Early Dearth?

[Erichalfbee]

Third super added to two colonies. One is the horrendously mad hive and it has wall to wall brood on all frames.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Spotted a tweet by a commercial guy I know advising a newbie not to remove 12lbs of **** honey a keep as stores

 

[madasafish]

Just inspected my hives today. The two carnie hives have each two supers on. The two buckfasts have each one super on.
15C and sunny unlike yesterday 10C and dull/windy.

Beech and chestnut to come .

 

[Fritillary]

So much better here too - bees out in force, bringing in pollen and nectar, and drones zooming about. Feels like a different world...

 

[JWF]

There's a half decent flow back on here, nectar dripping out of the frames as you pick them up. Hopefully it will continue now we've had a decent bit of rain and with the weather warming up in the week.

 

[Swarm]

Went through five colonies today, lots of pollen and nectar in the combs.

 

[PaulCarroll]

Things were progressing slowly but nicely in early April with three adequate colonies progressing at differing rates, but all Q+. Then the weather changed and we had several cold nights including a heavy frost. Have now lost one colony completely and one other Q- but am hopeful that she has been superceded. I now have one colony doing ok, but am nowhere near the position others seem to be of filling brood boxes and supers. Weather here continues to be grey and cold though I was able to inspect today once the sun appeared for an hour this afternoon. Disappointing start to the season but hopefully things will improve as the summer unfolds.


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[Erichalfbee]

Just inspected my hives today. The two carnie hives have each two supers on. The two buckfasts have each one super on.
15C and sunny unlike yesterday 10C and dull/windy.

Beech and chestnut to come .

Beech?
Honeydew?

 

[madasafish]

Beech?
Honeydew?

Probably.

Three years ago (2014), I stood under one of the beech trees 100m up the road. It must be a hundred years old and is at least 25 meters tall. It was 9am in a warm late May and all I could hear was the buzz of thousands of bees - despite it being in a field on the other side of the road..

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ah. We have beech trees round the house and the spring after we moved here it was similar. This year the oak trees are humming, there are plenty of greenfly and some leaves are quite sticky

 

[madasafish]

Ah. We have beech trees round the house and the spring after we moved here it was similar. This year the oak trees are humming, there are plenty of greenfly and some leaves are quite sticky

The oaks in the field beside us are just coming into leaf... another couple of weeks before we see them in their full glory

 

[Tremyfro]

The last couple of days have been a bit better for the bees...they are fairly busy today. Our hawthorn is green but not in flower yet. I've been offered an out apiary where there is lots of HM...l might take them up on that..at least the nucs will get a good start and go into next winter strongly.

 

[B+.]

The last couple of days have been a bit better for the bees...they are fairly busy today. Our hawthorn is green but not in flower yet.

It was manic here yesterday. I arrived in the apiary to see the air full of bees. It was as though they'd all decided to swarm (which they hadn't). I went through all the hives and no sign of anything amiss...except all the cells filing up with fresh nectar.

 

[colinc]

Honey stores had been pretty static for past few weeks but yesterday had lots of new nectar in stores.


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[Briarfield]

Single figures here all day and a biting nor'easter. It's been much the same for a week. More winter than Spring.

 

[madasafish]

Single figures here all day and a biting nor'easter. It's been much the same for a week. More winter than Spring.

No location so no idea.. see avatars of other posters.

 

[Briarfield]

Aplologies. I was sure I had my location there. I do on my other Tapatalk profiles

Cleveland


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[B+.]

Aplologies. I was sure I had my location there. I do on my other Tapatalk profiles

Cleveland

Click on "User CP" at the top-left of the screen, then "Edit your details". You will find the "Location" there.

 

[Briarfield]

Click on "User CP" at the top-left of the screen, then "Edit your details". You will find the "Location" there.

Thank you. That's not an option in tapatalk but when I use the web forum it's all there already including hive type and location.

Some things have transferred such as male, but not most.

Sometimes I hate technology.

 

[SDM]

2 very different tales from 2 of my apiaries. The first has an abundance.of chestnut, sycamore, wild garlic and bluebells, nectar coming in thick n fast. Any vacant cells, what few there are, are being.used for processing.nectar while the girls work on drawing 2nd or 3rd supers.
At home apiary all progress came to a halt about 10 days ago. Masses of Hawthorne, last of the Dandelion etc in flower but no trees. Zero rain for about 6 weeks. No nectar coming in, queens of lay( a couple are now going for supercedure). Supers almost capped 2 weeks ago are if anything a little lighter