Is it late for years first check?

[trevort]

Hi all, interested to know wether i am in a boat pretty much on my own or are there others who have not checked hives yet?
The weather in my part of North Norfolk has been pretty good compared with the spring of the last couple of years but the sharp wind has put me off opening up and risking chilling the brood.
It seems that all the calmest warmest days occur when i,m at work!!
My concern is the possibility of early swarms, has anyone had to deal with this so far?
As we have all read, swarm season starts approx May. How early can it be?
There is nothing I can do until Good Friday anyway so its fingers crossed.
Good luck to all for the year to come!

 

[itma]

Yes, it is late.
Almost a couple of months late for the very first look inside of the season.
I've been told of a couple of swarms already (but not as callouts!)
Being too slow adding a second super to one hive, I've done an AS on it. (Doh!)


"Chilled brood" isn't really caused by opening up for inspections. Its more a matter of several days of cold weather (after a mild spell) when there aren't enough bees to keep an excessive amount of brood warm enough. (So the bees look after as much as they can, and simply sacrifice what they can't - around the periphery of the broodnest.)

 

[Chris B]

It depends what you mean. We haven't done a full brood inspection on everything yet, but we have added supers or fed as necessary, as those kind of assessments can be made without a full inspection.

 

[Swarm]

Yes, it depends what you mean by inspection. If inspection is looking through the brood frames, I did my first today but I have assessed things by cracking the crown boards or observing the entrances before today.

 

[domino]

I hadn't been able to get to mine for some weeks, found them packed and with charged queen cells - managed to slip them today .... close call.

 

[Dishmop]

N Norfolk has a habit of being either better or worse than somwhere 40 miles away.

I would say that if the temperature is over 16 or so but there is a bit of a nip in the wind, there will be a large bulk of the bees out flying, so you should be Ok with an inspection. Have something handy to stand the boxes on that you remove, and something to cover them with.

 

[madasafish]

Too cold and windy here to inspect anything. morning frosts mean afternoon is the only time to do so.

 

[Ginger19]

Well I am in Cumbria, 1000ft above sea level and have a hive with charged queen cells - it was a swarm I caught last year, it would seem they just can't settle. But based on that I would say have a quick look, whatever the weather.

 

[Pete D]

Been checking mine regularly since 9th march. Some now have 3 supers on and I will be extracting some osr by the end of the month, maybe 1st couple of supers over Easter.
Checked all hives today, 2 with charged queen cells.
I know of 3 swarms locally in last 7 days, you need to get in them even just for a quick look. 2 of the swarms were from single national brood boxes that had not been looked at this year yet.
Good luck with what you find

 

[Cazza]

My concern is the possibility of early swarms, has anyone had to deal with this so far?
As we have all read, swarm season starts approx May. How early can it be?
!

May might have been swarm season starting once upon a time but not for the past few years, definitely started in April.
I have As'd one hive last week and expect to do so to some more this week.
Cazza

 

[susbees]

It depends what you mean. We haven't done a full brood inspection on everything yet, but we have added supers or fed as necessary, as those kind of assessments can be made without a full inspection.

Spot on. And I agree...higher apiaries still to do.

 

[meetballuk]

ive not had chanced been, airing on the careful side! got laffed at by other BK whos put a super on.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Everything has had the crown board removed and a peek inside but still about 40% to get a full inspection of the brood box.

 

[user 6228]

we have one colony that has a super and a 2nd brood box put on it already but it really didnt need much inspection to know this colony was really going for it and the others were a lot slower.
so the answer is yes and no.

 

[REDWOOD]

Depends what you mean by inspection, you can inspect a colony by just putting a varroa inspection board in for a few days which will give a good indication, of how well/bad a colony is doing, hefting a hive could be called an inspection and so could a peep through a clear crown board. as for full inspections I'v done 2 this year.

 

[REDWOOD]

Better late than never

 

[Pete D]

I helped a last years beginner on Friday do his 1st inspection of the year. Both hives single national brood box, both hives had swarmed.

 

[Dishmop]

I helped a last years beginner on Friday do his 1st inspection of the year. Both hives single national brood box, both hives had swarmed.

Did you find them?

 

[MuswellMetro]

It depends on how the spring is going in your area,location and pollen biuld up , i have been at least once into twenty two hives

On five hives in an semi urban walled garden i am now on my forth inspection and all have 9 frames of 14x12 brood with supers on four and the other one charge queen cells has been Articial swarmed, but within ten miles i have hives on exposed hills that i have just inspected just once for stores but as they are surrounded by OSR i havea super and QE then above a crown board a further super, the OSR flow can switch on in hours if the temp gets up to 18c+(predicted this week down here in Costa del London)

 

[Pete D]

Did you find them?

Only one of them, at the bottom of a conifer 30 yards away. The reason I went to help in the first place was because he rang me to say there were bees everywhere at lunchtime swirling and whirling around the garden.
I was a bit dismayed to find both hives with half full syrup feeders on. When I lifted the crown board it was a right old mess as they had not been inspected since varroa treatment in August. I removed the Thymovaar for him and dug out all the brace comb as he had no dummy boards.
Left strict instructions to check in 5 days for any emergency queen cells, after describing them, and remove them, leaving just our selected queen cell on 2nd frame of both hives. Then to not open for 3 weeks (dont think that will be a problem).
The swarm we hived with instructions to use up the half full feeders after a couple of days.
Wished him luck and was on my way with a dozen free range eggs for my trouble. Later that evening I asked the chap who supplied the bees who lives a few miles away if he could drop by check all was well.