Hive condition at Present

[Busy Bee]

Hi All,

I have been keeping a close "eye" on the hives this past 6 weeks and have noticed the hives are getting busier and busier every week. 2 days ago you would have been forgiven if you thought it was around 30th May. BEE'S EVERYWHERE thousands of them, flying, orientating foraging , Drones yes Drones - Like Mid-Summer. Surely this is not normal, has anyone else have the same hive conditions? Your thoughts would be good.

Thanks

Busy Bee

 

[Repwoc]

Yes still drones present (saw some yesterday) and still very active if there is a spot of sunshine. A lot of pollen being collected.

Paul

 

[MuswellMetro]

yep had the same, it was 19c in london today, had a small entrance and mouse guard on, had

to take it off as had hundred of bees cooling

This is my first winter on my own ,so do not know if normal in warm autumn spells

and the meto predicts warm waether up to 20c

 

[gandalfwhitewizard]

On our allotment site last weekend it sounded like the middle of summer. 3 weeks ago when i checked the second to last batch of virgin queens they were mated and laying and will have a look at the last batch this week and see how they've done but i have drones still around. Global warming?

 

[teignbee]

Same where i am, last couple of weeks,bees seem to be busier than ever. Went to see them today and they were bringing in loads of pollen. Im in south Devon,near Torbay.

 

[Crg]

yep had the same, it was 19c in london today, had a small entrance and mouse guard on, had

I think, in London at least, you might be better to ignore the advice most people give about bees from the rest of the country.

I took off my autumn honey last week, and most colonies have already packed their brood boxes with more... and yet I've seen advice on this forum that people should have started winter feeding Aug/Sept. That was was when I was taking supers of summer honey off. If I paid attention to them I'd miss out of buckets and buckets of (IMO) some of the best tasting honey.

It's best just to see how the weather works out and watch what your bees are doing than setting strict dates that they are supposed to follow, (which might be harder when you're new).

 

[VEG]

The problem with leaving it late to feed is if you get caught out in a very cold snap the bees wont take down syrup, and could starve.

 

[m100]

I think, in London at least, you might be better to ignore the advice most people give about bees from the rest of the country.

I took off my autumn honey last week, and most colonies have already packed their brood boxes with more... and yet I've seen advice on this forum that people should have started winter feeding Sept/Oct. That was was when I was taking supers of summer honey off. If I paid attention to them I'd miss out of buckets and buckets of (IMO) some of the best tasting honey.

It's best just to see how the weather works out and watch what your bees are doing than setting strict dates that they are supposed to follow, (which might be harder when you're new).

All well and good but it's not just London or the 'sunny south' that is blessed with a late flow. You can't predict what is going to happen or when from year to year. This time last year there was appalling rain and damp, no ivy pollen coming in and no nectar, some hives refused to take any syrup when feeders were placed on the hives in early September.

This year some colonies (from hived swarms) were near starving and so were fed in late August, one hived swarm that had been there for two months and was a week or so earlier on the verge of starving swarmed again in early September on what, according to the textbooks would appear to be supercedure cells, others were fed for a short while in early September but then something strange happened - a mild spell with flow from the ivy and balsam that is currently filling a super every two to three weeks on some hive, whilst others remain a bit lighter than I'd like. Two hives are currently on their second tray of Apiguard, yet one still fetches in loads of pollen the other, with near identical looking bees fetches in very little pollen.

The answer in future years might be to forget syrup completely, zap the varroa with an approriate treatment at the end of August, slap on empty supers (and then remove them when they don't get used!) and then at the end of October place a huge block or two of fondant on the top of the brood chamber and seal them up for winter - this prescribed regime might work next year and in future years ...but it probably won't

In summary, bees will do whatever they want to do, whenever and often at the most inconvenient moment.

 

[MuswellMetro]

- this prescribed regime might work next year and in future years ...but it probably won't

I.

my work experiance from school in...err .....1966 was at the met office in Dunstable, so all ways had an interst in the weather

but i think the meto got it wrong this year, the computers use averages and its not the sames as the feeling you get with nature

i think this years is going to be cold, yep its warm now, but its just a large low presure cyclone pulling up the warm air...ten days time it will be pulling down artic air


pier corbyn of weather Action is predicting 100 years of cold...rather than global warming, but i not be here to see who is right..too old

 

[bobandbec]

Here in Cheshire the bees are still working the ivy bringing in stores and loads of pollen.
Mine are all bedded down for winter now with some having been fed syrup to make up their weight whilst others didn't need any. I haven't done a BB inspection since the middle of September, just a heft to tell if they have enough to last through. I don't like to be going into them at this time of the year just in case of unforseen accidents.
Most are on brood and half or double brood. Only the nucs are still being fed and I'll keep doing them for as long as possible.

Peter