What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Swampie]

I've been thinking about mid summer nectar, as I watch early summer get washed out (again). My long game is this grove of Korean Evodia, that I have been busy potting up again, as they crank up their growth. Most were started from seed this year. With two started last year.

 

[madasafish]

The good news: 14C highest temperature this week.
The bad news@: raining again.

Fed all 10 nucs. 1:1 solution
Fed Q rearing hive - no rearing at present.
Fed two honey colonies: fondant

No spring honey left to harvest: bees need it..
2 Qs emerge from incubator : into Apideas.

No more QR until/if weather improves.

It's all the fault of the Government' /Global Warming/solar cycles/Asian Hornets etc

 

[gwt_uk]

Inspected 9 colonies. All generally ok but munching through stores. Was warmer and sunnier than forecast - all were very busy and well behaved. Lots of pollen coming in, bright yellow, orange and red and some fresh nectar present as well. Marked two new queens.

 

[pargyle]

My bees are flying but they are struggling in the stiff breeze - fortunately the torrential rain has stopped and the sun has come out. There is pollen coming in and a quick check of the supers showed they are not making too many inroads into the honey they have stored so far but there's not much more than enough to feed them coming in. No real addition to the supers in the last week. Hardly surprising given the weather. I need to do an inspection tomorrow but I'm not risking it today...I think they like me opening them up when it's windy less than when it's cold or wet.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I need to do an inspection tomorrow but I'm not risking it today...I think they like me opening them up when it's windy less than when it's cold or wet.

Same here. And I hate opening up a big colony when they all at home

 

[Garry R]

My 3 frame mating nucs normally have takeaway fondant tubs as feeders. Switched to home made sugar bricks, half the price & last twice as long. Best & quickest sugar brick recipe is 3% cold water to granulated sugar, mix with dough hooks on hand mixer or creamer/paint stirrer on drill for large volumes for a couple of minutes. Put in takeaway tubs, press down & into oven at 60C 1hr.

I guess that 3% is 30ml water to 1kg sugar?

 

[Eyeman]

I guess that 3% is 30ml water to 1kg sugar?

Spot on. Make sure it’s mixed well. I do 6kg in one go with dough hooks for 2 min then into 9 takeaway tubs.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Some pictures from yesterday. I lit them with the head torch I have for grafting. I sometimes wonder if such a bright light (12k lumens) does any damage to the bees (or larvae). I can't bear looking into that light for a fraction of a second, yet I shine it on them continuously for some time. Anyone know the answer to that?

For photography - but not grafting - I could use a soft rim flash. I plan to get that organised soon.

What I realise now is that proper bee pictures are not like these - of the backs of the bees. I think the best ones are taken on the same level as the bees, looking into their eyes, or perhaps a side view.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

To be honest I think it may make more sense to write the season off for honey production and focus on creating nucs.

Flowers, flowers, everywhere and not a drop of nectar coming in. Forecast not great, think will miss the bramble, lime and sweet chestnut at this rate.

I've been trying to sustain some level of optimism since early spring. All these flowers and barely any honey. Surely the whole season can't be a right-off? (I realise this doesn't apply for those who have an OSR crop.)

Reading your post, Will, has all but dashed my hopes. Not that anything I think makes any difference to the outcome. My plan was to make up a good number of nucs with mated queens in mid July. I should still be able to do that whether or not I get much honey. Sadly I don't have a stock of honey and have now to face the music with the shops I supply.

 

[Do224]

First time in what feels like a long time that I’ve seen the bees busy today. Looks like they’re collecting quite a bit of yellow pollen from something somewhere

View attachment IMG_9232.MOV

 

[Erichalfbee]

For photography - but not grafting - I could use a soft rim flash. I plan to get that organised soon.

I have a spare that I’m getting rid if you’d like it FOC

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

I have a spare that I’m getting rid if you’d like it FOC

Very kind, Dani, but I've recently bought one - just not got round to using it yet.

 

[gregior]

FINALLY a bit of nectar coming in today, nothing spectacular but it's a start!

 

[Erichalfbee]

At last the sun is out and we could look through the bees. No stores whatsoever except in the splits. But no surprises and production colonies still intact.
Rewarded myself with some more radiation

 

[drex]

All 3 queencells from top box of a Demaree have come good in their nucs. All have BIAS. No further signs of swarming in any colonies. Well chuffed.

 

[E&MBees]

Bees much more settled today. Small amounts of fresh nectar coming in along with some lovely pollen. Marked one new queen, saw another but not quick enough to mark her. Two queens newly emerged; need to wait for them to mate now. Had to feed one nuc and a colony. Others are ok. It made a change to be able to inspect in the sunshine and a bit of warmth. Need to start considering which colonies to combine in the autumn. A couple are not as I would like, runny on the comb and quick to get defensive.

 

[Sutty]

I put a test frame in a likely queenless hive. Pity I didn't look yesterday before a pulled several virgins in another hive - I could have given them a ripe cell!

 

[The Poot]

I put a test frame in a likely queenless hive. Pity I didn't look yesterday before a pulled several virgins in another hive - I could have given them a ripe cell!

I broke down several cells on Friday and then found, at the final colony to inspect, a foul temper. The queen was taunting me - if only I had kept a cell in good condition she would have met her end.

 

[The Poot]

Today I was very pleased to see the bees very busy at all hives, including my recently made nuc. Brambles are finally in flower, in patches around the field edges.
So far I have taken two supers off and have left five more fullish ones on the hives, so I’m hoping they’ll top up with bramble and get them sealed. They seem to have fared better than many are reporting, so I feel blessed really, despite a bit of a torrid time through swarm season.
So far gone from five colonies to four, (sold one), back to five, (split), reduced to four (gave one away), now back at five ( another split).
And despite my best efforts there’s several bees inspecting a bait hive again…….

 

[Parsonage Bees]

The increase of interest in the bait hives proved to be from within the apiary. 8 days since last inspection. A good number of open cells too.



But queen still present so moved her into a nuc.
This colony has produced no honey and has built up on nectar coming in and stores from last year.

My other colony which is demareed has lost weight too and I didn't see the queen. Thankfully no QCs.
QCs raised by demaree have so far failed to get mated. Not optimistic.

Feeling vulnerable with swarming and just 2 queens and my attempts at increase failing.


#edit County show next week and I've no honey to enter ! Or sell ! There's maybe half a super in the demaree stack but hardly worth getting the extractor wet.