What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Penninetrader]

Started to swap out the hive stands, scrubbing, painting and sorting out any repairs if needed, surprised to see very little debris on the floor just a small pile of dead bees. One of the hives given fondant, feeling very light and have consumed their last batch. Running low on our honey, hope it's a good spring or my porridge is going to be very boring!!!

I held plenty back, ignored all the hints for honey gifts, self preservation aside, what most do not appreciate is the effort my girls go to in order my porridge is exotified. My word not Collins.

 

[gwt_uk]

Checked in on two apiaries. Fed fondant to a couple of light colonies. Some colonies looking busy with lots of pollen going in, a couple others have much less activity. Will see what is going on once inspections start. Looking forward to another beekeeping season.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

dropped the annual honey 'rent' off at the castle (they get it in the spring not in the autumn as it will be nice and fresh on the shelf in the shop to greet the Easter grockles) and as the fields up there have dried up nicely drove up to the apiary for the first time since September, the loads of dead ash trees lining the crag the castle sits on have been trimmed a little by storm Eowyn with the largest ( and nearest) to the apiary being toppled and missing the hives by a yard or two (Plenty of smoker fuel lying there now!) although the gate post didn't get off scot free, most of the hives alive with bees but a few casualties loaded in the back for recycling - queen failures by the looks of it. Both oldish queens that hadn't really impressed last year brood wise and probably failed to produce decent successors as no sign of any brood in combs with still plenty of stores.

 

[Penninetrader]

Returned to replacing fondant with syrup on 2 hives as a tester. Opened the lazy hive, which has turned out to be anything but, when I say opened I mean the feeder box, the 2 slots for the bees to climb up into the feeder showed no signs of bees whatsoever not even curious ones. I placed the feeder tray then poured syrup in, within a second or 2 the bees were up and at the syrup. Hive 2, the circus colony, same thing not a bee in sight, placed tray poured syrup.........waited, nothing. Both of these colonies were busy foraging at the time but so so different in response to the syrup. Neither of these had shown much interest or need of the fondant up to this point.As can be seen I place stones in the feeder to prevent drowning

 

[Do224]

Returned to replacing fondant with syrup on 2 hives as a tester.

What’s the test?

Neither of these had shown much interest or need of the fondant up to this point

So why give them syrup…even if they take it…do they need it?

 

[Lottie]

Today I took advantage of the sun and whipped the fondant out of a few hives, 3 to be exact, 2 were taking no notice of it and the third with the hardest was making reasonable use of it, that one I swapped out with one of the other trays of more pliable fondant.I will tomorrow replace with syrup and see how that goes.The girls were still bringing pollen in of varying colour, one bee landed so heavy due to being covered on legs and back with pollen she could hardly right herself. This girl decided to have a little rest before returning home with the shoppingView attachment 42248

IS fondant that has gone hard , unusable? Will the bees not work at it at all?

 

[Penninetrader]

What’s the test?

So why give them syrup…even if they take it…do they need it?

Timing, the colony will be much larger very soon and depleting stores faster than nectar comes in.It is always a judgement as to your actions, I will not overfeed so as not to block brood building space. One can easily be fooled that a hive is maintaining weight by additional bees at this critical time. As can be seen, they are small trays and the bottle of syrup divided by 2. So far my girls have done OK with the way I manage things. So fingers crossed.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

IS fondant that has gone hard , unusable? Will the bees not work at it at all?

they will work it if they need it - and they have access to water to assimilate it - look at those that feed their bees hard sugar blocks in winter.

 

[Penninetrader]

IS fondant that has gone hard , unusable? Will the bees not work at it at all?

They have used some of it, the fondant is not hard, I myself have a taste to check it is ok. As I had said, I was dealing with 3 particular colonies for now, one of the 3 had been using the fondant some of it had gone hard so I replaced that with one of the trays taken from the other 2.When I pulled the tray the girls were reluctant to be ejected and travelled in it to where I placed it temporarily 15ft away.I will be having a look at the colony again today and see if they are on that fondant, I am curious as to know whether it is my cooking skills they don't like or just not hungry.

 

[Do224]

One can easily be fooled that a hive is maintaining weight by additional bees at this critical time.

You mean because of the weight of the bees? I can’t imagine they weigh enough to skew things do they

 

[Penninetrader]

You mean because of the weight of the bees? I can’t imagine they weigh enough to skew things do they

As I only placed about a kilo of fondant I think they could. Again, judgement or best guess, I would be surprised if any of us get everything right. I have an advantage over those with greater numbers of colonies, especially if in out apiaries, in that I can spend more time observing and possibly discovering problems before they become disasters. Doing your best is all you can do.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

such a lovely sunny day (unless in the shade) so I popped down to check the Llety'r Deryn bees. All hives very active and bursting with bees, although one was a bit quiet although still busy.
Bees shifting in both willow pollen and nectar.

 

[Do224]

and nectar.

how can you tell that they’re bringing in nectar?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

how can you tell that they’re bringing in nectar?

because they were dumping it in the still nadired shallow prior to moving it up into the deep.

 

[Do224]

because they were dumping it in the still nadired shallow prior to moving it up into the deep.

What did you do…qx then use shallow for super? Or just pinch the shallow and wait before supering…

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

way too early to think of supering around here, so the nadir just taken away.
Said nadir was left on its side on top of the hive for ten minutes whilst I sorted other hives out - by which time the bees remaini9ng in there had returned to the deep and taken any nectar with them

 

[Newbeeneil]

Not in my apiary but in the skep apiary of St David’s cathedral.
I thought the skeps must have bloody massive bees but it turned out they were occupied by normal apis.
View attachment IMG_0827.mov

 

[Sutty]

I can only assume they are wooden shells/lifts over a normal sized hive!