What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Colonial]

My colony was making moves to swarm, so I've just done a Queenright Nuc split, leaving some QCs in the parent hive to develop. I'll check them in a week and select the strongest/most popular sealed QC to retain, removing the rest. Every day is a learning day!

Checked that colony today, after giving them a few weeks to sort themselves out, get the VQ mated and get back to normal. Couldn’t spot the new Queen but loads of eggs and BIAS. All busy girls and still making masses of honey. Just magic. The old Queen is happy, next door in her nuc, laying loads of eggs too.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Paper clip for me.

A bit of twig for me whatever I can find to hand

 

[The Poot]

Checked on the introduced queen in her cage and all seems good. Opened the tab and will now leave them alone for a while before checking release.
Added a super to the upgraded nuc as mentioned yesterday.
Observed entrances - all very busy in the sunny warm weather.

 

[hemo]

Marked a pair of new laying Q's today currently have an Orange posca, one Q was more orange then the posca.

 

[Moobee]

Requeened a feisty colony with a stop / go queen that I’ve been prevaricating over all season; with a queen from Exmoor Bees. I eventually found the unmarked queen in the lower brood box (four frames from having to go through them a second time) and popped the caged queen in after assessing the reaction to her on the frame top. It looked really promising as they passed the “Velcro test”.

Inspected three others and assessed their supers. Disappointed that whilst the supers are filling, they only a few frames per super which are capped. So I may have to harvest individual frames rather than boxes if things don’t change. A pain.
No signs of swarming and the colonies were very calm.

A nuc I moved into an eleven frame brood box three days ago, has drawn the foundation on all but two frames and the colony is really busy. I may add a super, if only to nadir it for Winter stores. It will allow them to move the honey in the brood frames up. The queen is particularly prolific and will need lots of laying space. She was split away from her main colony on June 14th.

Worth checking the uncapped. I was taking frames of only half capped honey at 17.5% a few days ago.

 

[The Poot]

Worth checking the uncapped. I was taking frames of only half capped honey at 17.5% a few days ago.

Yes, I’ll have my hygrometer with me next time. I did a shake test on several and nothing came out, so probably ok.

 

[Nannysbees]

Picked up a beautiful primary swarm this evening, lovely temperament. Wish I could have kept them!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Picked up a beautiful primary swarm this evening, lovely temperament. Wish I could have kept them!!

Up Up Up!!!! Lovely picture. Did you spot the queen? You sometimes see her running over the tops of the bees into the box

 

[The Poot]

Picked up a beautiful primary swarm this evening, lovely temperament. Wish I could have kept them!!

I like the hand beckoning them up - the glove’s a bit heavyweight though!
I’ve rarely been able to do a “march in” capture as most have been cut out of hedges and unceremoniously dumped into boxes!
Nice one

 

[Nannysbees]

Up Up Up!!!! Lovely picture. Did you spot the queen? You sometimes see her running over the tops of the bees into the box

I was trying my best but couldn't see her, I'd have loved to have spotted her. Amazing when they start their march

I like the hand beckoning them up - the glove’s a bit heavyweight though!
I’ve rarely been able to do a “march in” capture as most have been cut out of hedges and unceremoniously dumped into boxes!
Nice one

I don't normally wear the gauntlets but I was unsure if the temperament and have had one nasty reaction so I little bit wary of colonies I don't know. However this swarm was lovely and there was no need for them really.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Small colony on roof doing ok. Four frames of brood and good stores.

 

[Kaz]

Had the fabulous experience of a swarm arriving. I got out of my van at 6.30pm to hear buzzing nearby. Trying to work out which plant the bees were busy working, I realised a swarm was slowly making its way through my neighbour's yard, and it settled on a nuc box I'd put in front of the garage ready for cleaning. My hubby, why doesn't react well to stings and is normally pretty wary, was delighted to stand in the middle of the bee-nado as they gently circle around us. Such a joy

 

[The Poot]

I don't normally wear the gauntlets but I was unsure if the temperament and have had one nasty reaction so I little bit wary of colonies I don't know. However this swarm was lovely and there was no need for them really.

Better safe than sorry and sensible if you might react if stung

 

[gregior]

Had a quick peep in the supers,weather is poor but the bees don't seem to mind atall,supers filling up very nicely!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Had a quick peep in the supers,weather is poor but the bees don't seem to mind atall,supers filling up very nicely!

Tidy

 

[E&MBees]

Not quite the apiary, (that’s tomorrow) but attended a bee diseases course run by the regional SBI’s. Very interesting, with ‘live’ samples to study. Big problem with EFB in Avon currently. They’ve seen a lot of sacbrood too, more than previous years. Well worth attending if the opportunity presents.

 

[drdrday]

Also not quite in the apiary, but got to use my new motorised extractor for the first time
Only did one super today as I needed a sample of honey from this year's crop, but once school's out I can't wait to extract all the other supers now - hands free!!!

 

[Superlativesoul]

Put my new hive stand in position and transferred the double brood nuc into the national on my new underfloor entrances ,also the adjacent hives also on the underfloor entrances .The hive on the right has langstroh supers and a brood box full of honey but im wanting the bees to cap it off ,been 6 weeks now and no sign any time soon of it happening, they do not pass the shake test ,This hive was queenless but have produced emergency, queen cells so have left 2 all the remaining frames in the brood box are stores .Lots of bees though and when I inspected bees are all over the supers. This hive was originally a langstroh but as I run nationals I used a convertor board in May to transfer the bees .Any ideas on the uncapped honey it was theirs originally.
Enjoy the game tonight if your a football fan
John.

 

[NickM]

Not quite the apiary, (that’s tomorrow) but attended a bee diseases course run by the regional SBI’s. Very interesting, with ‘live’ samples to study. Big problem with EFB in Avon currently. They’ve seen a lot of sacbrood too, more than previous years. Well worth attending if the opportunity presents.

I was there too. Wasn't it brilliant? Mind you, after an hour in a biosecure room with frames of EFB and AFB, I came home, put all my clothes in the wash and had a long shower.

 

[The Poot]

Checked my new Exmoor queen had been released - so far so good…