Apiary Diary November 2021
- Thread starter James
- Start date
We have had 55 mm here and it is actually wet for the first time in years. Don't think any of my hives will be starving as I left them all pretty heavy but I will be out checking first thing Monday. Earlier in the week I was checking hives in an area that is notoriously bad for swarming (broom) and the first two hives I did were raising cells which was not a good start but I only found a few more for the rest of the day and some of those look more like supersedure and swarming. There is certainly the usual quota of failing queens that turn up at this time of year ever since varoa turned up.
It’s still raining here, not enough to cause major problems other than the waterlogged ground slipping away. Just grey and dull, maybe the girls will stay home. There’s nothing worse than collecting a wet swarm. They’re fine till you try to move them, then they’re just sad and soggy.
Theres an arborist with a chainsaw & a chipper doing something completely unnecessary in our street. It seems the ratepayers have given the 600 contractors a blank cheque again!
Theres an arborist with a chainsaw & a chipper doing something completely unnecessary in our street. It seems the ratepayers have given the 600 contractors a blank cheque again!
Brought home another two tonne of sugar today ..... One tonne of white for syrup, and one tonne of raw for tipping into strong hives .
It's tempting to say "It's every bee for herself " from here on in, but we've poured sooo much into them already it would be a shame to see them suck the brood just as the nectar shows an inclination to flow.
It's tempting to say "It's every bee for herself " from here on in, but we've poured sooo much into them already it would be a shame to see them suck the brood just as the nectar shows an inclination to flow.
Interesting “experiment” I have going
1. Vertical split parent hive … almost back to normal after 4 weeks
2. New queen from split doing well (but not as good as parent) & much better than the Nuc acquired at the same time.
3. 2nd New nuc acquired 2 weeks later, really slow to build so have feed as no stores.
But all are very happy and content and fun to watch evolving in parallel
1. Vertical split parent hive … almost back to normal after 4 weeks
2. New queen from split doing well (but not as good as parent) & much better than the Nuc acquired at the same time.
3. 2nd New nuc acquired 2 weeks later, really slow to build so have feed as no stores.
But all are very happy and content and fun to watch evolving in parallel
So today we wandered into 🐅 country. We keep the two smallest apiaries we have 2 to 2 1/2 hours from home. They are purely there because the honey is lovely, but uneconomic, and the drive is always an adventure. A bus mans holiday. Our hobby hives!
An hour on increasingly smaller tar seal followed by a (sometimes) metal one lane “road” with lots of care round corners. Then 40 ish minutes following the Wild & Scenic Motu river on farm tracks with all the gates A bit of track scouring and a couple of small water courses. (Sometimes big chats with our farmers who we’ve know for decades.)
I count Weka, himself scans the hills for wild life, mainly deer. He also does a bit of “truck” farming. (Having spent the majority of his working life chasing stock, he’s an expert truck farmer.)
These hives are special. They shouldn’t be there, it’s too cold and too wet, they get the least attention, and mostly they thrive, they get a bit of raw sugar chucked at them and thats about it. There’s no hives within at least 5 kms most of the time.
Its always a 12 hour round trip, to allow for travel, and an exceptional picnic in amazing surroundings, today the robins were really noisy as well as the tui. The wood pigeons were zooming between the trees at low levels sounding like bombers. Whats not to like.
I’m now baby sitting (the babies are asleep) while Daley and Chris move their poly hives back to their apiaries. Sleeping 💤 is over rated!
All and all it’s been a lovely day. The bees were happy, and not up 🌳.
An hour on increasingly smaller tar seal followed by a (sometimes) metal one lane “road” with lots of care round corners. Then 40 ish minutes following the Wild & Scenic Motu river on farm tracks with all the gates A bit of track scouring and a couple of small water courses. (Sometimes big chats with our farmers who we’ve know for decades.)
I count Weka, himself scans the hills for wild life, mainly deer. He also does a bit of “truck” farming. (Having spent the majority of his working life chasing stock, he’s an expert truck farmer.)
These hives are special. They shouldn’t be there, it’s too cold and too wet, they get the least attention, and mostly they thrive, they get a bit of raw sugar chucked at them and thats about it. There’s no hives within at least 5 kms most of the time.
Its always a 12 hour round trip, to allow for travel, and an exceptional picnic in amazing surroundings, today the robins were really noisy as well as the tui. The wood pigeons were zooming between the trees at low levels sounding like bombers. Whats not to like.
I’m now baby sitting (the babies are asleep) while Daley and Chris move their poly hives back to their apiaries. Sleeping 💤 is over rated!
All and all it’s been a lovely day. The bees were happy, and not up 🌳.
James, you mentioned a while back using your top feeders as bee escapes, how successful was it.
all the northern ratas are covered in buds.
I thought I was seeing signs a month ago but after 2 yrs of flowering I was not expecting a 3rd .
I thought I was seeing signs a month ago but after 2 yrs of flowering I was not expecting a 3rd .
I was following this truck n trailer unit this arvo through Paengaroa at 4.30 when the truck veered off the other side of the road and through the barrier on the other side of he road. I parked up to check on him and he was having a seizure, he missed plenty of vehicles and people, very lucky no one else was hurt. There's a bottle store, chip shop and dairy all very packed at this time of day. So lots of people there to rush in and help. Had to go as had bee gear on back so didn't want people getting stung, went back later and told the cops his driving was ok up up until the incident
Bee safe out there folks
Bee safe out there folks
We is busy busy prepping hives for the Great Migration.
Jimmy C cracks 'em open and has a quick look for sealed brood . That tells me I got a a queen in there and bees ready to hatch and go to work.
Main Man come up behind and slaps on a chuck cloth impregnated with O/A as the final knockdown for old mate varroa.
The ex Chef has got over saying Hot Pan when he moves in close......
And then Girl swoops in and dumps a shovel load of raw sugar down the back of the brood in anticipation of ten days of rain over the hill in the promised land.
Main Man and Girl then plonk the honey box above the queen excluder and close her up.
The bees look good .....
Should do at least half a tonne per pallet...... eh 🙈
Jimmy C cracks 'em open and has a quick look for sealed brood . That tells me I got a a queen in there and bees ready to hatch and go to work.
Main Man come up behind and slaps on a chuck cloth impregnated with O/A as the final knockdown for old mate varroa.
The ex Chef has got over saying Hot Pan when he moves in close......
And then Girl swoops in and dumps a shovel load of raw sugar down the back of the brood in anticipation of ten days of rain over the hill in the promised land.
Main Man and Girl then plonk the honey box above the queen excluder and close her up.
The bees look good .....
Should do at least half a tonne per pallet...... eh 🙈
That’s those “communication holes” that I hear about about aye?