What did you do in the Apiary today?

[The Poot]

I can tell anybody who is interested that clearing supers over a clearer away from the hive works a treat

That’s really interesting. Was that supers from a single hive or multiple? Were many bees still in the boxes or did they fully clear?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I did one colony. Three supers. Left for 24 hours. Three bees in the supers.
I lay under the stand watching for a while. Bees came out, had a trundle around for a bit then flew off back home.
I’ve got another four supers clearing the same way just now.
Saves you having to either tap bees underneath back into the hive or leave a clearer board full of bees propped up at the entrance.
I dreamed they were robbed

 

[The Poot]

I did one colony. Three supers. Left for 24 hours. Three bees in the supers.
I lay under the stand watching for a while. Bees came out, had a trundle around for a bit then flew off back home.
I’ve got another four supers clearing the same way just now.
Saves you having to either tap bees underneath back into the hive or leave a clearer board full of bees propped up at the entrance.
I dreamed they were robbed

That is remarkable. Someone else mentioned they clear this way and I thought “no, surely not”.
Blows the theory that they clear down because the queen and brood are below! Makes me begin to wonder why they do clear out.
I can picture the scene with you laid on the ground watching!
I think I might give it a go, but I’ll have to rig up a stand as my hives are on cut down pallets.
Thanks for the info.

 

[Newbeeneil]

That is remarkable. Someone else mentioned they clear this way and I thought “no, surely not”.
Blows the theory that they clear down because the queen and brood are below! Makes me begin to wonder why they do clear out.
I can picture the scene with you laid on the ground watching!
I think I might give it a go, but I’ll have to rig up a stand as my hives are on cut down pallets.
Thanks for the info.

Does it work for supers off multiple hives and how many will they clear down in 24 hrs?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I can picture the scene with you laid on the ground watching!

Yes Stan said I was nuts. I invited him to join me …. He doesn’t share my insanity… maybe fortunately.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Does it work for supers off multiple hives and how many will they clear down in 24 hrs?

Ah now I read that super bees don’t fight but I’ve never given them the opportunity
You can only see how many would clear… I suspect quite a few.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Does it work for supers off multiple hives and how many will they clear down in 24 hrs?

Swarm mentioned you could put a clearer board upside down on top to speed things up. I’m not sure whether he was joking or not.

Edit …. Yes here https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/what-did-you-do-in-the-apiary-today.8543/page-2039#post-913164

 

[JamezF]

Ah now I read that super bees don’t fight

Perhaps because many of them will be house bees and don't have a fully-developed sting system yet?

James

 

[Nannysbees]

Had a peek inside the hives but nothing untoward. Reduced a hive down to one brood from two as they've been messing about with raising a queen for a few months so the colony has depleted. Removed a few dry supers. Gave a feed to the nuc. Should have some more honey. Going to remove all supers on the 20th and treat with apiguard.

 

[pargyle]

No way! Used a tripod ladder, but as usual, ignored the manual which said do not climb higher than the second step, because, well, I had to get it done!

Sawed the main branch gently with an undercut first, so that it hinged slowly; dropped the saw and held the lot on two stub branches while I brought it down.

Last week we did a smaller one late in the day; 25 feet up on the end of a flexi branch, so I had to climb the tree, cut & hinge it and lower the lot as I climbed down the tree. Teenage technical assistant trimmed the branches and gave cool-headed support.

Strange to report that only about six bees flew during all this dislocation, so we put the lid on and took the box away that night.

View attachment 40990
View attachment 40991

Awesome ... or in the words of some of my younger colleague 'Respect !'

 

[pargyle]

I did one colony. Three supers. Left for 24 hours. Three bees in the supers.
I lay under the stand watching for a while. Bees came out, had a trundle around for a bit then flew off back home.
I’ve got another four supers clearing the same way just now.
Saves you having to either tap bees underneath back into the hive or leave a clearer board full of bees propped up at the entrance.
I dreamed they were robbed

So you just put the clearer board on a stand and then stack the supers straight off the hive on top of the clearer - with a crown board and roof on the top ?

If this works as you say it would make my life in my small apiary a lot easier ... could you do two or more stacks at the same time - a different stack for each hive of course ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

So you just put the clearer board on a stand and then stack the supers straight off the hive on top of the clearer - with a crown board and roof on the top ?

If this works as you say it would make my life in my small apiary a lot easier ... could you do two or more stacks at the same time - a different stack for each hive of course ?

Yes and yes
I have two on the go overnight.

 

[ericbeaumont]

thought it was the colony swarming ... Everything went back to normal after 30mins or so.

Orientation

Roger, to emphasise analysis of your sighting, I agree with Mark: post-lunch orientation flights, usually over within 30 minutes.

Nannysbees' story may involve robbing & fighting, but the update contained no new evidence.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Blows the theory that they clear down because the queen and brood are below!

Didn't realise it was listed in the bumper book of beekeeping fairy tales in the first place, just cleared a few queenless colonies down in the last few days - didn't realise I wasn't supposed to

Makes me begin to wonder why they do clear out.

just the natural traffic/movement within the hive, bees move down towards the entrance for a multitude of reasons, but with a clearer board in place, they can't get back - or pass the message on that there's a problem. I suppose with a queenright hive it would be bees moving down to the main cluster when it cools in the evenings.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Good grief, that’s huge!

Not only that, but it now has a queen. Went back today and filled both BBs with drawn combs & foundation, and saw that one SQC had emerged overnight. Took away the other, just in case.

Was about to close up when I remembered that Nikola had noticed that day a saucepan of bees up near the original site in the tree. Borrowed a washing bowl, went up the ladder, snipped the clump into the bowl and emptied it onto the top bars.

Scrambling over the pile was a virgin, so I put on the CB sharpish and closed up. Trying to work out why she left the hive and deviated into the tree so soon after emerging. Seeing her was a bonus to end the day, and quite a relief.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Roger, to emphasise analysis of your sighting, I agree with Mark: post-lunch orientation flights, usually over within 30 minutes.

Nannysbees' story may involve robbing & fighting, but the update contained no new evidence.

I’ve always found it to be a good thing new young foraging bees learning there surroundings, some newbs even thought it was swarming preps, but it’s a health sign I love to see it

I’ve observed it loads this season and many times over the years.

 

[Swarm]

So you just put the clearer board on a stand and then stack the supers straight off the hive on top of the clearer - with a crown board and roof on the top ?

If this works as you say it would make my life in my small apiary a lot easier ... could you do two or more stacks at the same time - a different stack for each hive of course ?

Turn a clearer board over and put it on top of the stack, mixing supers won't hurt.

 

[Roger.Wilco]

Roger, to emphasise analysis of your sighting, I agree with Mark: post-lunch orientation flights, usually over within 30 minutes.

Nannysbees' story may involve robbing & fighting, but the update contained no new evidence.

Thanks - it could be - everyday a school day. But I have not seen orientation flights like this before on any of my other hives. This hive typically does the hovering orientation flights either side of 16:00 each day. From the outside - it looked like a swarm - but into the hive instead of out of the hive.

 

[Nannysbees]

Same thing happened again today, huge cloud of bees in the air then descended on the nuc. Going to transfer them into a brood box!!

 

[Delgirl]

I did one colony. Three supers. Left for 24 hours. Three bees in the supers.
I lay under the stand watching for a while. Bees came out, had a trundle around for a bit then flew off back home.
I’ve got another four supers clearing the same way just now.
Saves you having to either tap bees underneath back into the hive or leave a clearer board full of bees propped up at the entrance.
I dreamed they were robbed

thinking of trying this. What about young bees above the QX in the supers helping with honey storage. though. Hate to think of them crawling out and not being able to fly back.