Summer harvest?

[Nannysbees]

Some of us don't treat at all these days.

That's a bit scary for me not to treat

 

[madasafish]

Well it is 15C, calm and not raining: almost the best weather for inspections since June. My third and last extraction for the year. Put clearer boards on for 5 supers.. Five is pathetic - usually 10+ and of the five about two really full..

Having to feed all other hives/nucs. Then treatments and reconfiguring for winter..

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

a few around one of my apiaries like that.
It's why I have to do a midwinter vape as they get infested again from their neighbours

 

[gregior]

Glad I decided to hold off removing the supers,really really good balsam flow on here.

 

[Erichalfbee]

That's a bit scary for me not to treat

Anybody can do it but you have to work on getting bees that live with varroa. It doesn’t happen overnight and you can’t achieve it simply by abandoning treatment.

 

[hemo]

To not to treat one must tbh have an idea of any mite load.
It involves more testing and regular vigilance.
Not treating just because others do so or it be a fad isn't the way to go or fair to neighbouring beekeepers colonies.

 

[Nannysbees]

We had very heavy loads last year, think we were lucky to keep one of our hives. We checked and tested again in November and they were under control thankfully

 

[Amari]

The ling heather is out in parts of Orkney but the yield is very verifiable due to our climate. My sites aren’t close enough to get any real benefit. Plenty of meadowsweet still out and the bees work it well up here. Where the white clover was cut for silage it is now in second flower but again we are depending on the weather. Last year I cleared my supers from my town apiary mid August. I had left a super on my strongest colony with 8 empty frames for room and they filled them in less than two weeks which I wasn’t expecting!

I wonder how your compatriots in Shetland are faring - do you Northern Islanders keep in touch with each other?

 

[Nannysbees]

Thought we may have had a box or two to extract but what is there is uncapped!!!!

 

[StephenT]

Just did our summer extraction and got about 100kg from 4 hives. The weather in London doesn’t seem half as bad as other parts and didn’t notice that the bees had eaten the stores. Used the club honey room this time as didn’t want to trash the kitchen and use our manual spinner.

 

[Nannysbees]

Just did our summer extraction and got about 100kg from 4 hives. The weather in London doesn’t seem half as bad as other parts and didn’t notice that the bees had eaten the stores. Used the club honey room this time as didn’t want to trash the kitchen and use our manual spinner.

Wow that's incredible, nice to hear someone has had a successful season. Is that what you usually harvest?

 

[StephenT]

Wow that's incredible, nice to hear someone has had a successful season. Is that what you usually harvest?

Over twice what we harvested last year and that was our previous best. Spring was exceptional and we took off 70kg then. Summer was mixed weather but dry whilst the lime was out. No surprise that our best hive by some way was the one we kept together and didn’t need to do swarm control on. How have you got on?

 

[enrico]

Brilliant here in the levels and still coming in.

 

[Nannysbees]

Over twice what we harvested last year and that was our previous best. Spring was exceptional and we took off 70kg then. Summer was mixed weather but dry whilst the lime was out. No surprise that our best hive by some way was the one we kept together and didn’t need to do swarm control on. How have you got on?

Not as good as last year, over 400 jars last year, probably 200 this year if they cap the last little bit, not to worried though I'm always grateful to harvest anything

 

[Nannysbees]

Is this the worse year for everybody or can you remember a season as dire?

 

[The Poot]

Is this the worse year for everybody or can you remember a season as dire?

Not my worst season as the Spring harvest was my best ever. I still have seven supers on four colonies and will be looking to remove them over the next few days. I’m glad I’ve left them on for the bees, through the worst July I can remember. Not only did the weather put the kybosh on the Summer crop, but my atrocious swarm prevention did too. I lost one, split one and captured two and now have five colonies

 

[Nannysbees]

Not my worst season as the Spring harvest was my best ever. I still have seven supers on four colonies and will be looking to remove them over the next few days. I’m glad I’ve left them on for the bees, through the worst July I can remember. Not only did the weather put the kybosh on the Summer crop, but my atrocious swarm prevention did too. I lost one, split one and captured two and now have five colonies

Do you think you'll have honey from the supers you've left on? We are up to hives as well although four really is the idea, but as always only two ever give us honey!!!

 

[The Poot]

Do you think you'll have honey from the supers you've left on? We are up to hives as well although four really is the idea, but as always only two ever give us honey!!!

Well, on July 20th there were three over half full but not fully capped, one 70% full but with a couple of frames undrawn, two largely empty and left on in vain hope, one transferred from one hive to another to give them space. So, not expecting much after the best part of another month of wind and rain. I’ll let you know what occurs! I intend to get them off by the weekend.

 

[Swarm]

Is this the worse year for everybody or can you remember a season as dire?

There have been worse, 2012 and then 2013 were awful. From 2007 until 2016, the Summers proved to be a couple of weeks of a break from otherwise wet seasons, I remember a few beekeepers in my association packing it in.
This year is the best I've known for Spring honey, which is just as well because of the washout Summer.

 

[Nannysbees]

Well, on July 20th there were three over half full but not fully capped, one 70% full but with a couple of frames undrawn, two largely empty and left on in vain hope, one transferred from one hive to another to give them space. So, not expecting much after the best part of another month of wind and rain. I’ll let you know what occurs! I intend to get them off by the weekend.

Yes please do