Your plans for 2017

[linoleum bonypart]

Are you increasing decreasing consolidating
Trying something new... moving to new apiary ...New equipment
Have I missed anything
I'm going to try a couple of hives on 14x12 and also try the demaree method

 

[coatesg]

Hopefully get 3 colonies through the winter...

Bring nuc into a full size hive and then replace queen (getting old). Try Snelgrove vertical split method on remaining 2 colonies - will probably use one of the splits to do the requeening.

Of course, the bees might have other ideas...

 

[REDWOOD]

I'll wait until the spring to decide, don't count the chickens until they hatch.

 

[Plenty of honey]

I'll wait until the spring to decide, don't count the chickens until they hatch.

Exactly, there is still a long long way to go!!

 

[B+.]

Are you increasing decreasing consolidating
Trying something new... moving to new apiary ...New equipment
Have I missed anything

I will be testing 2 instrumentally inseminated Netherland line A.m.c. queens (55-3-44-2014 * 18-26-7268-2013), 7 island mated I.B. Celle queens (lines A1-013, A2-001 and A3-066) in addition to the VSH line (55-2-73-2016 * 18-26-7268-2013). They all have expected breeding values well above the mean so they should be pretty good.
In theory, 68% of all queens tested should have beeding values betwenn 90 and 110%, and 95% should have breeding values between 80 and 120% (normal distribution with mean of 100 and a standardised dispersion of 10). The remaining 5% is split either side of a normal distribution, so, when I say that the Netherland line have an expected breeding value of 126%, you can see that they should appear in the top 2.5% of the whole of the BeeBreed test population (around 7,000 queens / year). I have high hopes for them.
On the latest spreadsheet I have, 59 of the Netherland line queens will be tested by members of the group.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm going to try a colony on double 6 frame nuc boxes in 14x12 format.
Floor with under entrance is made, the entrance is on the long side so I can have the box warm way.

My birthday present is a "tree hive" which will go up in the garden in spring.

 

[REDWOOD]

Tree hive?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[REDWOOD]

Are you doing the double nuc to later split or are you adding a couple of nuc supers


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Hivemaker.]

Tree hive?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Tree hive?

Home made twin walled ply with PIR insulation in the gap.
I can't have a hive in the garden incase Stan's grandchildren get stung!
Soooooo.........the next best thing. It's been painted and it's going to get hoisted up in a tree at the bottom of the garden in Spring

Are you doing the double nuc to later split or are you adding a couple of nuc supers

I want to try it as a colony in its own right so I don't plan on splitting it except for swarm management so....supers, yes.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I wonder if I dare show Stan that....

Actually

What a stupid picture!
If the chap's chiselling a nest away why has he got a lit smoker hanging up in front of him?
Daft!!!!!

Or.....is that a loaded "Freedom hive" dangling ready for placement?
in which case why hasn't he got at least a veil on?

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Hopefully this adventure will be videod Dani !!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hopefully this adventure will be videod Dani !!

Absolutely not....the thought!!!!!
I'll probably get wasps in it

 

[REDWOOD]

Stan's getting quite handy, I'll take my hat of to him


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Amari]

Are you increasing decreasing consolidating
Trying something new... moving to new apiary ...New equipment
Have I missed anything
I'm going to try a couple of hives on 14x12 and also try the demaree method

No OSR at this end of the parish this year so I plan to set up a couple of temporary out apiaries and distribute my current eight colonies (if they all come through, DV) thereabouts.

 

[Jed D]

Wow , as ever all our sites are surrounded by OSR !!!

We currently have bees on 4 sites 'but this year we have been invited to try a new site by a new landowner...
In order to make this possible for us, my wife & friend are going to take on ,one of our current sites...
This is a new twist for me, as I have promised to keep my nose out , other than to deliver additional boxes for their monster yield.....

The Gauntlet has been throw down!! which site will produce the most Honey..

 

[Poly Hive]

Snelgrove?

You are kidding please?

PH

 

[Hivemaker.]

Actually

What a stupid picture!
If the chap's chiselling a nest away why has he got a lit smoker hanging up in front of him?
Daft!!!!!

Or.....is that a loaded "Freedom hive" dangling ready for placement?
in which case why hasn't he got at least a veil on?

He is a Polish tree beekeeper, I also don't wear a veil most of the time, but usually have a lit smoker near to hand if needed, so can't see anything unusual about that.

Looks like he is just removing some honey comb to me.

 

[seaknight]

4 colonies overwintering at present, I'm planning to split each one as soon as possible to pre-empt swarming and increase to 8 colonies.
Try moving some colonies to a second apiary a few miles away in August, which has heather growing on it.
Priority 1 is to prevent loss of honey through swarming and get as large a honey crop as possible.

 

[Erichalfbee]

He is a Polish tree beekeeper, I also don't wear a veil most of the time, but usually have a lit smoker near to hand if needed, so can't see anything unusual about that.

Looks like he is just removing some honey comb to me.

Oooooops.....sorry
I thought he was making a tree nest and it was a promotional picture of some sort
He was harvesting wild honey, then

Yes....looking closer there is a pile of dark comb stacked up and his veil is slung behind his head
Can't see bees though