What did you do in the Apiary today?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Earlier start than usual to the Carreg apiary this morning to try and avoid the worse of the heat.
A week ago I put another super on every hive although really not all of them looked as if they really needed it. Today every hive was chock a block and begging for another super, I put two on some.
I had two two queen colonies there but, they were getting so tall, and still needed space so I was forced to split them both (luckily that was the eventual plan anyway), the two pairs are close together at the moment but in a few days when they've settled I'll move them apart.
The bees are shovelling the honey in so from what looked like a disappointing season a few weeks ago, i's now scraping around to put every shallow into use.
View attachment 20210718_150620_166398496248058.mp4

 

[BigAshW]

Had to get the mated virgins in our mating nucs out as was worried they would be out of space. Unfortunately their poly nucs still haven't arrived from maisemore so moved some into some bait hives.

On had drawn a QC and looks like they've left and now another looks like this.



So I may have ballsed that transfer up as well.
Will have a look in four days and see if any cells have been drawn.

 

[Dutchman]

Today I used up the last of my supers, the bees are working overtime. The smallest hive is on 4 (commercial) supers, the largest a towering 8, most of them 6 or 7. If this flow and heatwave go on I will have to go through them all next week, spin the sealed combs and give them back the same day. Even my new splits, that have only moved into a full size hive a couple of weeks ago will be running out of storage space soon. What a year!

 

[Worker bee]

Checked all my hives and splits, big job in this heat. Also checked a swarm I collected the other day and found a nice plump marked queen. I was worried I could've harmed her when I vacuumed her up but she's fine. Now I'll have to select them a nice big 14x12 frame of emerging brood to help her along from a swarm I got earlier this season

 

[Curly green finger's]

What a flow!!!!! Even on the Clee!
Had a morning, turned up at one of the apiarys to find a prime swarm on the side of a poly hive.
20 supers added 2 to some double brood, as the 4 already on are full of nectar and capped honey. Never had 6 honey supers on colonys up on the Clee before.
Now going to build my last supers I have and frames.

 

[Nannysbees]

Inspected four hives, it was cooking, bought a neck fan, worth it's weight in gold. All four queens looking very plump and laying well,four supers on one of our hives still not capping though!!!

 

[B+.]

Collecting drone semen for instrumental insemination of queens - I suppose claiming that no animals were hurt during the process is a bit pointless!

People often say drone semen is the colour of cappuccino. I'd say it was more pinkish, wouldn't you?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Collecting drone semen for instrumental insemination of queens - I suppose claiming that no animals were hurt during the process is a bit pointless!

People often say drone semen is the colour of cappuccino. I'd say it was more pinkish, wouldn't you?

what does it taste like?

 

[B+.]

what does it taste like?

I have no idea. Would you like me to send you some so you can decide for yourself? It doesn't look like cappuccino to me.

 

[madasafish]

Checked mini nucs: all appear to be thriving,
Grafted again into Q- Langstroth hive. .
(Last two batches were duds- incubator overheated in heat wave)
QR this year has been very hard work,

Winning the "wet due to sweat" T shirt

 

[Swarm]

Busy decorating at the moment so after a day of hanging wallpaper, had to pop out to add a third box to a double nuc that was desperate for space. 31 degrees at 5pm, the bees were bearding, added another super to one that was particularly rammed.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Sweated, then had a rest and sweated a bit more.
Thought I'd have an early start at the home apiary, getting most of the hives done before the sun swung round to the South and hit the apiary full on.
It didn't work. Although there were two hives I had to do a quick inspection on, it was just a matter of popping the crownboards, assessing space and chucking yet another super on. Some here are now getting ridiculously tall - and all just in the last few weeks, I have this year's nucs, newly hived running out of space and looking at third supers and colonies marked as 'weak' piling it in, I have a load of nucs here with newly mated queens in, dripping with honey so tomorrow morning will be getting a second box

 

[pargyle]

what does it taste like?

Probably chicken ....

I have no idea. Would you like me to send you some so you can decide for yourself? It doesn't look like cappuccino to me.

Probably chicken ....

 

[B+.]

Collecting drone semen for instrumental insemination of queens - I suppose claiming that no animals were hurt during the process is a bit pointless!

People often say drone semen is the colour of cappuccino. I'd say it was more pinkish, wouldn't you?

Queens are lying in their cages with a dazed look on their faces. I didn't hear anyone asking for cigarettes so maybe they didn't enjoy it much. We'll see if they start laying in a couple of days

 

[GuyNir]

Queens are lying in their cages with a dazed look on their faces. I didn't hear anyone asking for cigarettes so maybe they didn't enjoy it much. We'll see if they start laying in a couple of days

Probably thinking ‘what a mating flight that was…’

 

[B+.]

Probably thinking ‘what a mating flight that was…’

They were narcotised with CO2 and hadn't come around yet.

 

[Markthebuilder]

Checked my nucs for signs of queens but didn’t see any eggs or brood and I didn’t see anything virgin queen like . One nuc appeared to have some polished cells but the others are backfilling with nectar.
Planning to give them/ her a week before I bight the bullet and order up 1 or 2 new queens

 

[Erichalfbee]

Sweated in the heat. Then posed next to a Demaree

 

[GuyNir]

One of my hives attempted to swarm this morning at 10:00. They all returned, not sure why (lost the Q maybe). Several sealed cells in the BB, removed all except one, in case there’s no Q now. Tricky situation a bit this.
All BB’s on all colonies are packed with nectar/honey. Very little space for the Q’s to lay.

 

[The Poot]

Sweated in the heat. Then posed next to a Demaree

A bit different to last year