What did you do in the Apiary today?

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Created this scene of chaos in the rain. On the right was a hive with a failing/failed queen. I decided to unite them with a very strong nuc on the left. In the middle is a stack of supers with a nuc on top, entrance facing the other way. I had to find a deep box for the nuc plus an empty super because the nuc was 12x14. So piles of frames everywhere. I used newspaper and also air freshener for belt and braces. I didn't realise the state of the place till I looked at the photo.

But at least my notes were dry. I used a portable tall tent (I think they are for a loo usually) which my wife got me a while past. I was worried about being able to fold the springy thing up again. I did succeed by force of unrestrained determination.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Messy!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Copious might suggest swarming rather than supercession?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

it didn’t look like I had lost bees,

it never does from a few hours after the swarm has left

 

[E&MBees]

Created this scene of chaos in the rain. On the right was a hive with a failing/failed queen. I decided to unite them with a very strong nuc on the left. In the middle is a stack of supers with a nuc on top, entrance facing the other way. I had to find a deep box for the nuc plus an empty super because the nuc was 12x14. So piles of frames everywhere. I used newspaper and also air freshener for belt and braces. I didn't realise the state of the place till I looked at the photo.

But at least my notes were dry. I used a portable tall tent (I think they are for a loo usually) which my wife got me a while past. I was worried about being able to fold the springy thing up again. I did succeed by force of unrestrained determination.View attachment 40778

Glad it’s not just me that gets into an organised pickle

 

[Curly green finger's]

P

Put some clearer boards on 3 colonies in my main apiary and they went apeshit! They were all over me as soon as I cracked the crownboard.
Hopefully it was just the weather…………

Probably getting defensive because of the honey your taking- I’ve had a few that have been like this, not all over me but I took a few stings to the hands( no gloves )
Maybe both weather as well?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Spent the day at the Royal Welsh - on the WBKA stand in the honey show for most of the morning, Met up with John and Wendy from @Hedgerow Honey, was nice to see them both away from the hustle and bustle of BFA meetings, so spent a lot of my time chewing the fat with John , and with Dan our RBI arranging my upcoming DASH audit.
Didn't do too badly at the honey show either, half a dozen first, including first in both commercial classes I entered - won the Crawshay's challenge cup and a handful of various seconds and thirds.
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Guessing that's your good self holding the trophy? I'd previously formed a mental image somewhat more weather-beaten from seagoing.

 

[Moobee]

it never does from a few hours after the swarm has left

Both queens were clipped - is it possible she/they flopped out into the grass and never made it back but the bees returned to the hive?

 

[Moobee]

Same here two new queens for different hives disappeared!!!

I posted this on my Instagram account & had several people replying to say they had the same thing happen recently.

 

[Ely]

Spent the day at the Royal Welsh - on the WBKA stand in the honey show for most of the morning, Met up with John and Wendy from @Hedgerow Honey, was nice to see them both away from the hustle and bustle of BFA meetings, so spent a lot of my time chewing the fat with John , and with Dan our RBI arranging my upcoming DASH audit.
Didn't do too badly at the honey show either, half a dozen first, including first in both commercial classes I entered - won the Crawshay's challenge cup and a handful of various seconds and thirds.
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Top stuff

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Applied to join the BFA. Time will tell.

your name went out to the members this morning

 

[Antipodes]

Both queens were clipped - is it possible she/they flopped out into the grass and never made it back but the bees returned to the hive?

I lost a queen today when she left the brood frame she was on, after I briefly put it to one side, but out of the hive. I spent what time I had, crawling around pathetically on all fours, peering under pallets and on the ground for her, but to no avail.

 

[The Poot]

Spent the day at the Royal Welsh - on the WBKA stand in the honey show for most of the morning, Met up with John and Wendy from @Hedgerow Honey, was nice to see them both away from the hustle and bustle of BFA meetings, so spent a lot of my time chewing the fat with John , and with Dan our RBI arranging my upcoming DASH audit.
Didn't do too badly at the honey show either, half a dozen first, including first in both commercial classes I entered - won the Crawshay's challenge cup and a handful of various seconds and thirds.
View attachment 40752View attachment 40753View attachment 40754

Well done, but I was disappointed you weren’t wearing your medal……

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Swarm where I caught a queen which then died in a clip must have had another queen. BIAS.
Swarms, bait boxes, splits and nucs all seem to have got mated so I've jumped from 2 to 8 colonies. Rags to riches.
Well, 'riches', maybe. Only one of them has collected any significant honey. Potential.

 

[Moobee]

Any chance the bees objected to one or more of the following?
New genetics.
A damaged queen via clipping and/or marking.
I marked a queen earlier this year once I found a decent pattern of worker brood. She waltzed off and made straight for a hole in the comb and then proceeded to back out of it, this annoyingly succeeded in spreading some paint onto her antennae.
The next time I looked into that colony there was no sign of her and no brood. Last week I checked again and caught a glimpse of a tiny unmarked queen.

Not new genetics as they were from splits. Nice and cleanly marked (unusually for me!) and don’t believe I damaged them when clipped. Others seem to have experienced the same issue this year

 

[Swarm]

Not new genetics as they were from splits. Nice and cleanly marked (unusually for me!) and don’t believe I damaged them when clipped. Others seem to have experienced the same issue this year

A clipped wing is a damaged wing. A blob of paint is also sometimes enough reason for the colony to reject the queen, especially a new, not yet established queen. Over the years I've had a few disappear without trace after marking. As I posted, I lost that queen a couple of weeks ago, the paint smeared her antennae but nothing that terrible, sometimes the bees just object.
I checked on her little replacement today to see if she had started laying and yes I found open brood. I also spotted her again so I took some photos for a 'find the queen' challenge. Her red legs gave her away bless her.

 

[E&MBees]

A clipped wing is a damaged wing. A blob of paint is also sometimes enough reason for the colony to reject the queen, especially a new, not yet established queen. Over the years I've had a few disappear without trace after marking. As I posted, I lost that queen a couple of weeks ago, the paint smeared her antennae but nothing that terrible, sometimes the bees just object.
I checked on her little replacement today to see if she had started laying and yes I found open brood. I also spotted her again so I took some photos for a 'find the queen' challenge. Her red legs gave her away bless her.

View attachment 40783

She’s a lovely little thing

 

[Moobee]

A clipped wing is a damaged wing. A blob of paint is also sometimes enough reason for the colony to reject the queen, especially a new, not yet established queen. Over the years I've had a few disappear without trace after marking. As I posted, I lost that queen a couple of weeks ago, the paint smeared her antennae but nothing that terrible, sometimes the bees just object.
I checked on her little replacement today to see if she had started laying and yes I found open brood. I also spotted her again so I took some photos for a 'find the queen' challenge. Her red legs gave her away bless her.

View attachment 40783

Interesting as I’ve never lost a queen like this and I always mark and clip my queens. I’ve heard from other beekeepers having the exact same issues. Just seems odd.

 

[BeeBird]

Interesting as I’ve never lost a queen like this and I always mark and clip my queens. I’ve heard from other beekeepers having the exact same issues. Just seems odd.

I’ve had the same happen, 3 green marked Queen’s have gone AWOL over the last 2 weeks. Like you I'm unsure why this has happened, plenty of laying space, stores and no sign of Queen cells being built prior to their disappearance!
It’s very disappointing

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’ve had the same happen, 3 green marked Queen’s have gone AWOL over the last 2 weeks. Like you I'm unsure why this has happened, plenty of laying space, stores and no sign of Queen cells being built prior to their disappearance!
It’s very disappointing

Are you saying the queens disappeared leaving the colonies queen less or did you find queen cells after you discovered them missing?