What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Do224]

I’d left a couple of part filled supers on a hive, separated from the bb by a crown board and empty super, with just a small hole in the crown board for access. Even bruised any capped honey for them.

Checked today and they’re not moving it down. I’ve tried this a couple of times before and it never seems to work for me. In previous years I thought it was possibly due to a late flow but it’s been cold and damp recently so I was hoping it would have worked this time. They’re pretty light too so it’s not like they don’t need it.

Think I’ll have to take the supers off, spin the frames out and then feed it back to them. Could do without it to be honest, the spinner has been cleaned and packed away.

 

[Wilfredbuck]

Gloucestershire. Rather windy, anyway!

Same here – I strapped them down so all good. Pretty wet tho

 

[Curly green finger's]

I’d left a couple of part filled supers on a hive, separated from the bb by a crown board and empty super, with just a small hole in the crown board for access. Even bruised any capped honey for them.

Checked today and they’re not moving it down. I’ve tried this a couple of times before and it never seems to work for me. In previous years I thought it was possibly due to a late flow but it’s been cold and damp recently so I was hoping it would have worked this time. They’re pretty light too so it’s not like they don’t need it.

Think I’ll have to take the supers off, spin the frames out and then feed it back to them. Could do without it to be honest, the spinner has been cleaned and packed away.

I have before now put the supers to be cleared under the crown board they will rob them out that way as well.
I’ve done it with nuc extensions also.

 

[Chris Hancock]

I have before now put the supers to be cleared under the crown board they will rob them out that way as well.
I’ve done it with nuc extensions also.

Mine don't seem to take stores from the super, either, and I did take one off to store and offer it back in Spring. That worked last year, but I need to remember those wax moths....The entremely full double broods sometimes need the super left on for space and stores!

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

Still stripping box's & putting strips in (Apistan) this year.
Had a dose of sepis recently and it is still a struggle to do a full day.
Not a lot needs feeding fortunately, apart from the late nucs.
I received a much welcomed gift of a Montecola Queen bred on Anglesey courtesy of Stuart/ Buckfast Wales who is one of the most knowledgeable people I know regarding breeding lines and whom I hold in very high regard, these are some of the very best stocks I have.
My 110 let me down today, injector leak off pipe split, I still got back to base, but now the truck stinks of diesel.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My 110 let me down today, injector leak off pipe split, I still got back to base, but now the truck stinks of diesel.

better than the vestigial whiff of brake/clutch oil after the clutch replacement I had to have last week - thankfully my local garage charges weren't too painful

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

better than the vestigial whiff of brake/clutch oil after the clutch replacement I had to have last week - thankfully my local garage charges weren't too painful

Is yours a puma then?.
The thrust bearing in those are shockingly bad, with the gearbox being a close second.
I've changed both many times in a previous life on customer vehicles.
You can't even drop the box on the crossmember like is possible with the R380.

 

[Wilco]

Checked a couple of nucs I'd made up with late season queens a few weeks back and left alone for a few weeks so the queens could settle... Took a gamble on some discounted Carniolans from Bee-who-shall-not-be-named.

Turns out that the two tabs on the introduction cages were different to any design I've encountered before. One of the tabs leads to a queen excluder sized gap meaning that if it's hidden in fondant and the beekeeper only opens one tab, the queen can't get out. One was alive and I let her join the nuc but suspect they won't make it now as they've lost a week or two of laying time. The other the queen had died. Bit gutted but will chalk that to experience.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Did a bit of strimming in one apiary, again the bees were more interested in the spark plug cap than me and stung it to death!!!!

 

[Penninetrader]

Still stripping box's & putting strips in (Apistan) this year.
Had a dose of sepis recently and it is still a struggle to do a full day.
Not a lot needs feeding fortunately, apart from the late nucs.
I received a much welcomed gift of a Montecola Queen bred on Anglesey courtesy of Stuart/ Buckfast Wales who is one of the most knowledgeable people I know regarding breeding lines and whom I hold in very high regard, these are some of the very best stocks I have.
My 110 let me down today, injector leak off pipe split, I still got back to base, but now the truck stinks of diesel.

I have to replace one of those quite regularly due to the location of it's run, I am presuming we are talking about the braided rubber hoses. If it has leaked for a distance then I give a good soapy wash down and dump more still down to the engine cover tray, that seems to limit the stink. The Monticola, is that your only one ?

 

[Penninetrader]

Is yours a puma then?.
The thrust bearing in those are shockingly bad, with the gearbox being a close second.
I've changed both many times in a previous life on customer vehicles.
You can't even drop the box on the crossmember like is possible with the R380.

Saab 9-3 clutch, dual mass and slave, now that is a joy.........not. For my sins I have just changed a drive shaft today

 

[Erichalfbee]

Checked a couple of nucs I'd made up with late season queens a few weeks back and left alone for a few weeks so the queens could settle... Took a gamble on some discounted Carniolans from Bee-who-shall-not-be-named.

Turns out that the two tabs on the introduction cages were different to any design I've encountered before. One of the tabs leads to a queen excluder sized gap meaning that if it's hidden in fondant and the beekeeper only opens one tab, the queen can't get out. One was alive and I let her join the nuc but suspect they won't make it now as they've lost a week or two of laying time. The other the queen had died. Bit gutted but will chalk that to experience.

View attachment 41369

That is such a sad sight......so sorry
I've had cages with two tabs before and opened both of them but I have never looked inside

 

[Wilco]

That is such a sad sight......so sorry
I've had cages with two tabs before and opened both of them but I have never looked inside

I've had them with two tabs before just never had a gap the queen couldn't get through. I even compared with a cage from another supplier which had two tabs and whilst that has a narrowing, a queen could still get through it. Thank you though.

 

[Swarm]

Two tab cages have a gap for interaction and a gap for release.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Is yours a puma then?

No, just a bog standard L200 Warrior. Clutch started slipping on the steep hills en route to the castle, probably should have spotted it earlier but nowadays everything gets blamed on MS dropfoot! I think the way I was taught to drive, and local terrain means any clutch does get put through its paces.
it was a pretty fuss free swapover though, just waiting for the clutch to bed in and me to get used to a brand new one now - there's been a few Kangaroo takeoffs when starting off!

 

[Wilco]

Two tab cages have a gap for interaction and a gap for release.

I've guessed that's the intention although for other two tab cages I've encountered, the queen has been able to get out of either (so a fault in the others) and I can't recall ever seeing introduction instructions pointing this out, although it is possible I've missed it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

still doing the vaping and feeding rounds, not as pleasant a day as yesterday basking in the sun at the castle but a pleasant hour or so apart from dodging the usual morons who now use the backroads to Amanford to avoid the 20mph limit the simpletons do it just to savee a minute and a half - but unfortunately for them most of the road is so narrow that 20mph feels like being reckless, and the only place they could maybe do thirty is a part that is now fairly heavily populated, goes through two yards and has had a 20mph limit since before the pandemic

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Checking amount of stores and presence of brood. Don't want to find QCs. Removed. Failed late supercedure seen 3 weeks ago. Can't find her today.
Rustling. Unite with another colony once I've cleared them out of the super. (thinking could have done both today but at least weather tomorrow looks OK).

 

[Swarm]

Landowner messaged me to ask if I'd like to help save a tree dwelling colony on his friend's farm that were left exposed after an Ash had been felled due to die back. While cutting the trunk into logs, the tree surgeon had cut the nest in half. Bill was rightly annoyed that the bees had been overlooked as there was a fairly large hole being used as an entrance and there must have been a lot of bee traffic yesterday as the weather was gorgeous. They were a nice, calm colony and are now tucked up in a nuc with a feed on top. Only one comb of brood which we secured in a frame and we made up the rest with spare frames containing a decent amount of stores.
Nice laid back, dark queen strolling over the comb, I marked her and let her toddle down a seam before closing up.

 

[The Poot]

Landowner messaged me to ask if I'd like to help save a tree dwelling colony on his friend's farm that were left exposed after an Ash had been felled due to die back. While cutting the trunk into logs, the tree surgeon had cut the nest in half. Bill was rightly annoyed that the bees had been overlooked as there was a fairly large hole being used as an entrance and there must have been a lot of bee traffic yesterday as the weather was gorgeous. They were a nice, calm colony and are now tucked up in a nuc with a feed on top. Only one comb of brood which we secured in a frame and we made up the rest with spare frames containing a decent amount of stores.
Nice laid back, dark queen strolling over the comb, I marked her and let her toddle down a seam before closing up.

That’s just great