What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Parsonage Bees]

Could be. This Hackney Citizen article suggests they're not far away, and we have three big bird havens - Hackney Marshes, Woodberry, Wetlands, Walthamstow Wetlands - all within a couple of miles of the church. I'll get a better photo of the wings.

Moorhen?

 

[ericbeaumont]

Moorhen?

Bloody big moorhen! I'll measure them.

 

[Nannysbees]

All five hives flying today, weather a bit milder

 

[E&MBees]

Went up to check the Clapton church roof bees after the storm; found all in order plus this dead bird carcass. What is it and what could have eaten the good parts? There are peregrines nesting on a tower block less than a mile away.

View attachment 38719View attachment 38720

The Peregrines that nest on St John’s in Bath sometimes leave remains like the above. They tend to hunt pigeon. We were lucky enough to have a juvenile land in the garden one year after it had killed a pigeon. Not much was left once it had finished.

 

[robinharman]

Ran round a few of my farm sites this morning to check weight and any storm damage. All good other than one small and light colony that I quickly moved to a nuc and gave fondant.
Missed my lady farmer, who later rang me and said she not only had payment for £400 worth of honey for me but also some venison. Oh well, will collect in a couple of weeks.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Clapton is God - Wikipedia

Far from a godly place: until recently Lower Clapton was known as Murder Mile, given the number of drug mafia incidents. They would not only do over shop-owners and so on, but shoot rivals sitting in traffic.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I Lived in Clapton till I was two....I guess it's changed a bit in 71 years

 

[Nannysbees]

The Peregrines that nest on St John’s in Bath sometimes leave remains like the above. They tend to hunt pigeon. We were lucky enough to have a juvenile land in the garden one year after it had killed a pigeon. Not much was left once it had finished.

Could do with a peregrine around here for the blinking pigeons and a relentless grey squirrel that keeps damaging my bird feeders!!!!

 

[ericbeaumont]

I Lived in Clapton till I was two....I guess it's changed a bit in 71 years

Backwater until the 90s, then the gentry crept in to colonise; nowadays, like much of Hackney, looks similar to moneyed Fulham.

Claim to beekeeping fame: Asian hornet nest found in a street tree last year.

 

[Garry R]

Checked all hives for stores and fondant - quite warm and all flying. Particularly pleased by a weak nuc in the autumn which seems pretty lively now they have broken cluster.

 

[Garry R]

Had a thought about my visit to the apiary yesterday. In a row of four hives all facing the same way so identical angles to the sun and about 4feet apart. Three were flying strongly - temperature was about 12C. When checking the fondant levels all had plenty left and each of the colonies had 5/6 frames covered in bees so I would reckon similar strengths. Hive type (poly), floors OMF, and roof insulation identical. I like several characteristics in my bees one of which is an "Up early, work late" trait in the summer I wonder if the colonies flying yesterday were displaying this property. in advance. I will certainly see and check whether this follows through into the summer. Any thoughts?

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Lots of bees flying in sunshine (apricity!) today but in 10°C they were all from hives with entrances facing south.

 

[The Poot]

Had a thought about my visit to the apiary yesterday. In a row of four hives all facing the same way so identical angles to the sun and about 4feet apart. Three were flying strongly - temperature was about 12C. When checking the fondant levels all had plenty left and each of the colonies had 5/6 frames covered in bees so I would reckon similar strengths. Hive type (poly), floors OMF, and roof insulation identical. I like several characteristics in my bees one of which is an "Up early, work late" trait in the summer I wonder if the colonies flying yesterday were displaying this property. in advance. I will certainly see and check whether this follows through into the summer. Any thoughts?

Any concerns about the fourth one, not flying strongly?
I find, with my hives situated like yours, they tend to differ a lot!

 

[Garry R]

n Any concerns about the fourth one, not flying strongly?
I find, with my hives situated like yours, they tend to differ a lot!

No concerns - plenty of bees to fly if they wanted to Just clustering where the others had broken cluster. Fondant levels all the sa,me - almost untouhed and no extra put on yesterday. It was just of interest so will keep an eye on then to see the future behaviour.

 

[drex]

Discovered a dead out a few weeks ago. Today I was relieved to see my 2 remaining colonies flying strongly. Orientation flights, and also cleansing flights, as evidenced by the spots on my jacket

 

[ericbeaumont]

work late" trait in the summer

Risky at this time of year when the sun and the temp. can drop suddenly. I saw live bees scattered around some hives, clearly caught out when a chill appeared.

 

[ericbeaumont]

upper side not just the underside please

Got up there today and found a serial killer had been at work: 8 carcasses, two or three are clearly gulls, but one with brownish wing colouring, and the black wings from last week.

First three photos of the bird from last week:



Then a few more, inc. several gulls:

 

[Vanterrier]

Wow! Busy killer eh?
My money is still on a Magpie for last week. The fourth pic looks like a female pheasant and the grey one is a gull as you say. Big birds for the raptor to kill and carry up there...
K

 

[ericbeaumont]

carry up there

The church roof is at big tree top height; would the predator pick from the trees or roof and avoid swooping to the ground, where walk those scary giant vertical mammals talking into their hands, and the growling animals with four round feet?

Tree height:



Bonus photo inside the roof; I was told that if anything drops it will go through the plaster ceiling onto the congregation 60 feet below. You can just see some of the plaster at the bottom, between the steels.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Added a super of honey to a colony yesterday rather than feeding fondant reasons ? big colony on single brood and this colony have been like this since I got them down of the heather .