What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Newbeeneil]

ah that specialist gentleman's reading material

“Anything for the weekend sir?”

 

[enrico]

Boiling hot and sunny yesterday, combined a swarm that has been slow with an iffy queen with a nicer hive, having removed the iffy queen of course. Down to a manageable four hives for winter now. Weighed al the hives, and happy with weights. The rest is up to them now

 

[Do224]

Boiling hot and sunny yesterday, combined a swarm that has been slow with an iffy queen with a nicer hive, having removed the iffy queen of course. Down to a manageable four hives for winter now. Weighed al the hives, and happy with weights. The rest is up to them now

What were your weights. I think most of mine are ok but it’s useful to hear comparisons. I use the ‘tilt one side and double it’ method. Minus the weight of the hive and frames/bees.

My stores are;
Hive 1: 16kg
Hive 2: 17kg
Hive 3: 18kg
Hive 4: 7.5kg…can’t get this one to take more syrup so I’ll just put fondant on, insulate well and hope for the best…

 

[enrico]

What were your weights. I think most of mine are ok but it’s useful to hear comparisons. I use the ‘tilt one side and double it’ method. Minus the weight of the hive and frames/bees.

My stores are;
Hive 1: 16kg
Hive 2: 17kg
Hive 3: 18kg
Hive 4: 7.5kg…can’t get this one to take more syrup so I’ll just put fondant on, insulate well and hope for the best…

Trouble us I use a different method. I take the roof off. Mine are all brood and a half and I weight the back only. Don't do any other calculations and mine weigh 15kg each. So that is half the total weight plus all the boxes and bees. I just find it easier to do the one calculation

 

[Erichalfbee]

What were your weights. I think most of mine are ok but it’s useful to hear comparisons. I use the ‘tilt one side and double it’ method. Minus the weight of the hive and frames/bees.

My stores are;
Hive 1: 16kg
Hive 2: 17kg
Hive 3: 18kg
Hive 4: 7.5kg…can’t get this one to take more syrup so I’ll just put fondant on, insulate well and hope for the best…

You’re aiming for 18…..ish kg
Bees in poly usually eat less

 

[BeeBird]

At last, yesterday the Ivy started to bloom here in the northern Lake District. Thankfully we have a couple of days of better weather forecast this coming week and the bee’s have started to take advantage .
View attachment IMG_2664.mov

 

[Newbeeneil]

Trouble us I use a different method. I take the roof off. Mine are all brood and a half and I weight the back only. Don't do any other calculations and mine weigh 15kg each. So that is half the total weight plus all the boxes and bees. I just find it easier to do the one calculation

Different method here as well, I take the roof off my single BB hives, if I can lift it with 1 finger it’s too light, 2 fingers - getting there, 3 fingers it is good for the winter and if I can’t lift it with 3 fingers I consider it “nailed down” and nothing to worry about there until spring.
When they get to 3 fingers I put a takeaway container full of fondant above the crownboard within PIR insulation and keep an eye on it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

last round of topping up feeders - all hives ae approaching the screwed down with a sack of spuds on top for luck stage.
dropped the annual honey rent off at my cousin's farm

 

[E&MBees]

Shook out a q- nuc. Added the frames of stores to the daughter’s hive. Good weather today so hopefully the remaining bees will have a chance beg admittance to the other hives.
All colonies working the ivy very hard. Hive weights increasing nicely. Hefting three fingers now.
Saw another European hornet hovering outside the q- nuc

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

just wandered up the garden to shut the chickens in, the heady smell of ivy nectar hit me from yards away from the apiary, had a quick scoot up there and the aircon units are going full belt, no more topping up of feeders - probably plan to spend next weekend taking feeders off and washing them before stacking away until next year.

 

[Erichalfbee]

just wandered up the garden to shut the chickens in, the heady smell of ivy nectar hit me from yards away from the apiary, had a quick scoot up there and the aircon units are going full belt, no more topping up of feeders - probably plan to spend next weekend taking feeders off and washing them before stacking away until next year.

Yes just done mine.

 

[OH honey]

decided to brave the constant drizzle and popped up the range to feed the hives up there - haven't been there since a week ago last Tuesday and tomorrow is a shooting day so grasped the nettle (apt phrase really). Usually I can risk feeding without the bees taking much notice but as the bees up there tend to be a bit more 'in your face' I decided to put a suit on. Hive number one was fine but hive #2 (again, that particular stand!!) tumbled out looking for a fight, and like a row of dominoes, every other hive followed suit. Even in the rain, the apiary was full of bees spoiling for a fight.

After oa treatments i combined 2 of my 3 hives. All 3 Q of the hives were young and laying, so I didn't remove a Q, used paper to separate. All 3 took a brood break after treatment. After combining I can't find either Q and the hive is as arsey as you like, as you say, constantly spoiling for a fight. The other Q has started laying again and hive is very calm.
Could I have killed both Q in the combined hives through treating then combining, leaving a big angry hopelessly queenless hive?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

After oa treatments i combined 2 of my 3 hives. All 3 Q of the hives were young and laying, so I didn't remove a Q, used paper to separate. All 3 took a brood break after treatment. After combining I can't find either Q and the hive is as arsey as you like, as you say, constantly spoiling for a fight. The other Q has started laying again and hive is very calm.
Could I have killed both Q in the combined hives through treating then combining, leaving a big angry hopelessly queenless hive?

let me get this right - you united two queenright hives and let them decide which queen they wanted to keep? I think it's just the time of year when colonies get stroppy for no reason. to be honest I stopped inspecting way back in August

 

[Moobee]

Checked the possibly queenless nuc - couldn't find a queen or see any eggs but lots of polished cells and pollen gathering and some drones (!) so will give them one more week and if nothing happening they'll get combined with another hive and the stores redistributed.
Found the queen in another nuc that I wanted to double check as hadn't seen her since August - all looking good with 3 frames of capped brood.
All other hives & nucs are a good weight but need to spend some time these week getting fondant trays ready as belt and braces if weather turns suddenly.
There's a steady stream of bees across the garden to the flowering ivy which was smothered in Red Admirals yesterday.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

couldn't find a queen or see any eggs but lots of polished cells and pollen gathering and some drones (!) so will give them one more week and if nothing happening they'll get combined with another hive

safer and easier to just shake them out.

 

[OH honey]

let me get this right - you united two queenright hives and let them decide which queen they wanted to keep? I think it's just the time of year when colonies get stroppy for no reason. to be honest I stopped inspecting way back in August

yes thats right. The 3rd hive ( with Q i overwintered last year and is source of the other Queens) is doing very well, very calm and laying again (its so warm I had a peek). Hope its just time of year.

 

[Moobee]

safer and easier to just shake them out.

Will do JBM

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Last check before winter of a bought-in queen introduced over 3 weeks ago. Tidy patches of brood across 5 frames. But they've created a capped QC! Removed. If they are determined to replace her I can't keep checking. They have kicked out the drones though.

 

[The Poot]

Removed feeders as colonies now up to weight and ivy is finally in full swing. All bees very well behaved.

 

[gregior]

Transferred a couple of nuc's in wooden boxes to new poly nucs from the paynes sale for winter. One of them had the original queen and a new Q/virgin on the same frame,there was fresh brood so i left them to it. Very good ivy pollen and nectar flow on which has stimulated the queens to start laying again as many have been on a brood break recently.
I still have some supers to take off but they just aren't capping them atall. Will take them off tomorrow regardless and leave them with my dehumidifier for a few days then extract.
All have fairly decent amounts of stores but are a bit lighter than i'd like but should be OK.
Most hives still have plenty of drones and one even had drone brood which I forked out and was completely Varroa free!