Scouts checking bait hive

[Stiffy]

Noticed about 50 bees checking bait hive today. Seems really early for a swarm?
If someones are looking to go I will look forward to recieving them
S

 

[Dishmop]

Noticed about 50 bees checking bait hive today. Seems really early for a swarm?
If someones are looking to go I will look forward to recieving them
S

I can just imagine you standing there offering them bribes....

 

[Rosti]

Stiffy I am in exactly the same location as you (well a sub of it anyway) and it's 7'C here currently and I still haven't seen a single honey bee outside of my apiary yet! Where are you in this place they call the UK? Is there a North / South divide here?

 

[Mike a]

Stiffy I am in exactly the same location as you (well a sub of it anyway) and it's 7'C here currently and I still haven't seen a single honey bee outside of my apiary yet! Where are you in this place they call the UK? Is there a North / South divide here?

I'm afraid so Rosti
Its been T-shirt weather here most days for the last two weeks on the south coast, the girls are going mad and Spring is well under way.


I always thought the north south divide was the line between Cambridge, MK, to Cheltenham. Sorry those of you in Northampton should of call yourselves Southampton but thats already taken.

 

[onriver]

Picking up on another thread about flowering currants - I'd heard the same advice to not open your hives before the currants flower... On that basis I reckon another 2 weeks here in the North East, though it feels like spring - I saw my first house martin of the year on Saturday!
Probably the same as Yorkshire, we're acutely aware round here of that bizarrely Londoncentric view of the country 'down south' has but there's a lot of ground North of us as well
I might be jealous of your early drones but we have heather

 

[mandabow]

tonnes of bees about in Rugby.. some of the cherry trees were abuzz at least two weeks ago.

 

[Queens59]

I thought for a minute today I had a swarm leaving as the cloud of orientation flights was the biggest I had ever seen...the front of my WBC was black with bees!

 

[Midland Beek]

How do you know they are scouts and not just some scavenger bees?

 

[iball]

How do you know they are scouts and not just some scavenger bees?

Neckerchiefs, woggles, short trousers and socks with garters......a dead give-away

Ian

 

[Tom Bick]

Noticed about 50 bees checking bait hive today. Seems really early for a swarm?
If someones are looking to go I will look forward to recieving them
S

It may not be to early if the conditions are favourable it may be a high risk strategy by the bees but that’s another subject.

I did a shook swarm on one of my hives on Sunday and it had about 5 queen cells in it. Also know of one other hive not mine that has been AS at the weekend a double brood with queen cells.

Depending on location, regional conditions and strength of the hive if a hive swarms in say end of this week by the time the virgin queen emerges, matures and heads off on mating flights it will be well into April with plenty of flying drones around and good time for early swarms for the strongest hives.

Stiffy if we knew your approx location it will help. If you are in the NW then I think you got it wrong and it’s a wined up but in say the SE happy days and if you are in the SW people may say big deal its been like that for weeks.

 

[oliver90owner]

not just some scavenger bees

Yep, I would like to be sure of a few more details before accepting they are scouts and not scavengers.

State of any comb in the hive and location wrt other possible swarming (or scavenging)colonies would be good.

Sounds possible they could be scouts if there are overcrowded colonies nearby.

RAB

 

[Stiffy]

How do you know they are scouts and not just some scavenger bees?

The hive only has a double row of very empty super frames so unless they are gathering wax I can see no other reason for them investigating. At first glance I thought a swarm had already moved in but on counting realised the same bees were hoverng and going in and out.

Rosti, 16c here in the far SW dropping to 8c at night, plenty of drones flying in last three weeks.
S

 

[Rosti]

16c here in the far SW dropping to 8c at night, plenty of drones flying in last three weeks.

Now you see if you had said you were resident in Gods back garden then I'd have understood! (and no not a home grown yorkshiremen, migrated up here from the SW and while I was here adopted some of their fiscal policies / prudence )

We've got some drones up here as well. Spy drones, they tend to hover round RAF Fylingdales 'watching' station on the North York Moors, still haven't seen any of the bee variety though.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Plenty of capped drone brood in my 6 colonies but didn't spot any hatched yet so will be a couple of weeks at least before I have any flying drones.

 

[CB008]

We have some OSR in flower in Guildford - not masses yet but every day there are more flowers

 

[chickendave]

Just been checking my records and I collected a swarm on the 4th April 2009 which started me of in beekeeping. so you may well be recieving a swarm soon
By the way I am based just outside bristol

 

[taff..]

I had eggs in play cups on Sunday, no Royal Jelly in the bottom but deffinately an egg in every play cup.

I'm going prepared to do an AS next inspection.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Just been checking my records and I collected a swarm on the 4th April 2009 which started me of in beekeeping. so you may well be recieving a swarm soon
By the way I am based just outside bristol

welcome chickendave

 

[Jordy]

Stiffy I am in exactly the same location as you (well a sub of it anyway) and it's 7'C here currently and I still haven't seen a single honey bee outside of my apiary yet! Where are you in this place they call the UK? Is there a North / South divide here?

Hi Rosti,
Think I'm just north of your border. I was at the apiary of my mentor a couple of days ago & all 9 of his hives were showing activity, bringing in loads of pollen & have been for a week or so. Are your 'ladies' fit and well?

 

[Rosti]

Hi Rosti,
Think I'm just north of your border. I was at the apiary of my mentor a couple of days ago & all 9 of his hives were showing activity, bringing in loads of pollen & have been for a week or so. Are your 'ladies' fit and well?

Yes thanks, the ladies are fit and well (apart from the 50% winter losses but we aren't talking about that) and making good expansion, plenty of capped and I have stopped stimulant feeding now. I now have consistent emerging brood but not a drone in sight. Basing on OSR development reported on here we must be a good 3 weeks behind the south coast though. My 2.5 brood colony had to be supered yesterday but that is currently being driven by blossom and hawthorne and dandys not rape.

I hope things are equally positive with you. R