Peeblesshire Beekeepers Association

Peeblesshire Beekeepers Association

Apiary Visits

Peeblesshire Beekeepers Association > News > Events > Apiary Visits

Association Apiary Update 15th March

Yesterday David Ferguson and I, with a potential new beekeeper, checked the colonies to assess their stores. We didn’t carry out an inspection of the hives – it was very windy, only 8 degrees, and rain was threatening. Dead bees were removed from entrances, varroa mite drop recorded, and varroa boards cleaned.
 
All but one (8, closest to the gate/fur trees) were flying and bringing in pollen. 
 
4 colonies had almost run out of fondant, so these had one or 2 packs of fondant added. 2 further colonies had one more pack of fondant added as a precaution.
 
Colony 3 had the highest varroa count (though only averaging half a mite day since the last check): this one has consistently had the highest varroa count.
 
Colonies 5 and 8 (closest to the fir trees) had considerable amount of diarrhoea: colony 5 no longer smelled of fermented stores. 3 and 5 will need remedial action to take out the dirtied frames and put in new frames. I suggest that for this we try a variant of the Bailey comb exchange, on the first warm day. We’ll need 2 excluders, 2 brood boxes, 2 ekes with an entrance slot (or make up 2 C-shaped very shallow ekes), clean deep frames with foundation, feeders and syrup. Sugar will need to be purchased and syrup made up (I can see to that); we have everything else except for one more brood box and the ekes. There should be several more brood boxes at Venlaw that can be made up – I’ll ask Geoff to check. We’ll only need one at the moment. I’ll see if I can find any timber scraps that can be used to make ekes.
 
Mandy

Association Apairy Visit Sunday 15th

I’m planning to visit the association apiary this weekend to check varroa and fondant.

At least one of our new members has asked to come along for a look around – so I’ll make it an open invitation if anyone else is interested in coming along.

I intend to be there for 1.30pm. If you are planning to come along, please email me so that I can get in touch if I decide to postpone. The weather forecast is not good for the next couple of days but the weekend looks ok at the moment. I’ll email on Sunday morning if there’s a change of plan.

Let me know as well if you don’t know where to go, can offer a lift, or would like a lift.

Cheers,

Peter.

Apiary Visit Posso Sunday 28th August 2pm

The last visit of the summer is traditionally the heather honey picnic at Posso, by kind permission of Jock Thomson and Wilma MacLean, where we’ll try some of this season’s honey. Please bring a cup, and something to share at the picnic afterwards.
Clean gloves, boots and beesuits please, to prevent contamination.
Beesuits can be borrowed if necessary – just let me know, we have several available; and as parking is limited, please car share – so let me know if you need or can offer a lift.
If you’re not sure where either site is, then just say – I’ll give you directions or team you up with someone else who does know.
Please let me know if you’re coming, and how I can contact you – then if we have to cancel at short notice, due to the weather, we can get in touch.
Hope to see you soon,

Association Apiary Update 21st August 2016

A good turn out of beekeepers and interested observers, young and not so quite so young, was had at the latest apiary visit on Sunday.

After a glorious week of sunshine followed by a soaking, the rain just about held off. The bees were flying but it wasn’t very good conditions for inspections so we concentrated on assessing the food stores in all the hives.

Hive 7 had a feeder on but was now overcrowded with bees spilling into the feeder area. A super was added to these.

In Hive 6 the bees were doing a good job in drawing out the super frames and making stores. Similarly in Hive 8 where the bees had starting capping some of the honey.

Hives 6, 7 and 8 are ready to move to their new home in Broughton shortly so these were made ready with hive straps and travelling screens ready to hand.

A quick whizz through the supers in Hives 1 to 5 next.

Hive 1 had stores on about 5 frames in the lower super, the 2nd super wasn’t being used. A clearer board was put under the top super ready to remove.

Hive 2 was similar to hive 1 with the stores just starting to be capped in the lower super. Again a clearer board was put under the top super.

Hive 3 is the smallest colony and there is still only brood on about 4 frames, 2 of which are super frames with natural comb built in the gap underneath. The plan for this one is to put it in a poly nuc to overwinter.

Hive 4 had most of the super frames drawn and a mix of sealed and unsealed honey, some pollen over the brood nest and some stores eaten and now refilled.

Hive 5 has always been the strongest hive and despite splits and swarms has the most honey. One super is pretty well full with a couple of lovely sealed frames. The second super also has a few good frames of honey. An optimistic 3rd super was empty so again a clearer board was put under this one. This hive should get us some honey to pay the apiary rent this year.

This gives us a good idea of how the colonies are doing and we will make a plan for settling the hives down for the autumn, the feeding regime and varroa monitoring.

Plenty to discuss at our next meetings.

Apiary Visit Sunday 21st August

We will be having an inspection at the association apiary on Sunday 21st August
We will aim to start at 1pm, but as usual this will be weather permitting.
All welcome, please bring clean beesuits if you have them.

Association Apiary Visit 14th August

Sorry about the late notice but we have decided to cancel the association apiary visit scheduled for tomorrow 14th August.
The road will be closed at Neidpath and there is no great urgency to inspect the bees.
We may go next next weekend, so look out for the emails or check the website.

Association Apiary Update

There was a good turnout of beekeepers old and young for the apiary visit on 31st July.

The threatened rain stayed at bay and it was pleasantly warm for inspections.

We split into 2 groups to assess all the colonies.

The 5 original colonies (or their offspring for those that swarmed) are all confirmed now to have laying queens.
Hives 1 and 2 are going steady. Hive 3 is still small and still needs feeding. Hives 4 and 5 are filling 2 supers – that will be one for them and with a bit of luck 1 for the association.

Of the 5 new nucs, 2 have just gone to Kailzie gardens and are settling in there well. The 3 remaining nucs are all expanding nicely. The queens are easy to spot since they are marked with numbered plastic disks. One of them is a bit behind the others and still needs supplementary feeding. These 3 colonies are hopefully going to go to a site near Broughton.

The last colony to be inspected was the large hived swarm. This is doing well and needs a super because it’s sale and move has been postponed.

All in all the colonies are faring well. The next inspection is scheduled for Sunday 14th August 1.30pm

Apiary Visit Sunday 31st July

We will be having an inspection at the association apiary on Sunday 31st July.
We will aim to start at 1.30pm, but as usual this will be weather permitting.
All welcome, please bring clean beesuits if you have them.
Please email Peter if you need directions or any other information.

Association Apiary Visit Saturday 23rd July

Saturday 23rd July

Mandy and Peter went to the apiary to do inspections on the original stocks and their swarm and/or split offspring.
They were joined by Stephen who has kept bees in London and is now hoping to do the same locally.
Stephen was interested in find out about local beekeeping and was able to give us a hand with the inspections.
We have been a bit slack with doing regular inspections due the weather, lack of manpower and the hiatus of the new stocks arriving recently.
This meant that several of the original stocks have swarmed in the meantime. A couple of swarms have been caught at the apiary so that wasn’t a disaster.
Hive 1, which had always been the least strong, had surprisingly swarmed. The new queen had just started laying and we found and marked her (white).
Hive 2 also looked like it had swarmed. There was no brood to be seen. However the bees seemed happy going about their business. We didn’t see a queen but we decided from the bees attitude that there was a new queen and that she would start laying soon. This hive needs to be checked for a laying queen next time.
Hive 3 was a split from Hive 5. There was sealed brood in here but the frames with brood were super frames (the queen in hive 5 escaped into the supers before the split). The bees had made lovely natural combs under the super frames but that meant the queen had plenty of places to hide. This colony wasn’t strong and will need some TLC.
Hive 4 was another case of a swarmed colony where the queen had just started laying. Stephen spotted the new queen and we marked her (white).
Hive 5 was a skyscraper of double brood and 4 supers! We saw brood in the top brood box so didn’t go any further since this one was obviously queen right.
We combined the supers so that there are 2 that are well filled and a third for the bees to use, and one removed. So down from skyscraper to tower block.
All the hives have some stores and spare super frames. If we get some decent weather the bees might make good use of the lime trees that have just started to flower.
We then looked at a large swarm that had been caught and hived. There were plenty bees and again the queen had just started laying. This is a colony that can be sold on to cover some apiary costs.
Lastly, the other split from old hive5 has been in a poly nuc for a while and is struggling, particularly at the moment from cheeky wasps who have chewed into the back of the box to tap into the feeder and are also being a nuisance at the entrance. We decided this one needed to get taken away from the apiary so it has gone away to Mandy.
All in all the 5 main colonies seem to be queen right and given decent weather should build up fine with their new queens.
Peter.