Summer is here, well in London

[MuswellMetro]

whenever i mention i am doing this or that, i get "dont do that it is too early, well London is a micro climate and as seen below in the photo, my wax exrtractor is now working and melting supers frames

I expect to put comb supers on a few larger hives this weekend or next as the 14x12 colonies are now on 10 or 11 seams of bees, not to collect honey but for Bee roosting space and moving stores out of the brood nest

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I suppose that's what comes from living in a bog (I pity you having my brother living in the neighbourhood as well )

 

[Poly Hive]

Ca canny MM they may be on those number of frames in the day but at night? How many frames of brood are you talking? Which is a very different gauge and probably a more accurate one.

PH

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

London is up this cold E wind and one of the colder parts of the country at present. I had only water foragers today, similar to the last several weeks.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Ca canny MM they may be on those number of frames in the day but at night? How many frames of brood are you talking? Which is a very different gauge and probably a more accurate one.

PH

Those in sheltered spots are on 6 frames of 14x12 brood or more on poly hives ( yes you did convert me, i even had a polvy hive converted to a commercial frame format) , so about a national brood size but near the M25 only 4 or 5 frames, i expect some to switch to swarm mode ( as usual) about mid april, hence i have the skep, swarm nuc, danger tape and sheet ready to collect other peoples swarms

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

If this carries on we are going to have a lot of starved colonies in this neck of the woods. Luckily first >10C temps for weeks are forecast finally.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hivemaker.]

If this carries on we are going to have a lot of starved colonies in this neck of the woods.

Why.....is it not possible to feed them?

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Why.....is it not possible to feed them?

True; there is a tendency to overfeed in my BKA at least. But that's not where this thread set off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[For want of a better word]

True; there is a tendency to overfeed in my BKA at least. But that's not where this thread set off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

S'pose you can always get a gusset put into the bee-suit to accommodate!

Yeghes da

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

FINALLY a decent forecast here and hopefully for the rest of the country. What a mess: trees, fences and walls down all over (that latter one always frightens me). My colonies on the small side. But now a week of 13-14C and some sunshine behind the storm so fingers crossed.

 

[iand]

FINALLY a decent forecast here and hopefully for the rest of the country. What a mess: trees, fences and walls down all over (that latter one always frightens me). My colonies on the small side. But now a week of 13-14C and some sunshine behind the storm so fingers crossed.

Sounds like summer! We managed 10-11c last week, but still a cold wind most days so not a lot of flying, but I did see a little pollen going in for an hour one day. I thought maybe spring had arrived. Forecast says we may get up to 10c on a couple of days next week. A frost this morning. So what they are doing is still very much all from their own resources while staying in.
When I worked in the Thames basin, we had locally some of the earliest fields for lifting early potatoes/veg. Expect they are all built on now, or have MMs bees on them.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Sounds like summer! We managed 10-11c last week, but still a cold wind most days so not a lot of flying, but I did see a little pollen going in for an hour one day. I thought maybe spring had arrived. Forecast says we may get up to 10c on a couple of days next week. A frost this morning. So what they are doing is still very much all from their own resources while staying in.
When I worked in the Thames basin, we had locally some of the earliest fields for lifting early potatoes/veg. Expect they are all built on now, or have MMs bees on them.

Yes, you're cooler up there, in every respect (eg Geoff Boycott).http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...o-his-innocence-over-domestic-abuse-case.html . But that was us until this storm as well and we're not used to it.

 

[Poly Hive]

At this time 7C with a breeze making it 5 at best. Summer? Not here and not seem much of Spring either.

PH

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yep......snowed here just now.

 

[Millet]

In northumberland frost is forecast in the countryside.

 

[BrianO]

Ditto here

Though.. in one of my apiaries yesterday, Bees absolutely piling in with pollen and nectar.
Huge stands of both male and female willow and other early forage around.

Stood under a female salix spp tree yesterday and looked up , against the blue sky could see numerous bees collecting nectar and an audible Humm could be heard .

Literally queing to get in entrance as they returned in their multitudes and left in their multitudes !

 

[madasafish]

Sleet at 7am, 10C now.. Bees not confused - collecting pollen - now...

 

[REDWOOD]

Hailstone showers here today

 

[thorn]

We've been stuck in November since November. I hope that winter doesn't arrive in April.

 

[Millet]

We've been stuck in November since November. I hope that winter doesn't arrive in April.

It wont be a first if it does arrive in April.