It's been a funny year this...

[OXFORDBEE]

The worst thing about this year has been the early start followed by a stop-start nectar yield due to water shortage and low temperatures.

Quite a few double broods never really made it into two boxes. The queen popped up into the top box, laid up a few frames and then got taken off lay (due to the weather) and the top box cells promptly got stuffed full of stores when the weather picked up.

Now the main flow's arrived the colonies have a reduced forager count...

It will be interesting to see how the next couple of weeks pan out. ...

 

[RoseCottage]

Our little plot of North Hampshire is quiet now. 5 colonies...effectively 4 new this year so missed OSR.

2 swarms (one a week old but large) am hoping they may offer something in the next 2 months. One swarm has good stores in the brood box.

Three others are good in terms of colony strength but only 1 has any obvious stores and so the others are being assisted as needed till they start storing something in the BB.

Am hoping that over all 5 colonies we make get 5 supers in August...although one colony will be disrupted for a Varroa treatment.

I have noticed when queenless, colonies often do very well with stores ...time in their hands I expect.

All the best,
Sam

 

[xgeordie]

Absolute crap so far. Had to feed colonies and lost a few queens. Two colonies have turned viscious.

Might be saved by the balsam....

 

[victor meldrew]

Absolute crap so far. Had to feed colonies and lost a few queens. Two colonies have turned viscious.

Might be saved by the balsam....

The rose bay willow herb is now flowering around here !
Nil Desperandum ! the main flow year on year only starts between last week in June, first in July.
Forget our Southern cousins, their season is well ahead of ours

VM