post osr mayhem? advice please

[keithgrimes]

For the first time ever I'm going to have OSR within foraging distance this year, about 125 acres of it right on my doorstep. By the looks of it, it will be in flower at the end of this week, if this weather persists. Colonies are strong atm but being fed with 1:1 syrup as not much nectar about, and not a morsel of fondant left yesterday. Now for my question - I have been told that, post OSR nectar flow, bees get (a) grumpy and (b) swarmy. What recommendations do you have for my actions post osr?

 

[Chris Luck]

Make sure you have plenty of empty space in your supers.

Chris

 

[John_W]

Rapid expantion

OSR is not an issue I deal with up in these parts.. but I would imagine.
If you do have OSR on the door step, the colonies should weather and crop type permitting, have a field day as it were and you should see them build up quickly. So, just as the crop is going over and you want to take the crop off, you will have the colonies, working overdrive and the queen laying strongly.. as the number jump up.. So make sure what ever you do.. if you take the supers off, you make sure they have "plenty" of space.. as they may not have a flow to fill the space with, but will need it for the bees. If they get choked, they will swarm.

As for grumpy, if the colony runs low/short/out of food, then yes, you can see them getting unhappy. If you have nothing else to replace the flow with appearing as the OSR ends.

You may indeed have to feed if the weather turns and the colonies became hive bound, and there is no major flow. They will be more mouths to feed after the osr and so their consumption will rise.

 

[mbc]

If you're lucky hawthorn and sycamore will have started before the end of the osr and the famous petal fall grumpiness wont be an issue. If this doesnt happen then dress up in your best armour and split your colonies quite harshly, this should stop swarming and confuse them enough to stop the untoward grumpiness.

 

[bobandbec]

The bees get grumpy during the OSR flow never mind after it.
They will try to swarm if they get into an OSR flow.

Be ready for it and get the honey off before it granulates in the frames.

Peter

 

[susbees]

Bleed off frames to make nucs during the flow?