Bees, Bees everywhere!

Sorry, no piccies today, I forgot to take the camera with us!

Ok, the plan today was to spend most of the day on the plot, with a trip to a local Beekeeper who sells supplies in the afternoon to pick up a few bits n pieces (more brood frames and foundation, some oxalic acid - for treating them for varroa mite while they are still without brood -, a feeder so we can give Dave the one we had borrowed back, an uncapping fork, 2 honey storage buckets and some smoker fuel, this beekeeping lark aint half expensive when you first start out), then to meet Dave (our beekeeper friend) at the apiary where our hive is along with Pat and Colin (plot neighbours and partner aspiring beekeepers who have come in halves with us on the set up) to check on the girls and give them a feed!

Plans started to go awry when we awoke to rian and wind, not a day to be sowing seeds on the plot, so we went shopping instead, then went to pick up the apiary supplies, then to meet up with Pat, Colin and Dave.

On arriving at the apiary it was to find Dave just finishing the gathering of yet another swarm within the apiary (he has a feeling they've come from another beekeepers hives who hasnt been seen for a few weeks), they were put into a cardboard box (as Dave had nowhere else to put them, all his nuc boxes and all the hives on the apiary already being full!)

Well, quick as a flash Lee offers the use of our other hive, the one we still had in our apiary at our plot, and Dave readily agreed, so Pat and Colin shot off to fetch it while we checked and fed the colony in our first hive (who seem to be settling in well, they're feeding well and are even beginning to collect pollen!)

As soon as Pat and Colin arrived back with the other hive we got it set up, then shook the swarm into the hive and set up the feeder (darn good job we got it, tho now we are going to need another!), Lee is going to go back tomorrow and top up the feeder, then at the weekend we are going to treat both colonies for Varroa mite with the oxyalic acid and feed them!

So, in the space of 3 days we've gone from none to 2 hives of bees! Looks like we are going to have to get the second apiary set up and some more hives sorted out this year rather than next as we were planning!

I'll get some piccies of the hives and the allotment at the weekend and hopefully will get an update done!

Hope your growing year is going well!