What did you do in the Apiary today?

[ugcheleuce]

Basically, at this time of the year your bees are getting themselves ready for winter. They tend to close every nook and cranny up with propolis or brace comb...

Yes, I saw that... my hives are not quite square, and the bees put a lot more propolis into the gaps this month than in any other month of this year. I think I should visit my hives with duct tape and builder's putty and close literally every little gap from the outside -- what do you think?

On the whole, I did not see more brace comb than in other months (during this inspection), although yes... in one or two cases the inspection caused the capped cells to be stripped of their caps.

While thinking about what had happened during this inspection, it occurred to me that one of the disadvantages of using castellated strips is that you can't shift a set of frames to one side all at the same time (e.g. if you want to inspect one frame in the middle). With the strips, if you want to inspect a frame in the middle, you have to lift it up while the comb from the adjacent frames press from either side, and if there's any brace comb, it'll break it.

In fact, this was one reason for lifting every frame the first hive -- I could not, on earlier occassions, lift out a frame completely, due to the adjacent frames, and the only way to check an entire frame would have been to remove at least two frames from the sides of the box and then shift all the other frames one by one towards the side of the box.

Perhaps stupid was too strong a word, I'll retract that Sam... unnecessary is a better word.

No, "stupid" covers it. Stupidity borne out of ignorance.

 

[ugcheleuce]

It might be warmer than usual (mild) during the day, but the nights are getting longer and colder because that's what happens at this time of year. The bees will recover, but it will take them longer and take more effort than in the summer.

Yes, and on a similar note (with regard to my two hives that don't have enough stores), I've learnt some things in the past three days (from googling after reading comments by beeks): 1. it is the night temperature that counts; 2. bees won't take up syrup if the syrup temperature is lower than, say, 10 degrees Celsius (can you confirm that?); 3. syrup takes long to warm up from e.g. night temperature to day temperature (thankfully it also takes long to cool off, it it's warm -- a mentoring beek told me to warm up the syrup to 50 degrees and give it to the bees like that, in the coming mornings).

 

[pargyle]

Yes, I saw that... my hives are not quite square, and the bees put a lot more propolis into the gaps this month than in any other month of this year. I think I should visit my hives with duct tape and builder's putty and close literally every little gap from the outside -- what do you think?

No, "stupid" covers it. Stupidity borne out of ignorance.

It's all a learning curve ... there isn't a day goes by (particularly on this forum) where you don't find something you didn't know ...

I actually seal the crown board to the top of my hive in winter using aluminium tape .. saves the bees from sticking a lot of propolis in any gaps. I find that if there is no through draught they tend not to propolise as much. I don't think I'd go as far as putty ... and duct tape is not a good idea - recent thread on here about what they can do with it.

I wouldn't use castellated strips in the brood area for all the reasons you have discovered - with rails, during 'quick' inspections, you can use a dummy board at the end of the hive and after taking that out just lift the other frames a few inches to see whats on them. Then drop the frames back down and slide them along into the gap. At the end of the inspection you can just slide all the frames back into position in one go using the hive tool as a lever - much less disruptive. I'd swap the castellations out next season if you can - save them for your supers.

 

[BeeJayBee]

It was only when [the experienced beeks] realised that I had taken the cue and photographed the other hives as well that they changed their tune and reprimanded me for the inspections instead of giving more advice.

At least they didn't tell you something completely different, as has happened with another newish beekeeper.

Everybody does something dim at some point, learning from it is what's important.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

5ml of thymol mixture goes into every gallon of thick syrup i feed in autumn, whether i feed them one gallon or five.

Thanks that clears that up very nicely.

 

[Tonyatcwfarm]

Had a 50ft ash tree fall in last nights storm,tree was covered in ivy,luckily it fell between 2 hives missing one by 10 feet
Guess I'll spend tomorrow with the chainsaw

 

[maddydog]

Used the warming cabinet to heat up 12l of pre-mixed thymolised syrup and fed 4 colonies. Cold and very wet here but some hardy girls were still foraging. Strapped the hives up and placed a breeze block on each as the wind has picked up aswell.

 

[einsteinagogo]

Begged an old fridge and removed all but bottom shelf. Put a 12" 60 watt tubular heater in the bottom and stc thermostat to use as a honey warming cabinet. My August honey batch has granulated in the bucket and I plan to liquefy it then make soft set.

John, let me know how you make soft set.when you do it....!!!

got some to do here....but may wait until after the T* sale, to purchase a hook/corkscrew for the drill!

Andy

 

[einsteinagogo]

Had a 50ft ash tree fall in last nights storm,tree was covered in ivy,luckily it fell between 2 hives missing one by 10 feet
Guess I'll spend tomorrow with the chainsaw

with the wind here this morning, a quick visit to the apiary before work to check on fallen trees or branches, and then secured ALL hives with ratchet straps to make them secure.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

John, let me know how you make soft set.when you do it....!!!

got some to do here....but may wait until after the T* sale, to purchase a hook/corkscrew for the drill!

Andy

I understand LIDL are selling a kitchen mixer with a selection of beaters from Thursday for sub £20. I'm planning on looking at it as the corkscrew dough hooks might be just the ticket. I have been told (but not yet tried) the way to go is to let the honey set then soften by warming and repeatedly stir stir stir until the large crystals are broken down into small crystals.

Alternatively youtube shows liquefied honey being seeded with some already softset.

 

[einsteinagogo]

I understand LIDL are selling a kitchen mixer with a selection of beaters from Thursday for sub £20. I'm planning on looking at it as the corkscrew dough hooks might be just the ticket. I have been told (but not yet tried) the way to go is to let the honey set then soften by warming and repeatedly stir stir stir until the large crystals are broken down into small crystals.

Alternatively youtube shows liquefied honey being seeded with some already softset.

I've already got dough hooks with a very old Kenwood Chef mixer from the 70s, I've never used them in the mixer, but they are not very long, and I've got many buckets from April/May, and it's definitely set, it set within 3 days, and is now like concrete!

I was curious, of your method, some state seed with other honey, other's just state warm, stir, wait 48 hours, stir again, and then put out the back, on cold floor!

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I again counted mites. My assessment of my affected colony is unchanged; about 8,000 mites originally, now falling at about 300/day for probably the next 5 days. Buckybeast, also double brood / double Apiguard dose, is dropping zip. Nada. Zero. None.

It's pretty irritating: the only difference is that I KNOW Buckybeast was properly treated with Apiguard and OA a year ago where I was only TOLD that the other colony, which came in as a nuc from a major supplier, had been so. It had nosema as well. Live and learn.

 

[Amari]

Cycled to my apiary to amalgamate a queen- colony (test frame positive but no point letting them raise a queen this late in the year). Oops, I had forgotten the newspaper. After pondering what to do I placed the Q- colony over a Snelgrove board on the recipient hive, then opened the upper port on the front of the board. Hopefully they will exchange mutual smells through the central mesh, then I will close the upper and open the lower port and remove the bb when the brood on the test frame has hatched. I've had the board several years but this is the first time I have used it!

 

[Fatbee]

Absolutely shocked how uneducated people are about honey. Receiving feedback from colleagues at work after selling to them last week. "Best honey ever tasted", "why is it not runny", "I didn't realise it granulates", "does it ever go off" etc.
Pleasure to receive such great feedback but feel a fraud because after all I do is extract it - its the bees that do the hard work - but pleased to do a bit of bee education and clear up some misconceptions.

 

[Tim.S]

I haven't done anything in the apiary today. The bees however......
7.45 this morning, light rain and not that warm and the hive in our car park has a continual stream of bees heading out toward the local glass houses. Winter pansies? I come home for lunch just now and there are several hundred around the hive. Don't they know that the season is over?

 

[The Drone Ranger]

Taking old roofs off one at a time and repairing them if there is any sign of damp etc

 

[malx]

Removed the feeder and wanted one last inspection before the end of year and happy to see that there is a lot of sealed brood. I was beginning to think that the queen was gone as there was a whole month with no sign of her or eggs.

With only one hive i was certain they were not going to make it.

Bees are still active so will leave the mouse guard until another day but I think I'll leave them alone for the winter.

 

[alldigging]

Not in the apiary: made some mead

 

[Goran]

I think the whole week temps above 25Celsius, full sun, extremelly nice and I didn't got the time to spend on bees.. Instead of that I was at winter regime in building till night, I must be cursed..
Tomorrow hope to grab some time for bees...

 

[wessexmario]

constructed a frame from a couple of old fence posts to slide one of my hives forward two yards.
The hive is sideways on to a fence and the entrance was inches away from a fence post that I need to repair with a concrete spur.
Although my bees are as docile as I could wish for, as it's turned colder they might be more defensive and I don't fancy digging holes and mixing concrete in my bee suit.
Doing it a yard behind the hive should be ok.