What did you do in the Apiary today?

[pargyle]

One plant I struggle with is rhubarb!!! I've moved it all around the garden and it doesn't like any place i choose for it. Next door has two huge rhubarb plants and he hardly bothers with it!!!!

They need LOTS of compost ... As Dani says they prefer well drained soil so when I split mine (once every five years or so) I dig a deep hole and fill the bottom with as much compost as I can then set the rhubarb rhizomes in it and fill the surrounding hole with soil, grit and compost. Then cover the whole lot with another layer of compost, leaf mould or any organic matter you have to hand. Only very lightly harvest the first year until the roots are well established - after that you will never be short of rhubarb but the plants do need digging up and splitting every five years or so as they fruit best from the 3- 4 year old roots.

I have three varieties - Champagne, Timperley Early and Victoria .. I don't force them as they start to produce stems around the middle of March and continue to stem right through until August. I have two plants of each on the go so I have one mature plant of each and one 2 to 3 years old so when I split one I've got another that's fully productive.

I leave the stems and leaves on the plants that I don't harvest and they rot down over winter putting the leaf goodness back into the soil. I usually chuck the spent compost from my tomato pots on top of the plants when the tomatoes are finished and a good layer of leaf mould in the autumn.. Other than that - just let them get on with it.

 

[Arfermo]

Always find this thread a problem. Keep losing my apiary in the garden!! Must try harder to do something with it when I get my new specs and hearing aid. Aw hell, why bother - too warm/too wet/too dry. Another day when I have nothing better to do perhaps!! Must stop playing FREECELL so much too.

 

[The Poot]

Always find this thread a problem. Keep losing my apiary in the garden!! Must try harder to do something with it when I get my new specs and hearing aid. Aw hell, why bother - too warm/too wet/too dry. Another day when I have nothing better to do perhaps!! Must stop playing FREECELL so much too.

I’m with you there, Afermo. At least freecell (and spider solitaire) keeps the brain active while the body and garden goes to rack and ruin.
The forecast for the next several days is dull, wet and mild - not exactly motivating!

 

[Repwoc]

I fed the garden mini-nuc. Only one left - two others have succumbed. Not starved just dwindled. Probably varroa as they aren't treated.

 

[Boston Bees]

two others have succumbed. Not starved just dwindled. Probably varroa as they aren't treated.

Well, we must be two steps closer to developing natural resistance then, so that's something.

 

[pargyle]

Went out and wished mine a Happy Christmas - it's damp but not raining and very mild ... a few odd ones flying - had a look through the clear crownboards - lots of activity inside the hives and signs of brood cappings on the inspection boards on three hives - not surprised it has been so mild down here that I doubt there is any real brood breaks - certainly been the same for the last few years. Not going to worry about it - they all still heft heavy and not much else to be done.

 

[Nannysbees]

They need LOTS of compost ... As Dani says they prefer well drained soil so when I split mine (once every five years or so) I dig a deep hole and fill the bottom with as much compost as I can then set the rhubarb rhizomes in it and fill the surrounding hole with soil, grit and compost. Then cover the whole lot with another layer of compost, leaf mould or any organic matter you have to hand. Only very lightly harvest the first year until the roots are well established - after that you will never be short of rhubarb but the plants do need digging up and splitting every five years or so as they fruit best from the 3- 4 year old roots.

I have three varieties - Champagne, Timperley Early and Victoria .. I don't force them as they start to produce stems around the middle of March and continue to stem right through until August. I have two plants of each on the go so I have one mature plant of each and one 2 to 3 years old so when I split one I've got another that's fully productive.

I leave the stems and leaves on the plants that I don't harvest and they rot down over winter putting the leaf goodness back into the soil. I usually chuck the spent compost from my tomato pots on top of the plants when the tomatoes are finished and a good layer of leaf mould in the autumn.. Other than that - just let them get on with it.

thank you lots of good information there for me to try

 

[pargyle]

thank you lots of good information there for me to try

I struggle to grow carrots in the ground - daft isn't it ? I can grow them in tubs and pots but with the Fareham clay and wireworms ...there's no hope. I've tried trenching and mixing sand in with the soil - hopeless. The ones in tubs with a mix of bought in topsoil and compost do well but it costs more for the growing medium than the carrots are worth - except that the taste is ... different.

 

[ldwgs]

One plant I struggle with is rhubarb!!! I've moved it all around the garden and it doesn't like any place i choose for it. Next door has two huge rhubarb plants and he hardly bothers with it!!!!

rhubarb does not like being moved, stick in sunny place and leave it alone, other then to harvest a stick

 

[deemann1]

I vaped 2 apiaries today the bees were bringing in what looked like gorse pollen

 

[Arfermo]

One plant I struggle with is rhubarb!!! I've moved it all around the garden and it doesn't like any place i choose for it. Next door has two huge rhubarb plants and he hardly bothers with it!!!!

Try taking the hint.

 

[The Poot]

One plant I struggle with is rhubarb!!! I've moved it all around the garden and it doesn't like any place i choose for it. Next door has two huge rhubarb plants and he hardly bothers with it!!!!

Is it easy to climb the fence? If so your troubles are over

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

weather didn't look too bad this afternoon, so after yesterday's treating of the home mives, ecided to pop up to the range and address all those, all hives hefted and still loaded with stores, all still with live colonies thus far.
as tomorrow again looks fine I shall hopefully mop up all the smaller apiaries.
As I was approaching home, what came to meet me up the lane was an unaccompanied Dachshund!! friendly chap and thoroughly enjoying his freedom, luckily I had a spare lead in the truck and the bunch of young lads taking a walk who had also spotted the dog knocked on a few doors and found out where he came from (a small farm not far from Brynmair which part of my family had farmed for generations, now sadly sold on after the death of old Clem, my father's age but never married. Outcome of this is, I delivered said dog safely home and after ages of chatting and getting to know new neighbours, they noticed my bee jacket so I may have an 'in' for another apiary

 

[Moobee]

I struggle to grow carrots in the ground - daft isn't it ? I can grow them in tubs and pots but with the Fareham clay and wireworms ...there's no hope. I've tried trenching and mixing sand in with the soil - hopeless. The ones in tubs with a mix of bought in topsoil and compost do well but it costs more for the growing medium than the carrots are worth - except that the taste is ... different.

Have you tried raised beds? We’re on thick clay here as well but made beds with scaffold planks the first year we moved in and added topsoil. Now I just mulch each winter with old cardboard to keep the weeds down and a thick layer of homemade compost and let the worms do their thing. All the veg beds are ‘no dig’ and we get really good crops of all kinds of veg.

 

[Nannysbees]

Checked the fondant today three out of the four have taken down over a quarter of the pack, quite a few out today collecting water.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Still doing the OA rounds, weather awful this morning so slobbed around until lunchtime, not hungry so decided to call in Garn Cottage - not that many colonies but guaranteed a long time in the garden chewing the fat with my mate Tiddy, I felt there was something different about the apiary as I looked over the stream between the top and bottom orchards then realised as he's now the new lord of the manor, he's had all the hedges cut right back (his dad hadn't been right for years so hadn't done much outside maintenance) loads more light in the garden and especially the apiary - I think I set the ball in motion last Christmas, before they had moved in when I felled the cherry tree and a few other overgrown trees that were compromising the workshop and the apiary.
Then on to Llety'r Deryn for a quick chat and vape of their orchard bees, made my Christmas when I flushed a woodcock poking around near the hives.
Bees active in both apiaries, bringing in baskets loaded with deep orange pollen.

 

[Swn58]

Visited the Sandwell lot yesterday. There was a lot of activity as expected. There are still some flowering Ivy in the more sheltered woodlands and Catkins coming out. There is also clover in the fields. I checked their stores which seemed pretty good, but I fed them a bit just to be on the safe side. At this rate I will looking for swarm cells in February unless it gets cold again!

 

[Do224]

View attachment 737A8C93-34BA-42F4-B604-D8CD4D698323.MOVView attachment D2168458-8FED-4109-B09D-5BC6FE757864.MOVThe temp is up at 12.5 degrees here in Cumbria today so I thought I’d have a wander down to the apiary and see what was happening. Lots of activity outside my biggest colony but the other three totally quiet. The other hives in the apiary (belonging to another beekeeper) also quiet apart from one.

Checked the fondant too. All four of my colonies got 2 kg at the start of December and it doesn’t look like they’ve taken much of it.

Took the varroa board out of the active colony and quite a few cappings on there. Gave it a clean and will check again in a few days...just out of interest.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well I suppose the rain here is not that cold...................

 

[drex]

Hefted. All good. Looked in window of home built long hive and bees soon responded to the light. A few bees flying. All my equipment is now clean and ready for next year. Need to sort out some frames, but that can wait.