Author Topic: What did you do in your Apiary/Bee yard today? (Read 160685 times)

Michael Bush · « **Reply #420 on:** March 02, 2023, 08:02:50 am »

Bees flying yesterday. Still freezing at night.

jimineycricket · « **Reply #421 on:** March 02, 2023, 10:05:07 am »

Did not do much in the apiary today.
Had three inches of new snow this morning.

The15thMember · « **Reply #422 on:** March 04, 2023, 07:03:24 pm »

I was able to sneak in my first inspections today. The high was supposed to be 61F, but by 11:00 it was already 56 and sunny and the bees were flying, so I went for it. I took off my moisture quilts and gave almost all my hives a checkerboarded box. Some also got a frame or two of honey just to be safe. The wild fruit trees are starting to bloom, but we are supposed to have cold temps next week, which could kill all the flowers.

Two of the hives have walking drones and queen cups already, but I don't want to split until the cold weather is past.

The15thMember · « **Reply #423 on:** March 06, 2023, 09:34:28 pm »

Got my first sting of the season today. One of the bees from my mean hive nailed me in the arm when I went over there to look at them. I put my propolis salve on it as an experiment, and it's really helping with the swelling and redness, although it's still very tender.

TheHoneyPump · « **Reply #424 on:** March 06, 2023, 11:00:26 pm »

No bees flying here .. Yet

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bill Murray · « **Reply #425 on:** March 06, 2023, 11:24:54 pm »

dang.That pic makes me glad im in fl. Itll be an interesting day tomorrow Im about 3 weeks behind. Just got done loading the truck up with empty nucs and the trailer with boxes/waxed foundation.

saltybluegrass · « **Reply #426 on:** March 08, 2023, 11:21:02 am »

Quote from: The15thMember on March 06, 2023, 09:34:28 pm

Got my first sting of the season today. One of the bees from my mean hive nailed me in the arm when I went over there to look at them. I put my propolis salve on it as an experiment, and it's really helping with the swelling and redness, although it's still very tender.

Don?t laugh but I?ve been so bored lately, I?m welcoming a sting just to feel alive again!!!
I wander over by the boxes and put my finger down on the landing board but no avail. They must like me

Michael Bush · « **Reply #427 on:** March 08, 2023, 11:24:37 am »

>I put my propolis salve on it as an experiment, and it's really helping with the swelling and redness, although it's still very tender.

Plantain is the cure.

Ben Framed · « **Reply #428 on:** March 08, 2023, 12:10:08 pm »

Plantain might be of some help with Reagan; 😊 I gather that Salty is not looking for a stings cure, but the excitement of the experience of the sting itself! lol

"saltybluegrass"
"Don't laugh but I've been so bored lately, I'm welcoming a sting just to feel alive again!!!
I wander over by the boxes and put my finger down on the landing board but no avail. They must like me."

That was funny Salty! Thanks for the smile! Hang in there friend, those girls may show some temper yet... 😊

Phillip

Michael Bush · « **Reply #429 on:** March 08, 2023, 12:44:14 pm »

I know what he means. My last sting was last fall. I do miss getting stung.

The15thMember · « **Reply #430 on:** March 08, 2023, 12:54:49 pm »

I don't ever seem to have plantain growing in my apiary. My sister has it in one of her pastures, but it's inconveniently far if I get stung. I really need to get some growing closer at hand. I discovered a new sting remedy yesterday, by the way. My arm swelled up like crazy (as usual), and I really didn't want to take any Benadryl yesterday because we had some people coming over to look at my sister's goat kids, and the Benadryl makes me so drowsy and unfocused. I did some googling and I found that quercetin, a compound in black tea, is a natural antihistamine, so I made some really strong black tea, soaked a gauze sponge in it, and adhered it to my arm with some vet-wrap, and it worked really well! The swelling went down, it didn't itch as badly, and no side effects!

Michael Bush · « **Reply #431 on:** March 08, 2023, 01:33:28 pm »

Generally Plantain grows anywhere the soil is packed and that is almost always on the path to, if not in, the apiary...

The15thMember · « **Reply #432 on:** March 08, 2023, 02:23:16 pm »

Quote from: Michael Bush on March 08, 2023, 01:33:28 pm

Generally Plantain grows anywhere the soil is packed and that is almost always on the path to, if not in, the apiary...

My apiary is on the edge of a forested hill, so the soil is not really packed, since the ground is very leaf-covered, even on the path. We do have plantain grow in our driveway, but I'm a little trepidatious (is that a word?), I have trepidations about putting something in my mouth or on a break in the skin that the car has been running over and/or the dogs may have peed on.

Lesgold · « **Reply #433 on:** March 10, 2023, 07:27:11 pm »

Just finished stamping some frames in the workshop. The brass stamp is heated by a propane torch. I spent a lot of time designing the heating configuration to hold the torch and engraver. LOL. The funny thing is, it does a good job.

Frames are held in a jig so that the engraver burns the pattern in the correct location.

It?s nothing special but it works.

Cheers

Les

The15thMember · « **Reply #434 on:** March 11, 2023, 07:00:12 pm »

I built frames today until I ran out of nails. Then I drilled some holes into some strangely-shaped pieces of wood for native bee nesting blocks.

Lesgold · « **Reply #435 on:** March 12, 2023, 12:03:22 am »

10 days ago I decided to move a hive about 20m so that it could be combined with a queenless hive. The hive was moved onto a stand next to the recipient hive and that hive was then double checked for brood and eggs just in case. I did find some freshly laid eggs and brood in a good pattern so I had obviously missed the signs of supercedure on my last inspection. Decided to leave the donor hive where it was as it was in the middle of the yard and needed moving anyway. A small, 2 frame nuc hive was then moved to the original hive location to pick up returning adult bees. This hive needed a boost in numbers as it had very little nectar stored. The queen was laying but the field force was quite small. Within an hour, the nuc was full of bees. Two days later the bees were placed into a 5 frame nuc with an extra frame of capped brood and 2 empty frames added. Just checked the nuc 5 minutes ago. Looks like the queen may have been balled as she was nowhere to be seen. A couple of capped queen cells were located on the centre frame. There is still quite a few drones flying and the nights are warm so there is a good chance that she may be mated before the weather cools. I want to get this nuc moved to a stand before the queen hatches.

Bill Murray · « **Reply #436 on:** March 12, 2023, 01:24:11 pm »

Yesterday was an interesting day. Marley and I marked new queens, moved virgins into mating nucs, pulled our bees out of trees, and pulled mated queens out of hives and nuked them to keep those hives from swarming. Im going to say shes good for me. A virgin queen flys off she says I guess we don?t have to worry about putting her in a nuc do we, We watch the bees fly up into a tree, she says I guess we should have looked at them last weekend instead of doing what we did. We get in a queenless hive and I get stung to pieces, she says you know, probably should have put your gloves on . And at the end of a 10 hr day without lunch she says with a big old smile on her face, grandpa we had a really good day today, I had a lot of fun. . I cant even get aggravated with a trooper like that around me. Waxing plastic foundations and dipping old painted boxes today, should be out working bees but ran out of ready wooden-ware.

The15thMember · « **Reply #437 on:** March 12, 2023, 05:01:03 pm »

Quote from: Bill Murray on March 12, 2023, 01:24:11 pm

Yesterday was an interesting day. Marley and I marked new queens, moved virgins into mating nucs, pulled our bees out of trees, and pulled mated queens out of hives and nuked them to keep those hives from swarming. Im going to say shes good for me. A virgin queen flys off she says I guess we don?t have to worry about putting her in a nuc do we, We watch the bees fly up into a tree, she says I guess we should have looked at them last weekend instead of doing what we did. We get in a queenless hive and I get stung to pieces, she says you know, probably should have put your gloves on . And at the end of a 10 hr day without lunch she says with a big old smile on her face, grandpa we had a really good day today, I had a lot of fun. . I cant even get aggravated with a trooper like that around me. Waxing plastic foundations and dipping old painted boxes today, should be out working bees but ran out of ready wooden-ware.

That's so cool, Bill. It sounds like beekeeping is a real passion for her.

Bill Murray · « **Reply #438 on:** March 12, 2023, 06:19:36 pm »

You know its a lot of stings, sweat and tears. And she just keeps plugging along trying to learn more. Just wish I could get her back out of gloves.
Gonna try a pic.

Well didnt work keeps coming out sideways. Thought I had this must have forgot.

The15thMember · « **Reply #439 on:** March 23, 2023, 10:09:50 pm »

I inspected all my nice hives today. One hive was packed with bees, so I split them. Tomorrow I have to deal with the mean hive and the mean hive's neighbor, which has also become pretty mean lately, but I think it may just be because they have bad neighbors.

I plan to assassinate the mean hive's queen, then systematically eliminate her offspring. Eventually support for her government will die out, and I will then install a young puppet ruler of my choosing, who will be accepted by the remaining populace without resistance in their desperation for a stable society. Hopefully the new queen will govern the colony more to my liking.