Should I check the bees in this weather?

[trevort]

Hello all,
Here in Norfolk it's been fairly changeable on the weather front, as, according to the forecast has everywhere else.

I haven't checked my bees for 9 days now and i'm concerned that i should have done so.
Since i'm a novice at this I feel that I should be doing as they said on the couse; checking every 7 days, especially in the swarm season.
I expect that no self respecting bee will consider swarming in all this blustery rainy stuff we're having but....
Has anyone any thoughts re when to check according to the weather?
Up to now, apart from the odd weekend following a 7 day routine was no problem.
How cold/windy/wet does it need to be before you call a halt?
I suspect in general that the temperature is ok at the moment but I don't want to open up and do more harm than good.

Thanks in advance
TT

 

[terryme]

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=12478
this thread is a cautionary tale!

 

[huntsman666]

Use a cover cloth or similar and be quick in between the showers.

 

[For want of a better word]

SWMBO totally REFUSED to hold up a golfing brolly for me this PM when I HAD to open up a hive to get some new brood to feed the incubatee queens I am now up to my ears in!!!

What a bu**ers muddle!
brolly would not stay on spike in ground... PI**ING down with torrential Tamar rain and smoker got drowned... and I had to wait for new brood to emerge....
at least it was warm!!!!!

I forgot those dammed Ps PPPPP... proper preparation prevents poor perfomance.....


and what a performance!!!

 

[Pete D]

Hi Trevor, I too am in Norfolk and fell into this trap at the end of May when the weather was about 16 degrees and windy for what seemed like ages.
I inspected today using my cover cloths and a laid down frame, 5 hives in 40 mins and most of that was mucking about in the supers assessing my soon to be crop, probably in the brood boxes no more than 5 minutes each. I managed to nip out for a look 3 or 4 times and about 2 o clock despite the weather they were in full flow, so not many bees at home. (hols this week)
It speeds things up for me now I have my wife standing by writing the notes for me as I call them out. Still need to get her to transfer them to my records though............ normally a couple of large glasses of Shiraz will help get this done..........but then I have to proof read them !
Where abouts are you in Norfolk.

Pete D

 

[WelshPaul]

OK, just curios, what does SWMBO stand for another forum I use has that name?

 

[Lois]

Swmbo= she who must be obeyed. In other words-wife

 

[richardbees]

trevor,
- as you rightly say; they're not going to be inclined to swarm in this weather, so I'd suggest waiting
richard

 

[Pete D]

I picked up a swarm last Wednesday and I know of 2 more since in the King's Lynn area.

 

[richardbees]

pete,
i was referring to a specific rainy pm - I agree that they'll swarm at the earliest opportunity if they are so inclined!

 

[TBRNoTB]

SWMBO totally REFUSED to hold up a golfing brolly for me this PM when I HAD to open up a hive to get some new brood to feed the incubatee queens I am now up to my ears in!!!

What a bu**ers muddle!
brolly would not stay on spike in ground... PI**ING down with torrential Tamar rain and smoker got drowned... and I had to wait for new brood to emerge....
at least it was warm!!!!!

I forgot those dammed Ps PPPPP... proper preparation prevents poor perfomance.....


and what a performance!!!

Get a new SWMBO

 

[Pete D]

Ah no worries Richard.
I just picked my time this afternoon as I had the luxury of being off work and could pick the best time on a bad day. I am new at this but fell in to the trap in May when I thought the weather was to bad to inspect and probably to bad to swarm.
I dont think I would be inspecting on a wet afternoon, with or without a brolly.
Cheers

 

[trevort]

HI Pete D and all,
Thanks for your various thoughts on this, It's Tuesday morning, I'm on holiday, the sun is shining and I'm off to check how things are.
Will let you know if anything of note has happened.
Cheers TT
Ps near Aylsham

 

[Andy Coleman]

I think I lost a swarm through not inspecting during a bad spell of weather - I think it's true they are unlikely actually to swarm in bad weather, but that doesn't mean they aren't plotting the deed inside the hive! What seems to have happened with one of mine is that I left them for over a week, because whenever I had the chance to go up there to look at them it was p*****g down, & when I looked on the first reasonable day afterwards there was an empty Q cell with a classic open trap-door at the end, no sign of my marked Queen or eggs so they must have found a window in the weather several days previously. I must have missed a Q cell at the last inspection, which I might have found in time if I was doing more frequent visits. Couldn't find the virgin either - however reasonably happy ending in that several weeks later I found a nice looking big new Queen, laying plenty of eggs in a good pattern. So at least I should have a strong colony to go into the winter, even if I've paid for my mistake with a good deal of honey! I hope someone found the swarm, she was a good Q ...

 

[trevort]

Checking in this weather or not?

I have checked,it's warm.
My parent hive is ok, eggs larvae,capped brood.
My AS hive now seems queenless. Loads of capped brood but nothing else.
They are bringing in pollen-a-plenty and seem quite calm, could there be a new queen lurking somewhere?
Will it mean a unite later on?
In the words of a well known Spike Milligan sketch,
What do we do now?
What do we do now?
Cheers TT

 

[m100]

My AS hive now seems queenless. Loads of capped brood but nothing else.

How long since the queen emerged?

If in doubt, don't inspect the AS at all for three or fours weeks, nor go near it between about 11am and 4pm in case you disorient a queen returning from a mating flight.

 

[kazmcc]

Don't mean to hijack but how often should we be inspecting now and what should we be looking for? The same as before? Stores, brood, eggs and QC's......plus any anomalies? I've just requeened and there isn't a QC in sight! Not even a playcup, which is unusual, especially for these buggers.

 

[Swarm]

Weekly if possible, looking for all you just mentioned. I checked today and have a hive still queenless (or at least not yet laying) after it threw off a small cast with a virgin from one of two cells left. One had emerged last inspection it seemed, one capped cell left. What to do? Take a chance she was there and cut out the other cell or leave it just in case?
Well I did the latter and off goes a small cast. Could have been worse. Anyway no sign of eggs yet and bees not impressed. I love the smell of bananas in the morning!!
Also I found a new queen in my weaker nuc, they'd superseded.
My friend picked up a swarm last week.
This time of year I'd normally leave them to it and possibly shuffle some super frames, clear, extract and stuff before varroa treatment.

I hope we get our seasons back sometime.

 

[richardbees]

Trevor - if that was the half of the AS with all the brood and QC they're most likely OK. The new queen's still applying for Housing Benefit before starting to lay....,

Kaz - is your new Q laying? (I prefer calling them little *******s when annoyed = they don't know their father)

 

[freethorpe bees]

Trevor - I expect they are ok, that happened to my AS, but as the temperament was fine I thought a queen must be there somewhere and she was!