What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Curly green finger's]

Was that a colony with an open hole in the crownboard then ? Bees like a bit of polystyrene to chew on ...

Chewed through a double layer of tape
There buggers Philip as you know had to repair a few nuc poly feeders because they’ve chewed a hole into the feeder , that must of taken some time.

 

[pargyle]

Chewed through a double layer of tape
There buggers Philip as you know had to repair a few nuc poly feeders because they’ve chewed a hole into the feeder , that must of taken some time.

The only thing they seem incapable of chewing up is aluminium foil tape. ...I had a poly brood box with some frames of stores in it - totally sealed up in the apiary this summer ... and they managed to nibble a hole big enough for a bee to get through (and the occasional wasp) just above the entrance block. By the time I spotted what was going on they had stripped what little stores were left in the frames. Put a stop to it with a piece of aluminium tape.

 

[jimmiestan]

I’ve bee vaping today and condensing colonys to I saw a few wasps in poly feeders.
Condensed colony View attachment 37793View attachment 37794

May I ask please why are some keepers vaping when colonies are presumably with brood? We still have plenty brood "up here".

 

[Erichalfbee]

May I ask please why are some keepers vaping when colonies are presumably with brood? We still have plenty brood "up here".

Because OAV is not just for broodless colonies, though that’s where it’s most successful
Standard autumn treatment for those of us who vape.
Four shots at five day intervals gets the mites.

 

[Curly green finger's]

May I ask please why are some keepers vaping when colonies are presumably with brood? We still have plenty brood "up here".

I use oa vape as my autumn treatment , I also vape through out the season setting heather colony’s up/ using the vape to do an excelerated mite count instead of sugar roll or alcohol washes.
Sept/ October 3/4 vapes @ 5 day intervals to cover a brood cycle .

Winter single vape between dec and early jan to vape when they are hopefully broodless .

 

[jimmiestan]

That's good advice, thanks. We have apivar strips in just now, for another week or so, and will vape [per David Evans the shark] early December. Unless I'm as confused as I often am......

 

[Murox]

That's good advice, thanks. We have apivar strips in just now, for another week or so, and will vape [per David Evans the shark] early December. Unless I'm as confused as I often am......

A single vape at a Broodless period will kill 99% of varroa.

 

[Do224]

Picked up a chest freezer from the local auction for £60 today. Really chuffed to have somewhere to store my drawn comb after battling with wax moth for the past two winters. I’ll probably just turn it on for a few days when any new frames are put in and hopefully that should kill any (the rubber seal should prevent any further moths from getting in)

Starting to feel like my beekeeping gear is getting organised!

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Completed process of introducing a couple of bought-in queens which arrived mid-September. One success (lying for 2 weeks), one failure (reintroduced old queen from nuc).

 

[Do224]

Inspect in the shed, and have a slightly open window for them to get out.
lyes, an entrance through the wall. It was seeing the old Bee sheds that gave me the idea.

Did you ever do this in the end? How’d it go?

 

[plain_hunt]

Did you ever do this in the end? How’d it go?

Not done it yet. Need to move some soil in the garden first. But aiming on having them here by the spring.

 

[Wilco]

Not quite in the apiary but found out we've been granted internal funding to start up a small apiary on site at the university I work at. I'll be training staff and students, theory over the winter then practical sessions next season. Hopefully ties in with some research I'm peripherally involved with too as well as getting the students trained up and self sustaining as beekeepers. Very exciting.

Just need to work out if, should we buy in the sales, we can spend the approved amount but get more kit or whether we need to just buy the number of items specified in the application... Here's hoping!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not quite in the apiary but found out we've been granted internal funding to start up a small apiary on site at the university I work at. I'll be training staff and students, theory over the winter then practical sessions next season. Hopefully ties in with some research I'm peripherally involved with too as well as getting the students trained up and self sustaining as beekeepers. Very exciting.

Just need to work out if, should we buy in the sales, we can spend the approved amount but get more kit or whether we need to just buy the number of items specified in the application... Here's hoping!

Oh well done. Exciting times indeed. Keep us in the loop.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Not quite in the apiary but found out we've been granted internal funding to start up a small apiary on site at the university I work at. I'll be training staff and students, theory over the winter then practical sessions next season. Hopefully ties in with some research I'm peripherally involved with too as well as getting the students trained up and self sustaining as beekeepers. Very exciting.

Just need to work out if, should we buy in the sales, we can spend the approved amount but get more kit or whether we need to just buy the number of items specified in the application... Here's hoping!

If you are loking for a supplier of bees I know a local beek with a few nucs which are going to be over wintered at reasonable prices.

 

[Wilco]

If you are loking for a supplier of bees I know a local beek with a few nucs which are going to be over wintered at reasonable prices.

Me?

Might be in touch.

 

[Moobee]

Picked up a chest freezer from the local auction for £60 today. Really chuffed to have somewhere to store my drawn comb after battling with wax moth for the past two winters. I’ll probably just turn it on for a few days when any new frames are put in and hopefully that should kill any (the rubber seal should prevent any further moths from getting in)

Starting to feel like my beekeeping gear is getting organised!

View attachment 37803View attachment 37802

I’ve got the exact same freezer except there is food in the bottom & frames on top…..!
BTW, the blue IKEA shopping bags are the perfect size to fit frames in and drop into the main space & makes it much easier to get them in and out.

 

[Moobee]

I rather think the Met office are still sweating about missing the build up to the REAL storm of 15th October 1987 - which was a proper breeze ... Anything in Autumn that looks like it's building up in the Bay of Biscay and the met boys start getting excited and issuing strong wind warnings. We had a couple of hefty draughts here in the lee of the Isle of Wight and that was it - I don't think my bees even stopped flying !

Likewise! Out like gangbusters every day!

 

[Moobee]

Popped out to the garden to open the greenhouse vents & check on the bees and the ivy is definitely out. Covered in bees, bumbles and a lot of Red Admirals. Will keep checking as I believe it’s also AH’s favourite food.
View attachment IMG_3772.mov

 

[Erichalfbee]

The Ivy in the garden is buzzing so loudly you can hear it yards away. Flies, Butterflies, Bees…Honey and Bumble…and dozens of Hornets. The Hornets are using the hedge on the drive as a runway

 

[Erichalfbee]

New toy