What did you do in the Apiary today?

[JamezF]

Is that hungry or angry?

Both?

James

 

[gregior]

Is that hungry or angry?

It's both! Bees have moved most of the honey from the supers into the brood area had to feed all nucs as they're in danger of starving.

 

[Do224]

It's both! Bees have moved most of the honey from the supers into the brood area had to feed all nucs as they're in danger of starving.

Do they just naturally move it into the bb or do you put a crown board between and just allow a small access hole to encourage them to do it?

I’ve still got my supers on…there’s only two and I’m wondering if I should take them off and feed in case they start moving the honey down…

 

[gregior]

Do they just naturally move it into the bb or do you put a crown board between and just allow a small access hole to encourage them to do it?

I’ve still got my supers on…there’s only two and I’m wondering if I should take them off and feed in case they start moving the honey down…

They have moved it back down through the excluders and surrounded the brood nest. I'm leaving the supers on hoping for a miracle on the balsam.

 

[Moobee]

Interesting day, I have/had a nuc that housed the spawn of the devil…. They were little b****es and would fly up and sting if I so much as cracked the roof of their box!
Last Monday I went in and caged the queen then on Thursday I swapped the caged queen for a protected ripe queen cell.
I opened them up this evening to see if the queen had emerged to find wonderful calm ladies. I checked the cell and found the the virgin had emerged so put down the crown board without a single bee moving off the top bars!!!!!
Fingers crossed the sun comes out and she gets mated!

Think you are asking for a lot for the sun to come out!

 

[Newbeeneil]

Think you are asking for a lot for the sun to come out!

It’s out this morning and forecast is good so fingers crossed as I have about 10 virgins waiting to go out on mating flights.

 

[Nannysbees]

Donate to your BKA or make a nuc up for her.

Managed to find two lethargic live bees left in the bottom of the nuc box,popped them and her in a cage with fondant. Put a tint drop of syrup onto thr cage and immediately 3 little tongues came out. A lady came to pick them up a day later. I hope they survive
This was the clip before we found a few friends for her

 

[Murox]

Well I had hoped for a break in the winds and rain today. The wind has dropped off however the rain keeps on coming, I cant even see the horizon today the sea is grey, the low cloud is grey and walking outside is like being inside a cloud right now. I'm definitely a fairer weather beek I just don't want to lift the lids at all today.

 

[drex]

Moved 300 miles to Devon in March bringing 3 colonies with me.
Therefore unfamiliar with local forage patterns. Was concerned that bees were slow to get going in new home, but they picked up and galloped away during the warm sunny weather ( remember it?).
Colonies ended up with 4 supers. During the last month they have been slow to bring in nectar. Today I started to consolidate supers, moving fuller frames into one box and poor frames into another. First time I have had to use an out apiary. On next visit I will take modified crown boards with me, so they can rob honey out of the poor frames into the fuller frames. In East Anglia would normally be thinking about harvesting and treating. As I am now further south hoping that I can put my Apiguard on a bit later than before

 

[Nannysbees]

Bit windy but watched them for ages

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

First opportunity to get up to the range since the beginning of June (weather, work and show preparations) at that time I had just taken a nuc off a Demaree, one which had an emerging queen imminent and one that I thought had a newly mated queen in (no brood,eggs but polished cells) and two supersedures with newly emerged queens, I was pessimistic due to the inclement weather we've had, but the oldest nuc desperately needed to go into a full hive today, the one with the newly emerged queen is full of sealed worker brood and has been moved to another apiary and will be hived by the weekend, and the newest nuc has a newly mated queen with half a frame of sealed worker brood. Both supersedures are also doing fine.

 

[Moobee]

It’s out this morning and forecast is good so fingers crossed as I have about 10 virgins waiting to go out on mating flights.

Sun from late morning here. I have one VQ in a nuc waiting to go as well…..

 

[Moobee]

Finally found the elusive queen in the 6 frame nuc. No wonder she was hard to spot, very similar colour to the workers! Didn’t look at many brood boxes, just wanted to check the state of the supers and fit wasp guards to one of the out apiary hives.
Pleasantly surprised by the amount of honey although most was only partially capped & water % over 20. Removed some capped frames to extract but all hives left with plenty of stores given the hideous forecast for the next week.
Some very colourful pollen…. the bees have been crazy busy the last few days, wondering if there might be a field of phacelia nearby (blue pollen)?

 

[plain_hunt]

Checked all colonies yesterday, and was surprised at how much stores were left, I was expecting them to have eaten a lot more considering the rain we’ve had and the size of the colonies, there must have been more opportunities to fly than I realised!
Also I do have two new queens, just hope they can get mated, although I do still have quite a few drones around.

 

[plain_hunt]

Bit windy but watched them for ages

Is this red hot pokers? Mine are just coming out, so I’ll keep a watch on mine.

 

[Nannysbees]

Is this red hot pokers? Mine are just coming out, so I’ll keep a watch on mine.

Yes, my neighbours, very old plant, I've tried in my garden, but failed miserably

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Bit windy

Is this red hot pokers?

Usually works for bad wind - on a kill or cure basis

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Despite steady rain all morning, it faired up for a while at lunchtime. The respite brought the bees out and I noticed my coralberry bushes were heaving with bees around 2 pm. The evodia hupehensis has also finally opened it's flowers so if the bees are so quick off the mark between showers for the rest of the week I might get a worthwhile autumn harvest.

 

[Goran]

Not totally recovered from " supercell storm". But forced to manage crucial actions with bees for the moment. Last small extraction, had to leave more than extracted.. They survived horror, so need some real food.. About a week after storm they were extremely aggressive, now they calmed finally. Added fondant with nozevit, antivarroa treatment, checked some new queens and planning new round of qrearing.. There is some flow of goldenrod, which will additionally help colonies in their preparation for winter. There is a lot of brood for this time of year, not rarely " from wall to wall", so priority has to be cutting varroa numbers down and prevention of nosema..

 

[Murox]

Finally got into two hives, both double brood, enough stores but empty supers.not surprising given the last few weeks of weather.