What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Wilco]

Just watched an interview on countryfile talking to the minister who has authorised the pesticide to be used on sugar beet as a "one off" even though the past three years have been one offs!!! It leeches into the soil causing untold damage to the environment especially to pollinators and the honey bee.

Did you like the bit with 'my' PhD student?

 

[Nannysbees]

Did you like the bit with 'my' PhD student?

No I didn't sorry I was more wound up with the minister!!!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Did you like the bit with 'my' PhD student?

Who was that?

 

[Wilco]

Who was that?

Kerry. The one talking about sampling honey in the lab with Hamza (really nice guy).

 

[Wilco]

No I didn't sorry I was more wound up with the minister!!!!

To be fair if I'm using sugar I'd rather it a was grown in the UK with a small amount of neonics than without (thus spraying, potentially multiple times, with other pesticides) or grown elsewhere in the world with even less restrictions on pesticide use than here. Hopefully they eventually breed a resistant line of sugar beet so the neonics aren't needed.

 

[Niv]

Undertook two Demaree's in the home apiary. Went well (only the second and third I have done). Hoping that will keep them quiet for a few weeks! Will be checking for cells and releasing drones in a few days.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Undertook two Demaree's in the home apiary. Went well (only the second and third I have done). Hoping that will keep them quiet for a few weeks! Will be checking for cells and releasing drones in a few days.

you should make yourself a Demaree board - no need to worry about the drones then if you can't get to the hive for whatever reason.

Even QCs are not too big a deal, they don't make many supersedure cells and if you haven't got an upper entrance, the queen are not going to mate anyway, with an upper entrance they sort themselves out, one queen may mate and you end up running a hive with two queens and two separate brood nests.

 

[emoclewbee]

One hive headed by a late mated 2023 queen, has not been doing well and is down to a frame and a half of brood.
3 unsealed queen queens all found on one side of the full frame. Not if they are trying to supercede but decided to do an AS. I was hoping to requeen from better stock but will see how they get on.
There are a few adult drones in each of my hives, assuming locally it is the same there should be some around in a couple weeks when the virgin will need mating.
Other hives are doing well. Nectar is coming in, all on 2 supers now. Will probably Demaree next week, if they continue to build up at this rate.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

One hive headed by a late mated 2023 queen, has not been doing well and is down to a frame and a half of brood.
3 unsealed queen queens all found on one side of the full frame. Not if they are trying to supercede but decided to do an AS. I was hoping to requeen from better stock but will see how they get on.

sounds like they are trying to supersede a rapidly failing queen - with only a frame of brood, I would have left them to it rather than further weakening them

 

[Niv]

you should make yourself a Demaree board - no need to worry about the drones then if you can't get to the hive for whatever reason.
View attachment 39655View attachment 39656
Even QCs are not too big a deal, they don't make many supersedure cells and if you haven't got an upper entrance, the queen are not going to mate anyway, with an upper entrance they sort themselves out, one queen may mate and you end up running a hive with two queens and two separate brood nests.

I like that idea. Only downside I can see is if I do not find time to check then I could end up with an extra mated queen. I am sure I have a couple of coverboards laying around and a plastic queen excluder I can cut up.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I like that idea. Only downside I can see is if I do not find time to check then I could end up with an extra mated queen.

can't see the down side there - quick way to make increase, or, at the end of the year, just introduce the older queen to the gatepost and once again, you have a single colony headed by a young queen - and no need to unite the two 'halves'

 

[Mint Bee]

Must be living in a cold microclimate. Not forecast to get above 12 until next Saturday. I haven't completed a full inspection yet. The few occasions its been warm enough I've been working or unavailable. Checked on a few frames and put full nucs into brood boxes, but most inspections are just cracking the crown board to check for space and adding supers where needed. Have located the usual bait hives just in case it all goes pear shaped if it ever gets warm

 

[JamezF]

Must be living in a cold microclimate. Not forecast to get above 12 until next Saturday.

Our forecast doesn't even look that good now

James

 

[Splitter]

Today I checked on the two 3-frame splits I took at the end of March. One of the queens has successfully mated, the other half still has a virgin. I'll give her another week or two to see what happens.

Overall very happy though!

 

[Mint Bee]

bringing in pollen does not indicate that there is brood raising going on. There might be, there also might not be. Just means that the foragers have found pollen to store. Another myth.

 

[Splitter]

bringing in pollen does not indicate that there is brood raising going on. There might be, there also might not be. Just means that the foragers have found pollen to store. Another myth.

That's interesting. They hadn't been bringing it in last week when they were broodless. It was all nectar they were storing. While I am sure it isn't an exact science (what is in beekeeping!), perhaps it can be considered indicative?

 

[Mint Bee]

That's interesting. They hadn't been bringing it in last week when they were broodless. It was all nectar they were storing. While I am sure it isn't an exact science (what is in beekeeping!), perhaps it can be considered indicative?

not an exact observation, so shouldn't be taken as an absolute certainty that brood rearing is on-going. Its taught buy some that pollen collection = brood rearing, and therefore there's a common comment from newer beekeepers that 'I must have a queen in the hive as they are bringing in pollen'. Actually if pollen is available it will be taken into the hive by foragers to be used for brood rearing and/or stored for future use in the event of a pollen dearth.

 

[pargyle]

not an exact observation, so shouldn't be taken as an absolute certainty that brood rearing is on-going. Its taught buy some that pollen collection = brood rearing, and therefore there's a common comment from newer beekeepers that 'I must have a queen in the hive as they are bringing in pollen'. Actually if pollen is available it will be taken into the hive by foragers to be used for brood rearing and/or stored for future use in the event of a pollen dearth.

Bees are opportunists .. I've seen a queenless colony with no hope of creating a new queen storing nectar and pollen like there's no tomorrow. Storing nectar or pollen is largely just an indication that there is forage about and there are foragers to collect it ... anything else is really just wishful thinking.

 

[Swarm]

Took a colony to their new owner yesterday, the car was full of the aroma of Dandelion. Did a quick inspection and remarked some queens and found a frame with two cells on it, sealed, same age. Noticed a fair amount of drone brood also and as she is a three year old queen, it looks like her time is up.

 

[robmort]

Moved a hive half a mile to a new site last night when all the bees were in. Stuffed the entrance with a bit of greenery and placed a few branches in front. Put another box with some drawn comb on the old site but very few bees came back to it today and none inside tonight and all settled down at the new site.