A curious season

[polomadh]

I've been keeping 5 or 6 hives now for six seasons at a couple of locations, and this year has been quite odd. All of them have requeened themselves, a couple more than once, and now the HB yield is disappointing, I maybe looking at only taking one super off this year, and feeding them again. I assumed it might be my incompetence, but other beeks nearby are saying the weather... Or something else? I was wondering if so me of the older hands in here have had really bad seasons previously

I think my main sales this year will be wax....now where is that furniture polish recipe haha

 

[madasafish]

I've been keeping 5 or 6 hives now for six seasons at a couple of locations, and this year has been quite odd. All of them have requeened themselves, a couple more than once, and now the HB yield is disappointing, I maybe looking at only taking one super off this year, and feeding them again. I assumed it might be my incompetence, but other beeks nearby are saying the weather... Or something else? I was wondering if so me of the older hands in here have had really bad seasons previously

I think my main sales this year will be wax....now where is that furniture polish recipe haha

Carp here as well. Weather has been cold, wet and very occasionally warm but never hot...Where is Global Warming when you need it?

 

[BrianO]

Carp here as well. Weather has been cold, wet and very occasionally warm but never hot...Where is Global Warming when you need it?

Dont need it and its here !!! Unfortunately, manifests itself in the often experienced extremes of weather.


I have perked up a bit after puling off three supers and a brood box, all almost full of honey, should have had more but what I have learnt in past two seasons, will stand me good stead next season.... whoever said this was a simple straightforward hobby !

 

[oliver90owner]

Commercial beekeepers will even out the 'ups and downs' by retaining a fair stock of honey, to supply their 'base load' customers in the event of a poor season. Just look at the top fruit crop this year, apparently the best for twenty years!

We don't get the predictable seasons, like Finsky, does, but usually there are surplus stores collected by most stocks at some time in the season.. Sometimes we get a bumper crop, but often less; occasionally things conspire to afford a very minimal crop. Only three years ago(?) some beeks were feeding huge amounts until late May.

Those with the opportunity to migrate their colonies to the forage will be less affected than the beeks with static colonies.

Your first supercedures were likely the result of last year, but it has just not got better since, so a continuation of carpy weather from last year. Many early, poorly mated queens will be superceded later in the year. The bees still often know best, but buying in queens (from a good source) might have seen them over a poor patch. Just persevere - things will get better.....

 

[enrico]

Others will already have read this but just for your info... Last year was my best in 30 odd years with the highest yield per colony, this year was my worst.... I have no honey at all to take off! Remember, when you get a good year put two years of honey by for such an occasion as those!
E

 

[midnight sun]

The poor results seem to be all over the country. Same problems as you in Preston, (although we are not that far away).
I took my honey supers off yesterday (Sunday) rather than gamble by leaving them on any longer. Some frames had been cleaned out completely (I know they were about half full 10 days ago). Some just had a small patch capped in the middle of the frame. I took about a third the weight that I did last year from the same number of colonies. Plenty of practice spotting Queen cells though!
So just varroa treatment and then feed up for winter to look forward to.

 

[mbc]

Same here, miserable crop and queen problems common. The last two years were quite special crops for me though so I'm sort of expecting the next five years to be indifferent.

 

[masterBK]

Not been too bad in my part of Yorkshire 60 lb average per colony but there have been some poor matings so have had to replace a few drone layers.

 

[For want of a better word]

Just persevere - things will get better.....

been doing that for the past XX years!

Yeghes da

 

[mbc]

Just persevere - things will get better.....

been doing that for the past XX years!

Yeghes da

 

[Millet]

This is my first year and i am currently having my up's and down's.. ( nothing to do with me by the way) but the weather has been volatile to say the least.. warm one minute cold and wet the next.. no honey which i expected and wasp's in there thousand's..
I had to feed a month a two ago which got me thinking as the Natural forage is/was full of bumble bee's and other insect's..why my bee's are not doing the same has me stumped.. we are however supposed to be getting really bad weather over the next several day's so more food will be going in my hive to keep them topped up..

 

[TOBY-3652]

been a good year for honey very lucky to have 60 acres of borage 2100 pound off 25 hives still got the heather to come queens???? early ones {may -- june were ok after that some laid for 3 weeks then went missing new queens mated ok just have to see how well they preform next year