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

[pargyle]

Either no bees left or too sick to warm

No ... I'm still here with lots of healthy bees that have tried to swarm and more hives than I really wanted this year ... some honey in the supers and I'm hopeful they won't have eaten it all during the chilly winds of the last few days ...

 

[jonnybeegood]

Had a good year so far, could have been evdn better if spring wasnt so fickle. Had 2 swarms from 6 hives, both caught & doing well, still waiting for queens to lay as are most people, had over 30lb of honey, all hives have 2 supers now & others have 3. Hawthorn, sycamore & horse chestnut just in full flower, perfect timing for this weather we are having, whats not to like?

 

[Eyeman]

Bees were strong coming into spring so expected they would want to swarm. 12 of my 16 main hives have been A/S. Gave me a chance to try out the Snellgrove 2 (whally shaw) technique on my double nationals. With a bit of modification to make it easier to find the queen 5 out of the 6 are playing by the book. Will know for sure if I've thwarted their swarming fever later in the summer.

 

[maddydog]

Have lost one clipped q but no bees yet. Have doubled my colony numbers with splits and artificial swarms. I'm waiting with baited breath for the quality of the queens but they all emerged into a reasonable spell of weather. I've got 13 mostly full supers of honey that I'm just waiting for them to finish drying. I converted all my supers to 10 frame castellations this year - a full capped frame is only second in beauty to a full brood frame of 14*12 imho

In summary, a lot less chaotic than last year (marked and clipped queens). Drawn comb is more valuable than honey to the newer beek. Keep bees warm, dry, with plenty of sun on the hive and near to osr and you can't go wrong

 

[dn170221]

4 overwintered hives up to 7. Have also caught a swarm in a bait hive. Hoping to unite some at the end of the month to get the numbers down again.

 

[Thymallus]

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

As you should know you can't breed back to pure from mongrels.

 

[Outlander]

Yep poor spring for me badly mated queen and need to reduce stock as too many eggs in one basket. Will give hives one more week to sort themselves out or will have to cull and replace.

 

[Obee1]

Drawn comb is more valuable than honey to the newer beek. Keep bees warm, dry, with plenty of sun on the hive and near to osr and you can't go wrong

Totally agree drawn comb is the secret to success. Shame one can't buy it in! Also having slight problem with planting up a field of OSR in my urban setting

 

[Tremyfro]

Totally agree drawn comb is the secret to success. Shame one can't buy it in! Also having slight problem with planting up a field of OSR in my urban setting

You could buy a bag of seed ...package it up into gift packs for Xmas gifts....that way OSR in all the gardens near you ...friends could broadcast it .....and Xmas gifts will cost diddly squat!

 

[Dishmop]

Either no bees left or too sick to warm

Not sure why anybody would not have any left, even after a swarm..but I suppose this remark is based on if you dont treat then they must be dying.

 

[Dishmop]

No ... I'm still here with lots of healthy bees that have tried to swarm and more hives than I really wanted this year ... some honey in the supers and I'm hopeful they won't have eaten it all during the chilly winds of the last few days ...

Same here......

 

[Cazza]

This season has been kind to me as I have a reasonable early crop which for once in my life is not OSR based.
I also have some lovely gentle nucs building nicely.
Smug Cazza

 

[ROACHMAN]

I am having a bad year as well

15 artificial swarms done and in 10 cases the Q- part has failed to get a mated queen.

I think its down to this persistant wind blowing the queens off course whilst mating

Ive also collected 2 swarms with mated queens that have re swarmed about 6 weeks later even though only on about 3/4 frames

450lb of osr honey this year compared with 600 last year

 

[Tremyfro]

This season has been kind to me as I have a reasonable early crop which for once in my life is not OSR based.
I also have some lovely gentle nucs building nicely.
Smug Cazza

It's a great feeling when things finally go your way!

 

[The Riviera Kid]

Poor year here in the East Midlands too. Before the end of May last year I was already taking supers off and extracting as fast as I could. Had 100s of lbs in buckets all over the house by August!

This year my two over-wintered hives have barely got a super full between them, despite being surrounded by mature fruit trees that were full of blossom, 100s of gardens and fields and fields of OSR.

Both were really slow off the blocks this spring too and took a long time for the queens to start laying properly.

My mate who lives in the city (Leicester) is doing better though. It's just that bit warmer and his bees are in a less exposed location than mine and he has more honey and the colonies built up quicker too.

It's the made weather that's mucking them around

 

[Beeline]

It's not been the best start to a year for honey production but it has been very good for me for getting virgin queens mated - 7 out of 7 and laying up well. Never been this good.

I'm fortunate I don't rely on honey sales to maintain this hobby but it's well received when I'm rewarded for my efforts. For those that do rely on the honey sales to stay in business or to supplement your income, I fully appreciate the frustration of the season so far but to those who don't, honey should not be your driver in keeping bees. A keen interest in bees themselves and maintaining strong healthy stock should be and the rewards will come - probably much more than you and your family can consume. IMO a lot of newbies focus on the honey when it should be the bees.

In the south here we desperately need good rains and when it arrives the blackberry, limes and clover will give us the flow that has so far eluded us.

 

[pargyle]

In the south here we desperately need good rains and when it arrives the blackberry, limes and clover will give us the flow that has so far eluded us.

Yes ... its been very dry and windy down here on the South coast and the tree blossom was over very quickly. My cultivated blackberries and raspberries have already flowered, I'm already eating first crop raspberries and my loganberries and the brambles look like they will be out soon ... a day or two of reasonable rain would be good all round .. The top three inches of soil at the allotment is like the Grapes of Wrath ... watering beans and young plants daily.

 

[The Riviera Kid]

honey should not be your driver in keeping bees. A keen interest in bees themselves and maintaining strong healthy stock should be and the rewards will come - probably much more than you and your family can consume. IMO a lot of newbies focus on the honey when it should be the bees.

I agree. I don't even particularly like honey

I have a savoury tooth, not a sweet one and prefer Marmite on my toast!

 

[yeogi75]

no body in Leicestershire eats marmite
had wasps last year and mice and dank area and starvation, so this year was a slow start and still not taking any honey off but instead relying on autumn crop, went up apery and god dammed wasps are back, good job im moving my hive to a better site

 

[jonnybeegood]

no body in Leicestershire eats marmite
had wasps last year and mice and dank area and starvation, so this year was a slow start and still not taking any honey off but instead relying on autumn crop, went up apery and god dammed wasps are back, good job im moving my hive to a better site

Wasps already? You mean at your hives? Seems far too early for that.