What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Nannysbees]

New carni queen in her nuc after delays by Royal Mail. And the naughty hive 3 seen balling a queen actually had a sneaky wee virgin somewhere, there's very young brood

Had the same issues with royal mail should have arrived the next day which was a Tuesday didn't arrive until the Thursday, have problems with them regularly with different deliveries, very annoying

 

[Beth]

Checked new carni queen, still in the cage, the fondant is quite dry. Just released her between the frames and shut them up. They seem delighted. We'll know in a few weeks.

 

[The Poot]

Just observed the entrances, all of which were extremely busy. Yellow, pink and grey pollens going in, in quantity.
One colony, which should have a queen emerging todayish, was noticeably “excited” compared to the rest, so here’s hoping.
The feisty one was calm and the single cell found on the 20th, could well be capped by now. I’m hoping it’s supercedure time, but could be swarm time if I missed another cell. It was one cell attached very close to the top bar, a little curved but charged….. The queens laying has been very stop/go since Spring and last inspection indicated she’s having a break again.

 

[Sutty]

Checked a hive which 10 days ago was on single brood but short of space to lay & not a great deal of stores. I added a 2nd brood box I had which was pretty much full of stores (from another hive minus bees) and split the nest into the middle frames of both boxes.
Today the nest has expanded massively, they seem to have used most of the extra stores to feed the new brood as the 2 supers don't feel heavier.
Should be in a good position for the rest of the season Headed by a queen who was nuced at the end of April as swarm control.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Apiary is humming tonight.

 

[Sutty]

Apiary is humming tonight.

Mine too, and there are quite a lot still flying at nearly 9pm!

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

It's been a long day. Queen stuff this morning, then about 25 hives this afternoon and evening. I love how the bees in summer make a gentle hum, no matter how many are flying. Even the last hive, which is very defensive, didn't have its usual roar. This time I found that queen immediately, so took the frame out to think for a minute. I chose a swarm which has just started rearing brood and decided to unite. The exact moment I squished the queen, I got my one and only sting of the day. A proper one. I guess it's not really a coincidence when you think about it.

 

[pargyle]

Checked through mine this evening .. loads of nectar coming in .. anything that they ate seems to have been made up and they are busy. Added supers to three of them. The scent of ripening nectar tonight was overpowering. One colony not looking good - very small patch of brood and larvae no sign of queen cells or disease - not that many bees, there's a super of honey on top of the brood box but I didn't spot the queen. Needs a good look through but they look like a lost cause at present. Fortunately all the other colonies looking good. I'll have a proper look at the weak one tomorrow and make a decision.

 

[Newbeeneil]

All the best. I'm always keeping a lookout. Not seen this year so far.

Which symptoms did you see?

A few black hairless bees, and some shaking on the top bars. There seemed to be more dead ones outside as well.

 

[Moobee]

Added a brood box to a huge hive that I split recently. They already have 4 supers and they are boiling over with bees with still a fair amount of brood to emerge. Took ages to knock down all the EQCs produced. Have a spare mated queen in a mini mating nuc that I need to use so think I’m going to knock down the last lot of EQCs tomorrow & introduce her in a cage.
The smell of honey ripening last night was amazing and I’m running out of supers with this incredible flow. It will make up for not having a spring harvest.

 

[beeker]

Collected my first swarm.

From from my neighbours garden! I was in my garden and heard them arrive. They bivouaced near the top of a large magnolia bush few meters up.

If I'd left them, they may have hopped over the fence into my bait hive but I had time to collect so didn't risk them going elsewhere.

Saw the queen as they went into the hive, she looks like she might be mated but not marked (to my inexperienced eye), so not sure if it is a prime or cast.

Well done. Exactly the same as me, it's a slippery one way slope to bee kit poverty from here . After splits in third year, I now have double the ten I started with this year after losing a couple early on. But I'll combine some back again after the swarm panic time is over.
Seriously, well done, take advice, experiment, try different things, but do it all slowly. And come back here, share your successes and failures, run ideas past the hivemind here everytime, as this is without doubt the best place to do it.

Best advice I've taken from here is, come across a problem? Just close up walk away, have a coffee, and a think of the options. (I've now added, come here and search, as someone will have had the same)

 

[ShaunR]

I’m going to be transferring my very first NUC of bees to their new hive later, wish me luck !

 

[Mint Bee]

Catching queens today...128 mating nucs. I have three beekeepers visiting from England along with us.

they've time that badly! First decent week of warm weather with a decent nectar flow on. Might have one or two less bees when they get back

 

[pargyle]

Added a brood box to a huge hive that I split recently. They already have 4 supers and they are boiling over with bees with still a fair amount of brood to emerge. Took ages to knock down all the EQCs produced. Have a spare mated queen in a mini mating nuc that I need to use so think I’m going to knock down the last lot of EQCs tomorrow & introduce her in a cage.
The smell of honey ripening last night was amazing and I’m running out of supers with this incredible flow. It will make up for not having a spring harvest.

Yes - I'm down to my last two fully drawn supers .. I don't want to spin supers out yet (time, buggeration and other reasons) so they will be getting checkerboarded frames from now on and they can get on and draw some more frames out. Feast and Famine this year isn't it ? If it carries on like this for another month it's going to be a bumper crop down here on the Costa del Fareham ... in some respects it's the benefit of being in an area of very mixed forage and a semi-urban location. Some of our countryside is no longer a bee friendly environment whereas the mix of forage in semi-urban locations is a real godsend.

 

[Moobee]

Well done. Exactly the same as me, it's a slippery one way slope to bee kit poverty from here . After splits in third year, I now have double the ten I started with this year after losing a couple early on. But I'll combine some back again after the swarm panic time is over.
Seriously, well done, take advice, experiment, try different things, but do it all slowly. And come back here, share your successes and failures, run ideas past the hivemind here everytime, as this is without doubt the best place to do it.

Best advice I've taken from here is, come across a problem? Just close up walk away, have a coffee, and a think of the options. (I've now added, come here and search, as someone will have had the same)

I’m sorry but I must disagree. Close up and have a cup of tea….

 

[Moobee]

Yes - I'm down to my last two fully drawn supers .. I don't want to spin supers out yet (time, buggeration and other reasons) so they will be getting checkerboarded frames from now on and they can get on and draw some more frames out. Feast and Famine this year isn't it ? If it carries on like this for another month it's going to be a bumper crop down here on the Costa del Fareham ... in some respects it's the benefit of being in an area of very mixed forage and a semi-urban location. Some of our countryside is no longer a bee friendly environment whereas the mix of forage in semi-urban locations is a real godsend.

I’m pretty sure it’s brambles here although quite a few privet hedges in flower too, but they’re going nuts as soon as it’s light enough to head out!

 

[The Poot]

I’m pretty sure it’s brambles here although quite a few privet hedges in flower too, but they’re going nuts as soon as it’s light enough to head out!

And being dirty little stop out lates too. Mine still flying close to ten o’clock.

 

[Sutty]

Brambles here definitely but lime is flowering not too far away, the Himalayan Balsam is just starting too & there is a bit of heather flowering!

 

[madasafish]

Checked on two queens which emerged late May and were not laying last week.
After five warm days, both are now laying.

 

[JamezF]

Just had a quick post-work stroll around the apiary to find one colony with clumps of bees hanging outside the boxes, I assume because of the heat, and another with lots of bees on the landing board, possibly for the same reason.

The most odd thing however was that hundreds of bees are buzzing around some stacks of supers containing made up but unwaxed frames, under cover alongside my bee shed. I might have to go in and have a look tomorrow in case a swarm has turned up there. Hopefully if it has I can get them shifted into a hive.

James