What did you do in the Apiary today?

[The Poot]

Inspected today as temperatures climbed to 14c by 2:30. I decided not to use queen excluder on this colony....
Three frames of brood and eggs in the super.
Eight empty play cups along the bottom of the super.
Seven frames of brood in the brood box, no queen cells.
Bees very nice temperament - MUCH improved since last week, when I took their sugar syrup frames away.

 

[TomH]

How are you finding no queen excluder? I run most of mine the same way too. I think once they've got an arc of honey across the top of the brood nest, they seem reluctant to take the queen past it anyway.

 

[The Poot]

How are you finding no queen excluder? I run most of mine the same way too. I think once they've got an arc of honey across the top of the brood nest, they seem reluctant to take the queen past it anyway.

This will be the first year for a while of no qx - I was a little distressed last year at drones getting stuck and dying in the mesh - they were trying to move UP into the supers for food. I understand that once the honey arc is in place she will be in the brood box. I started using excluders when I had one colony that effectively maintained a chimney nest right through the season! Grrrr!

 

[Moobee]

Checked on the nuc I set up earlier in the week after finding charge QCs in one hive. Also forgot to strap it up, so......
Love it when you lift the lid and they're all staring up at you as if to say "what do you want?"

 

[BugsInABox]

to say "what do you want?"

Or 'I dare you'.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Checked on the nuc I set up earlier in the week after finding charge QCs in one hive. Also forgot to strap it up, so......
Love it when you lift the lid and they're all staring up at you as if to say "what do you want?"

View attachment 31664

Love that.
I have a row of those at the top entrance of a Bailey.

 

[pargyle]

Quick look at all mine this evening ... each of them have a super on (no queen excluders) ... all the supers half full of brood, some play cups on the bottom bars and a goodly amount of drone comb .... only looked through the supers as it was late and a bit chilly. The signs are there for swarming though and over the weekend I'll be having a look in the brood boxes.

Quite a few frames filled with nectar - some of it already capped - and arcs of honey above the brood in the supers. With the amount of horse chestnut in blossom around me and the sycamores just starting I rather hope that there will be a spring crop this year although the chilly weather for the last day or so is not helping ... they are all big colonies and will be eating it and not storing it.

Looking good though ....

 

[Wilco]

Got through most of mine in the last two days. Made a few nucs as a few trying to swarm (glad I've got all those new nuc boxes finished!). Was pleased yesterday as I was fortunate in one hive to get the queen in time as the cells were capped. Sadly my first queen has swarmed- really miffed at myself as she was in a Demarree which I didn't check last week due to school holidays. However, they've made a silly number of cells so I'm attempting to get four queens from them. Hated doing it but I must have taken down at least 10-15 other QCs. One nuc I've left several sealed cells and will put some press in QC cages (homemade) over the individual QCs tomorrow to keep them contained on emergence then hopefully have a bunch of virgins from them. It works but is a bit of a faff. I've also decided to clip queens. Really don't like doing it but not happy with losing swarms- from a public perspective as much as a losing good queens perspective.

Oh, and apparently I now keep ants too...
View attachment 20220429_122854.mp4

 

[Somerford]

A good day

checked 37 colonies, made 3 nucs up. Most still not wanting to swarm yet but caught two hives just in time and they are on 7 day inspections too

clipped and marked 6 queens that had proven elusive thus far and popped a fair number of additional supers on.

the weather has cooled off a chilly 9 degrees right now but staying around 16 for the next 4 days then up to 18/19 mid week next week.

tomorrow is more Nuc making - got 25 buckfasts arriving courtesy of Murray and then another 10 every week from next Friday on top of my own queen rearing

busy busy
KR
Somerford

 

[Somerford]

Bad day. Inspected all 4 colonies which were doing fine. On the second I caught and re-marked the queen but then made a schoolboy error in not drawing down the sponge in the one-handed catcher before opening the excluder. Rolled the queen and she didn't make it.

First accidental regicide for me and, although there is loads of BIAS and I know they'll generate emergency cells, still feel pretty rotten. I had been considering moving this hive up from national to 14x12 in a week or two but guess this will take a good while longer now.

Do most of you leave 2 charged cells or get rid of all bar one?

As a learning for next time get used to clipping and marking drones using nitrile gloves fingers and get rid of the contraption ! That’s my best advice
S

 

[Moobee]

Got through most of mine in the last two days. Made a few nucs as a few trying to swarm (glad I've got all those new nuc boxes finished!). Was pleased yesterday as I was fortunate in one hive to get the queen in time as the cells were capped. Sadly my first queen has swarmed- really miffed at myself as she was in a Demarree which I didn't check last week due to school holidays. However, they've made a silly number of cells so I'm attempting to get four queens from them. Hated doing it but I must have taken down at least 10-15 other QCs. One nuc I've left several sealed cells and will put some press in QC cages (homemade) over the individual QCs tomorrow to keep them contained on emergence then hopefully have a bunch of virgins from them. It works but is a bit of a faff. I've also decided to clip queens. Really don't like doing it but not happy with losing swarms- from a public perspective as much as a losing good queens perspective.

Oh, and apparently I now keep ants too...
View attachment 31668

I debated with myself for ages about clipping my queens but I currently have the hives in the garden so not keen on explaining to a neighbour that my bees are in their soffits/cladding/chimney etc!

 

[Nannysbees]

I debated with myself for ages about clipping my queens but I currently have the hives in the garden so not keen on explaining to a neighbour that my bees are in their soffits/cladding/chimney etc!

I know, I agree, still a bit scared in case I do some damage, but I will soon,as you say I don't want to upset our neighbours, as up to now they have been incredibly supportive

 

[OldFarm]

I've been building nuc boxes for swarm control. Suspect this is going to be a bumper year for swarming.

 

[OldFarm]

It's always a gamble requeening a strong nasty hive, more often than not they will kill your new queen unless you take a few steps to reduce the risk and give your new queen better chances. Other issues is all mated queens atm are imported and likely to be buckies or carnies. Good luck with it, let us know how you get on.

Yes, good points. Had that happen before.

On second inspection they were calmer (a bit of a surprise) and they had started swarm preps, so I'm slipping them a frame with eggs from a much calmer hive and will be letting them re-queen themselves.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Got through most of mine in the last two days. Made a few nucs as a few trying to swarm (glad I've got all those new nuc boxes finished!). Was pleased yesterday as I was fortunate in one hive to get the queen in time as the cells were capped. Sadly my first queen has swarmed- really miffed at myself as she was in a Demarree which I didn't check last week due to school holidays. However, they've made a silly number of cells so I'm attempting to get four queens from them. Hated doing it but I must have taken down at least 10-15 other QCs. One nuc I've left several sealed cells and will put some press in QC cages (homemade) over the individual QCs tomorrow to keep them contained on emergence then hopefully have a bunch of virgins from them. It works but is a bit of a faff. I've also decided to clip queens. Really don't like doing it but not happy with losing swarms- from a public perspective as much as a losing good queens perspective.

Oh, and apparently I now keep ants too...
View attachment 31668

I often have ants keeping eggs above the crown ard too. It's amazing how quickly they remove them

 

[elainemary]

Full on day after 2 weeks off. Swarm control on 3 colonies, fortunately queens still there despite sealed cells. Found a couple of virgins in one hive that had 2 emerged cells, just in the nick of time. Queens in Nucs.

Bailey comb change on another colony
Someone was asking about Bailey comb change for WBCs this week but can’t find the post, so putting up some pics I took today, as wanted to help

I too struggled with various ‘heath robinson’ attempts in my first 2 or 3 seasons but now have a method for WBCs and have crackled it!

Basically just need a large eke and make a Bailey board that’s large to straddle the lifts.

I’m moving from DN4s to 5s and the hive I did the comb change on today, had 5 or 6 old DN4s left, so thought quickest solution was a Bailey change

So here’s what I do:
-place the eke on the first lift to match the height of the first brood box with old combs
-add the larger Bailey board (made by a ‘handy’ friend) with cheap timber and an entrance gouged out. Used a stack of cheap Smith excluders I bought at an auction for a £1. Entrance is positioned above the excluder (so pollen doesn’t get knocked off flyers)
-add the second brood box on top of the board with queen and drawn comb / foundation
-build up the lifts, queen excluder and supers
-close bottom entrance & add a plank or bits of wood lying around (heath robinson style!). This helps the flyers find the top entrance
-strap up and leave them to it. By the time I left my friend’s large garden they’d just about reoriented

I like to check the bottom box after a week as sometimes you get the odd queen cell (supersedure type). Within 3 weeks all brood is emerged and can add a second brood box if needed & dispose of old comb

 

[Erichalfbee]

One colony with a nicely placed supersedure cell. Left alone. Queen us in her fourth year and still laying but not well
Another huge colony has overwintered on a solid floor. Huge numbers of bees, filling their third super with dandelion honey, wall to wall brood with a queen still laying like a train. Found another single supersedure cell but thus time I lost my nerve and nuc’d the queen

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’m moving from DN4s to 5s and the hive I did the comb change on today, had 5 or 6 old DN4s left, so thought quickest solution was a Bailey change

Why do you need a Bailey to change from 4s to 5s? It’s only top bar width. The rest of the frame is the same

 

[enrico]

My first swarm from my hives this year. I was working my way through them when I realised the noise level had gone up behind me. Sure enough they were all piling out of a hive. Luckily into a low bush and now safely boxed and back in the apiary! Bless em!
E

 

[elainemary]

Why do you need a Bailey to change from 4s to 5s? It’s only top bar width. The rest of the frame is the same

Because the 4s are over 3 years old and dark. Hard to move out gradually when hive is in full swing. Prefer 5s as less brace comb. Like you’ve observed a real pong of dandelion coming in.