What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Wilco]

Sweated a lot and started to get my hopes up about a cracking honey crop from some of my hives. Running low on supers like everyone else seems to be.

A few of them are doing strange things one superceding a Buckfast from Northumberland Honey they've been happy with since May, another looking to do similarly with one of my best queens . Struggled to spot most of my queens today but those hives not up to mischief all had fresh eggs in. The hives I'm trialling on brood and a half (stop judging me!!!) seem confused and have basically filled almost everything with nectar so have now ended up with one on brood and two halves in a desperate attempt to try and give the queen somewhere to lay.

Did manage to get a refreshing dip in the swimming pools at two of my apiary sites in between checks! Slightly pink now though...

 

[Murox]

checked all hives today for space. One I put a super full of foundation on just 10 days ago is now almost full and more than half capped. They have been working hard with the flow in this warm weather. Even a requeened small hive has honey for me.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Earlyish start to get up to the castle hives before the sun swung around the side of the cliff to hit the apiary full on (it gets the full blast of the South sun from 1030 onwards) I had a deliberate 2 queen colony from a Demarree up there which I meant just to 'retire' the old queen at the end of the season, but she's had a new lease of life and the hive is getting damned high so they're now split into two hives with the hope they'll supersede the old red queen after the flow. moved a few supers across to the smaller hives to make things easier, although this year's nucs are already receiving their fourth super.
Still damn hot though - I was sweating like Rolf Harris at a St Trinian's convention
Less than a week since the last supers added and they are all cram jammed.

 

[madasafish]

Requeened a very aggressive colony yesterday in afternoon heat. 28C

Did usual of moving 2x brood boxes to one side and replacing with empty boxes with frames.
Then went through both b boxes looking for queen. Found her on last frame!
Replaced with queen in press in cage.

All took about 30 minutes: only two stings where a glove cuff opened up. But was absolutely soaking in sweat when finished - using water spray through veil helped a little during the process.

Rather hard work.. hopefully rewarded with an agreeable hive.

 

[drex]

I have left any apiary work to the cool of the evening. In my ventilated suit it has been very pleasurable. My new queens are in their mating nucs ( 5 frames dummied ) . Not much to do in the brood boxes but adding honey boxes like mad - now using BB with a fair bit of foundation. They are drawing it nicely in this flow. I have several old brood combs I want to replace and did not get round to it in spring

 

[Erichalfbee]

Rather hard work.. hopefully rewarded with an agreeable hive.

And a beer or two

 

[Goodwood]

too hot to do anything here - will try and have a peek tomorrow

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Went bright and early to do The Gelli and Tŷ Uchaf apiaries before the sun really heated them up, It looks like the flow is now slowing down, a lot fewer bramble flowers left to open and the supers on the hives are not filling as quickly as they were.
Fiona called me over to see what mischief the badger had been up to the previous night - just up the track from the apiary there was signs of digging at the side of the ditch and inside was the remains of a pretty big wasps nest with the workers looking totally discombobulated trying to fix the tattered remains of the nest.
Back home for lunch then sorted out the remaining supers - now checkerboarding all the drawn frames with foundation.

 

[Moobee]

Absolutely nothing and it will be the same next week. Two hives with potentially a VQ each (long story but had two Q- hives but one of them did make some QCs before dumping her, so have shared with the other Q- one) so leaving them to mature, mate and start laying (everything crossed) so letting them get on with it. Even though it's massively tempting to take a peak.........

 

[Angry_Mob]

Started early again this morning, was nice at that stage as was a bit of a haze and breeze. Soon warmed up.

Flow has definitely slacked off however I'm wondering how much the recent lack of rain would be playing its part? Never the less the remaining supers I extracted earlier in the week went on along with deeps on a couple of hives. Crowned a few more queens white as well.

 

[Loxley]

I made up a nuc today for a new queen and whilst I was in the apiary happened to see a hornet hawking at the hive entrances, it's the first time I've seen it though there are always hornets about here. It took a bee and left and I didn't see it again but I'll be keeping a closer eye for a bit. The wasps have started sweet feeding here now too.

 

[Newbeeneil]

European hornets never bother me when I see them taking the odd bee from my hives. I saw the first wasp nosing around bits of old wax in my bee shed today!

 

[Ian123]

Just checked 21 Nucs/cells placed out 15 days ago 15 are up and laying some with 4/5 day old larvae 4 I suspect have failed 2 others I have a litttle more hope for.

 

[Murox]

Took the first summer honey super off this morning. A couple of uncapped frames, checked them on site and they are at 17% - happy days.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Had a lie in so didn't start out for the range until gone nine. The plan was just to put supers on but it was such a pleasant morning I did check a few of the hives that have had 'issues' lately.
Although there was quite a good display of bramble blossom up there, there's not much more left to come and you could tell by the traffic at the hives that things are definitely grinding to a halt. Although they've had a last hurrah with all the boxes I put on last week fully drawn and filled to the brim.

 

[holmbee]

European hornets never bother me when I see them taking the odd bee from my hives. I saw the first wasp nosing around bits of old wax in my bee shed today!

A couple of years ago I had a succession of European Hornets hawking and taking bees off the landing board. They then flew to a nearby bush and ate the bee before returning for another. Put out my wasp traps a few days ago just hoping this year will be better than last autumn.

 

[drex]

Thought I would have an easy day and decided just to rationalise the frames in the supers. In two colonies there was a mix of worker and drone brood in them. I had been concerned about their queen state at last inspection and eve n put a test frame in one.
I ended up going through the 3 supers on ea ch a nd brushing bees off back into the brood and putting on new excluders. Did not spot queens while doing this and too tired to see what had been going on in the BB.
Considering the disruption the bees were amazingly we'll behaved and there was a lot of capping of honey frames been done

 

[madasafish]

Checked 6 nucs and 17 -20 mini nucs (lost count) . About 4 mini nucs have lost Qs (caught on mating flights?) and a couple absconded (heat?)
Still ended up with 10 laying queens - enough to requeen and have 4 or so to overwinter and a few to sell. QR has been harder work than usual .
No inspection main hives since mid June.
Requeened a couple of swarms.
Extraction this coming weekend.

 

[holmbee]

Made up one Kieler mating hive with a QC from a friend who keeps Amm's. Checked out the top super on my best production hive and it should be ok to remove and extract tomorrow having put clearer board underneath. Had to use a step-up to stand on and check it as the stack has two brood boxes and four supers standing on concrete blocks. All boxes are Langstroths so quite heavy when full. Hope not too many small friends come to help me in the morning!

 

[Swarm]

Sorted through the nucs adding extra frames. One drawback with maisemore nucs is that sickening crunch when replacing boxes or adding more.
Decided to check how the honey is doing and found them fully capped. No let up in traffic,