What did you do in the Apiary today?

[OXFORDBEE]

A bit to do if the weather remains good.

 

[Curly green finger's]

A bit to do if the weather remains good. View attachment 36337

Bloody osr honey I hope your keeping well mate.

 

[Garry R]

Any particular properties of hawthorn honey you need to know about as regards extraction and crystalllization?

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Eating spinach and doing lots of press-ups!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Eating spinach and doing lots of press-ups!

Fit as a fiddle then , you will be after moving those boxes

 

[Newbeeneil]

Today I'm extracting honey from 3 apiaries which were all within a mile of OSR just in case! Only 12 supers and 2 brood boxes thank goodness.
I think I'm going to have to keep Fridays as extraction days as just about all of my apiaries have run out of supers.

 

[Erichalfbee]

you can always tell when the May blossom is coming to an end - you will notice the flowers on that particular bush tend to take on a pinkish hue.

There are one or two here that turn really pink. There seems to be a few different kinds with slightly different blooming times and blossom appearance

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've been watching them here turning from white to pink - when you go and examine them closely you can see the fruit has set and the anthers and filaments are reddening/browning giving that pinkish hue from a distance

 

[Cuckmere couple]

I've been watching them here turning from white to pink - when you go and examine them closely you can see the fruit has set and the anthers and filaments are reddening/browning giving that pinkish hue from a distance

i notice that hawthorn turns pink as it finishes

 

[Moobee]

There are one or two here that turn really pink. There seems to be a few different kinds with slightly different blooming times and blossom appearance

Ditto here too

 

[Moobee]

Nipped over to the out apiaries earlier this week and was surprised to find a split I had done only the week before was already bursting out of the nuc so that’s now in a hive. Second split, exactly the same so back home today making up more brood boxes and frames.
While I was out, I got a call to a swarm back at one of the out apiaries. They had settled on a low bush and knocked most of them in but a good few wouldn’t abandon the stem so as I had some air freshener with me, gave them a quick burst and they all flew up and settled in the nuc quite quickly.
Checked on them yesterday as had left the entrance in QX mode to stop them absconding (pretty sure it’s a virgin as they swarmed from the same shed about 12 days ago) and they were lovely and busy so gave them a proper entrance for VQ to go on mating flights.

 

[W0otz]

Inspected a hive where I released the virgins 13 days ago. No eggs yet. Found the new queen wandering around, still small and virgin-looking and with a chunk torn out of 1 wing (definitely damage rather than DWV). I'm hoping it's mating flight damage and she'll come into lay in the next few days as I'm not sure how well she'll be able to fly. If it's virgin-fight-to-the-death damage then I suspect she'll turn drone layer. Decided to mark her - if she is mated, job done. If she's not mated and turns drone layer she'll be easier to find and deal with.

If it wasn't for the damaged wing I'd give her longer, but if there's no sign of brood by next weekend I'll order a replacement.

 

[Wilco]

Checked most colonies and ran a 1:1 beekeeping experience. Spotted the queen, a minute later decided to swap a frame out from the opposite end of the hive to swap in some brood and give them a boost. Removed an empty frame, gave it a shake above the hive and the person having the experience said 'that was the queen'. Groan. I didn't see her and have no idea how she could have got to the far end of the hive so fast so I'm hoping I shook her back in.

At final apiary all colonies have turned grumpy. Can't quite understand it as they were like lambs in the back garden here. At least the prime swarm from 2 weeks ago has drawn a deep of frames and filled a shallow!

 

[Nannysbees]

I don't think I'll ever get tired of extracting.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I don't think I'll ever get tired of extracting.

I thought that. I hate it now.
I like making frames, though

 

[Parsonage Bees]

I thought that. I hate it now.
I like making frames, though

No. Not fond of either extracting or frame making. Made 3 boxes of frames this afternoon.
Why exactly do I keep bees?

 

[Curly green finger's]

No. Not fond of either extracting or frame making. Made 3 boxes of frames this afternoon.
Why exactly do I keep bees?

Because it’s better than drinking in the pub on a sunny Friday afternoon.
200 frames left to make for me

 

[Erichalfbee]

Because it’s better than drinking in the pub on a sunny Friday afternoon.

Hmmm let me think about that

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Because it’s better than drinking in the pub on a sunny Friday afternoon.

Oh, hang on. If I had friends . . . ..

 

[Curly green finger's]

Oh, hang on. If I had friends . . . ..

Ha ha beekeepers don’t have friends they are over rated saying that beekeeper friends would still be in the pub at 2 am talking about bees even if we couldn’t understand one another?