Swn58
Field Bee
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2014
- Messages
- 662
- Reaction score
- 552
- Location
- Birmingham
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- Less than 1.....more than 20!
I've popped in every now and then, but been far to busy to contribute. Foraging and beekeeping have taken precedence. Here's what's been occurring!
It's been a very swarmy year, as I have read on here. That occupied some of my time, plus having to tell people that it was not my bees that were causing trouble, but from some other apiary! One was a huge swarm that actually took two travelling boxes to secure. They went straight into a hive of drawn frames and the queen was laying within a week.
I have managed to increase my colonies back to where they were late last summer, after losing a few in the stop/start winter. I have already produced some very prolific laying queens and the plan now is to continue in the same vein.
The biggest surprise was the earliest harvest that I have ever had, due to my farm apiary being surrounded by over 50 acres of field beans! We took over 60 kilos of honey from only five hives earlier this week. I've had to reinstall my extractor months early, to process it. I needed to clear the way for the Lime Tree flowering, which looks like it will be nearly a month early this year. Let's hope the flowers don't get scorched by a heatwave like we had last year!
Back on the subject of colony expansion. I already have two hives at the farm 'chequer-boarded' and packed with bees. They are to be used to populate new nucs. I have demaree'd a hive over at Sandwell. It's the first time I have done this. The Abelo's lend themselves to this method I think. All looks good so far. I am experimenting with cell-punching this season and added four cells to the queenless top brood-box to see what happens. It's a bit of a gamble, but I was in the right place at the right time. If it works, I will write more. If it doesn't.....I will most likely write even more
It's been a very swarmy year, as I have read on here. That occupied some of my time, plus having to tell people that it was not my bees that were causing trouble, but from some other apiary! One was a huge swarm that actually took two travelling boxes to secure. They went straight into a hive of drawn frames and the queen was laying within a week.
I have managed to increase my colonies back to where they were late last summer, after losing a few in the stop/start winter. I have already produced some very prolific laying queens and the plan now is to continue in the same vein.
The biggest surprise was the earliest harvest that I have ever had, due to my farm apiary being surrounded by over 50 acres of field beans! We took over 60 kilos of honey from only five hives earlier this week. I've had to reinstall my extractor months early, to process it. I needed to clear the way for the Lime Tree flowering, which looks like it will be nearly a month early this year. Let's hope the flowers don't get scorched by a heatwave like we had last year!
Back on the subject of colony expansion. I already have two hives at the farm 'chequer-boarded' and packed with bees. They are to be used to populate new nucs. I have demaree'd a hive over at Sandwell. It's the first time I have done this. The Abelo's lend themselves to this method I think. All looks good so far. I am experimenting with cell-punching this season and added four cells to the queenless top brood-box to see what happens. It's a bit of a gamble, but I was in the right place at the right time. If it works, I will write more. If it doesn't.....I will most likely write even more
