swarmy year ... next year?

[For want of a better word]

Who or what is BORIS ?

Is it a new acronym ?

BBKA Official Radicle Instructor of Students???

 

[BeeNice]

It wasn't a swarmy year. The need to feed some colonies during the Summer made it a difficult year. I got caught out feeding a gallon feeder, then there was a big flow all of a sudden and she had nowhere to lay. Most of the swarms I collected were not due to the difficult season. They were due to beginners not knowing well enough how to stop them swarming. Some of the people partially trained by Boris and the corporate were particularly out of their depth, but at least they didn't have to pay for the bees.

Swarms are more common in years when it is warm, and there is loads of nectar. Fingers crossed for next year.

In London you had good mostly even weather, not so for the rest of the country, in South Yorkshire the swarms came out after the bees had been kept in during bad weather. I could predict when I was going to get swarm calls, yes once it stopped raining. And it had been a swarmy season for us. If you had read other feeds on this subject you would have been more aware. As for nectar flows these didn't really happen in a large amount because once again, when the bees collected ended up eating stores while being kept in with the bad weather.
I've had 20lbs of honey from 10 hives, last year I had over 100lb out of 5 hives.
Hoping for a better year next year, or I'm moving to Spain!
cheers
Steven

 

[BeeNice]

What I learnt was that my decision not to carry out any swarm management worked fine for me. If the weather is the same next year I shall do the same. Then again, even if the weather is different I shall still do the same.
Incidentally, I had no swarms of my own this year which was a first. I also agree that it was generally a non swarmy year around here. I was 60% down on swarm calls. Then again, I am also a staunch, hard nosed, non BBKA member who along with many others, will continue paddling our own canoes.

Interesting that you don't do swarm control, that's not beekeeping, that's suppling swarms for others to deal with. If your bees did not swarm I would be surprised and amazed. Unless of course you started with a nuc in May or June then you may not of had a swarm. But, next year you will get swarms, it's how bees reproduce.
Once again you had more even weather than the rest of the country and may of had a more normal year.

 

[Lorenz]

Boris the floppy haired mayor of London sponsored Capital Bee and gave out free bees and hives (to get green votes?) It was not a good thing. The co-op, who are all round good eggs, did the same thing, for similar reasons. Again it was not good for bees or the environment in my view. I collected a lot of swarms that were from these beekeepers and mostly the beekeepers were out of their depth. One man begged me to take ALL the bees away.

 

[Lorenz]

In London you had good mostly even weather,

In London we mostly had rain. Most people had to feed their bees syrup in the Spring and Summer. This is not normal at all.

 

[BeeNice]

It's normal to build up in the spring with syrup (1-1) as it gets the queen laying and a good start up for the coming season. Not so good for the summer, have you got enough forage in your area to supply your bees? I see a report this week that someone had 80 kilos here is the link
http://www.vannuysnewspress.com/2012/09/21/impressive-honey-production-at-lancaster-london
which you will need to paste into the title bar.
steven

 

[Lorenz]

I think it is hugely unlikely to be true that the Lancaster got 80kg of honey. My buddy collected some of their swarms and they were feeding syrup. Their honey show was terrible last year ( apart from the honey tasting - that was great fun) Perhaps this article is part of the publicity to attract attendees?

 

[richardbees]

I think it is hugely unlikely to be true that the Lancaster got 80kg of honey

what makes you think that, Lorenz?

 

[Chris Ibbo]

I think years like this one will become the norm weather wise. The sun has gone down the pan heading into a quiet phase similar to the little ice age. The PDO (Pacific Decadele Ossolation) is in a cold phase and the AMO (Atlantic Multidecadele Ocolation) is heading in that direction too. Bring on the Poly hives, AMM and bags and bags of sugar. It's all doom and gloom lol

 

[Hivemaker.]

I think years like this one will become the norm weather wise. The sun has gone down the pan heading into a quiet phase similar to the little ice age.

It could well be the start of another little ice age, but looking on the bright side, that only lasted around four hundred years,so not all doom and gloom.

 

[victor meldrew]

I think it is hugely unlikely to be true that the Lancaster got 80kg of honey

what makes you think that, Lorenz?

Why not? I got over 2 cwts from 3 hives plus 1 super from a fourth. No oilseed rape . We are well into December and no sign of granulation! Mostly Balsam plus meadow flowers
VM

 

[protheroe]

It could well be the start of another little ice age, but looking on the bright side, that only lasted around four hundred years,so not all doom and gloom.

nice to see you looking on the bright side and planning ahead h.m.

 

[beeno]

Hi all,
Yes, I do believe it was a swarmy year last year. I collected five swarms and turned down three miles away. One because I was out of gear and one in North London when temp. 30C. If some think it was not a swarm year based on their swarm calls it could be because we are all collecting! Other peoples and getting better at catching our own. At a show of hands at our apiary nearly everyone out of fifty people had collected swarms last season. Newbies get ready for next season! First priority keep hold of your own.

 

[yeogi75]

It could well be the start of another little ice age, but looking on the bright side, that only lasted around four hundred years,so not all doom and gloom.

your not secretly building a cryo unit down there are you, for you and your bees any room left,

 

[REDWOOD]

It could well be the start of another little ice age, but looking on the bright side, that only lasted around four hundred years,so not all doom and gloom.

Not to bad then 400 years, just a blink

 

[Chris Ibbo]

Not to bad then 400 years, just a blink

Could be worse, the world could end on the 21/12/12 or something like that lol

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Could be worse, the world could end on the 21/12/12 or something like that lol

We should be so lucky!

Dusty.