apiary today?

[deemann1]

So, although early supersedure is more commonplace, it can happen at any time during the season - no mention of late supersedure being down to being too late to swarm. Can be down to less pheremone especially in older queens
Therefore looks like it's usually down to queen failure or defect whether it's early or late season.

I don't know what's going on with my queens this year nearly 30 percent of colonies are going through supercedure

 

[Swarm]

Strange year altogether.

 

[Niv]

Jarred up 75lb + packaged 8lb of cut comb. Labelled most of the jars and shipped some out to the local shop. Been a busy couple of days around work!

 

[Beekeeper Brownie]

Put my varroa boards in.

After reading this I've just popped down and done one site. It will be interesting to see the differences between colonies.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Nadired a uncapped super for a colony still building up - supercedure queen last month.
Added wet super to another colony for cleaning.
Gave up at that point as I was yellow with wasps..

 

[Erichalfbee]

Nadired a uncapped super for a colony still building up - supercedure queen last month.
Added wet super to another colony for cleaning.
Gave up at that point as I was yellow with wasps..

I always put any wet supers on when the bees have stopped flying in the evening.

 

[Horseradish]

Watched as a large yellow Hornet riled up one of my hives today. Had them all in the air in front of the hive, while it took out Bees on the fly. According to the BBKA card I have in my bag, it was a European one, as it was bright yellow.

 

[Swn58]

Completed part two of my allotment apiary harvest today. Unlike the previous time, when I chose to abandon the operation due to agitated bees, all was calm! I have no idea what was happening with them last time, as the weather and time of day was pretty much the same. Another 100lbs of honey to process now and I suspect even more to collect from the farm next. I may need to order more jars!

 

[Michael ECB's]

Cattle not happy at all that I'm moving hives into old veggie garden at home / new apiary...
All keeping a safe distance while the bees orientate themselves.....

 

[Antipodes]

Learnt more lately in the apiary....the queen will be in my pocket when doing hive work.
Sealed queen cell with her in one hive Thursday last week and it is officially still winter with frosts but a very early spring is already underway. For instance the English oak bursting into leaf in the attached photo is usually a late one, but is weeks earlier this year.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

I always put any wet supers on when the bees have stopped flying in the evening.

So will I from here on....

 

[StephenT]

Found this beauty in one of my hives 3 weeks ago and will be doing my first inspection this afternoon since finding it. Fingers crossed for a perfect supersedure.

 

[Michael ECB's]

First inspection - 21days after rehousing wild colony... Chuffed to see larvae as well as my first drone for the season.... Was worried I had missed the queen on this one...

 

[StephenT]

Found this beauty in one of my hives 3 weeks ago and will be doing my first inspection this afternoon since finding it. Fingers crossed for a perfect supersedure.

Plenty of BIAS and the old (well, from this spring and marked white) queen still there. Couldn’t find that QC from 3 weeks back although I did forget to mark the frame. No more QC’s and a new queen could be there but didn’t spot her. Put Apivar on. Didn’t really go into the other two hives. Just checked for signs of the queen and all seems well.

 

[Speybee]

First inspection - 21days after rehousing wild colony... Chuffed to see larvae as well as my first drone for the season.... Was worried I had missed the queen on this one...
View attachment 21866

Inspected just the honey boxes on 2 hives at the Heather as it was a lovely dry calm 15C with bees to match.
One hive has not drawn out the frames on the honey box placed there last week.
Other hive has partially capped 2 honey boxes but it seems I may have contaminated the “Heather honey” with a dose of invert syrup.
I made up a Nuc to replace a drone layer and installed a replacement caged mated queen.
All I have to do now it write up my hive records.

 

[GuyNir]

13c and cloudy, though the bees are flying nicely. There’s still a flow going, HB and others.
Overall it seems the colonies are in better shape compared with the same time last year.

 

[Angry_Mob]

16°c here today, was cloudy but pleasant.

Finished off adding holes to the underfloor entrances that I built and plugged them with the golf tee.

Rebaited the wasp traps.

Did inspections, marked a laying queen, found a virgin queen but she flew off on me so had to leave hive a while and come back to find her again, she was then caged, prepped for anticipated queens arriving, swapped all the hive entrances for the underfloors.

Built up a few more queen introduction cages.

Started first round of treatment at 20:00 finished at 20:50, always goes quicker than I think it would with the sublimox. I have memories of faffing with the gas-vape where the same amount of hives probably would have taken me five times as long.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

16°c here today, was cloudy but pleasant.

Finished off adding holes to the underfloor entrances that I built and plugged them with the golf tee.

Rebaited the wasp traps.

Did inspections, marked a laying queen, found a virgin queen but she flew off on me so had to leave hive a while and come back to find her again, she was then caged, prepped for anticipated queens arriving, swapped all the hive entrances for the underfloors.

Built up a few more queen introduction cages.

Started first round of treatment at 20:00 finished at 20:50, always goes quicker than I think it would with the sublimox. I have memories of faffing with the gas-vape where the same amount of hives probably would have taken me five times as long.

Sounds like a good day’s work

 

[Swarm]

Started clearing today, my landlord is happy. Nine supers from four hives and two of these hives had a deep box of honey left for them. He was short of drawn comb but looking good now, another four supers to come off and a couple of fledgling colonies, not a bad season.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Today I'm going to look at two new apiary sites, one in Farlow and the other up at random farm,which is up at watshill and is the highest site we will have.
random farm site is hopefully going to be our Mating site next season and the Farlow site is going to be another osr site.

Im checking on some excelerated might drops on 18 colonys using OAV.
Im also bringing most supers back home so I've got the stock box all cleaned out ready.
On to treatments if needed.
And then I'm extracting Heather