June Gap ?

[pargyle]

I know it's a reality in some areas. I'm fortunate, I live alongside my apiary and within very reasonable flying distance my bees have urban gardens, allotments, fields & hedgerows, railway bankings, woodland and tree line roads, parks and council plantings so they are pretty well catered for from February through to the Ivy in October. They went into winter well fed, came out with stores still in the hives (not excessive this year - took a few frames out) and they were building supers up quite nicely in April ....

But May ... I've not experienced a May where there has been so much forage about and weather that has decimated their ability to collect it. The supers they had part filled are rapidly emptying - I'm not massively worried as they have brood box stores still ...and hopefully with better weather forecast for the end of the month and onwards they will catch up.

They are out collecting in between the showers but it's not the spring flow I would hope for with all the blossom currently about.

However - what is this dreadful month of May doing to colonies in areas where the June gap is a reality ? I can see people having to feed in some parts of the country ... new beekeepers need to keep an eye on the stores situation as well as worrying about swarming.

 

[Moobee]

Likewise. My garden is starting to burst with flowers (redesigned with the bees in mind), including a lovely big echium, a huge wall of pyracantha and the cabbage palms are covered in flower spikes but they’re only managing to dash out here and there when the rain stops.
The brood nest has shrunk slightly from 8 to 7 frames and the supers they were filling are depleting.
I froze a whole super of stores left from winter so I’ve defrosted 4 frames and added two in the half box today.
Next week looks a lot better!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes Philip. We feed where we need to.

 

[BigAshW]

I know it's a reality in some areas. I'm fortunate, I live alongside my apiary and within very reasonable flying distance my bees have urban gardens, allotments, fields & hedgerows, railway bankings, woodland and tree line roads, parks and council plantings so they are pretty well catered for from February through to the Ivy in October. They went into winter well fed, came out with stores still in the hives (not excessive this year - took a few frames out) and they were building supers up quite nicely in April ....

But May ... I've not experienced a May where there has been so much forage about and weather that has decimated their ability to collect it. The supers they had part filled are rapidly emptying - I'm not massively worried as they have brood box stores still ...and hopefully with better weather forecast for the end of the month and onwards they will catch up.

They are out collecting in between the showers but it's not the spring flow I would hope for with all the blossom currently about.

However - what is this dreadful month of May doing to colonies in areas where the June gap is a reality ? I can see people having to feed in some parts of the country ... new beekeepers need to keep an eye on the stores situation as well as worrying about swarming.

I'm feeding now. My hives are empty of stores so have put feeders on all of them and feeding light syrup.
They're taking in about 5l of syrup every 2 days at the moment.

 

[BugsInABox]

I have some invert left form the autumn I’m giving to the small half of a split - should I dilute it?

 

[Curly green finger's]

I'm feeding 22 young colonys as they have been using every thing they are bringing in.
My production colonys are on the clusp thankfully yesterday and today weather wise has been OK.

 

[jeff33]

I have inspected 1 apiary over lunchtime and 50% need feeding. On another site, hives that had 3 supers from the dandelion bloom have eaten most of it. I think out of 3 apiaries (20 hives and nucs) 40% have nearly nothing and with the next few days of poor weather I will feed tomorrow. I usually extract around 80 jars at this time of the year, nothing this year.

I was actually going to contact the local beekeeping club for them to issue an email for beginners.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have some invert left form the autumn I’m giving to the small half of a split - should I dilute it?

No need. It’s all I feed any time of year if I have it.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I'm also finding that some of my queens are slowing down their laying due to the lack of nectar coming in. It's patchy tho because some of my apiaries are still filling supers.

 

[Ian123]

The June gap is normally May for me and it’s cause is normally poor weather, by the time the start of June arrives the first of the blackberry is out. That’s the start of the main flow that continues till mid to last week in July when the sweet chestnut finishes. I’ve just about avoided feeding so far as the hives came out of winter with plenty I did feed some very early. Also we had quite a decent flow before the weather turned, however most are now running on the dregs. Ian

 

[The Poot]

I'm also finding that some of my queens are slowing down their laying due to the lack of nectar coming in. It's patchy tho because some of my apiaries are still filling supers.

Mina are the same - lots of capped brood to emerge and only small amounts of young larvae / eggs. So, more mouths to feed very soon with little or no stores. I couldn’t find a single wet cell in one colony that had nectar in the brood box and super 12 days ago.
I‘m feeding three out of four.

 

[Swarm]

Split a double brood into four. Need to keep an eye on a couple. Fresh nectar in the hives and supers required next visit, after peeling the crown boards free from the frames. Marked a colony up for Demarree next week, currently on nine frames of brood so I gave them more laying space for the meantime. Proven queen, delightful bees to work, her daughter is also doing well in a double brood.
Stunning amount of activity today and Hawthorn is on the brink.