What did you do in the Apiary today?

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Erichalfbee said:
Dealing with queens used to severely traumatise me considering how much depends on them but they are tougher than you think.
Michael Palmer's video is an inspiration and you can practice on drones and workers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2tSkW9YuHY
Click to expand...

Wow....that is so cool.....I will have to get brave...take off my gloves and try this! I could have multicoloured drones!
 
TryingToLetThemBee said:
OMG! Catching Qs into introduction cages is HARD! The poor thing must be utterly traumatised. Will be interesting to see if an Apidea can raise an EQ (I am done with formal Q-rearing for the year).
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I always do it in the back seat of my car (which has tinted windows so it doesn't attract the queen quite so much as the windscreen does).
I transferred 10 queens into introduction cages on Friday and only one flew to the window. She was quite determined but didn't get far. I picked her off the window and slipped her under the cage (if the truth was told I had to do this several times as she was REALLY fast). If I had tried to do this in the open air, I'd have lost her for sure!
 
B+. said:
I always do it in the back seat of my car (which has tinted windows so it doesn't attract the queen quite so much as the windscreen does).
I transferred 10 queens into introduction cages on Friday and only one flew to the window. She was quite determined but didn't get far. I picked her off the window and slipped her under the cage (if the truth was told I had to do this several times as she was REALLY fast). If I had tried to do this in the open air, I'd have lost her for sure!
Click to expand...

Ha ha....I really chuckled at your post....you must reread it...classic.....you only needed to mention the dog......!
 
Just turned down a bee collection from the eaves of a house. I could see the bees going in through a small hole in between the stone wall and the slate roof. But not sure how far in they are. Told them I am not insured to tackle it but gave them details of a pestie. Householder was concerned because they were getting into the house.
 
Obee1 said:
How much did you harvest?
Click to expand...

350lbs on the day but another 18 supers ready to come off next week but they are mainly on manley frames so don't fit in the compact 18 frame that takes SN1 or hoffmans, so it will take longer as i have to borrow the associations nine frame extractor

the flow has stopped about two weeks ago here, though a bit of balsham coming in from a tributory of the River Brent but only a few colonies have found it
 
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Now I have two good laying queens in Apideas in the mating apiary, clipped and marked both today, "blue for 2015", I think I'm going to have to use these backup queens, in the main apiary, it would appear. Next trip down to the apiary, looks like unite, and introduce new young queens. Not thinking about honey harvest now, but treatment and getting ready for winter.
 
MuswellMetro said:
350lbs on the day but another 18 supers ready to come off next week but they are mainly on manley frames so don't fit in the compact 18 frame that takes SN1 or hoffmans, so it will take longer as i have to borrow the associations nine frame extractor

the flow has stopped about two weeks ago here, though a bit of balsham coming in from a tributory of the River Brent but only a few colonies have found it
Click to expand...

Wow very impressive. How many hives do you have?
 
B+. said:
I always do it in the back seat of my car (which has tinted windows so it doesn't attract the queen quite so much as the windscreen does).
I transferred 10 queens into introduction cages on Friday and only one flew to the window. She was quite determined but didn't get far. I picked her off the window and slipped her under the cage (if the truth was told I had to do this several times as she was REALLY fast). If I had tried to do this in the open air, I'd have lost her for sure!
Click to expand...

This might sound cruel but its not. Two ways that do really work and actually cause no trauma at all. Spray the queen liberallywith water using a plant sprayer while still in the original cage. OR have a mug of water to hand and for half a minute or so immerse the cage in the water.

Either way they do not fly and are a lot slower, and you never risk losing any. Saves a lot of time being able to do it at the hive side and with a sense of complete safety.

Couple of minutes after she is in the introduction cage all is back to normal, and you actually may well be reducing stress a little as you suppress the escape and fly reaction.
 
I picked up my first queen this year. The biggest fear was if I squashed her! But she felt fairly firm and I was able to put her in the cage. So that was fine but the worst bit was picking up some workers to go in with her....trying to overcome the natural fear of getting stung!
The video is really good....but I can see that practise would help enormously.
Usually...it is all about releasing queens or catching to mark them. I have now done a few of these and managed to crown them rather than drown them in paint!
 
B+. said:
I always do it in the back seat of my car (which has tinted windows so it doesn't attract the queen quite so much as the windscreen does).
I transferred 10 queens into introduction cages on Friday and only one flew to the window. She was quite determined but didn't get far. I picked her off the window and slipped her under the cage (if the truth was told I had to do this several times as she was REALLY fast). If I had tried to do this in the open air, I'd have lost her for sure!
Click to expand...

Me too .... most annoying when she flies under the dashboard!
Either MP has tiny hands or huge bees... my Natives are half that size and a lot quicker!

Yeghes da
 
Into the lions den said:
Spray the queen liberallywith water using a plant sprayer while still in the original cage. OR have a mug of water to hand and for half a minute or so immerse the cage in the water.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that ITLD. Somehow, it never occurred to me to do that on this particular operation.
 
Into the lions den said:
This might sound cruel but its not. Two ways that do really work and actually cause no trauma at all. Spray the queen liberallywith water using a plant sprayer while still in the original cage. OR have a mug of water to hand and for half a minute or so immerse the cage in the water.



Either way they do not fly and are a lot slower, and you never risk losing any. Saves a lot of time being able to do it at the hive side and with a sense of complete safety.



Couple of minutes after she is in the introduction cage all is back to normal, and you actually may well be reducing stress a little as you suppress the escape and fly reaction.
Click to expand...



My maiden effort got sprayed on the OUTSIDE of the entrance QE of the Apidea after she flew out of what I thought was a pretty good hold of her wings. My they're strong. Slowed her a little but not much. Hopefully she'll be OK...
 
Monsieur Abeille said:
Popped up to the apiary which houses one of my three colonies in advance of a session showing friends around on the weekend. Last week they were sweet as can be, today I was mobbed after 30 seconds without even opening up (weather is fine with no rain/thunder on the horizon).

Three theories - 1) They've lost the queen, 2) last week's young bees have turned into adolescent thugs 3) having just put my suit through a water only wash, there was enough residual detergent to give it a nasty niff.

Time will tell!
Click to expand...

Bees on best behaviour on visit with friends, noticed all colonies quite short of stores in the brood boxes though (supers seems as before), so readying a large amount of feed for when I whip off the supers in a couple of weeks
 
I put top feeders on my medium langstroths yesterday and added entrance reducers. The bees were mightily peeved! Do you think it is a reaction to the bad weather?
 
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