Ideally I would have inspected my hives on Sunday but the weather was not conducive to the task. Today saw periods of warm sunshine alternating with cold and rain, even hail.
By late afternoon we had an extended period of sunshine so I suited up and went for it.
Starting with hive 6 which is most active and has a super on, I found the super held 6 partly filled frames of nectar. The brood held 8 frames of brood and three of nectar/honey. I couldn't see the queen but there were eggs on most frames plus larvae and capped cells. When this lot emerge the colony will be very strong. Likely need another super at the weekend.
Cloud started to drift over so I carried out quick checks on the other hives. Hive 4 (latest swarm) is drawing comb nicely but no sign of a queen or eggs yet (possibly the swarm was a cast). The remaining hives appear to be marking time as no increase is evident. I really hope the weather becomes consistently warmer soon.
By late afternoon we had an extended period of sunshine so I suited up and went for it.
Starting with hive 6 which is most active and has a super on, I found the super held 6 partly filled frames of nectar. The brood held 8 frames of brood and three of nectar/honey. I couldn't see the queen but there were eggs on most frames plus larvae and capped cells. When this lot emerge the colony will be very strong. Likely need another super at the weekend.
Cloud started to drift over so I carried out quick checks on the other hives. Hive 4 (latest swarm) is drawing comb nicely but no sign of a queen or eggs yet (possibly the swarm was a cast). The remaining hives appear to be marking time as no increase is evident. I really hope the weather becomes consistently warmer soon.
