What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Erichalfbee]

I have never done a Baily comb change

I have but only to move hive format and even then I wait til the first spring flow.

 

[hemo]

Are you doing changes now? Advice needed, I need to replace all brood comb in 2 Brood+Half colonies. Its absolutely black and so old that some of the tabs on the frames are starting to rot .
Both colonies still have plenty of stores in their super and no activity in the empty brood comb.
I've spent the last week scorching, repairing and repainting some floors, brood boxes and other assorted bits.
Is it possible that I could simply swap out the brood boxes with a new ones filled with undrawn comb? With ample stores are they able to start drawing comb when required, even though the temperature is near freezing at night? I'll be replacing floors, CB's, and roofs with the clean stuff. Thanks, this day has been a long time coming. Edit: Highland, only snowdrops blooming

No too soon to be opening, wait until temps rise in a month or two and colonie are foraging .
As a new beek it takes time to get in to a regular regime of producing excess clean combs for subsequent use.

 

[hemo]

I did bailey changes early on in my beekeeping when I had no clean brood comb, a thinking beek will use some broods as supers for nice clean drawn out combs (once the honey is extracted) to use in subsequent years for comb changing.

 

[Murox]

Drove uphill through several inches of slurry & mud and loose stone to check the hives at the farm apiary this afternoon. Despite the winds one colony was actually flying. A quick peek through plexiglass crowns revealed a happy sight in the others.

 

[BigAshW]

One of my apiary landowners agreed to let me expand the apiary I have on their land. So went up and got my pallet in and levelled today. Takes that site up from 8 to 12 hives.

That landowner is also my best customer for bulk jars so extra colonies there will help me keep up with their demand.

 

[Redcap]

They were just so big, I can’t remember having colonies this big this early before. They seem to have ploughed through their stores too fast.

Hmmm...you've got me worried now...better do a check. It's a fine balance between thinking how they're doing....and knowing how they're doing !

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Checked the hives in one apiary. All okay. I was interested to see that only the largest colony has consumed the home-made pollen patties I gave them. Maybe I should have made them wetter, with more syrup. Or maybe that would have made no difference.

I check and clean the boards at every visit. It was two and a half weeks since the last. The debris on this board puzzled me initially.



Then it dawned on me - fragments of greaseproof (aka parchment) paper from the patties.

I presume the debris at the back of the hive (bottom of board) is from the moths.

After reading @Newbeeneil recently, I'd got a bit concerned about rates of consumption. I usually put in a 1.5-2kg slice of fondant above the frames. It did occur that a top-up in a single take-away container wouldn't be anything like enough for a large fast-growing colony.

 

[Antipodes]

I presume the debris at the back of the hive (bottom of board) is from the moths.

Looks like it.

 

[Antipodes]

Checked the hives in one apiary. All okay. I was interested to see that only the largest colony has consumed the home-made pollen patties I gave them. Maybe I should have made them wetter, with more syrup. Or maybe that would have made no difference.

I check and clean the boards at every visit. It was two and a half weeks since the last. The debris on this board puzzled me initially.

View attachment 39105

Then it dawned on me - fragments of greaseproof (aka parchment) paper from the patties.

I presume the debris at the back of the hive (bottom of board) is from the moths.

After reading @Newbeeneil recently, I'd got a bit concerned about rates of consumption. I usually put in a 1.5-2kg slice of fondant above the frames. It did occur that a top-up in a single take-away container wouldn't be anything like enough for a large fast-growing colony.

The flecks of blue? Any ideas on them?

 

[Newbeeneil]

After reading @Newbeeneil recently, I'd got a bit concerned about rates of consumption. I usually put in a 1.5-2kg slice of fondant above the frames. It did occur that a top-up in a single take-away container wouldn't be anything like enough for a large fast-growing colony.

I agree, if I can’t visit the large colonies every few days I do put 2 containers on which each contain 750g.

 

[Wilco]

Survivor or warning sign?
View attachment 20240229_124452.mp4

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Survivor or warning sign?
View attachment 39106

Warning sign. I had a queen that limped on into April/May, I'd seen drones throughout the winter, but I eventually united them.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Monthly heft/weigh-in. Recent posts have got me worried about starvation but my lot are not loosing much weight. Max 4lbs over February. Less than expected. Small clusters.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I between showers today I dismantled one of the dead outs with loads of bees.
They had brood in 6 of the 11 frames. No wonder they ran out of stores!

 

[Nannysbees]

Hefted two of the hives that have eaten their fondant, one weighed 11kg the other 12kg. Used a digital scales lifting the back end of the hive, difficult decision, add fondant or not

 

[Swarm]

Hefted two of the hives that have eaten their fondant, one weighed 11kg the other 12kg. Used a digital scales lifting the back end of the hive, difficult decision, add fondant or not

If you are concerned, give them some fondant, it's not going to do any harm.

 

[Nannysbees]

If you are concerned, give them some fondant, it's not going to do any harm.

I think I might do that, peace of mind

 

[Fellstoflats]

I between showers today I dismantled one of the dead outs with loads of bees.
They had brood in 6 of the 11 frames. No wonder they ran out of stores!

What's the weather been like at that apiary? Have you somehow avoided the never ending rains?

 

[Vanterrier]

Hefted two of the hives that have eaten their fondant, one weighed 11kg the other 12kg. Used a digital scales lifting the back end of the hive, difficult decision, add fondant or not

I'm sure I have read on here before... "it's better the bees are looking at it than for it"
K

 

[Nannysbees]

I'm sure I have read on here before... "it's better the bees are looking at it than for it"
K

You have a schnauzer