What did you do in the Apiary today?

[LeaBees]

Does she look mated?

Beginner question, but what visual differences are there between a mated and unmated queen ?

 

[Antipodes]

Yes. No rain here for ~6 weeks

If I had to pick a time when I would least like it to be dry, it would be spring.

 

[Antipodes]

Beginner question, but what visual differences are there between a mated and unmated queen ?

I usually see a longer abdomen but they also seem a lot calmer and seem to inspect the cells as if wondering if they are any good to lay an egg in. There is another link, within the link below, that shows before and after photos, however it may be that the increase in size is to do with laying more eggs consistently..see post number 7 therein.

https://www.beesource.com/threads/v...316833/#:~:text=A virgin queen will be,be as%

 

[Antipodes]

I was checking a queen I was expecting to mate daily this year to see if I could see any differences, and she was the same size day after day, for about 4 days of looking and then the fifth day I looked, she was "suddenly" much longer, a bit fatter and calmer.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Beginner question, but what visual differences are there between a mated and unmated queen ?

the smile on her face

 

[GuyNir]

Grey and a few drops here today. Nothing to write home about.

 

[gregior]

Been round the hives scavenging any honey going spare as I have hayfever sufferers crying out for it. Most of the stuff I got was last years unused stores but there was a bit of this seasons too.

 

[Monbees]

Sowed some Crimson Clover seeds around two hives where brambles have been removed, leaving bare earth patches. Will have to water until May 8th (Metcheck.com). Hope I don't live to regret the sowing - can be invasive ... and hope the patches are not too near the hives (I read somewhere that bees don't like to forage too near home for fear of drawing attention to themselves and attracting predators).

 

[madasafish]

Sowed some Crimson Clover seeds around two hives where brambles have been removed, leaving bare earth patches. Will have to water until May 8th (Metcheck.com). Hope I don't live to regret the sowing - can be invasive ... and hope the patches are not too near the hives (I read somewhere that bees don't like to forage too near home for fear of drawing attention to themselves and attracting predators).

Mine forage on poppies and ceanothus no further than 20 meters from any hive.

 

[Alistair]

@ Alistair. Lockdown was not a good time to start beekeeping with the absence of face to face training. Good that you have a new mentor. I suggest you read some books. The more you know, the more enjoyable beekeeping becomes. It is way too cold here for Apiguard to work

I have got several books that i am reading at the mo one being the Haynes bee manual and get started in Bee Keeping which I am taking notes from as I am burrowing it other books I have include bees at the bottom of the garden, guide to bees and honey and bee keeping for dummies I agree last year was not the best start kind of fell in to it i manage a large garden at work and have been trying to get a hive or two the local association liked it and just in the middle of the two lock downs they set up a training apiary which i ended keeping an eye on with help at the end of a phone i watched several inspections and then one of the member gave me a old commercial sized hive i wanted it at home but the neighbours kicked right off and one of other new members was setting up a apiary in his village just down the road from us so we hurriedly moved it there for fear of damage to it. it was fine till the winter and i was working other members at the apiary did the last few inspections they locked the apiary gate so i was not free to get in and i did not know were the key holder lived in the autumn i took the offer of another aprairy site which took a little bit of work i was worried with my bees as when i tried to look in i did not see much action and at the first chance i had i moved them and the rest you know lessons have been learned and i am dissaponted with myself that my hive is in such a sad state i am now waiting for apiguard unless you can recommend one to use that is better. we are still having frosts here in the south of England

 

[Alistair]

I reckon you should also ask them to change their Apiary Manager while you are at it .

their Apiary manger is not the problem the problem was that the apiary i had to move them on to was a new members apiary and he locked it to stop the locals just wondering in and getting stung and he did not any other keys cut. I am happy i am on my own site now.

 

[StephenT]

That’s it for 2 weeks now (famous last words). Got three hives requeening, 2 on beautiful looking swarm QC's after swarming and the third on an EQC after an AS. One rescued swarm is in a nuc and she’s laying nicely. Left Queen Latifah in the parent part of the AS in the end as she’s so difficult to find and we really don’t want to risk losing her If we move her across to the AS.

 

[Swarm]

Demarreed one, the monster hive, sadly had charged cells. Took the opportunity to change the boxes as they are looking quite tatty. Double brood and two supers stripped down and transferred and queen removed in a nuc. They weren't too pleased.

 

[madasafish]

Fed my nucs as weather forecast lousy for next week. Even rain!

 

[Angularity]

Fed my nucs as weather forecast lousy for next week. Even rain!

Our forecast is always for rain at the end of next week.

 

[Ian123]

I have got several books that i am reading at the mo one being the Haynes bee manual and get started in Bee Keeping which I am taking notes from as I am burrowing it other books I have include bees at the bottom of the garden, guide to bees and honey and bee keeping for dummies I agree last year was not the best start kind of fell in to it i manage a large garden at work and have been trying to get a hive or two the local association liked it and just in the middle of the two lock downs they set up a training apiary which i ended keeping an eye on with help at the end of a phone i watched several inspections and then one of the member gave me a old commercial sized hive i wanted it at home but the neighbours kicked right off and one of other new members was setting up a apiary in his village just down the road from us so we hurriedly moved it there for fear of damage to it. it was fine till the winter and i was working other members at the apiary did the last few inspections they locked the apiary gate so i was not free to get in and i did not know were the key holder lived in the autumn i took the offer of another aprairy site which took a little bit of work i was worried with my bees as when i tried to look in i did not see much action and at the first chance i had i moved them and the rest you know lessons have been learned and i am dissaponted with myself that my hive is in such a sad state i am now waiting for apiguard unless you can recommend one to use that is better. we are still having frosts here in the south of England

Apiguard needs consistent temps it’s fine during the day atm but night temps are to cold pick another like vape or strip treatments like apivar/aistan. Not api lifevar

 

[The Poot]

@Alistair in the absence of reading material the videos from the Norfolk honey company are are good trustworthy source of information. The link will take you to the home "library" page so you can see what subjects Stewart Spinks covers.

Fed my nucs as weather forecast lousy for next week. Even rain!

Temperatures forecast at or below 10c for the forseeable with some much needed rain. But if the bees become hive bound it doesn’t brood well....

 

[Antipodes]

Temperatures forecast at or below 10c for the forseeable with some much needed rain. But if the bees become hive bound it doesn’t brood well....

Boy, that's not much chop, temperature wise, but no doubt the rain will help with nectar. We're hitting the low twenties in the next couple of days. I checked this morning and have two nice virgin queens due to mate any day, no funny looking wings or abdomens...so the warmer weather here is good timing. Been a cooler westerly blow for a while.

 

[Nannysbees]

Waiting for a hive to make a new queen, could I vape while there is a brood break or will it unsettle them while they are in this process?

 

[Swn58]

Off to the farm apiary today to see if the two queen-less colonies have new queen-cells.

All was well. I moved out another QC on a frame with more frames of stores into a nuc. The 'superhive' I created is going as bonkers as the one at the allotment apiary! I had left a super with some frames of honey in them. I thought that they would use them for energy, to draw the ten extra foundation frames, they had been given last week. Big mistake! The extra brood frames are already drawn. Also, not only had they further filled the super frames with more honey, but they were building their own comb in the space in the middle and filling that as well. I am always underestimating how quick the little devils can work! I had left the gap so I could put Candipolline in, if needed. Evidently not Instead, I ended up adding a full super of frames and topped the 'tower' off with the original super with the combs between more frames. That should keep them busy!