What did you do in the Apiary today?

[holmbee]

What does that mean?
I have had Buckies from Hivemaker and they have been good for two generations and better than the local mongrels

I bought several from Hivemaker in the past and was pleased - they were very productive and pleasant to work with. However after the second generation they tended to be rather less attractive mongrels. Probably just drones in my locality to blame.

 

[Etton]

Demaree is a proactive form of swarm avoidance if you've found loads of QC's, it's too late, especially if you've only given her a frame or two to lay in, good chance they'll go regardless

Yep, happened to me this week... lesson learnt!

 

[Etton]

Yep, happened to me this week... lesson learnt!

Next time I will put the Q in a nuc, reduce all QC’s to one and maybe combine later.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Took advantage of the foul weather to move a nuc with a newly emerged queen in from the Gelli to the home apiary. No way any bee has been out for the last few days and as it's destined for here if she mates it will save a job later and be out of the way when I'm working where it was.

 

[BigAshW]

Called out last night to a tiny swarm.

They must have been desperate to leave in yesterday's weather.

 

[The Poot]

Called out last night to a tiny swarm.

They must have been desperate to leave in yesterday's weather. View attachment 26175View attachment 26176View attachment 26177

well done for giving them a home

 

[madasafish]

One of the swarms I collected this week was so small I placed them in a Keiler mini nuc..

 

[Swarm]

Collected a swarm from my apiary landlady’s garden. Not the easiest as it was in a tree, but got them down eventually. Fairly certain they are not mine as I did a split a while ago having found charged qc’s. Queen was moved to a nuc, and the qc’s reduced to one. Need to check my existing colonies, but have a severe weather warning until weekend so will have to wait until Saturday.

Well done for getting them down and into a box. IIRC your queen was due to emerge on the 10th, I can't see them hanging around for nine or ten days before deciding to swarm, they've had plenty of chance.
My friend had a swarm emit from one hive last year and thought he must have missed a cell. The original queen had been removed. The swarm wasn't big and he housed it in a nuc before moving it to another apiary. The original colony, which was still big, were found to be hopelessly queenless.
Maybe a mating swarm gone wrong? He has had this before, where they clustered and then returned.

 

[BigAshW]

One of the swarms I collected this week was so small I placed them in a Keiler mini nuc..

I'm considering placing these in a mini-plus!

 

[einsteinagogo]

So much rain today, my apiary is turning into a swamp !!!

 

[Curly green finger's]

More feeding in the rain!!!! .
A pain but worth it!
If the summer doesn't come to I'm throwing the towel in!!....... As if!

I've feed 60 litres this afternoon.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Checked two top Demaree boxes. Fed one colony then went home to watch step daughter in challenge cup semi final on tele.

 

[madasafish]

Went through all hives, nucs, mini nucs with beginner whom I am mentoring
Fed nucs and mini nucs.
Of the main hives, added 1 comb of honey to two which were quite strong, two stronger were ok but with emptied supers, one was very weak with stores and one was large with a half full super and nectar in a couple of brood frames.

All done in 8C - a strong breeze but no rain.

Never seen anything like this -and this is my 12th season. (not long for some I know)

 

[StephenT]

Checked through the parent hive of a swarm where the queen was due to emerge on 25/4 and on 9/5 we saw eggs and larvae a few days old. Found the nice looking queen on the second frame we looked at and marked her using a crown of thornes for the first time. Bit splodgy. BIAS on a few frames. Brood pattern on the main frame with brood present is a mix of drone and worker. Poorly mated, beginners laying or something else?

 

[madasafish]

Checked through the parent hive of a swarm where the queen was due to emerge on 25/4 and on 9/5 we saw eggs and larvae a few days old. Found the nice looking queen on the second frame we looked at and marked her using a crown of thornes for the first time. Bit splodgy. BIAS on a few frames. Brood pattern on the main frame with brood present is a mix of drone and worker. Poorly mated, beginners laying or something else?

badly mated in my view.

 

[GuyNir]

Checked through the parent hive of a swarm where the queen was due to emerge on 25/4 and on 9/5 we saw eggs and larvae a few days old. Found the nice looking queen on the second frame we looked at and marked her using a crown of thornes for the first time. Bit splodgy. BIAS on a few frames. Brood pattern on the main frame with brood present is a mix of drone and worker. Poorly mated, beginners laying or something else?

Q is definitely marked
brood Pattern not good. Not properly mated IMO.

 

[StephenT]

Is it simpler to replace the queen than hope they supersede her? She’s the daughter of a BS Honeybees Buckfast so could just order another one, if in stock.

 

[madasafish]

If they do spuercede her you could be looking at 5=6 weeks before the new Q starts laying- that's your honey crop gone for this year.

 

[StephenT]

If they do spuercede her you could be looking at 5=6 weeks before the new Q starts laying- that's your honey crop gone for this year.

Could get rid of her and merge them back with the swarm which is outgrowing a double BB nuc.

 

[Nannysbees]

Sunny day in barry today put the new queen in the chalkbrood hive. Packed with bees. Moved the half brood underneath and popped her into the brood. Hope they like her, going to leave her in the cage until Monday then let her out.