Orkney (it’s usually cool and windy but somehow the bees survive!)
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Three out of four new queens have started laying this week I’ll give the other a week to ten days before I consider uniting. The supers will be coming off next weekend and the honey crop from my main apiary will be very poor this year but the two hives at my other site are still piling it in.
The Kirkwall Flower Arrangement Club had a display in the St Magnus Cathedral this week. Here’s a photo of The Honey-Bee Swarm. It was created by my beekeeping friend Sue so I thought I would share all her lovely work with you. Flower Swarm 2015.jpg
Deep joy, the daughters of Satan are no more!
The second attempt at introducing a placid Queen has succeeded!
A seemingly small thing, but for me, a major triumph
The whole Apiary was back to a pleasure to work in
Doing the Munchkin dance Ding Dong!
What a relief! At last the bees have been taking in loads of pollen and nectar and brood frames have arches of honey and colourful pollens. They've been making the best of some better weather and the late flow. Have decided to graft another couple of batches of larvae for late queens. Dusted off the Cloake board for these.
Anyone else suffered from Absconding MAQS?
left half a box of MAQS strips in the chest freezer to safely over winter
Went to defrost them ---------- Gone Nobody touched them
I note however a preponderance of black currents in the chest freezer
As it is unlikely that blackcurrents will induce a heavy mite drop or banish slugs I am at a loss
My Nosemic bee collection is similarly missing. Grounds for divorce due to unreasonable behaviour?
I fear for my unwashed sticky feeder tower in the downstairs shower!
I stick to Apiguard, ApilifeVar and Apivar and packs of oxalic acid crystals. They're much better behaved. OK, they jump around from box to box and even shed to car to store but I can usually track them down eventually. Much better behaved miticides.
I took some advice from C4U given at an association meeting awhile back and been watching how Gavin sets up for the heather. So, I united colonies for typical summer blossom and got a lovely honey due to mainly lime flow in late July. I tested out a site for heather and thought it might be a bit exposed - but the heather and weather came good later on - end result a good yield (by my standards), lots of comb to cut and sections. but, just when you think you are making progress with this craft something happens. The downs - removing a super from a serious box of bees, which was stuck to 4 brood combs. The whole lot comes out and brood combs knocked off as I move to the side. Mayhem and wheres the Q? Three days later - eggs (but could have been laid just before my act of vandalism), but no Q-cell started so maybe hope. Weekend job to find her or not.
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