What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Erichalfbee]

Sure she's not just gone and you have EQCs?

I’ve just spotted your tag. A great improvement on Queen bee

 

[StephenT]

Sure she's not just gone and you have EQCs?

We checked and there are eggs present so sure as we can be. It’s really odd (to us) and unexpected but took the safest course of action.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Early this morning we moved group 1 mating nucs to a new location. We first dropped them in their original location that I've use for years. As we were dropping them on May 28, the landowner informs me that the tenant farmer no longer wants bees on the farm. Oh Boy! So we left them on the farm until I was sure the new queens were laying, and moved them to their new location. These are a group of 2-way mating nucs that we built this past winter, replacing one group that were 4-way. Trying to increase the return of queens from their mating flight. 2-ways painted with different colours, with better wind protection and landmarks than the old location. we'll see....

 

[masterBK]

Yesterday checked 26 colonies down at the out apiary but only one (with 2019 green queen) had made swarm preps with 5 large queen cells on the point of being capped and was dealt with. Will make some nucs from some of these next week as the colony is a productive and gentle one that hasn't tried to swarm before and also doesn't collect loads of propolis ( I get propolis dermatitis). Used up three of my recently mated/layingqueens to requeen and also boost three colonies which aren't producing as well as others by uniting their nuclei to them (having removed the old queens) . Honey flow seems to have slowed somewhat but still put on some extra supers as not going to take them home again

Brought home a load of old blackened and distorted brood combs for melting down (get about 1 kg wax from 14 old combs). Pending doing that I used some of them to make up a bait hive. This was done around 5 pm yesterday and by 6pm several workers were already checking it out and at 11 am this morning (just 17 hours later) a swarm flies into the garden going straight to the bait hive and hived itself (from arriving to last few stragglers going in took them less than 20 minutes). After lunch I went in and replaced the grotty combs with frames of foundation and also gave them a central frame of decent drawn comb and also managed to see the queen . From the direction they flew in from they most likely came from the local convent where they have half a dozen hives. In a couple of days will trickle some oxalic to remove hopefully most of the phoretic Varroa .

 

[Swarm]

Removed another batch of cells for the incubator and managed to dodge the rain.
Hawthorn has gone over.

 

[Nannysbees]

Inspected three of our four hives. Couldn't find the queen's in two of them in fact we haven't seen one of the queen's at all but eggs and larvae in all three. Did see the bought queen as she is marked. The fourth hive is the strongest and the most likely to produce some honey, don't hold or a lot of hope for the other three. Having the bees last June, this is the first spring and lots of lessons/ mistakes learned for next spring

 

[madasafish]

Decided I had enough Queen rearing when the last batch was a total washout as the Q- hive suddenly decided to act as Q+ and I am '######ed if I can see a Q .

I will change my mind on Monday and start again.

 

[The Poot]

Went through three of my four and found no signs of swarm preps
Added two more supers - only have frames of foundation now, as all drawn frames are in use. Two now onto their fourth super!
This has been a really good “tree nectar season” it seems - mainly sycamore that survived the winds and hawthorn, but things are quiet now and will be until the bramble flowers.

 

[Swarm]

Oh I'd be taking a look how many capped frames they could spare.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Removed 3 supers of spring honey from chorley 18,20, 24,lbs and I've put them back on colonys higher up where the harwthorne is still going good some of my hived nucs have drawn a second brood box and 9 frames in supers from this flow.
We have never seen thorn blossom like it this year and that was coming from the honey bee her self.
Are the humid conditions helping?

 

[jeff33]

Shook some bees out... and more bees!! 2 more of my 21 queens are now laying.

 

[jeff33]

[QUOTE="Curly green finger's, post: 772755, member: 18818"
Are the humid conditions helping?
[/QUOTE]
Not sure about the humid but the cold weather has made it flower later on which happened at the same time as the warm dry weather.

 

[Michael ECB's]

Here's is something im sure you dont often hear.....
Im so far behind I still have supers on at least 12 colonies and at least 6 x 10 frame trap boxes with working colonies that are still unopened or checked....
Im fast heading to mid winter here and already having temps drop below 0 deg C.....
Just cant keep up anymore.......
Hell of an adjustment when your kids leave home......

 

[Curly green finger's]

[QUOTE="Curly green finger's, post: 772755, member: 18818"
Are the humid conditions helping?

Not sure about the humid but the cold weather has made it flower later on which happened at the same time as the warm dry weather.
[/QUOTE]
No June gap this year either, it's an odd year.
I have two failing older queen's one colony which has 5 supers on has swarmed and I knocked down 14 qcs they were crap even the one I left this colony has gone rogue to I'm moving them to sort them out.

 

[pargyle]

Not sure about the humid but the cold weather has made it flower later on which happened at the same time as the warm dry weather.

No June gap this year either, it's an odd year.
I have two failing older queen's one colony which has 5 supers on has swarmed and I knocked down 14 qcs they were crap even the one I left this colony has gone rogue to I'm moving them to sort them out.
[/QUOTE]
Blimey ... I've got three supers on two of my hives and I thought they were doing well ... 5 Supers - that's something else in a couple of weeks post starvation levels ....fantastic. So how much have you spun out from your spring crop ... go on,,,, make us jealous !

 

[Curly green finger's]

No June gap this year either, it's an odd year.
I have two failing older queen's one colony which has 5 supers on has swarmed and I knocked down 14 qcs they were crap even the one I left this colony has gone rogue to I'm moving them to sort them out.

Blimey ... I've got three supers on two of my hives and I thought they were doing well ... 5 Supers - that's something else in a couple of weeks post starvation levels ....fantastic. So how much have you spun out from your spring crop ... go on,,,, make us jealous !
[/QUOTE]
Nope about 65lbs.

 

[GuyNir]

Mostly sunny, 16c today. Inspected all production colonies in the home apiary. All bringing in lots of resources, expanding and no swarm signs
Real joy to inspect all colonies today.
Carniolan Q from BS Honeybees installed less than 2 weeks ago is going like a . Already 5-6 frames full of BIAS, including some sealed with excellent pattern. Colony much calmer also.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Nope about 65lbs.

65lbs per hive is not a bad spring crop actually, considering the spring we've had.

 

[Levitt53]

Gods sake. Talk some sense into her
Also is she going to allow this “beek” unfettered access to her garden?

I haven't managed to talk to her yet, although she knows I don't think it's a good idea. She's coming round on Monday for our outside book club meeting so I'll show her mine and hopefully the others will all try and persuade her. There are so many things I want to say I'm not sure where to start.

 

[Earthboy]

Early this morning we moved group 1 mating nucs to a new location. We first dropped them in their original location that I've use for years. As we were dropping them on May 28, the landowner informs me that the tenant farmer no longer wants bees on the farm. Oh Boy! So we left them on the farm until I was sure the new queens were laying, and moved them to their new location. These are a group of 2-way mating nucs that we built this past winter, replacing one group that were 4-way. Trying to increase the return of queens from their mating flight. 2-ways painted with different colours, with better wind protection and landmarks than the old location. we'll see....



View attachment 26653

Mike,

Would be able to have any surplus queens this year? If so, I would like to be the first in line to try your Marthas please. Let me know when so that I could schedule splits. Always.