What did you do in the Apiary today?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Had the cameras at the Brynmair apiary - filming for a new series involving challenges for budding young photographers. The challenge this week was 'local food producers' and bees made a change from the usual dairy farms, beef and shepherds. I had to give an interview as to why Welsh honey and we also made a provosional arrangement to bring the camera back in the spring for a feature in one of our daytime magazine programs
Weather damp and dreary, we didn't open up but the Brynmair bees behaved gorgeously and she got some wonderful shots for her portfolio

 

[Anthony Appleyard]

... The bricks came from redundant storage heaters and are very heavy which are much needed up here, I hope I don’t have to add a third! ...

Oh yes, those storage heaters with allegedly special heat-absorbing bricks in. They sold a big lot of them, then they raused the night price of electricity to match the day price. I read about one man who in the end used all his "special" bricks to make an enclosure for his compost heap. Storage heater - Wikipedia

 

[pargyle]

Oh yes, those storage heaters with allegedly special heat-absorbing bricks in. They sold a big lot of them, then they raused the night price of electricity to match the day price. I read about one man who in the end used all his "special" bricks to make an enclosure for his compost heap. Storage heater - Wikipedia

I used the bricks from three storage heaters I took out of my late MIL's flat as the floor for my greenhouse .... work a treat absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night .... I commend the idea to the house... it being budget day and COP 26 imminent !

 

[Swn58]

Busy busy as usual. All but my original allotment hives have been fully varroa treated. The others had the first dose, but bad weather stopped the second. It may stay warm enough to start again maybe. Either way, they have always been less infected, so I'm not too worried.
There has been a late crop of honey and I am just about to finish bottling the last of it. I extracted over 20 litres. It was more than I expected!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Vaped all the colonies to check efficacy of last treatment a month ago. I colony needs a round, the others are fine. One has a solid floor so I don’t have a clue

 

[Moobee]

Last of the feeders off, ekes, fondant (didn’t get a photo but they’ve all got two containers worth (3lb total) and polycarbonate crownboards all added, varroa boards in and hives all securely strapped.
Hives all feel nice and heavy.
Next main job will be OA vaping sometime between December and January depending on how cold it gets and will top up all my spare boxes with fondant in case they run low.

 

[StephenT]

Took the Apivar strips off all 3 hives. One still had some fondant remaining so left it on. Weighed all hives and discovered the two Buckfast hives are at about 20 and 34lbs of stores whereas mongrel hive is about 38lbs. The Buckys are not storing the feed to the same extent as the mongrels so will have to give them more. Daytime temps are due to be lower teens from Saturday. Too cold for thick syrup now as a top up?

 

[Swarm]

Took the Apivar strips off all 3 hives. One still had some fondant remaining so left it on. Weighed all hives and discovered the two Buckfast hives are at about 20 and 34lbs of stores whereas mongrel hive is about 38lbs. The Buckys are not storing the feed to the same extent as the mongrels so will have to give them more. Daytime temps are due to be lower teens from Saturday. Too cold for thick syrup now as a top up?

Not if it's warmed indoors beforehand.

 

[Nannysbees]

Hope out bees have wellies and umbrellas if they are venturing out !!!

 

[Angry_Mob]

Removed 3 supers from the hives, two are quite heavy with lovely ivy honey. Its crystalised already though but some is capped.

Jarred 213 jars with my new jarring machine, a real delight. Got about a third of them labelled.

Topped up feed on a few nucs and hives.

 

[Goran]

Today.. Sun all over the place, bees out, bringing pollen.. Zero wind.. Perfect.. Tucked our banana plants with straw.. till May.. It had leaves bigger than me..
Our cats were all over the place on the sun napping, some even climbed on the roof and nap there.. " Indian summer" - or how we call it here -" Granny's summer"..

 

[Erichalfbee]

Removed 3 supers from the hives, two are quite heavy with lovely ivy honey. Its crystalised already though but some is capped.

Jarred 213 jars with my new jarring machine, a real delight. Got about a third of them labelled.

Topped up feed on a few nucs and hives.

How will you extract it?

 

[The Poot]

Hope out bees have wellies and umbrellas if they are venturing out !!!

Snorkels and flippers more like, as today the garden flooded and house partially flooded. Enough water to pick up six foot timber sleepers and carry them away. I don’t need to heft the hives as the water flowing around and under them didn’t move them an inch.
We were much better off than some whose entire downstairs flooded. Two garages, utility and porch inundated though.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Snorkels and flippers more like, as today the garden flooded and house partially flooded. Enough water to pick up six foot timber sleepers and carry them away. I don’t need to heft the hives as the water flowing around and under them didn’t move them an inch.
We were much better off than some whose entire downstairs flooded. Two garages, utility and porch inundated though.

Poot. That’s awful. Where do you live?
Hope it doesn’t get worse.
It’s lashing down here but at least we are a little way up the side of a valley.

 

[Somerford]

Mowing the lawn in front of the garden hives this morning and what appeared to be a european hornet landed on the top of the mower. On closer inspection it turned out to be a "hornet moth". Raced indoors grabbed a camera but although this only took seconds it had gone by the time I got back. This species is on my list of subjects I have been looking forward to photographing for years. I stayed in the garden near the hives for the next hour so but to no avail. While there became aware of the strong smell of ivy honey. At last the ivy has finally begun flowering and the bees in the garden hives are extremely active typical of a strong flow. Went down the farm in the afternoon where I have 28 colonies to tidy up the apiary before winter. No ivy coming in there although a couple were bringing in lots of very yellow pollen.

Where are you located ? The Ivy is over in Wiltshire pretty much

 

[Boston Bees]

Celebrated COP26 by turning the Aga on for the winter.

 

[Somerford]

A day of rendering wax, melting down solid frames of honey, filtering more for bottling and while that little lot was working it’s magic I had a bit of a sort out at the storage site and cleared away a load of rubbish that I’d collected in the truck over the season.

plenty to do !
S

 

[Murox]

Snorkels and flippers more like, as today the garden flooded and house partially flooded. Enough water to pick up six foot timber sleepers and carry them away. I don’t need to heft the hives as the water flowing around and under them didn’t move them an inch.
We were much better off than some whose entire downstairs flooded. Two garages, utility and porch inundated though.

Thats rough - the cleanup will take a lot of energy - hope your bees stay dry and the rest of your home too.

 

[Wilco]

How will you extract it?

Suspect something along these lines:
http://beespoke.info/2014/10/07/how-to-take-a-crop-of-ivy-honey/

 

[Erichalfbee]

Celebrated COP26 by turning the Aga on for the winter.

Ours goes on tomorrow. It's a coal Rayburn that runs the underfloor heating and hot water. They don't make an electric one or I'd have changed. The cottage is stone and would be impossible to insulate the walls