June Gap

[Swarm]

Willowherb is up over waist height, some flower heads beginning to form.

 

[jeff33]

Willowherb is up over waist height, some flower heads beginning to form.

Not much here, I had some robbing Saturday and needed to feed 2 colonies. To top it all up a swarm landed on my garden bench Friday. I only had a 7 frames scaby bait box to home them. More feeding required for that one.

 

[Teemore]

Seeing the first bramble and white clover flowering in my locality and have been keeping an eye on Lime trees for the past ten days - it won't be long before it is flowering also. Agree that we "may" see a July gap this year... just depends how long the brambles keep flowering. My apiaries will have little forage once the brambles go over.

 

[mbc]

It's neither here nor there what's in flower, June gap refers to a gap in nectar flow not what you can see flowering*, and there's certainly very little to be had for the girls at the moment, robbing behaviour and water foraging going on. I think a lot of my colonies may need a feed before the next high pressure builds, maybe not to survive but certainly if I want them to be thriving and ready for the summer flow.
*Obviously if good nectar producing plants are flowering when the conditions are right then there shouldn't be a gap.

 

[Teemore]

Judging by my stocks and those of the other beekeepers I help out from time to time, the June Gap over the past few years has also related to a noticable brood break, not just nectar. Seems to help the colonies keep varroa levels down.

 

[Erichalfbee]

*****
Posted in wrong place

 

[Eyeman]

Well this is turning out to be a bumper year for honey. The first time I've needed to extract at the end of the so called June gap as I've run out of supers. All suoers on all colonies are jam packed such that I can't remove more than a couple at a time as I've no empty supers to put back to give them space.
The lime & bramble must have really delivered and the privet is still around.
No rest for the wicked as I see the first ghost bees from the Balsam and the willow herb's been about for a few weeks. Decided to change tactics this year and extract more regularly in small batches of 10 supers which should keep on top of the honey flow.

 

[maddydog]

Bramble just about finished, willowherb in flower but no sign of ghost bees yet. Lime tree near the cricket ground was humming yesterday.

 

[JWF]

Well this is turning out to be a bumper year for honey. The first time I've needed to extract at the end of the so called June gap as I've run out of supers. All suoers on all colonies are jam packed such that I can't remove more than a couple at a time as I've no empty supers to put back to give them space.
The lime & bramble must have really delivered and the privet is still around.
No rest for the wicked as I see the first ghost bees from the Balsam and the willow herb's been about for a few weeks. Decided to change tactics this year and extract more regularly in small batches of 10 supers which should keep on top of the honey flow.

I had supers off last weekend and more off yesterday. Got some more to come off today and then we'll see what July brings.

 

[Roola]

Now that bramble and privet pretty much over, i'm not sure what much else we have in London for July and August...

 

[Eyeman]

Now that bramble and privet pretty much over, i'm not sure what much else we have in London for July and August...

If it's out there within flying range the bee will find it

 

[Roola]

If it's out there within flying range the bee will find it

yep... including one of my bee sheds... Left an empty super in there last week and yesterday they found their way in and was carnage!

 

[Into the lions den]

While some of you have been enjoying a seemingly bumper June.....none...and I mean NONE..of any of our apiaries, wherever in the UK...have had anything other than a really hungry June, even when the weather was warm..even hot.

Large colonies...warm weather...Blackberry, clover, limes..all in flower. What did they bring in? A bit of honeydew, nothing else. These three important flowers have all failed to yield properly this season except in the odd sporadic place.

 

[Bee Bumble]

While some of you have been enjoying a seemingly bumper June.....none...and I mean NONE..of any of our apiaries, wherever in the UK...have had anything other than a really hungry June, even when the weather was warm..even hot.

Large colonies...warm weather...Blackberry, clover, limes..all in flower. What did they bring in? A bit of honeydew, nothing else. These three important flowers have all failed to yield properly this season except in the odd sporadic place.

Sorry to hear it, but you are not the only one - we are in the same boat.
We are on sand and it has been so dry some trees are starting to drop leaves and have bare branches. There is no nectar in most flowers.

 

[Teemore]

Murray, how is the Ling shaping up? Does it look like it will come in early? Everything my bees forage on has been around 3 weeks early this year.

 

[Into the lions den]

Murray, how is the Ling shaping up? Does it look like it will come in early? Everything my bees forage on has been around 3 weeks early this year.

Not been up yet to check but the weather pattern has been favourable for nectar potential on the heather.

Just started moving to the Bell today....later than most this year, but fallen for that trap before...hauling syrup tanks on a 150 mile round trip with labour to pay too is a hiding to nothing. We wait till we see colour on the major patches, and then boot it at a couple of hundred hives a day.

However the old story of up for the grouse then up in time has long since gone to the dustbin of history, if indeed it were ever anything other than lore. We try to have everything up, even the later ling only spots, by the 1st August. In about a third of years by 12th Aug you have missed it. The best flow is past.