Does anyone else feel like they are having a bad year so far

[idg]

My year so far seems to be terrible.
My 5 hives that came through the winter now occupy 11 boxes of one sort or another through swarming and AS.
I have just spent 2 hours going through the hives and seen only 1 queen and signs of a queen in only 4 other hives.
I desperately want to combine but not sure if queens are present.
Thoroughly frustrating afternoon and feel I have achieved nothing.
Anyone else having a bad start?

 

[beecology]

My year so far seems to be terrible.
My 5 hives that came through the winter now occupy 11 boxes of one sort or another through swarming and AS.
I have just spent 2 hours going through the hives and seen only 1 queen and signs of a queen in only 4 other hives.
I desperately want to combine but not sure if queens are present.
Thoroughly frustrating afternoon and feel I have achieved nothing.
Anyone else having a bad start?

Very similar situation to me - all very frustrating. Just hope for a prolonged main flow, warm temps to get the clover going.

Certainly been a season for keeping us on our toes

 

[dpearce4]

been rubbish, very poor spring crop, queen matings failed, collected swarms absconded, hives swarmed.

 

[denise washington]

been rubbish for me started season well they swarmed while I was on holiday and new queen not mated right got loads of drones so I have just got 4 new queens see what happens now

 

[Thymallus]

I have just spent 2 hours going through the hives and seen only 1 queen and signs of a queen in only 4 other hives.

Sounds like the norm for this time of the year. It always seems to take longer than you expect for new queens to start laying etc. Or at least it does for me. Non of this off mated and laying within a week stuff.
Currently have about 6 nucs sat in garden where I KNOW new queens have emerged about 2 weeks ago, but nowt laying yet ....but there are polished cells. All will be well.
Or will be thrown to the winds

 

[Dave /Oscroft]

bad season

well, and I thought it was just my bad beekeeping, so I'm not on my own then!!!!

Dave

 

[Glenviewbee]

My year so far seems to be terrible.
My 5 hives that came through the winter now occupy 11 boxes of one sort or another through swarming and AS.
I have just spent 2 hours going through the hives and seen only 1 queen and signs of a queen in only 4 other hives.
I desperately want to combine but not sure if queens are present.
Thoroughly frustrating afternoon and feel I have achieved nothing.
Anyone else having a bad start?

I'll raise you 3 overwintered colonies now occupying 8 boxed of various sorts, only 1 definite queen (in an apidea from a QC) haven't checked swarm state from 1 collected last week, but in other boxes just lots of polished cells - no eggs/brood at all

 

[Cellectronic]

Yep, Pretty much all of the above,
Just hoping for a late summer that lasts till mid winter.
Very frustrating ...

 

[Dishmop]

It would seem that we no longer have any one hive beekeepers...

 

[Roola]

It would seem that we no longer have any one hive beekeepers...

Haha

 

[Ely]

4 supers of honey from 2 hives. Not as good as last year but can't grumble too much.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Just ASd the AS parts of two I did 3 and 4 weeks ago. 1 new queen drone layer. 4 over wintered boxes are now 8.

 

[Tremyfro]

I planned increase for this year...sacrificing honey crop for wax comb and more colonies! Looks like this year was a good year for it! Started with 2 colonies and a good sized Nuc.....now 4 colonies....and 4 nucs plus 2 nucs waiting for queen to lay....I hope. Also....just over 28 lbs of honey. If we get a good flow...I am hoping all the nucs establish themselves ready for winter and that the colonies can give some more honey. So far avoided swarming...not sure how.

 

[Obee1]

It would seem that we no longer have any one hive beekeepers...

Seems that the do nothing guys are gone too. Everyone is busy doing AS

i have gone from a one hive owner to a 3 hives plus a nuc beek. And not got a scrap of honey amongst em! At leat no swarming (yet).

 

[For want of a better word]

Running out of kit to put swarms in.... mostly other keepers hybrids!

Have BIPCo bait hives surrounding a Native Cornish black bee colony site that swarmed last year... so far nothing!

30kg of OSR honey set solid in the comb... now clogging up SWMBO's deepfreeze waiting for some apple juice to make into knock out ciser!
Had to hump that lot across a hayfield as the farmer will not allow me to go off roading across the field until the hay has bee mown!

Now my back is complaining!

Awful year... no not really .. have made increase of my Natives 300% !

Yeghes da

 

[Thymallus]

Seems that the do nothing guys are gone too.

Either no bees left or too sick to warm

 

[Thymallus]

Native Cornish black bee colony site that swarmed last year... so far n
Only 70-80% native at best. Genetically speaking.

 

[BeeJayBee]

been rubbish, very poor spring crop, queen matings failed, collected swarms absconded, hives swarmed.

Same sort of thing for most in my area. Big colonies, swarms, virtually no stores left because they've eaten it all.

4 supers of honey from 2 hives. Not as good as last year but can't grumble too much.

I'm wondering if there's a significant difference this year between the east and north east of the country and the rest, because I think somebody in Yorkshire has already had a decent honey crop.

 

[For want of a better word]

Native Cornish black bee colony site that swarmed last year... so far n
Only 70-80% native at best. Genetically speaking.

The DNA analyses are not in yet... if we can prevent introgression from all these foreigners, guess we can get something very pure genetically speaking before long... meanwhile the Natives have all the attributes given to them by Beowolf Cooper. and behave so much differently to my NewZealand Italians they seem to be a totally different species!!!

Yeghes da

 

[pargyle]

It would seem that we no longer have any one hive beekeepers...

At the rate some are going we will have before the season is out !!