Requeening. First stage done

[TryingToLetThemBee]

The colony started life when I bought it mid to late July as a 5 frame nuc put straight into a full size national brood box. It was fed a few litres. Not much. Then it grew to double brood but never had enough honey to take any off last year. Overwintered on double brood dummied down with some insulation at inside ends. Grew very fast in spring. So fast it was 14 brood frames by mid April and was split in half. This half kept queen but lost foragers (don't ask!) I admit have nicked a couple of brood box frames this year that were mainly honey but only 3 jars worth. The brood box looks to have barely any stores in it now. Either I'm beeking all wrong or she is a prolific layer and compulsive overeater!

Well there you go then! Your honey is not in one brood box but as you describe it at least three. You'll get more when a strong colony goes through winter and builds up in spring without swarming (or splitting).

 

[Tremyfro]

So reading Finmans reply....we can deduce that.....you may have the flowers....but there may be too many competing colonies in the area..also....it may be too cold for a nectar flow.
Where my colonies live...although just as cold. And probably colder..plus windy.....but few competing colonies...I would think.....so what nectar is available isn't divided.
Is that a theory?

 

[Finman]

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Balance hive teaches how nectar appears on pastures compared to weather temperature. That is most important factor.

Yield has nothing to do with local bees. Best yields come from hives, which does not waste their time and foraging motivation with swarming.

When honey flow is good, a small hive cannot store such abundant amount of nectar what nature offers. Small colony will be jammed in couple of days, and then it starts to plan swarming. And local mongrels are worst in this job.

Yes, I know. That all opposite what you have learned from gurus.

My secret is that I am alone on my pastures and I have good places what I can choose. But I keep only 2-4 hives in one spot. Good flows are rare and most of the summer time bees must forage on poor flower pastures. On poor pastures bees fly long distances and consume their load as fuel.

 

[Finman]

So reading Finmans reply....we can deduce that.....


Is that a theory?

It is not a theory. It is knowledge which has accumulated to me and to many other beekeepers during decades. And the facts are those harvested supers on the hive.

If I would be out of reality, I would not get from my best hives 170 kg honey. It is usual amount.

As you look England's yield statistics, London has smallest yields, but it has huge home gardens. I bet that reason is that there are too much colonies, both wild and nursed. And the huge lawns.... Bees get nothing from them.

 

[Finman]

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What was the start of my understanding about 30 y ago.

I had 15 good Italian hives on my cottage yard. It was summer 1987.
Then I got a phone call that 3 miles away there are a swarm in the farm garden.
I took the swarm. It was full of mites. I have got just mite medicine from Germany and treated the bees.

The colony was only one Langstroth box. I left it alone on those pastures. That local mongrel bug box brought as much as my best Italian on cottage yard. Next year I had not a single hive in my cottage yard. I started migrate my hives to good pastures. And I have learned a lot about pastures and foraging distances.

 

[REDWOOD]

Yes but lawns are good for golf, tennis, croquet, cricket and the occasional summer party that keeps us British, you cant do any of them with fields of wild flower meadows.

 

[Finman]

Yes but lawns are good for golf, tennis, croquet, cricket and the occasional summer party that keeps us British, you cant do any of them with fields of wild flower meadows.

The answer is: If Mountain does not come to Moses, Moses goes to Mountain.

If pastures are over grazed, moving hives to flowers is only way to get honey.

when I started long time ago, I knew 7 bee yards at the distance of 1 km from me. Area gove nothing in July.

 

[Erichalfbee]

They should have very good forage as many plants and trees are close.

Yes....but what are they. The only trees of much use to our bees at this time of year are Sycamore, Chestnut and Lime.
Sycamore is over here, largely frost nipped or flowers blown away.
Lime....a little too early.
Hawthorn doesn't yield every year and this year it has been too cold. Gorse has given them a good start but has largely finished blooming.
Holly is good only if you have masses.
No....we are largely in a dearth till the bramble flowers.

 

[Finman]

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I looked Birmingham forecast
. This week is 15-17C. That temp will not give honey yield.

 

[Swarm]

As per Erichalfbee, not much of use made worse by low temps. I certainly wouldn't be thinking of removing any atm because they need it, no surplus.
I recall Tremyfro has been dealing with OSR honey, that may give you a clue as to where the honey has come from.

 

[REDWOOD]

Clover is flowering in the lowlands at the moment and often gives a couple of supers even in low-ish temperatures

 

[Finman]

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In Finland white clover gives nectar when temp is 24C. Soil must be moist

Modern red clovers give nothing. Even bumble bees do not visit on them.
Alsike is quite good, but I do not know in what temp it gives nectar.

.clovers will be gutted down when they start to bloom. Their pollen I usefull before autumn.

 

[REDWOOD]

It must be different clover here, I had 60 pounds of honey from each hive when it was too cold and wet for farmers to cut their fields a few years ago

 

[Tremyfro]

My bees are all over the garden...the herbs, cornflowers, buttercups galore. They are also flying away across the fields....but I don't know what they bring back. The honey I harvested was OSR mainly.....I wasn't going to ruin my good honey comb by letting the OSR go solid in it. My hives all have lots of stores...thick honey arcs. I only took the honey from the supers. It wasn't a big crop but more than enough from two hives. Considering the poor weather. I don't have beekeepers near to me...as far as I know.
So it is poor weather which is stopping the nectar flow. Let's all hope for this heatwave....that the weather forecast keeps telling us is....just around the corner!

 

[Finman]

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When White clover starts to Bloom, raspberry gives a huge flow. They are much in gardens and in wilderness. Raspberry hives easily 5- 7 kg per more weigh into balance hive. One super will ne filled in 3 days. Last year it gove nothing. Rain and 10C temp

 

[bpmurray]

.
In Finland white clover gives nectar when temp is 24C. Soil must be moist

In Ireland it rarely, if ever, gets to 24C!

 

[BeeJayBee]

As you look England's yield statistics, London has smallest yields, but it has huge home gardens. I bet that reason is that there are too much colonies, both wild and nursed. And the huge lawns.... Bees get nothing from them.

.
When White clover starts to Bloom...

Plenty of white clover in my lawn!

 

[Finman]

Plenty of white clover in my lawn!

It is but it will be cutted quickly on home lawn.

Two years ago was moving some hives in the morning to the 20 hectares white clover field. When putting down my hives, I noticed that there was already 5 bees/m². So I jumped into my car and continued to next place.

 

[Obee1]

My bees are taking the p1ss. Looked out of bedroom window and noticed that the massive tree opposite is lime! It's mahoosive. And full of bees. As are several other trees not 100 yards from the hives. So... Where is my honey!

 

[Stoney147]

Better late than never

Hi can anyone tell me why it has taken nearly 3 weeks for a mated queen to start laying????