What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Erichalfbee]

Running out of kit!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Same here I need to make for boxes and frames!
Here’s one of the 2x 5 frame nucs

 

[Do224]

Running out of kit!

View attachment 36273

How do you end up with a configuration like that? Presume it started as a demaree with bb, super, super, bb…

 

[Erichalfbee]

How do you end up with a configuration like that? Presume it started as a demaree with bb, super, super, bb…

Yes. They are packing the honey into the top brood which is a nuisance as I’m still rolling it so I gave them a super of foundation between boxes
Broods are 14x12
There’s honey in the top two supers as well.
Queen is from BS. Never had a bad one.

 

[alancooper]

It’s also easier grafting that is cutting out cells isn’t Fun on big colony’s .

It’s also easier grafting that is cutting out cells isn’t Fun on big colony’s .

For sure it is.

 

[gregior]

Added supers .. lots and lots of supers.

 

[drex]

Recently moved from Essex to Devon. My bees were very slow to get going. Partly the weather and because there is just so much pasture land here, with few flowers in sight. However they have now got the hang of it, all on double brood and 2 supers. I won't miss the OSR.
What a relief

 

[Newbeeneil]

Running out of kit!

View attachment 36273

Same here, I’m almost on my last supers and brood boxes and have had to order another 10 supers for one of my clients and 2 for another! It’s likely to be the biggest spring harvest I’ve ever had.

 

[Moobee]

Busy gardening & the OH said ‘one of your hives is going a bit mad…’
Ran round to the hives to see them disappearing over the fence into next doors garden, settling in a tree. Neighbour then calls - ‘think your bees are swarming’ me: ‘yep, seen them, I’ll pop round’.
Easily knocked them into a nuc to pick up later.
But…. I’m bemused as this hive was making swarm preparations (charged play cups) on 2nd. I put the queen in a nuc with brood & bees & knocked down the cups as was off in hols.
Inspected on 10th - multiple sealed QCs. Made up a 2 x 3 frame nuc with a couple of nice ones, kept the best one in the hive (marked frame with a pin) & left them to it.
11 days later, they’ve swarmed. Timing doesn’t seem right?
So what did I miss?

 

[W0otz]

kept the best one in the hive (marked frame with a pin) & left them to it.

So what did I miss?

A second queen cell!

 

[Moobee]

A second queen cell!

LOL 100% certain I found all of them…..

 

[JamezF]

LOL 100% certain I found all of them…..

Definitely a second queen cell then

James

 

[StephenT]

Did second stage of nucleus method and hopefully left just one selected QC. Without my wife to double check the frames, I do worry. Stuck a 4th super on the hive as well as the 3rd seemed about half full. That‘s all our 12 drawn supers deployed on 3 hives now. Extracting next weekend. Checked another hive that was a reassembled Demaree after we found a new mated queen in the top box a few days ago (Nuc’d the old one). Couldn’t see the queen but saw eggs and no QC’s so all seems well.

 

[E&MBees]

Very busy afternoon. Added supers and reduced qc’s to one in a couple of splits I did last week. Got too hot and made myself sick. Must remember to take a drink next time.

 

[Erichalfbee]

LOL 100% certain I found all of them…..

Did you shake all the bees off the frames when you were looking for queen cells?

 

[The Poot]

Very busy afternoon. Added supers and reduced qc’s to one in a couple of splits I did last week. Got too hot and made myself sick. Must remember to take a drink next time.

I beek I know ended up in hospital, chronically dehydrated and was out of action for over week. Drinking is really important.

 

[W0otz]

Drinking is really important.

That's what the mead is for!

 

[Parsonage Bees]

I beek I know ended up in hospital, chronically dehydrated and was out of action for over week. Drinking is really important.

Very busy afternoon. Added supers and reduced qc’s to one in a couple of splits I did last week. Got too hot and made myself sick. Must remember to take a drink next time.

Took a swig of water between hives through me veil yesterday. Flavoured with perspiration and snot. Glad I did. There was a bee floating around in the bottle.

 

[The Poot]

Took a swig of water between hives through me veil yesterday. Flavoured with perspiration and snot. Glad I did. There was a bee floating around in the bottle.

Sounds nice.

 

[Moobee]

Did you shake all the bees off the frames when you were looking for queen cells?

Yep!! Can’t figure out what they did. The only think I can think is that the frame with the QC on had another tucked away somewhere. I thought you weren’t supposed to shake the frame with the QC you are keeping so brushed off as many bees as I could.
At least I managed to get them & they’re now hived in the out apiary which is currently growing exponentially!