What have you done today bee-related?

[JoJo36]

Come on Mick, cheer up, you had a load of gorgeous honey this year, it can't be all bad??!!

[NigelP]

Mick, think yourself lucky the Fair went ahead. Friends of mine traveled from near Sunderland to Middleton-in-teesdale, through sthenow to find the organisers had canceled the market but not told anyone! At last I knew todays maket wasn't going ahed at 9 am Yesterday.
Crazy weather, -6C for several nights followed by 5 inches of snow yesterday morning, which turned to rain, which melted the snow and today we have a balmy 13C.

[MickBBKA]

Ha, you are right JoJo, it wasn't all bad this year for me but it was a nightmare for lots of others so you have a point, I can't complain too much. My 'Dark honey' is amazing and sold 6-1 of the spring light honey recently. However the Buckwheat honey doesn't have a lot of fans.

[NigelP]

Buckwheat honey was on my bucket list, but after tasting yours has been crossed off.
Wouldn't know if Ive had any absconded as no checks done lately, although they are due a hefting shortly.
Think I've had 2 abscond in the past 10 or so years, both cases were in March and nothing left inside hive but stores.

[NigelP]

Checked for storm damage on hives at a couple of out apiaries, decided to heft at the same time. No storm damamge, but 2 hives were very light and have now been fed copious amounts of fondant. One or two more may need a bit of feed later on, but fine for time being.
Must say it was good to open up a couple of hives and see bees again.

[MickBBKA]

Like you Nigel I went out to check if the hives were all intact which were fine. A large Pine tree about 10 yards away had been blown over but not close enough to cause damage. I was very surprised to find a nuc still under attack from wasps, its 9th December for crying out loud. Warm Winters here are a pain. I left the back of my truck open with some spare brood frames of stores in it and came back to find a cloud of wasps in the back. We have had some sub zero nights in the last 2 weeks but obviously not cold enough.

[MickBBKA]

Popped the festive thank you drinks into the farms today. Checked on food reserves and just 3 req fondant.
WASP UPDATE. 23rd December and colonies still getting attacked by wasps in the woodland apiary

[AdamD]

I checked and varroa-treated most of my colonies yesterday. All stocks were alive which is good to know and stores were generally OK; I was disturbed and unable to complete the task so I'll finish off another day.

[NigelP]

More yesterday......went and fed fondant to those hives that might need a top up. They did.
With 4 inches of snow today I'm glad I went yesterday as no chance of getting to one of my out apiaries today.

[AdamD]

I finished checking my stocks - all good. I thought that one was dead at my home apiary as there was nothing happening when I took the crown board off. It was a double brood hive; only when I lifted up the top brood box did I see the bees further down the lower box. They had oodles of stores.
I more recently spoke to a beekeeper who's hive is about 1/2 mile from my home, who lost her bees to robbing in September. I wonder where all her honey went to??