BBKA Forum

Inspected the three colonies today. Local bees continue to grow rapidly. Buckfasts slowly building up. Nuc with 2018 queen made two empty cups so just waiting to see what they're planning. Only have small patches of brood on 3 frames and they are below average size-wise.

Forgot to switch out two national Abelo floors for the tunnel entrance floors I had made. Also forgot to clip my queens. I had friends and family watching on Zoom so was distracted by questions

Getting a Maisies poly brood box so will drop that on top of the nuc with a Qex between and fill it with the combs full of syrup I took from the colonies two weeks back. Hopefully that helps them and also gets me some drawn comb downstairs and empty comb upstairs. It's the dream.

I then let my Abelo poly inspection trays soak with water mixed with washing soda, then my wife painted them with masonry paint. I truly regret putting them in unpainted. They were disgusting.

Moved 6 colonies from home out to the farms as our new neighbours are afraid of the bees I would love just for once to be able to have bees at home in town with endless forage in April and May, sheltered from the freezing Easterly winds, but no...out they go to look upon the North sea where the wind won't change direction until mid June...

Yesterday checking nucs and doing a little equalisation between them.

Brought some kits back home and started refurbishing it. Scorched some boxes,

Stock take of what kit is out at the apiaries I visited.

MickBBKA wrote: ↑

12 Apr 2020, 03:06

Moved 6 colonies from home out to the farms as our new neighbours are afraid of the bees I would love just for once to be able to have bees at home in town with endless forage in April and May, sheltered from the freezing Easterly winds, but no...out they go to look upon the North sea where the wind won't change direction until mid June...

Your not wrong about that wind I had bees in my garden in H/pool and the hundreds of crocus and Hyacinths I planted where of little use as the bees where hive bound most of the time through the wind..the bees have now been moved 70 mile away to Alnwick around half mile from the coast where I can keep an eye on them as I'm working 20 minutes away..even though they are only 20 mine's the weather difference is mad..inland around 5 mile from the bees it was 21C yesterday where my hives are it was 13C through the wind of the sea.

checked a box today I thought had died to find maybe 20 workers cells sealed and a few eggs, a handful of bees and a queens, put the queen into an introduction cage, made up a nuc from a strong colony and put the introduction cage inside ready to be released shortly.

What a difference a few days of sunshine makes. Some apple starting to come into blossom around here and bees making hay, er honey. Did only my second full inspection and already had to put on third super to about a third of colonies as brood chamber being used to store nectar. Several wall to wall brood and needing second brood chamber (even a Commercial) otherwise they will be trying to off. Bizarre.

Took a laying queen colony with lots of older workers still (removed queen) and shook it into a gradually failing 3yr old queen colony with plenty of smoke. Will requeen that from overwintered nuc and make something useful of two duds.

Overwintered nucs do rock, thanks Micheal Palmer.

MickBBKA wrote: ↑

12 Apr 2020, 03:06

Moved 6 colonies from home out to the farms as our new neighbours are afraid of the bees I would love just for once to be able to have bees at home in town with endless forage in April and May, sheltered from the freezing Easterly winds, but no...out they go to look upon the North sea where the wind won't change direction until mid June...

I've room for a couple of hives at one of my out apiaries if you fancy bringing a couple over...

Been equalizing nucs and colonies

Put a hydraulic jack under a hive-stand loaded with hives and jacked it up
Sat in the garden, I noticed that the lean had suddenly gotten worse and the hives were now imitating the leaning tower of Pisa. Turned out to be less exciting than I thought it could be - the bees didn't seem to notice as I wedged extra supports under the stand. Thankfully

Never put off that you planned today until tomorrow, so they decided to swarm whilst I was up a tower scaffold working. Last inspected 8 days ago no Q/C's , I knew last week I should have demereed them but didn't.
Colonies on brood and a half , may have to think about going double brood for next year. Four cells, two in each box no use thinking by just lifting the half brood all is ok.
Q was clipped no sign of her , swarm returned home and now dealt with. For now have created a vertical split with another entrance.

Three more to check tomorrow, two were briefly checked on Sunday and all looked well.