Clover 22

[Curly green finger's]

Afternoon the clover flow has been the best so far locally to me ,I’m just in the process of extracting from 60 production hives all near or in fields of clover .
How has other folks summer flows/clover been ?
I’ve now also reached just over 100 colony’s and it’s possibly time to need help for next season.
I have a new honey room which is a 40ft container which has been put under a Dutch barn for shade.
Swarming this season has been interesting and I’ve had two swarms join together a prime and cast after trying to hive the cast swarm has this ever happened to anyone else ?
Mods can you move this to the blog section pls as it’s more of a blog entry?
Thanks
cgf

 

[Erichalfbee]

Afternoon the clover flow has been the best so far locally to me ,I’m just in the process of extracting from 60 production hives all near or in fields of clover .
How has other folks summer flows/clover been ?
I’ve now also reached just over 100 colony’s and it’s possibly time to need help for next season.
I have a new honey room which is a 40ft container which has been put under a Dutch barn for shade.
Swarming this season has been interesting and I’ve had two swarms join together a prime and cast after trying to hive the cast swarm has this ever happened to anyone else ?
Mods can you move this to the blog section pls as it’s more of a blog entry?
Thanks
cgf

Do you want this in blogs or would you like more people, especially beginners, to see it in the general section?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Do you want this in blogs or would you like more people, especially beginners, to see it in the general section?

Leave it in the general section

 

[Erichalfbee]

How has other folks summer flows/clover been ?

Can’t keep up. It’s coming in so fast the bees aren’t capping it. Some colonies are now on National broods for supers. Glad I kept some.

 

[Curly green finger's]

A few photos
Mating apiary 1 6 frame nucs and mini mating nucs .

 

[Curly green finger's]

Can’t keep up. It’s coming in so fast the bees aren’t capping it. Some colonies are now on National broods for supers. Glad I kept some.

Good to know dani my best colony from last season has 8 supers on 6 capped and two more of comb added yesterday, I now need to extract to free up supers , the eight I demareed just two weeks ago have drawn all frame out in the bottom box , I demarred them from a single brood box into two brood boxes .

 

[Newbeeneil]

Afternoon the clover flow has been the best so far locally to me ,I’m just in the process of extracting from 60 production hives all near or in fields of clover .
How has other folks summer flows/clover been ?
I’ve now also reached just over 100 colony’s and it’s possibly time to need help for next season.
I have a new honey room which is a 40ft container which has been put under a Dutch barn for shade.
Swarming this season has been interesting and I’ve had two swarms join together a prime and cast after trying to hive the cast swarm has this ever happened to anyone else ?
Mods can you move this to the blog section pls as it’s more of a blog entry?
Thanks
cgf

I caught a swarm two days ago and put it in my isolation apiary. Yesterday I went to see how it had settled in to find bees everywhere! I assumed the swarm had decided it didn't like it's new abode and I was right? They had decided they preferred the hive 2 stands away that already had a small swarm just eastablished. They have obviously decided they are more effective together as there seemed to be no fighting.

 

[The Poot]

Can’t keep up. It’s coming in so fast the bees aren’t capping it. Some colonies are now on National broods for supers. Glad I kept some.

Strange how it goes - a couple of weeks ago you thought the season had passed you by. Likewise here, when I removed a sealed super and the bees still had a couple to finish, I decided not to replace the extracted one - the flow (I thought) was poor. I fitted it back on last Thursday as the supers are now chocker and they were storing in the brood box. Considering the activity from early morning to dusk I reckon I’ll have to fit another one this week. Happy days...

 

[Bryang]

Just behind my house there is a large area of what was a colliery waste tip, it has been flattened and has now been converted into a rugby field and a large cricket field, they sowed it with a seed mix with a high percentage of clover... Unfortunatly, the local council groundwork team cut/mows the grass twice weekly. I have spoken to them, but their answer is ...we know what we are doing... Yet they say they cannot afford to repair the swings etc in the attached childrens play area.... Rant over..

 

[mbc]

I've not got around my rotation in time and many of my hives are totally plugged out, bramble nectar mostly from what I can make out, though that might change with this bit of warmth.
I took off 19 rammed supers friday, national 9 frame, to spin out and return and got 15 x 30lb buckets of honey from them. I make that over 23.6 lbs extracted honey per super- I've never known so many to be rammed like that, I've the best part of a thousand supers out there so I'm starting to believe this'll be another record year for us

 

[Erichalfbee]

Strange how it goes - a couple of weeks ago you thought the season had passed you by.

Absolutely
I am the worlds best pessimist. It has served me well on a couple of occasions. It drives Stan mad. He is completely the opposite.

 

[Amari]

Still a slow flow here. Worst drought that I can remember. Maybe the forage is better out west - no fields of clover here amongst our fields of sugar beet, cereals, and seaded OSR. At least we had a good spring crop

 

[Erichalfbee]

I've the best part of a thousand supers out there so I'm starting to believe this'll be another record year for us

Are you taking any to the heather this year?

 

[Curly green finger's]

I've not got around my rotation in time and many of my hives are totally plugged out, bramble nectar mostly from what I can make out, though that might change with this bit of warmth.
I took off 19 rammed supers friday, national 9 frame, to spin out and return and got 15 x 30lb buckets of honey from them. I make that over 23.6 lbs extracted honey per super- I've never known so many to be rammed like that, I've the best part of a thousand supers out there so I'm starting to believe this'll be another record year for us

Two weeks ago I was getting concerned that supers were still light but the warm weather has helped the clover. Such a change in two weeks spring crop for me 12 buckets of solid osr I left some with there stores good job to as I had a gab of 10 days or so .
6 frame nucs made in late June are on three boxes and top boxes are full so I’ll be extracting from these next week then hiving them up I’ve hived up some nucs already.
As dani asked are you taking hives to heather ?
40 pallets have gone up to the stances already hopefully the rain we had in May will help as I thought the heather looked a bit poor , I have a feeling you won’t be missing the heather this season

 

[mbc]

Are you taking any to the heather this year?

The boy wants to but I'm flagging a bit as the seasons been exhausting so far, he's only just started helping seriously since finishing his A levels so I've been running far too many hives for one man to reasonably do alone in expectation of paying his wages too.
We may take one trailer load up just for the experience.

 

[Curly green finger's]

The boy wants to but I'm flagging a bit as the seasons been exhausting so far, he's only just started helping seriously since finishing his A levels so I've been running far too many hives for one man to reasonably do alone in expectation of paying his wages too.
We may take one trailer load up just for the experience.

I take my hat of to you mate I thought 100+ was enough for one man if you ever need a hand let me know?

 

[Buzby]

Field of white clover behind my house, best I've ever seen, but not a bee on it. Similarly two limes in garden in bud but not in flower. 850 feet but very, very dry.