New Kids in the Apiary

We have 2 nucs. set up by a friend whose bees made a lot of very nice Q. cells.
My apiary is the "stud",  with my drones being around when the 2 virgins hatch. We're keeping the black-bee strain as pure as possible.

We put the nucs. on old WBC floors to lift them off the ground.

Also we have kept the entrance tp 2 bee-width.  The colonies will not be strong enough yet to defend their stores.  We don't want to risk robbing.
Each nuc. has 5 drawn combs. 2 outer with honey and pollen; 3 with eggs and brood - the middle one with the precious Q cell. If all works out the Q's will hatch/ mate/ start laying after 2 weeks.

This is a good way to do an artificial swarm if you're a bit short of equipment.
The day is too nice to waste indoors so I'm off outside.
I will not be even taking a little peek inside the nucs.Tempting though it is.
QB will be back later with a report on today's adventures in Beeland.
QBZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

MidMay Inspection (using cloths)

 This is Cerinthe - or Virgil's Honeywort.  The purple 'petals' are bracts.
These flowers are rich in nectar and are very attractive to all species of bee - esp. bumblebees.

Today's temp. here is 19C and well worth a full inspection of all hives.
This picture shows the open "Blue" hive using canvas cloths to keep the bees from flying around upsetting the rest of the hives

Using 2 cloths which you roll / unroll to expose 1 frame at a time.

 You can easily make these yourself using canvas cut to the size of the box (super or brood) width-ways and 20cms or so lengthways.  Turn the ends over to make a pocket in which to slide a piece of flat wood to weigh the ends down when in use.
Any questions?  Add to "Comment" at the end of this post.
All hives had masses of stored pollen in the outer frames - a sign that the workers are ahead of the Queen?

 After a thoroughly lovely afternoon with my bees I dutifully wrote my noted obsevations in my specially designated book.(Not on bits of scrap paper which I am likely to lose!)  Sometimes, if future action is needed I write it on a piece of card and leave it above the crown board.

Add caption

Time to roll up the cloths making sure no little (inexperienced) youngsters have got trapped.
Hope your day was as good as mine.  QBzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hot weekend coming - great for good inspection.

Some friends I met in Helmsley!  There were definitely no crows in this garden.
When we got home from our hol. in Y'shire the wisteria had begun to flower. The honeybees haven't found it yet but it's covered in v. big bumblebees.  There is one on this pic. A sort of black blob in the  middle of the top flower!
Next blog I'll show how I use cloths to keep my bees from coming out of the brood box and creating an unholy buzz around the apiary.
My laptop's playing up a bit so my next blog may be a day or two.
Hot weekend coming - good time to have a really thorough inspection. Check for early signs of swarming plans - lg. no. drones/queen cups/no eggs. QBxx

Higher temps. than expected - Get in there!

Today turned out unexpectedly HOT! 
QB has just come back from the Yorkshire Dales where Summer has started.  May blossom, Horsechestnut, Oak, Sycamore etc etc. Learned how to play the ancient game of Merrills.
Anyway - decided today was the day to inspect the colonies.
I think it very important to have a pre-rehearsed (mentally) plan before opening up the hives.
Today - gauge the bees' mood and behaviour.
           - check stores.
           - examine brood nest for all stages of brood - eggs, larvae, capped brood.
I always lift to one side the super(s) and cover with quilt or cloth. I like working with cloth covers
to reduce the number of bees flying around getting excited.
Lifting off the QX is done carefully to make sure the Queen isn't clinging to it. She could end up in
the top super when I reassemble the hive -- happily laying eggs among the stored honey! Not good.
Taking out the first frame (on the right) and then working across left, carefully examining each surface
I look for all stages of brood, pollen stores and nectar. If I don't see the Queen but do see eggs I know she's about.  If I do see her I have the marker pen and cage to remark her after a long winter when her marking may get picked off by her attendants.
White Hive :  very strong; good mood; drawing out new foundation; 1 full super/ started on second.
                 :  brood nest on 4 combs of all stages eggs/ brood/ capped.
                    Capped drone cells (about 15)
 Yellow Hive : Medium strength; good mood; plenty stores in 1 super; loads of pollen in brood box.
                     : brood nest on 3 combs of larvae and capped brood - didn't find any eggs. BUT ......
                       we got a sudden thunder shower so had to close up very fast.
Blue Hive -  will have to wait till another day.

Sorry no pics today - rain stopped play.
Happy bee-keeping - BZZZZ QB

Some news

Northern Bee Unit workshops - Sat. June 14 Finchdale College, Off Chester Low Rd. DH1 5RX. - or-
Newbiggin Village Hall, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 0HT

Basic Syllabus - Sat. 10th May - Alnwick Bee Keepers Ass.- contact Ian Robson 0783317399

Report of colony thefts in Scotland.  If buying bees ensure they are from a reputable source.

Willow-leaf Pear is in full flower now!  The bees
love it and so do the birds. We have hung a
bird-feeder amongst its pretty branches. They
can feed and hide from the sparrow-hawk 
at the same time!

I've inspected the colonies and found -
White - 5 combs eggs/brood
Blue   - 2 combs eggs/brood
Yellow - 3 combs eggs/brood

WHAT ABOUT RED ?  I hear you cry !!
I could not believe my eyes !
Red colony has completely disappeared.
There is uncapped nectar in 5 deep combs - but NO eggs/brood.
There are 8 shallow combs of capped honey in the super.
Absolutely NO bees at all.
Any explanations will be welcomed.  QB is distraught.

Easter Weekend - Blue Colony Queen decided to lay eggs in super.

Moved last 2 colonies on to clean floors and put cleaned QX above brood box.
There was a chill wind so I didn't inspect the brood situation.  However, I did examine the contents of the super - fortunately!
The Q (white marked 2012) had decided to lay eggs in the shallow comb. She chose worker cells not drone  THANK GOODNESS!  We don't want drones just yet.  I didn't see her and it was too chilly to hang about.                   

Anyway - don't panic - what I did was this :  - Place the super to one side.
                                                                    - Place an empty super to the other side.
                                                                    - Lift each frame in turn and gently brush every bee into
                                                                     the  brood box.
                                                                    - Place each brushed comb into the empty super (same order!)
                                                                    - Gently brush any remaining bees into the open brood box.
                                                                    - Put the QX on top and then the full super.
                                                                      GOT IT?
The bees will care for the brood above the QX.  The Q will  carry on laying inthe brood box where I want her to.
Task completed and all has quietened down. Next job is to clean the now empty hives and give all the outer bits (floor, porch, lifts, roof  a coat of paint.)

Job done!
If tomorrow's temperature for here, inland Northumberland, is as forecast tomorrow,  I will do a full brood inspection of all colonies,  exchange old comb for new and, as each super is almost full and capped, I'll give them a super of empty drawn comb.
Wish I was a beekeeper in the south UK!  18/19C !!


See you soon with more news!
QBee.

Busy Bees

Lit smoker but didn't use!  What a waste of a cartridge (rolled hessian and corr. card.) The bees were very busy and very calm!

The temperature was 12C this afternon so I decided to swap Yellow and Red on to
clean floorboards. All colonies very busy fetching in pollen - probably willow and
celandine mainly.
This is what Red Hive floor looked like! What a mess! The yellow bits are cappings - they've been into their stores.

.....and here they are in their clean hive - clean floor, clean cover board with new Porter escapes and  clean queen excluder (QX) First check SHE is in the brood box and not in the
top super!! Much of the drawn comb in the super is drone cell.
What we don't want is Q. laying drone eggs! so be watchful.
 So Yellow and Red are settled, both with fresh candy.  It's still quite cold some days and although they are bringing in loads of pollen there is less nectar available.
Their floorboards etc will now be cleaned by scorching with my blow torch to destroy any disease spores/varroa eggs. Next job
will be to transfer  Blue and White colonies on to these cleaned floors.

Walked across the fields in warm sunlight and ----- saw first 4 swallows of the year! What joy!
QB