What did you do in the Apiary today?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well ... yesterday actually, in the balmy heat of the Costa del Fareham ... nearly 14 degrees... I had a look through the clear crown board on my long hive

Hope you slammed a couple of supers on whilst you were at it!

 

[pargyle]

Hope you slammed a couple of supers on whilst you were at it!

No ... I thought I would wack on all six I have ready for this years massive crop but then I realised the ones poking above the wall might get noticed by 'er indoors when she parks her car on the drive and the Spanish inquisition might be round to check just how many hives I have now ... she still thinks it's only one and a little one ...

So despite our new members exhortation to give them space ... I didn't ... indeed, apart from lifting one section of crown board and tipping one frame of honey slightly, which was miles away from the bees, to get at the slug ... I did what everyone should be doing now ... VERY LITTLE THAT DISTURBS THEM !

It's only 8 degrees today and they are out flying ... just pollen, water and poo though ...

 

[Tremyfro]

Chopsticks are good for reaching into the hive to get wax lumps dropped between the frames or indeed, for a slug. Not my idea...I saw it a while ago. I also use a chopstick to make sure the entrance is clear during the winter. You can hone your chopstick skills!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Chopsticks are good for reaching into the hive to get wax lumps dropped between the frames or indeed, for a slug.

Not if you have underfloor entrances - or indeed Phil's apian version of the starship enterprise

 

[Erichalfbee]

Last two of my nadired shallows off.
Pollen going into four of the boxes, yesterday. One not flying much, though I can hear the bees inside; I suspect it may be in trouble as stores are not going down either.

The mesh was so clean I was pretty amazed - no dead bees no debris build up, a few wax shreds but nothing to get excited about.

Not with me....looks like nobody has done any housekeeping all winter.

I see you have the Paynes entrance block in its normal way. Has that been enough to keep the mice out?

 

[Tremyfro]

Ah...well.....that would be a bit more tricky.....hopefully dead bees wouldn't pile up to block the entrance from the inside. Do your hives have the periscope type of entrance?

 

[pargyle]

Ah...well.....that would be a bit more tricky.....hopefully dead bees wouldn't pile up to block the entrance from the inside. Do your hives have the periscope type of entrance?

If the dead bees blocked my entrance the pile would be about a foot deep - but with my droppable floor I could see a use for chopsticks to move my bee gym around ...

However ... that highlights the second mistake I made with my hive. If you zoom in here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/99514363@N06/10127913726/in/set-72157634865981506

You will see that the bottom section of the hive clips on .. my plan was to be able to drop the whole of the floor onto the cross rails of the stand and slide it out from the hive for cleaning without disturbing the bees. However, because of my cock up with the space under the frames I don't have enough room to slide the bottom of the hive out without planing about two inches of comb sitting on the bottom of the frames off as the droppable section of the hive slides out ! Messy ....when they are full of honey.

So ... the modification required to the Starship Enterprise Hive is to raise the mesh to the top, rather than the bottom, of the removable floor and lower the two cross rails by about an inch so there's a bit more space to play with.

All seemed like a good idea at the time but it's a continuing work in progress !

I suppose if I fitted a sharp edge to one side of the floor and left it as it is I could have an automatic drone cell culling hive ? Undo the clips, pull it out and off comes all the drone comb on the bottom of the frames... ??? Oh well, perhaps not ... I'll go and lie down before I start inventing a hive that doesn't need honey extracting ... just turn the tap and out it flows ... or has somebody already done that ?

 

[Tremyfro]

So is the mesh quite low under the ends of the frames...allowing for the 2 inches of comb to be built? Have I got that right? But the mesh is right above the drawer? If so...how about raising the mesh to bee space below the frame by using pegs which will fold away for lowering the mesh after the drawer is pulled out? Then you could take out the mesh for cleaning.

 

[pargyle]

So is the mesh quite low under the ends of the frames...allowing for the 2 inches of comb to be built? Have I got that right? But the mesh is right above the drawer? If so...how about raising the mesh to bee space below the frame by using pegs which will fold away for lowering the mesh after the drawer is pulled out? Then you could take out the mesh for cleaning.

Yes ... I intended to put the mesh on the top side of the clip on base of the hive and I stupidly put it on the bottom ... so there is a 50mm 'drop' to the mesh floor below the bottom of the frames. Which the bees have claimed as additional (albeit fairly tidy, in line with the frames) comb space ! As they do ...

The mesh is firmly attached to the supporting frame and the edges of the mesh are sandwiched in a rebated slot between the frame and the structure that the drawer slides in and out of (and in my usual over engineered fashion it's all glued and screwed !).. So, there's no easy fix for this mistake - when it's a bit warmer the bees are going into another hive temporarily and I will dismantle the bottom section of the hive and rectify my mistake. It's third season in for this hive so it's due for a bit of tidying and a re-paint so it's not the end of the world. It's just a learning curve ... and perhaps a lesson for other would be experimental hive builders !

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hindsight.
I bet it will be just perfect when you give it an overhaul.
Post some pictures?
I gave up trying to modify hives in situ.
I have now rebuilt all the floors to take a metal tray underneath the inspection tray for oxalic vaporising under the OMF.
I have just taken off all the nadired supers and was horrified at the burnt bottom bars and melted wax. I guess I left the blooming thing switched on too long in an effort to make sure all the crystals were vaporised. I think I will do a burn out in the open to see exactly how long it takes.

 

[pargyle]

Hindsight.
I bet it will be just perfect when you give it an overhaul.
Post some pictures?
I gave up trying to modify hives in situ.
I have now rebuilt all the floors to take a metal tray underneath the inspection tray for oxalic vaporising under the OMF.
I have just taken off all the nadired supers and was horrified at the burnt bottom bars and melted wax. I guess I left the blooming thing switched on too long in an effort to make sure all the crystals were vaporised. I think I will do a burn out in the open to see exactly how long it takes.

Yes ... I've done a fair bit on it with the bees in residence ... including drilling holes and screwing things on but you are right ... it's tempting fate.

You have a Varrox don't you ? ... would be interesting to see the results of how long it takes to evapoate 1 or 2 or 2.5 gms. I'm surprised at the frame damage and the wax melting ... perhaps you need an eke on the dropped section of your varrox tray to get the varrox a bit lower down under the mesh ?

As you say ... hindsight is a wonderful thing innit ?

 

[BeeJayBee]

I suppose if I fitted a sharp edge to one side of the floor and left it as it is I could have an automatic drone cell culling hive ? Undo the clips, pull it out and off comes all the drone comb on the bottom of the frames... ???

Cheesewire or dental floss?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Cheesewire or dental floss?

Cheesewire and a battery to heat it up?

 

[pargyle]

I stood and watched my bees in their hundreds flying and thought about THIS:

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=32822 #Post 8

 

[Tremyfro]

I stood and watched my bees in their hundreds flying and thought about THIS:

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=32822 #Post 8

Ha ha ....some of us know the truth...but don't tell the others!

 

[Tremyfro]

More fondant given

We donned our bee suits and went to the bees, carrying fondant.
We used liquid smoke instead of a smoker to get the bees off the bars so we could replace the tubs. It worked a treat. We haven't used it before and hadn't heard much about it either. Even our girls in Hive2, which usually ignore the smoke, retreated. Which was very helpful.
Then we went to the chickens to move their houses and pen. Since we had to take down a fence to do this...we had put it off...but now the chickens are moved onto a fresh patch of grass for the stupid ones..which have to be penned or they disappear. The big henhouse ....for the freerange hens....moved also with a certain amount of grunting and heaving.
Yippee.....the space they have vacated becomes my new Bee Yard. Plans are afoot for weed suppressant and flagstones and a path and a fence...with plants growing up it. I have honeysuckle but at last the Banning will be temporarily lifted and I will be allowed to visit a garden centre to choose some more. As it is very windy here...I will be looking for bushy plants to reduce the effects. I hope the weather is kind for the next few days.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bees flying like it was summer.
I planted about 30 home grown overwintered foxgloves a few yards from the hives. I wasn't bothered at all as they were busy collecting pollen and water.
The willows at the pond side are days from blooming.....happy days

 

[Firefly]

I will be looking for bushy plants to reduce the effects.

I planted some Buddleja globosa 12 months ago and it has gone berserk. The very definition of bushy - and the bees love the flowers

 

[theeggman]

Can I suggest 'buddleja globosa', tight balls of orange flowers that our honeybees plus bumbles were all over last year. Windbreak and food source in one, and like all buddleja grow anywhere.

Firefly beat me to it but he's right.

 

[Tremyfro]

Planting bee friendly windbreak

Oh thank you so much...I will note this plant down on my list. This is so much fun...to actually start some planting for my bees. Mind you...my daughter who lives next door and has an enormous garden has been busy all last year planting for them. Today she was gardening and was surrounded by bees....she loved it ...she said it felt like they were all working together.