Dear reader(s)
Well July is upon us and the clover is already browning off. Another heatwave is due middle of the month and after a few days rain we hope in North Wiltshire the plants are rejuvenated.
Along the riverbank I noticed the Willow herb already in bloom. I wonder what will still be flowering in August ?! IVY ??
Anyway, to the topic of the day. Wasps. Jaspers. Yellow Jackets. They are upon us people and we need to take action.
Today I spent half the day closing up entrances to nucs and full colonies in 4 apiaries. Got another 4 to do tomorrow....I ran out of sponges.
I buy 50p car wash sponges from B&Q. Cut them down the middle almost to the end and open out. Stuff them into the entrances - a sponge will fill an entire space vacated by those entrance blocks we use now and then. leave a bee space for nucs and weak colonies. 2 bee spaces for strong hives. If they are on open mesh floors they will have plenty of air.
Honey is going to come off next week - I'm running out of supers and with 6-7 weeks of the season left there's every chance for more if the space is there.
I've been thinking the Ivy may be early too. I left it on last year so the plan is to feed early Sept - get the brood chamber and 1 super filled then remove, leave in a closed stack in each apiary, and replace with some drawn out supers 1 per hive and see if they get any more honey. If they do, and it's extractable, remove late Sept/early Oct and replace with the super of syrup previously set aside, and then treat for varroa with api-bioxal etc.
Just a thought....
Hope the summer is good for you all too
KR
Somerford
Well July is upon us and the clover is already browning off. Another heatwave is due middle of the month and after a few days rain we hope in North Wiltshire the plants are rejuvenated.
Along the riverbank I noticed the Willow herb already in bloom. I wonder what will still be flowering in August ?! IVY ??
Anyway, to the topic of the day. Wasps. Jaspers. Yellow Jackets. They are upon us people and we need to take action.
Today I spent half the day closing up entrances to nucs and full colonies in 4 apiaries. Got another 4 to do tomorrow....I ran out of sponges.
I buy 50p car wash sponges from B&Q. Cut them down the middle almost to the end and open out. Stuff them into the entrances - a sponge will fill an entire space vacated by those entrance blocks we use now and then. leave a bee space for nucs and weak colonies. 2 bee spaces for strong hives. If they are on open mesh floors they will have plenty of air.
Honey is going to come off next week - I'm running out of supers and with 6-7 weeks of the season left there's every chance for more if the space is there.
I've been thinking the Ivy may be early too. I left it on last year so the plan is to feed early Sept - get the brood chamber and 1 super filled then remove, leave in a closed stack in each apiary, and replace with some drawn out supers 1 per hive and see if they get any more honey. If they do, and it's extractable, remove late Sept/early Oct and replace with the super of syrup previously set aside, and then treat for varroa with api-bioxal etc.
Just a thought....
Hope the summer is good for you all too
KR
Somerford
