Summer is here, well in London

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Had to inspect a colony for a reason I am not going to confess to: some sealed drones! (And lots of workers, in case anyone wants to panic on my behalf...)


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[pargyle]

Bees flying well in the sunshine this morning and pollen coming in, lots of bees picking up water from my pond - but it's now clouded over and starting to drizzle with rain .. still too early to be poking about inside the hives just out of curiosity - in my opinion - had a look through my clear crownboards though .. I can really feel the heat under the insulation and there are plenty of bees spread all across the top of the frames. Judging by the heat I suspect there's brood in there .. still plenty of weight in the hives and I can see stores uncappings on the inspection board and there's the smell of honey from all the hives... as much as I need to know at present. I'll wait for another couple of weeks and see what the weather does.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Had to inspect a colony for a reason I am not going to confess to: some sealed drones! (And l atots of workers, in case anyone wants to panic on my behalf...)


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yep, same in my part of north london, most hives now have classic drone brood patterns at frame edges, some of the 14x12 or commercial boxes i inspected today were of 8 frames of brood with honey filled brace comb on top of frames. so supers are now going on

any near OSR are alslo covered in bees bringing in lovely pollen and tomorrow i exect nectar as temp is forecast at 17c!!l

so i expect swarms first week in may which is when the current drone brood will be maturing sexually

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

yep, same in my part of north london, most hive now have classic drone brood patterns at frame edges, some of the 14x12 or commercial boxes i inspected today were of 8 frames of brood with honey filled brace come on top of frames. so supers are now going on

any near OSR are alslo covered in bees bringing in lovely pollen and tomorrow i exect nectar as temp is forecast at 17c!!l

so i expect swarms first week in may which is when the current drone brood will be maturing sexually

You're definitely ahead of me, MM. Interesting.


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[psafloyd]

yep, same in my part of north london, most hives now have classic drone brood patterns at frame edges, some of the 14x12 or commercial boxes i inspected today were of 8 frames of brood with honey filled brace comb on top of frames. so supers are now going on

any near OSR are alslo covered in bees bringing in lovely pollen and tomorrow i exect nectar as temp is forecast at 17c!!l

so i expect swarms first week in may which is when the current drone brood will be maturing sexually

Mine were going like the clappers this morning, so will go into them this week for their first proper inspection.

I have no OSR near me, so nectar there isn't any major nectar flow as far as I know, but there's loads of pollen coming in, but, as you say, MM, if we get those temperatures, all bets are off.

 

[beeno]

Hi all,
Yep, things are happening in our neck of the woods. Bees fanning of nectar last night. Moved one nuc into dummied down hive. Enough honey and lots of pollen, but need treatment for Varroa.
One of my large colonies in really good shape. Brood box heavy with brood, bees, stores and three frames of pollen in top brood box. A bit of capped drone brood on one frame which is first time ever my hives have had drone brood this early. New late supersedure queen as well, must have missed one cell as saw the torn down one. Well, that was the two year old that needed replacing this summer in my opinion, but they got there first! Bottom brood box nearly cleared out, so will swap brood boxes around when it gets a bit warmer. Have not fed this colony at all.
They are bringing yellow and pear coloured pollen in (not pear though too early). The yellow pollen are all over the entrance holes, but not visible on the bees. Could it be willow?

 

[MuswellMetro]

You're definitely ahead of me, MM. Interesting.


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The 8 frame of broods were urban but just in the M25 ring and near OSR, so they have incoming nectar even if in limited quanties,

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hi all,

They are bringing yellow and pear coloured pollen in (not pear though too early). The yellow pollen are all over the entrance holes, but not visible on the bees. Could it be willow?

yes, i have similar on urban hives, i think it is goat willow or kilmarnok weeping willow, but near M25 i have osr pollen by the bucket load comming in and those i put supers on have liquid honey ripening in the supers