Puppy preparing for holiday.

Kangal puppy now 52kg.  Decided to hide favourite bones ready for going away on his first kennels holiday.     First make sure the coast is clear!!

Lastly a careful bit of placement!
 

 then select the right spot.

 

My Apiary to date (Early July)

I now have 4 full colonies and 1 small (result of artificial swarm).
I did the a/s as I was going away for a week and the colony was heaving but
had no swarm prep.  They were waiting until they saw the taxi pull  away up the drive before they started a new Q. cell!!
The B/Y colony is the culprit.
Anyway, the 'swarm' hive with red Q. is thriving (split done 9th June).
Bees drawing out comb and Q. filling it with eggs.
The 'original' brood hive started a new Q. cell which should have hatched on 25th June.    …………….  still waiting on 4th July.  Well I've heard that the bees sometimes delay the emergence of the virgin queen  - but 9 days?
Tomorrow I will take a last look and then decide what to do.

Queen marking

Job done -  only possible when you have a Bee Buddy to provide a second pair of eyes!! QB got so excited I forgot to take photo. of the marking ceremony. Below is all you need + a steady hand!

 

Red is 2018 Q. colour.
As you see below This Q. is a very good layer.  nice regular pattern - no gaps.  Since starting this I have successfully marked all (4) my last year's queens.

Friday 24 May '19 - unplanned inspection - big surprise!!

Sorry - this is a late posting.  Friday was warm and QB couldn't resist the opportunity to Springclean the Beebunker.  However, once in the apiary and watching the bees inning and outing, pollen sacs loaded, I had to look inside the hives. Sadly, only 4 now - Stone, Yellow/blue, Red and Yellow 'H'.

Stone - disappointing - not much going on. Q laying only in the 2 shallow combs. QB adjusted brood nest to encourage stoneQ to move into deep frames.
Yellow/blue - unbelievable!!  Used smoker:  so many bees! Q. laying on 5 frames and started on 6th. QB gave new foundation (to give bees something to do!) Super very heavy - nearly full!  Where is the nectar source? Certainly no Oilseed rape here.  Action - gave 2nd super of drawn comb.
WATCH this  colony!
Red - VERY Strong colony - Q has filled 3 shallow combs + extended comb and has filled 2 deep comb.  Action - gave drawn foundation at side of broodnest for Q to lay in. 
Super not very heavy. No need for 2nd super.
Yellow 'H' - Picking up well Bees extending shallow comb (from winter super) and Q laying in it. Also Q starting laying on deep comb. QB very happy ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Too wet to beekeep! So.....Kangal pups love mud!

A wet cool Bank holiday weekend so what to do?

Qb won't shrink in the rain. Decided to dig out Spring bulbs and rehome them in buckets ………………...

to replant next Autumn.  At least I made a start to empty the tubs.  Then came inside and made a batch of smoker cartridges. Quick and easy and saves time later. Use corrugated cardboard (make sure it isn't fire retardant-ed!), loose-weave sacking and string or brown gumstrip. Roll up tight to fit your smoker. 4 cartridges made in minutes!!   BUT MEANWHILE outside in the rain!!!!
Kangal pups love wet and mud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whoops! 
It wasn't me!  BIG Trouble!!!!!
 

Silver colony GONE!!!!

QB decided to Spring- clean the apiary this afternoon.  Scraped moss off concrete base - well left some moss on as the bees like to suck it for water.
It isn't very warm but thought I'd have a little peek in the top of each colony to assess the food (candy and Nektapol). All colonies flying except Silver.
That was the colony where the Q laid drone and I found her wandering around on her own 2 weeks ago. The best thing, I thought then with my 45years of accumulated wisdom - Ha! ha!, was to combine Silver with Yellow "H" which also seemed rather weak. Anyway I left it too late.
Today when I opened Silver the hive was completely empty. Not even any dead ones. No sign of Q cells on the comb.
Now I've heard of this happening to other  beekeepers but this is a first for me.
I wonder where they went? Unless one of you lovely readers suggests otherwise I will assume they just mingled with the other colonies on one of those very warm days we've had recently. QBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZz

Kangal on a wet Saturday

No, the photo. isn't upside-down! It's the dog! We've just come back from a walkie. Well some heel practice anyway. In the pouring rain.  So "If you won't play with me the teddy bear gets it!"  and remember blog readers the bear sings "Frostie the Snowman" each time you bite its left paw.

Bringing up Kangal

Throwing Kong Wubba is as good a a gym workout

He's 48kg now - 6months old. When he's good he's very, very, good but when he's bad - well !!!!!!!!!!! Anyway he get's fixated on things. This week it's bamboo canes and the plastic mesh they hold in place for the clematis to climb.  It's possible, but exhausting, to distract him.


But the squeaking threatens your mental stability1

Last week's obsession - eating Gandalf (weeping Cyprus)
A great way of annoying the humans.

NEXT WEEK??????

Too wet to open hives/ but look at the pollen.

Bees love Ribes (flowering currant).

This weekend I had planned to invite a friend to take her first peek inside a beehive. I think it's a bit risky. Lower temp. might chill the brood.  Heaven knows, I want to give them every chance of expanding the brood nest - so let them alone.  In the garden the apple blossom is out along with the silver birch catkins and wisteria (slow).

Silver birch full of catkins - clouds of pollen

Wisteria - bees love it - what a perfume!


     

Korean Fir - this year's cones and male flowers. Clouds of pollen and plenty of resin.

The Veg. Garden progresses at snailpace! No good for my Cheshire head!

Thank goodness for some rain showers.  At last the little Alderman pea shoots have started to push through, and the silverskin onions have begun to germinate.  Not much left to do.  Sprouts and Primo cabbage plants need putting alongside the Tenderstem Broccoli under the big cloche (to keep out the Cabbage Whites and Wood Pigeons). The Globe Artichoke seedlings in the  greenhouse have roots coming out of the pots (10cm) so should I risk hardening off and planting out. Have we had the last hard frost?  That is the question. Sweet corn and Fr. Bean Cobra pose a similar problem.  Anyway, look at the garlic!! This is Red Duke - new to me. Behind is Carcassonne,Casablanca, Provencal.

Veg. Garden at end of April

Getting the puppy has caused me some delay in sowing and planting. I guess everything will catch up. The weather has been very dry but that downpour last Saturday did a lot of good - unfortunately the weeds enjoyed it too.
So to date - all  garlic and Autumn planted onion sets are coming on well.
Last week I planted the heat-treated onion sets - 3 varieties inc. red. I find onions from the heat treated sets don't go to seed.
Three varieties of sweet pea (I absolutely love sweet peas) are putting down roots but not really ready to climb yet.
Lady Christl (early potatoes), Desiree (red, main crop) and Kestrel (midseason) are all tucked up in their trenches, away from any late frosts.
Last Friday I planted the young Tenderstem Broccoli seedlings under the cloche. Here we have problems with voles and mice.
Next job, sow peas (Alderman) which climb to 6ft. Good crop.

 

Kangal Puppy

Dak - a rehomed youngster now 5 months old.
One day an angel; next day a little devil. We are working at getting him into the car now the dog bars are fitted. Also walking him short distances on the lead.  We've fitted him with a chest harness to reduce any pull on his neck. He seems to like the harness.
This hot weather is not enjoyed by this breed. We found with our previous Kangals (then called Anatolian Karabas) that they sought to lie in the shade on warm days. Dak is no exception.

Finally - all colonies ready for new season

Stone Colony today - probably my strongest.
Bees buzzing but not aggressive.
A warm afternoon - didn't use smoker - I think smoke can be quite disruptive.  This was a quick inspection, looking for brood, eggs, disease, stores.
This Q unmarked, laid on 2 shallow combs. Quite nice laying pattern.

All colonies clean, Qx in place, no sign of disease
Now we can get on with the season. Goodness only knows what is to come - the usual excitement I expect!
Summary: so far:
Yellow"H" - weak. 2shallow combs in deep brood box.
Red: Med. strength. 3 shallow combs capped brood/larvae/eggs in deep.
Yellow/Blue: Very strong. 3 deep combs of all stages brood.
Silver: Disappointingly weak. 1 shallow small qty. brood, some drone caps. Have we got a drone laying Q? Saw her - v. slim and v. black.
Stone: Very strong. 2 combs (shallow) of nice brood, all stages.  QBzzzzzzz 

Carry on inspections - every colony holds a different surprise!

Now onto the 3rd colony - I call it Blue/Yellow. This lot are very strong - a large no. of quite feisty bees. They cling to my veil with intent.
This Q. which I didn't see, but then this is not the purpose of this inspection,
has laid on 3 deep combs in the brood box. Very good.  No brood in top super. I put the brood box on the clean floor and gently brushed/shook the bees from each super frame into it.  You can never be sure in this first inspection where the Q might be.  Don't want her above the QX.

As for Red hive's 3 shallow combs of brood.  I chose to place them in the middle of the brood box below the QX.  If I had left them in the top super, previous experience tells me the bees might move up to keep the brood warm and fed, leaving the Q on her own in the broodbox.   Yes, it can happen and she dies!!  However, I need to keep an eye on these 3 shallow combs and when the Q gets laying well I will gradually move them to the edge and eventually replace them with deep comb.
Tomorrow Silver colony gets the treatment. 

First Inspection '19 - a risky business!!

The temperature over this Easter weekend is rising so good opportunity to check through all 5 colonies without risking chilling any brood (if any!!!).
Last Autumn I put an empty super box on each floorboard; then brood box (with brood and stores) above; then 10 comb super with rapid feeder (easier than contact feeder) above. No Q excluder.

The risk is that if I don't get into the Spring inspection before the Q starts
laying she will most likely lay in the top box - the super. Like this - Q in Red colony keen to get started.  I'll tell you what I did about this in my next Post.
Meanwhile, before I start on the first colony it's important to get everything ready. All clean , wooden parts blow torched to kill any pathogens, varroa eggs etc. Continued tomorrow. 
What would you do if you found brood in super at start of season, leave a comment below!

Snow in Spring/ Veg. Garden/ Bringing up a Kangal

This flowering cherry is humming today. My native honeybees really are hardy. I ventured out to plant my first early potatoes (Lady Christl) and got frozen!  Dak the Kangal pup, however, is not remotely affected by the cold.

sweet pea plants warmly tucked under plastic water bottles until the frosts go.

Snow in Spring is buzzing today

Happy Kangal pup (35kg!) cutting adult teeth

Forage Today

Bees very busy today so I checked the food situation - all OK so far

Crocus - very popular.

Eremurus (Winter aconite)

.

All colonies are feeding on the Candy blocks that I gave them 2 weeks ago (in that very unseasonal warm spell). Not many dead bees on the varroa floor - good!!!

Queen Bee is back - follow my honeybee's progress week by week

A 2019 message to all Beekeepers/ gardeners/ new puppy owners.

Queen Bee has emerged from winter hibernation - so we're good to go!!
BEEKEEPERS
Here in North Northumberland there isn't much to report yet.
When the temp. reaches the dizzy heights of 12C the bees in all (5) hives
are out collecting pollen - willow, snowdrop, crocus, flowering cherry, aubretia, miniature daffodil, primrose.
It's far too cold to open the hives for the first serious inspection.

So to cheer you up here's Queen Bee at the Elsdon Village Fete last August!