They’ve chomped through the honey…

[Do224]

I had a colony that had capped over a few super frames but…they then swarmed so the super was left partly filled. I went in yesterday and they have happily re-queened which is great.

But in the meantime they’ve partly eaten the honey from the super frames. What should I do now…just store the partly filled frames until next year…or somehow encourage the bees to completely empty the frames?

 

[drex]

Why do you need to do anything.? I would just let them be and see what happens. The swarm will have taken honey with them. The parent hive will have fewer foragers but no new brood to feed for a while ( depending on time line) .
Plenty of time yet for them to sort themselves out

 

[Do224]

Why do you need to do anything.? I would just let them be and see what happens. The swarm will have taken honey with them. The parent hive will have fewer foragers but no new brood to feed for a while ( depending on time line) .
Plenty of time yet for them to sort themselves out

Ok thanks. I just wasn’t sure if it was better to nadir it.

I guess the super needs to come off in a few weeks and it would be better if it was empty wouldn't it…for winter storage?

 

[ericbeaumont]

they’ve partly eaten the honey from the super frames

Yes, as Drex, delay action for quite a while.

Depending on your local nectar income in an August drought, they may finish the lot. If so, remove the super and feed.

encourage the bees to completely empty the frames?

The time for that is when the colony contracts for winter, but ivy is yet to flower and they may re-fill the box.

Nadiring can be done after that, or you could put the super above the crownboard with a small hole: bees will see it as outside the nest when contracting and bring stores down into the BB.

If you nadir now wasps will have easy access to the combs.

 

[Do224]

I think there is a lack of nectar at the moment…I’m feeding a couple of other colonies as they have almost no stores. Most bees are returning covered in white which I understand is from the Himalayan balsam…I don’t think balsam provides much nectar, just pollen

 

[Rock_Chick]

Do224 Himalayan balsam is a big source of nectar, the honey from it is so light. most of my honey comes from balsam at this time of year going into October before the frost kills it off.

 

[Murox]

I think there is a lack of nectar at the moment…I’m feeding a couple of other colonies as they have almost no stores. Most bees are returning covered in white which I understand is from the Himalayan balsam…I don’t think balsam provides much nectar, just pollen

That highlights the seasonality and regionality of the UK vi-a-vis nectar flows. I don't have (yet) Hima.Balsam as far I I know in the area my bees forage; I do have knapweed coming along amongst other wild flowers plus there is some ragwort flowering somewhere nearby - piling in the pollen.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Do224 Himalayan balsam is a big source of nectar, the honey from it is so light. most of my honey comes from balsam at this time of year going into October before the frost kills it off.

Depends where you are. We have masses here in the Aeron valley and the bees visit it certainly but they never bring much in.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Most bees are returning covered in white which I understand is from the Himalayan balsam…I don’t think balsam provides much nectar, just pollen

Do224 Himalayan balsam is a big source of nectar

You repeat it often enough and it may come true. It's a source of nectar accepted, but very poor nectar which often doesn't come up with the goods and bees will often ignore it

 

[madasafish]

Lots of HB here. Pollen yes: but nectar flows from it appear miniscule.

 

[The Poot]

There was lots of HB here too, but I’ve pulled it all up and composted it.
So no pollen or nectar here....

 

[ericbeaumont]

but very poor nectar

It certainly doesn't taste of much but I found a few supers full of it today in Dagenham. Maybe the bees are desperate, as there's not much else on offer.

 

[elainemary]

Down in the valley where balsam is abundant by the canals and on waste ground it accounts for c80% of the summer honey production and is the main source. Doesn’t mean I like it though a fact that in my area it’s the main flow of late summer. Unless you’re on the tops for the heather. So will depend where you’re sited and where in the country @Do224

 

[Do224]

Down in the valley where balsam is abundant by the canals and on waste ground it accounts for c80% of the summer honey production and is the main source. Doesn’t mean I like it though a fact that in my area it’s the main flow of late summer. Unless you’re on the tops for the heather. So will depend where you’re sited and where in the country @Do224

My bees are about 500 metres from a decent sized river with quite a bit of balsam along the banks. They’re coming back covered in white but most colonies are also light on stores

 

[Erichalfbee]

My bees are about 500 metres from a decent sized river with quite a bit of balsam along the banks. They’re coming back covered in white but most colonies are also light on stores

That’s no bad thing. At least you’ll know whether the bees are getting any nectar from it

 

[elainemary]

My bees are about 500 metres from a decent sized river with quite a bit of balsam along the banks. They’re coming back covered in white but most colonies are also light on stores

Went through all my colonies today, the flow is on again. If you’re like West Yorkshire (you’re just 100 miles north of me in the west) bees have chomped through quite a lot of stores in last couple of weeks as we’ve had constant drizzle. Based on past experience and now we have 10 days of glorious weather they’ll replace those and more…. My main flow is always from this time to end of august. I’d hold off feeding this week, check a colony mid week and you’ll probably see lots of nectar being collected in between brood cells then it’ll arrive up in the supers. I don’t feed until September, I take off surplus honey end of august (leaving a super for them), let them feed on the balsam and heather during sept, then I top up last week in sept to 40lb (18kg). Which lasts the winter through to first inspection

 

[RichardK]

It's a source of nectar accepted, but very poor nectar which often doesn't come up with the goods and bees will often ignore it

Why do you regard nectar from Himalayan balsam as 'poor nectar'? Surely nectar is nectar, albeit that the final product varies in taste accordingly.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Why do you regard nectar from Himalayan balsam as 'poor nectar'? Surely nectar is nectar, albeit that the final product varies in taste accordingly.

Ah but all nectars aren’t the same. Balsam in this part of Wales at least is poor nectar because the sugar content is low and the bees have to collect a heck of a lot of it to make much difference to their stores.
JBM is a little further south of me.

 

[Swarm]

An old SBI used to get the majority of his crop from Balsam but it does like wet feet.
Maybe this year is a bit on the dry side.

 

[Amari]

bees have chomped through quite a lot of stores in last couple of weeks as we’ve had constant drizzle.

Lucky you! No rain here for eight weeks. We don't do drizzle in these parts. Our well in the garden has only 2' of water. Our river, the Black Bourne, and the River Rat in the adjacent parish are completely dry.