Hello my one reader.
well today I am going to be a little uncouth and say what the Bl**""y hell is going on with the weather. I like you am extremely frustrated by the intermittent April we're having. 17 deg one minute, frost and 8 deg the next with rain. oh and wind. cr4p cr4p cr4p for the bees and my mental health too !
As it's such a poor build up I'm planning on feeding today Ambrosia that I have pre-mixed to all. IF it warms up later I need to check 2 colonies as I suspect they are bursting. It only takes a week of better weather (I'm told by Weather Underground and other sites that this won't come until May) and then it'll be instant build up and the bees will likely go swarming mad.
We have to remember in this country that our honey flows are neither consistent or steady, and that coupled with poor weather at times (al the time ?!) means that when nectar is in abundance and is flowing into the hive, they need plenty of space to store it and this means supers at the ready and a plan to split or make increase in colonies - because if you don't it's swarms everywhere and no honey !
Last night I painted 5 national poly nucs from M4isemore Apiaries, 2 of which had 14x12 ekes with them for my 14x12 colonies which are also in Poly Hives.
A small investment in kit that may hopefully pay dividends later.
KR
Somerford
well today I am going to be a little uncouth and say what the Bl**""y hell is going on with the weather. I like you am extremely frustrated by the intermittent April we're having. 17 deg one minute, frost and 8 deg the next with rain. oh and wind. cr4p cr4p cr4p for the bees and my mental health too !
As it's such a poor build up I'm planning on feeding today Ambrosia that I have pre-mixed to all. IF it warms up later I need to check 2 colonies as I suspect they are bursting. It only takes a week of better weather (I'm told by Weather Underground and other sites that this won't come until May) and then it'll be instant build up and the bees will likely go swarming mad.
We have to remember in this country that our honey flows are neither consistent or steady, and that coupled with poor weather at times (al the time ?!) means that when nectar is in abundance and is flowing into the hive, they need plenty of space to store it and this means supers at the ready and a plan to split or make increase in colonies - because if you don't it's swarms everywhere and no honey !
Last night I painted 5 national poly nucs from M4isemore Apiaries, 2 of which had 14x12 ekes with them for my 14x12 colonies which are also in Poly Hives.
A small investment in kit that may hopefully pay dividends later.
KR
Somerford
