How's the summer flows going?

[Curly green finger's]

Interested to know how the summer flows are going for folk?
Is this turning out to be a swarmy season over the last few weeks I've collected 8.
And out of 50 + colonys I've had 5.
Been able to make up 26 nucs with mated queen's from a mixture of 1,2,3 and 6 frame splits, I'm now down to dregs of nuc boxes and picking up more hive equipment next week.
I've managed to keep 20 production colonys going and queen right, but I've been inspecting on a 5 day rotation, some colonys sooner.
In three days a colony can change so quickly and one thing I plan to do next year and over the winter is have x amount of hives ready for next season.
Your thoughts?
Mark.

 

[The Poot]

Hi Curly,
The Spring flow was delayed here and once the weather improved the bees were piling in and out for the tree nectar available. Three out of four colonies grew quickly to three then four supers. The other one swarmed with only a half filled brood box and can’t make up its mind where to live, returning to its former hive and then leaving again, it seems.
Since the sycamore went over things have been much quieter and currently they are consuming more than they’re gathering. The apiary is quite quiet. Brambles are largely still in bud around here and forage is scarce. I’ve seen bees on my lawn clover, which is unusual in my experience and on garden flowers as if it’s late Summer.
I have had a good Spring honey harvest - the first one since I started, more honey than 2020 in total!

 

[madasafish]

Summer flow? It's raining.

 

[GuyNir]

Just started. Can’t say at this point…

 

[pargyle]

Your thoughts?
Mark.

Your achievements speak for themselves .... unfortunately I am fluent in exaggeration ....

 

[Curly green finger's]

Summer flow? It's raining.

Aye it is! but all the same they have started.

 

[Curly green finger's]

View attachment 27026

Can't see the attachment?

 

[Murox]

Summer flow? It's raining.

Still a veritable dustbowl here, heavy cloud but not even a drip.

 

[Swarm]

Last few days has seen some focused traffic and the supers are starting to gain weight. There were some very busy hives yesterday.

 

[pargyle]

It rained overnight here and it's been raining again this morning but my four production colonies this morning each filled two supers before lunch and I've added another two on each one which should be filled and capped by tomorrow ....

 

[Curly green finger's]

It rained overnight here and it's been raining again this morning but my four production colonies this morning each filled two supers before lunch and I've added another two on each one which should be filled and capped by tomorrow ....

 

[Erichalfbee]

Interested to know how the summer flows are going for folk?
Is this turning out to be a swarmy season over the last few weeks I've collected 8.
And out of 50 + colonys I've had 5.
Been able to make up 26 nucs with mated queen's from a mixture of 1,2,3 and 6 frame splits, I'm now down to dregs of nuc boxes and picking up more hive equipment next week.
I've managed to keep 20 production colonys going and queen right, but I've been inspecting on a 5 day rotation, some colonys sooner.
In three days a colony can change so quickly and one thing I plan to do next year and over the winter is have x amount of hives ready for next season.
Your thoughts?
Mark.

Well I think you have done absolutely wonderfully since that one hive you put up on The Clee in 2017.
To increase exponentially to fifty plus colonies and then make twenty six nucs this year yet manage to keep twenty in production you must be doing something right you should be jolly proud of yourself.
The empire is being built.
I notice the last sentence in your sixth post of your blog is


“I've added this to my blog, so in the future I can hopefully read back on this with admiration.”

 

[pargyle]

Well I think you have done absolutely wonderfully since that one hive you put up on The Clee in 2017.
To increase exponentially to fifty plus colonies and then make twenty six nucs this year yet manage to keep twenty in production you must be doing something right you should be jolly proud of yourself.
The empire is being built.
I notice the last sentence in your sixth post of your blog is

“I've added this to my blog, so in the future I can hopefully read back on this with admiration.”

Yes ... it's an absolutely incredible achievement ....

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Unbelievable!

 

[Curly green finger's]

I don't know if your both being sarcy?
Well I've had alot of help from you guys both privately and on here, I was always wanting to be both employed and self employed as a beekeeper.
Thanks folks.
I've also had alot of support from John at hedgerow.

 

[BugsInABox]

I don't know if your both being sarcy?

I’m pretty sure they are.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I’m pretty sure they are.

Well being gullerble hasn't been one of my strongest points.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I don't know if your both being sarcy?
Well I've had alot of help from you guys both privately and on here, I was always wanting to be both employed and self employed as a beekeeper.
Thanks folks.
I've also had alot of support from John at hedgerow.

I’m not. It was a well deserved pat on the back for somebody who has worked hard at getting something going from scratch with such passion and gusto.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I’m not. It was a well deserved pat on the back for somebody who has worked hard at getting something going from scratch with such passion and gusto.

.
I've had a head ache all along from my wife because of my time and energy I've put into it, but all worth it to be earning more money and loving what I do.

Little things.
Watching virgins emerge.
Watching other workers coming to the aid of others because I've caught one under the lugs, the care and companion ship honey bees have for one and another has me in aww!!
The lists is endless as you know and is why we do it above all other things.
Better get back to making frames I'm finding I like sn4 in my supers they draw them quicker.
The chunky ones a bit slower.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Put up some pictures of your other hives in the Registry section? We only ever seem to see Apiary 2