Global (s)warming?

[viridens]

When I was a lad, the swarming season in these parts was from about mid May to early June. This year it started in April and is still going on now.

I'm sure that climate change and the freak weather we now get each year has a lot to do with it, but I wonder if there are other factors?

 

[BKF Admin]

Could it be foreign queens ?
Carnies build up very different to Italians/Buckfast.
Can this make the swarm season longer?

 

[Winker]

I had to do an AS yesterday... I too thought its getting kinda late for the girls to be thinking of getting up and starting over.

 

[moby]

Picked up a swarm yesterday worried they wont build up enough th survive winter

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

mine swarmed this morning - Buckfast queen
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=12278

 

[oliver90owner]

Picked up a swarm yesterday worried they wont build up enough th survive winter

What!?! It must be big enough to make a nuc size by season-end surely? If it were that small you should be able to transfer a little emerging brood to help them (several times over). No worry anyway - unite at season end if necessary.

RAB

 

[garethbryson]

 

[the naked beekeeper]

Picked up 2 swarms today!

I definitely think the swarming season has extended.
It is probably encouraged by the vast quanitities of rape being sown as well.

 

[jasonahood]

Looks to me like swarming in July has been known before:

It being a Proverb, that a Swarm of Bees in May is worth a Cow and a Bottle [bundle] of Hay, whereas a Swarm in July is not worth a Fly.
[1655 S. Hartlib Reformed Commonwealth of Bees 26]

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

not forgetting....

A Swarm in August ain't worth a cuss
A Swarm in September is hard to remember
A Swarm in October are you really sober?
A Swarm in November so cold its a trembler
A Swarm in December - go on stoking the embers

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

When I was a lad, the swarming season in these parts was from about mid May to early June. This year it started in April and is still going on now.

I'm sure that climate change and the freak weather we now get each year has a lot to do with it, but I wonder if there are other factors?

Things have never been the same since those Romans invaded!

 

[justme]

I've picked up 3 swarms this month, with a cut out still to do, local group secretary had 5 swarm calls last Saturday, all honey bees.

 

[moby]

Picked up a swarm yesterday worried they wont build up enough th survive winter

What!?! It must be big enough to make a nuc size by season-end surely? If it were that small you should be able to transfer a little emerging brood to help them (several times over). No worry anyway - unite at season end if necessary.

RAB

They fit into a half a super sized nuc and will see how they get on, I may unite with my son's nuc which he got for his birthday provided they make it through quarantine / inspection

 

[BILL.HEARD]

After giving ample stores in the autumn, circa 50/60 lbs honey/syrup using single Nat. Commercial hives I never used to feed until at least April the following year.
Having followed this forum for six months or more it appears that a lot of new beekeepers tend to be overfeeding there hives with syrup or fondant too early in the year thus causing large populations before the main honey flows, unless of course they wish to take advantage of o.s.r.
I mentioned in a previous thread that unless there is a flow on these large populations will need feeding and could prove quite costly if you have a number of hives.
I have also noticed now that bee suppliers tend to be offering all sorts of feed and pollen substitutes, these I feel are most of the time totally unnecessary in this country, ok I guess if you are building up package bees in Canada.

Given enough stores five comb nucs will in most years winter well and will prove to be some of your best colonies the following year, just keep the entrances small.