Worst Start to a Season I Can Remember ??

[snelgrove]

snap!

Are you in my Apiary?

Depends if the supers are full or empty, mine re empty

 

[Dazzabee]

In complete contrast to most I seem to be having a great year for honey!

I think the mild winter in my location resulted in larger colonies coming out of winter giving them a bit of a head start. When the OSR came into flower most of my colonies were already filling their Brood boxes and over wintered super. The larger colonies were having a new super each week for three weeks or so and now I have 20 full supers across 7 hives (most but not all capped yet) with other not-full supers beneath. The largest hive has 6 supers.

My hives are within 100 yards of several large OSR fields so they do not have to go far in order to get their fill.

Having said that he downside is more colonies looking to swarm very early on and I have already had to do more A/s's this year than in the whole of last year!

Add together the A/s's Ive done and the swarms Ive collected so far this year and I have very little equipment left in the shed. I'm down to my last 2 supers, 1 brood box and a couple of Nuc's.

On the plus side the shed looks big now though.......

 

[BILL.HEARD]

Most stocks just ticking along, no surplus from spring crops, have mixed a lot of syrup in anticipation of feeding over the next few weeks with hive populations expanding fast.
With plenty of rain and higher humidity and temperatures this maybe a good year for a good flow from the clover/bramble down here, I had a similar year in the mid eighties when I was feeding heavily until the middle of June and then a flow started and went on for weeks. Well we can all hope!

 

[Ivor Kemp]

Not good here in Dorset either.

It seems to be one step forward, two steps back in terms of store.

Most swarms we have ever known though in May. Collected seven for our newbies on one day last week. We have probably had about fifty reported to us so far in East Dorset.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes, it's amazing how the bees came on with those two good weeks we had at the beginning of April.
Today at lunchtime the temperature plummeted to 8˚ and we had a hailstorm that lasted three minutes; flattened the flowers in the garden.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hail here this morning as well, and a heavy rain shower as I opened one of the hives at the Carreg apiary they were not happy!!
About a month ago i was at this apiary, worrying about the amount of winter stores left on the hives for two reasons;
1) they were expanding fast and in danger of getting stores bound.
2) there was a danger of syrupand thymol tainting the early crop.

Today not a drop of stores left and some hives needing a quick feed

 

[REDWOOD]

This year has certainly kept us on our toes.

 

[beecology]

Just hope the weather or bee gods look down on us for the main flow - you never know, plenty of time for a change in fortunes

The black clouds, heavy showers and cool winds do nothing to lift the spirits at present

 

[snelgrove]

Just hope the weather or bee gods look down on us for the main flow - you never know, plenty of time for a change in fortunes

The black clouds, heavy showers and cool winds do nothing to lift the spirits at present

Ur telling me

 

[enrico]

The Hawthorne is not out here yet, the flowed have all been blown off the sycamore, the bees are eating more than they are collecting, I need a queen mated, no chance, too cold. Build up if hives are very very slow. Hoping to get it all on track by end of June for my main crop of lime but......who knows this year!
E

 

[Roola]

well if yields are low this year, make sure you all put your prices up!!!

 

[BrianO]

To share the gloom, planned yesterday and today to get to both out apiaries, not a chance storm force winds, thunder, hailstorms and passing monsoon rain, god help my little charges that dared venture out in the intervening sunny spells !

Freezing too at 8 degree high today... Ok it can only get better !

 

[Cazza]

Just hope the weather or bee gods look down on us for the main flow - you never know, plenty of time for a change in fortunes

The black clouds, heavy showers and cool winds do nothing to lift the spirits at present

This is my main flow time................
Cazza

 

[Chris B]

Looking around my apiaries there is a huge variation in the yield from apiary to apiary, a bit below average overall but 80% of the crop in about 20% of the apiaries. I've never had it that extreme before. I'll be asking the farmers about **** varieties - possibly unrelated but I can't think of any obvious reason why some should do so well and others so badly.

 

[fatshark]

Same here Chris B … one reasonable site (considering the weather) with both fast-developing colonies and good levels of nectar coming in, the rest getting enough not to need feeding but that's about it. These are far enough apart not to share foraging areas. Overall though, well below average, with perhaps 30% of the normal expected from the OSR …

 

[beecology]

Even in the strong winds, they bees are braving it today - hives going crazy (presuming OSR producing today)

 

[snelgrove]

Even in the strong winds, they bees are braving it today - hives going crazy (presuming OSR producing today)

First time there's been a flow on from **** this year here. Hope things are going to improve from here, couldn't bee any worse than it's been

 

[sipa]

Don't you need warmth for nectar to flow in abundance ?

Haven't had much of that have we !

 

[REDWOOD]

Some plants more than others, they also need water, again some more than others.

 

[stephenpug]

same here four hives in the garden two building up nicely two not building up at all but hardley any honey in any of them