What did you do in your Apiary/Bee yard today?

[.30WCF]

I?ve had a queen from a split or something. I forget the details, but she was a drone layer. Could have been too early and cold, too much rain, late summer/fall.


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[beesnweeds]

                                                                  Matt's uncle got a queen cell from our club to install

If the colony has gone laying worker the cell will be torn down quickly unfortunately.  Some of the laying worker drone brood can take on an odd appearance and be mistaken for a queen cell.  If there's multiple eggs in the cells (and on the cell walls) just remove the best brood comb before they do more damage to it with drone brood. Personally, I would shake the bees out into a bucket of soapy water.  They're not worth saving. 

[Bob Wilson]

This afternoon, i built more Layens frames. Build, build, build.
Yesterday, a fellow beek had a nice sized, wild swarm move into a spare nuc box behind his shed. I quickly dumped them into a Layens swarm trap with a bit of old comb on one frame and moved it the 4 miles to my house. It looks like they are staying in the box. Whoo-hoo! Free bees!

[FatherMichael]

This afternoon, i built more Layens frames. Build, build, build.
Yesterday, a fellow beek had a nice sized, wild swarm move into a spare nuc box behind his shed. I quickly dumped them into a Layens swarm trap with a bit of old comb on one frame and moved it the 4 miles to my house. It looks like they are staying in the box. Whoo-hoo! Free bees!

Awesome!

[FatherMichael]

Installed a nuc this morning from The Bee Place near San Antonio.

The proprietor there, Gary Rankin, told me that he was up to 1000 Italian queen imports to "cool down" the Africanized bee invasion that has been so hard on Texas beekeepers.

His business has exploded because Texas allows agricultural exemptions for keeping bees on personal property.  The Hill Country and South Texas are  retirement destinations.  Localities make up for no income tax with property taxes, which are high on the "ranches" that lucrative people buy there.  You'd have to see the growth of Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston to understand.  I am in constant awe as I travel to these places.

Gary had a couple dozen in his Beekeeping 101 class for new customers, and was selling dozens of nucs and complete set ups on this his first weekend.

The potential for honey production in this country is phenomenal.  Even here in West Texas there is an untold wealth of sticky sweetness.

[Terri Yaki]

My first hive inspection is complete and all looks good to me except that I expected to see more pollen in there. It's not like they're not bringing it in. Since I'm technically challenged and my GoPro clips videos at about 17 minutes, I have to present it in two parts. If any one wants to take the time to watch and give me advice on what I might have done wrong, I'd welcome the opportunity to improve my ways.    I found what may well be a queen cell and I showed it the best I could at 13:40 in Part I. It does have larva in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA_E8_nkTTg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibhxZbuQTsg

[The15thMember]

I'm trying to make some wise crack about how a 17 minute video is too long and I can't watch it at 1.5x speed, but nothing clever is coming to me.   

I think your inspection technique looks really great for a beginner.  You are methodical, careful, keeping a mind on the bees as individuals, and all your movements are slow and deliberate.  You kept all your frames in the same orientation after removing them, and you smoked them at the right time and in the right amount.  And the bees responded by being calm and accommodating.  Good job!  I think you look like a natural. 

It's hard to see on the camera, but I don't think that's a queen cell, it just looked like a drone cell in worker comb to me.  Was the opening to the cell in question on the bottom of the cell?  As in, was the cell vertically oriented instead of horizontally oriented?  That is the distinction.  There are some great pictures of queen cups in this article which may help confirm or deny your suspicions.  https://blog.foxhoundbeecompany.com/what-is-a-queen-cup/   

Just want to mention, although you probably know this, to keep a close mind on how fast they are drawing because you don't want them to expand up into that empty box with the syrup and start drawing comb in there.  When I feed syrup, I just put the jar right onto the hole in the inner cover (and sometimes tape over the excess if the hole is large), which keeps the bees from accessing that empty box.  I think the way you have it is fine, but be sure they have enough space or you could have a mess on your hands. 

A little bit of a tip for the bees who were on the lid: if you give the top of the lid a stiff whack with your hand (making sure you don't smack any bees first, of course!), that can help to dislodge them.  Generally a stiff shake is the way to get bees to release their grip on anything.  Also, be careful turning frames all the way sideways or upsidedown in hot weather.  Nothing here was a problem, but when it's warm and wax is soft and loaded with honey, it can be.  Just something to keep in mind.   

Lastly, just a tiny little point of correction, if you'll indulge me.  There is no such word as "larvaes".  Larvae is plural, larva is singular.       

[Terri Yaki]

What, no larvaes?  That cup faces upwards but there sure looks like a larva in there to me. It looks like about three cups all in one spot, which is not what I recall seeing queen cells looking like. But they are bigger than drone brood. And that page does help me see what they should and shouldn't look like, thanks. As long as they're as methodical as I am and work their frames before trying to move into the penthouse I'll be in good shape because they're not building comb too quickly and there's still three or four frames for them to build on. I have those portholes in the side and I peek in there every day to see what they're up to. Not too many go up there except to get at the syrup and to let me know I'm too early if it's still cold out. They do cluster in that hole pretty heavily though, for some reason. And I was afraid I'd jerk them into a defensive mode if I gave that cover too much of a whack. How do you like my hive tool? I kind of like the size of it and I don't have to put it down while I'm working. That means I don't have to look around to see where I left it. 

[The15thMember]

What, no larvaes?  That cup faces upwards but there sure looks like a larva in there to me. It looks like about three cups all in one spot, which is not what I recall seeing queen cells looking like. But they are bigger than drone brood. And that page does help me see what they should and shouldn't look like, thanks. 

Perhaps the next time you go in you could get a picture of it, but it doesn't sound like a queen cell to me.

As long as they're as methodical as I am and work their frames before trying to move into the penthouse I'll be in good shape because they're not building comb too quickly and there's still three or four frames for them to build on. I have those portholes in the side and I peek in there every day to see what they're up to. Not too many go up there except to get at the syrup and to let me know I'm too early if it's still cold out. They do cluster in that hole pretty heavily though, for some reason.

Oh, I forgot you have those windows, that's got to be handy.  They may be clustering in the hole to help with temperature control.

And I was afraid I'd jerk them into a defensive mode if I gave that cover too much of a whack.

My bees at least hate the brush more.  A single whack or shake and they are just kind of disoriented, whereas my bees will sometimes try and attack the brush, especially if they are a little riled already and especially if they get tangled in it.  Bees hate being stuck in hair.

How do you like my hive tool? I kind of like the size of it and I don't have to put it down while I'm working. That means I don't have to look around to see where I left it. 

 
I noticed you using it!  Isn't it awesome?!  Now you understand why I couldn't live without it.     

[Ben Framed]

I'm trying to make some wise crack about how a 17 minute video is too long and I can't watch it at 1.5x speed, but nothing clever is coming to me.   

Hum,   now where have we heard that before? 

[cao]

How many bees fit into a five gallon bucket?  Or more to the point a bucket half full of bees.  Cause that is how big the swarm was that I caught the evening.  That was the third one caught today.  First one was at a neighbors house.  Was the size of a volleyball.  Second one was about twice the size of the first.  Then came the big one in the picture.

[beesnweeds]

That was the third one caught today. 

From your hives in the background?