What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well, I took Defra's advice and took a peek in my home hive.


Loads of bees, looking good. They were all over the fondant but don't seem to have taken much. The stores round the brood looked a bit light, so, as recommended, I moved stores from the edge, to next to the brood.

They didn't like being interfered with, though. But I was in and out in 2-3 minutes.

Dusty.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

They didn't like being interfered with, though. But I was in and out in 2-3 minutes.

Dusty.

As the bishop said of the choirboys

 

[dpearce4]

Cheeky JBM

 

[madasafish]

As the bishop said of the choirboys

It's the Welsh.. again!

 

[REDWOOD]

No racism please otherwise

 

[beebopalula]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veoQFiaz-zI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veoQFiaz-zI[/ame]

 

[whoosling]

So sorry to see your pics Dp, I've got badgers just up above my one little hive so i'll have to be looking out for them nosing around. Hope all your other hives are ok.

 

[beeno]

Apart from listening to my bees, all heard at this point, not much to do in the apiary as such. Made a lot of fondant in hopeful anticipation of putting some more food on on Thursday being the warmest day forecast for the foreseeable future.

 

[beebopalula]

Gave more fondant to a hive that had used most of the last lot.

 

[richardbees]

Gloomy afternoon 2 c but not much wind so opened my 4 hives and put 250 gm pancakes of pollen patty, Nektapoll, on their top bars under the crown boards.
They haven't been using much fondant so it was a relief to see all the colony sizes looked good and they were visible deep down moving across the frames of stores, I still lifted an outside frame on each hive and scored across the comb - just as a reminder for them.

 

[Little John]

Nature has been playing dirty tricks this morning.

My girls are desperate to get out - as these biting easterly winds have been with us for maybe 3 weeks now (?) - I'd put the snow boards up again to deflect the gale-force easterlies of the last week, but hadn't expected the sun to come out in such strength ...

This morning the icy-cold winds have been complemented by glorious sun - and yes, many girls from one hive were tempted out, only to be hit by the bitter cold and couldn't get back. Have just swept up a couple of hundred bodies.

Will need to watch for this over the next few days.

Next weekend looks promising ?

Edit: I've had it with these weather people - they've been talking 8's and 11's over this coming weekend. I've just checked - now they're talking 4's and 5's ... Bar-stewards.

LJ

 

[witchcraft]

Got stuck in a snow drift going to my hives - its supposed to be spring...

 

[madasafish]

Thought I would check all my hives at 1.30pm - quickly when it was sunny, not very windy and 3C - i.e. warm

All OK, lots of stores.. sluggish but expected when overnight we had snow and -2C. Bees have not touched fondant I left them but added some on other side of clusters so they have enough..

 

[Chris Luck]

Funny how keeping livestock makes people more aware of the weather....

.....which has always been variable, especially in March and April across the UK and continental Europe....

....this cold isn't new and it is still only March.

Chris

 

[itma]

....this cold isn't new and it is still only March.

Chris, I believe that it is unusual for the UK to have such a *persistent* spell of cold weather, so late in the winter.
And its the lack of mild interludes that means that the bees aren't getting out, and the beekeepers aren't getting in!

 

[Chris Luck]

Perhaps I have a longer memory and a longer life than you...and have always been outdoors, perhaps rather than believe you could check the facts...

.....I may be wrong but I've seen snow in May in the UK and April can be very cold...

.....nature is a great leveller and sorts out the weak.

Chris

 

[Little John]

I'd like to know when there has been such a protracted period of strong easterly winds - at any time of the year, let alone in March. Not as far back as I can recall (which means at least 60 years) ...

 

[itma]

Perhaps I have a longer memory and a longer life than you...and have always been outdoors, perhaps rather than believe you could check the facts...

Well Chris, I probably have more winters, but more indoors than you! (Lets leave the memory out of it, OK?)

Try this

With the increasing likelihood of the bitterly cold conditions continuing throughout next week and into the Easter Weekend, we could be on track to beat the last very cold March of 1987, since when we haven't seen a colder one. Though we are unlikely to beat the coldest March of the 20th century back in 1962. So March 2013 could end up being the coldest March for 50 years.

http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=news;storyid=1410;sess=


It is not about the odd snowfall in May.
The problem is that the cold spell is an unusually long one for March. // And that's a fact!

 

[Little John]

It is not about the odd snowfall in May. The problem is that the cold spell is an unusually long one for March. // And that's a fact!

Indeed. Plus the snow. A Chinook has just been sent over to NI to drop food supplies to stranded animals - when was the last time anything similar happened ?

 

[madasafish]

I remember the 1962-63 winter. 4 meter snowdrifts outside our house.

Road up the hill blocked until May.

School closed for one day.. None of your "there are 10cms of snow so close down" rubbish of nowadays.

My brother and I walked home from school 4 miles in a howling blizzard.

(As opposed to cycling)