What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Garry R]

Yes some people use far too much; a small shallow half-filled plastic plantpot saucer is enough for a stack of boxes.

A low volume with a good surface area helps the vapourisation.

 

[E&MBees]

Stood in the forest on the longest day and absorbed the atmosphere amongst the myrtle, sassafras and leatherwoods with hope that the bees are working in the crowns of the latter.

What bird is that, singing in the background?

 

[Antipodes]

What bird is that, singing in the background?

…would anyone be willing to have a guess?

 

[The Poot]

…would anyone be willing to have a guess?

Something akin to our blackbird?

 

[ericbeaumont]

…would anyone be willing to have a guess?

No, but I did find that the Forty-Spotted Pardalote is under threat, and fancied repeating the name. Swift parrot? Not as ripely named, but you have others that surprise: the Grey Shrike-Thrush, Eastern Spinebill, Grey Fantail, New Holland Honeyeater. Came across other mammalian oddities: the quoll, the pademelon, and the cuddly Tasmanian devil.

 

[The Poot]

Today in the sunshine. Two colonies that each had a bought in Buckfast queen in June. The green based one on the left, from BMH, (Maltese), the yellow based one from Exmoor. The busyness was reversed an hour later with the Exmoor girls “going for it”.
The left hand one has needed a lot of Autumn feeding, following removal of supers and is walloping through fondant, whilst the Exmoor girls refused to fill any supers, packing it into the upper brood box. So, they have not been fed at all and are still very heavy.

Both Buckfast, but very different to each other.

View attachment IMG_6654.MOV

 

[Antipodes]

Something akin to our blackbird?

Not a bad guess as it can do a perfect imitation! It's a superb lyrebird.

 

[The Poot]

Not a bad guess as it can do a perfect imitation! It's a superb lyrebird.

A wonderful mimic. I’ve seen videos of them imitating chainsaws and camera shutters.
Amazing stuff!

 

[juno]

Dank and misty here in Leicestershire today, took a quick peep under the roof of the 2 home hives and double nuc to check on the fondant, all good. Tomorrow the out apiary gets its 2nd Christmas sublimation. Today I’m perusing the online sales.

 

[Paulypaul]

Dank and misty here in Leicestershire today, took a quick peep under the roof of the 2 home hives and double nuc to check on the fondant, all good. Tomorrow the out apiary gets its 2nd Christmas sublimation. Today I’m perusing the online sales.

Which device are you using for sublimation? Wand, Instavap, etc?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Vaped some nucs , mini nucs, single brood/half, lovely sun set last night

 

[juno]

Which device are you using for sublimation? Wand, Instavap, etc?

This from Simon the Beekeeper, bit easier to use than a disk on-a-stick type.

 

[JamezF]

Would have been nice to do a quick post-Christmas tour of my hives today just to check all is well, but this is how the world looked this morning:

Since then it's just got worse. I reckon visibility is down to somewhere between ten and fifteen metres now. Even the tree in the foreground of this photo is starting to disappear. Not a chance I am going out on the roads in that.

James

 

[Curly green finger's]

View attachment 41815View attachment 41815This from Simon the Beekeeper, bit easier to use than a disk on-a-stick type.

Oh I’ve not seen that type before interesting is it like a sublimox ?
I run my sublimox from a small generator or inverter.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Would have been nice to do a quick post-Christmas tour of my hives today just to check all is well, but this is how the world looked this morning:

Since then it's just got worse. I reckon visibility is down to somewhere between ten and fifteen metres now. Even the tree in the foreground of this photo is starting to disappear. Not a chance I am going out on the roads in that.

James

A bit like the view through my eyes this morning - but nothing to do with the weather

 

[Sutty]

View attachment 1000013717.jpg
It was foggy here too but you could get above it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

The beginning and the end of the day here

View attachment IMG_2728.mov

 

[The Poot]

The beginning and the end of the day here

View attachment 41817

View attachment 41818

Beautiful! And you want to move?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Beautiful! And you want to move?

No I don’t but we are isolated here and we are getting old.

 

[Sutty]

No I don’t but we are isolated here and we are getting old.

Get a bigger freezer & develop a relationship with a local taxi company. Stamp duty would pay for an awful lot of journeys!