What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Wilco]

Misplaced my hive tool for the first time this season.

One hive giving me warning shots that swarm season isn't far away. This is probably the most local colony, being a swarm from my garden.

Limited success queen spotting, 2/9 seen. Although my favourite two.

One looks to be making swarm preps, BIAS but no queen seen - think they boxed themselves in with pollen. Poor photo but two charged QCs with few day old larvae in.

 

[BugsInABox]

Misplaced my hive tool for the first time this season.

Me too.

 

[JamezF]

I bought another in the sales, but mostly because it was cheap and I liked the look of it.

James

 

[W0otz]

I put the varroa board in for 24 hours out of curiosity - if they've dropped this much pollen through the OMF then it goes to show just how much is coming in! Also my first time trying pollen and it's surprisingly tasty

 

[madasafish]

15C today so in afternoon I went through - very quickly and cursorily everything - 6 full hives - all doing well, some stores, 4 nucs - one poorly on 2 frames - thymolised syrup tomorrow - and 3 mini nucs - all doing well. They decided my anti arthritis dosage needed topping up and acted accordingly.

Only saw one queen - out of practise.

 

[Moobee]

Very warm here today and one hive has been clustering on the outside of the box so wanted to check space. 4 frames of BIAS and 5 of just stores and a good amount of bees. A lot of brace comb in the eke, full of stores which turned out to be syrup - they’ve basically stored most of the fondant.
I’ve moved two drawn frames from the outside to either side of the brood nest but concerned the queen may run out of space.
No real flow here as no OSR locally and the local council have butchered the hedges so very little hawthorn or blackthorn either. All spring forage will be from local gardens in the villages.
So I’m not sure whether to add another brood box or not? Or add a super and let them move the stores up (which I will not spin out as it’s mostly sugar)?
I guess they’ll munch their way through the stores as well and possibly make space for the queen to lay?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

they’ve basically stored most of the fondant.

it's what they do - there's a lot of fairy tales told about fondant, but to bees it's just sugar - to be either eaten or stored for later.
with two empty drawn frames there anyway, I'd either take out two frames of stores and replace with drawn frames (if you have any) or bruise a few stores frames which will encourage them to use it up, if it gets any warmer and you have no drawn comb replace the stores frames with foundation

 

[Goran]

I grafted in a few days some plums, cherries, pears.. Dead nettle and common field-speedwell spreaded over 3ha of field and bees when is warm enough are attending them a lot.. Goat willows are mostly hammered down with frosts, so little use of it.. Early plums are in full bloom, apricots also but due to current frosts, who knows what will be.. Soon will start to open wild pears, wild apples and wild cherries aaand madness to start..

 

[Nannysbees]

I put the varroa board in for 24 hours out of curiosity - if they've dropped this much pollen through the OMF then it goes to show just how much is coming in! Also my first time trying pollen and it's surprisingly tasty

View attachment 30998

Yep I bought a jar and I really like it

 

[Nannysbees]

Panic this morning as I walked down the path I thought a hive was upturned, when I got closer I realised the insulation had fallen on the floor, we took it off yesterday to replace the mouse guards with blocks, what a relief!! It's it time to remove the insulation yet or leave it in for a bit longer?

 

[JamezF]

Might be sensible to leave it a little longer if the night-time temperatures are still getting close to freezing.

James

 

[Swarm]

Panic this morning as I walked down the path I thought a hive was upturned, when I got closer I realised the insulation had fallen on the floor, we took it off yesterday to replace the mouse guards with blocks, what a relief!! It's it time to remove the insulation yet or leave it in for a bit longer?

In Barrybados?

 

[Nannysbees]

In Barrybados?

Yes

 

[Nannysbees]

Might be sensible to leave it a little longer if the night-time temperatures are still getting close to freezing.

James

Ok thank you

 

[Fusion_power]

Will bees use honey stores to build comb?

Not really, but a swarm will use honey brought from the parent colony to draw comb. Otherwise, bees draw comb only when incoming nectar exceeds daily needs. Even then they will draw minimal comb until they have a severe shortage of storage space.

 

[Swn58]

We still haven't inspected, desperate but going to be patient

No full inspection with the Sandwell Bees today. It was reasonably warm, with a lot activity, pollen going in etc., but still with a cool breeze. I had a look, but did not lift frames. They had almost finished their last fondant so I gave them half a kilo each. I fitted queen excluders on two hives and started the first varroa treatment (Apilife Var) on all of them. Off to my other bees in South Birmingham tomorrow, then down to the farm on Thursday.
Busy busy busy!

 

[The Poot]

Checked my failing colony today as temperatures were well up. No sign of a queen, several patches of stores, no bees with their heads in the cells, but dead bees on the comb, a small pile on the floor and a small number mooching about.
This colony had a zero varroa drop when Winter vaping.
Very damp in the hive, (Abelo poly brood and super), mouldy comb, two short wax moth trails, a queen wasp and slugs.
Altogether a bleak picture.
I shook out the survivors, moved the hive across the garden and closed it up.
It looks to me like a queen failure following a supercedure in late September.
This is only my second Winter loss, so I shouldn’t feel as miserable about it as I do I suppose.

 

[Swn58]

Me too.

SimonTBK must wonder what I do with mine. I think I bought about six last year and have still been found 'wanting!' What happens is that I put one down.....wander off ...get distracted....then it's LOST.
A change of cycle bags and rucksacks late last year revealed four hive-tools....then I 'found' some more! I now have at least one in every bag I carry and two at every Apiary. As for gloves.....don't talk to me about gloves!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Lifted some roofs to look at the clusters. Found one queen wasp asleep under one. Put her back gently.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Found one queen wasp asleep under one. Put her back gently.

yes, I found one under a hive roof at the range on Sunday - I left her alone as well