What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Michael Palmer]

Finished harvest today. Still have a hot room of supers to extract...before the beetle get started. Somewhere around 20T. Not too bad a crop this year considering it was a rebuilding year. Lost half the colonies to varroa. Horrible. Thankful I had a few hundred overwintered nucs to restock most of the apiaries. Real quality honey this year. White, very smooth with no bite...except the apiaries that had more Lime around them. Still very nice.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Lost half the colonies to varroa. Horrible.

Michael that’s awful. How were you treating?

 

[Monbees]

I use silicon plugs.

I notice you are using Thymovar. I'm trying it this year but find the bees are h eavily propolising the strips so l fear it will be ineffective.

 

[GuyNir]

I notice you are using Thymovar. I'm trying it this year but find the bees are h eavily propolising the strips so l fear it will be ineffective.

Yes, some colonies do, most don’t. Some chew the sponge bits and after 3-4 weeks you find the mesh outside the hive. In any case, I’d assume it’s mostly effective in the first 2-3 weeks, so generally before they heavily propolise or tear it apart.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not in my apiary but ogled these by the canal

 

[Wilco]

Yesterday went to collect supers from the heather site (third attempt). Good hive still hadn't cleared down so decided to put an empty super on below rhombus board. Hear a crash, the stack of three full supers had toppled the second hive, that they were resting on out of the way. Error. Rescued colony then discovered the impact had damaged the full supers which will now need some TLC and reassembly over winter to correct their new tendency to assume a rhombus shape. Removed most of the dirt the supers had coated themselves in and started reassembling the stack of full supers above the rhombus board to try to finally clear down. Fail to spot one frame had come apart and fell out of the super. I stood in it. Frame taken home and the heather honey in it had... Increased mineral content... So not really fit to eat (tastes good and is nice and bubbly though!). Scraped the comb down and will feed it back to them tomorrow in the hope they leave remove the dirt and put some into stores...

Yesterday was not a particularly happy beekeeping day.

In other news I'm improving my fluency in 'French'.

 

[Nannysbees]

Removed Apiguard from our four hives today. Not all trays empty,wondering if I need to vaporise them or leave it til Christmas? Final varroa count:-
Bluebell -227
Blossom -459
Daisy -504
Rosie -374
Plenty of stores, large number of bees in each hive, going to heft again later. We hefted two weeks ago and they range from 12kg to 16kg, that's lifting the back only, with a digital luggage scales.
Deciding whether or not to feed 2:1, or see how they do with the ivy and the flowers in the garden for a week or two.

 

[E&MBees]

Did another vape. Mite numbers reducing but not low enough yet. Colonies are gaining weight which is good. Very strong smell of ivy coming from them. Bees very busy on the wall of ivy next to them.

 

[user 819]

Up the ladder to cut away some large and long overhanging branches coming from a Yew in next doors garden, quite a lot of wood to cut up and clear. Anything under 45mm is mulched by my mulcher and spread round for ground cover. Still more to cut away so a job for another day.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Swore rather a lot, in a variety of languages.......................
..............popped down to Garn cottage to feed and treat bees, as I walked from the truck, through the top lawn and on to the apiary I noticed that a few items that Tiddy was on half clearing out from the greenhouse seemed a bit more randomly scattered than when I was down there a few days ago, then I noticed rather a lot of cowsh!t slathered over the lawn (definitely out of place!) walked past the greenhouse and towards the apiary to see the strongest (double decker) nuc upended on the ground with the roof off, it can't have happened long before I came as the bees were still a bit wound up and milling around. As I hadn't planned on opening up any hives I only had my jacket, fortunately they are pretty well natured bees so got but two stings - and the bees look OK.
No sign of the cows, and I doubt we'll get an apology!!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

No sign of the cows, and I doubt we'll get an apology!!!

Oh dear. And there’s me swearing in one language only when I got a simultaneous hit on my left ear and under my right eye this afternoon…. Ouch!

 

[pargyle]

Not a lot really ... mine are piling in nectar - ivy by the smell of it ripening but the ivy in my garden is still a few days away from blossom. Hefted .. all of them feeling quite heavy which is very satisfying. Was going to do another couple of sugar rolls as I only managed half of them last week - remembered too late that I used the last of the icing sugar last weekend and I'd forgotten to buy some more. The three I did last weekend were low counts so not unduly concerned - the one that had a bit of a spike has returned to a low count - gave me a few worries but if the others are equally low I will be pleased. All colonies look really healthy and I'm not going to disturb them any more than I have to at this time of the year. Weather for the weekend looks quite fair down here but early next week getting a bit cooler and damper and I'll be thinking about topping them up with Invertbee - still going to be 15 to 16 degrees in the South and we are usually a couple of degrees higher down here on the Costa del Fareham - so good for the bees. We often get a really good October and frosts are a rarity fortunately until well into November.

My pumpkins at the allotment are very small this year though - not enough rain and I haven't watered or fed them enough - the grandchildren will be disappointed and sadly the annual Pumpkin Festival at Netley (we always support it with a stand from the association) supporting the Jubilee Sailing Trust is cancelled for the second year running because of Covid ... always a highlight in the calendar for me and really marks the end of the beekeeping season. Mine never achieved anything like this though ...

 

[drex]

The ivy was really buzzing as I walked to the apiary. Removed second trays of Apiguard and hefted. If the ivy flow continues, I might get away with not feeding.
Finally got the nucs containing the new queens into their overwintering position.. Transferred a colony into the long hive I made earlier this year. Really strong colony with this years queen. Was thinking I might put another colony in the other end, but the one colony took up a good 3/4 of the space. my idea for next year is to use this and the nucs as brood factories to boost production hives.

 

[Nannysbees]

Malvern autumn show today, chatting to one of the honey judges which was interesting.o didn't realise that the presentation was as important as the honey!!!!!

 

[Angry_Mob]

Didn't get to spend long in the Apiary on arriving my first thought was they must be swarming as bees everywhere. Lovely warm day, the hives were absolutely piling in the ivy pollen and the smell of it was beautiful. Checked one super and they have made a start although not much yet.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Weighed all the hives to check how much food they need. Ivy coming in but next weeks forecast is bad

 

[Nannysbees]

Weighed all the hives to check how much food they need. Ivy coming in but next weeks forecast is bad

How were their weights looking?

 

[Murox]

Spent the afternoon cutting and fitting new polyester hive straps - far stronger and I hope more uv/weather resistant than the ones I originally purchased.

 

[GuyNir]

Ivy is still not open here and no flying weather during the last week or so. I very rarely see my bees working the Ivy, so far looks like this year is no exception.

 

[Ian123]

Today’s dilemma….should i apply this to 1 slice or 2