Worst Start to a Season I Can Remember ??

[MikeT]

I am also very disappointed - very little honey despite my hives near 3 field of OSR. Where they are is very light sandy soil with no moisture holding capacity. The **** has been very dry and therefore no nectar. I am now hoping to get a flow from lime and other trees in the area. The colonies have not built up a well as I expected and one swarmed very early.

Mike

 

[maddydog]

weather was very warm, massive flow on, bees boiling out of the hives.

There must have been some decent weather in our neck of the woods, I've been in Scotland for a week. When I inspected two colonies 10 days ago they had a 1/4 filled super on each of them, I added another as OSR coming into flow. One colony had play cups.

Inspected yesterday and all four supers were nearly full and the play cup colony now had just-sealed QCs. Both hives were boiling with bees.

My concern is I've got 3 queens that will need mating starting in about 7 days time and the long range forecast doesn't look too clever

 

[protheroe]

You should be ok with the mating.the grafts I did in April are now laying and the weather was bad most of the time.saw queens going on flights at around 16 or17 degrees while sun popped out from behind clouds

 

[ianf]

bad weather

The worst spring i have seen in the seven years i have been keeping bees. I am having to feed them as they have no stores left, the queens have stopped laying, i think this is due to the weather and lack of stores. Lets hope the sun will come out soon. Ianf. Isle of Islay.

 

[Cussword]

The worst spring i have seen in the seven years i have been keeping bees. I am having to feed them as they have no stores left, the queens have stopped laying, i think this is due to the weather and lack of stores. Lets hope the sun will come out soon. Ianf. Isle of Islay.

You live on Islay, will you be my new best friend?

 

[BrianO]

If A man speaks in a forest, & there is no woman present, is he still wrong?

Just spotted your signature , as , I think it was Johnny Carson ? used to say " That's a Craaacker "

Think salvation is here, weather excellent now, bees on high alert , the wet spell and this settled spell to continue for a week at least should give a good boost .

 

[jonnybeegood]

Just spotted your signature , as , i think it was Johhny carso ? used to say " That;s a craaacker "

Think salvation is here, weather excellent now, bees on high alert , the wet spell and this settled spell to continue for a week at least should give a good boost .

Or Frank Carson Lol

 

[Roola]

All mine want to do is swarm! It's constant and frustrating, very little honey in return! This is my first year with an apiary in rural setting and so far hardly anything. What other forage normally comes into play after the **** finished in the countryside? Brambles?

 

[madasafish]

All mine want to do is swarm! It's constant and frustrating, very little honey in return! This is my first year with an apiary in rural setting and so far hardly anything. What other forage normally comes into play after the **** finished in the countryside? Brambles?

Sycamore, beech, hawthorn, willowherb,chestnut, balsam, etc

 

[Erichalfbee]

The sycamore is usually an excellent nectar source here but most of the flowers everywhere I have looked have been frost nipped/blown off.
Hawthorn is just coming here, its scent fills the hedgerows so I am hopeful it might yield something (it doesn't every year)
There is a lot of holly here and the bees have been busy on that.
Two years ago the beech in our garden hummed for weeks, honeydew?
Bramble should be out in July and Balsam, if you have it a bit later.
However, If there are no hedgerows you're stuffed, unless farmers have planted field beans.

 

[Firefly]

Lime. Crops: borage, if you're lucky; pollinator-friendly taxpayer-funded field-margins if you are lucky. Himalayan balsam ;-)

 

[snelgrove]

White clover is a good source if temps high enough last year there was great crops of willowherb honey, also blackberry, if it ever warms up, cold again today with a fresh north westerly wind.

 

[Fatbee]

Blackberry is my main crop in July. OSR tends to dominate my spring crop. Got some field beans this year for the first time. Anybody else have experience of how popular these are?

 

[einsteinagogo]

Blackberry is my main crop in July. OSR tends to dominate my spring crop. Got some field beans this year for the first time. Anybody else have experience of how popular these are?

I had a huge crop of honey, off field beans last year. I could see all the bees coming back over the hedge from the fields. Some warm days, the air was almost black with foragers.

 

[Jimmys Mum]

I had a huge crop of honey, off field beans last year. I could see all the bees coming back over the hedge from the fields. Some warm days, the air was almost black with foragers.

Ooooo...Pleased to hear that. I have a new apiary site with a field of field beans over the hedge. Might have to move a couple more hives there in preparation!

 

[alldigging]

Blackberry is my main crop in July.

I have blackberries on my allotment flowering now. Never grown them before - always hedge-rowed them - Didn't realise they flowered this much earlier than wild ones. Or has the weather sent them crazy?

 

[enrico]

Used to get paid by the farmer to take bees to field beans.......no more!

 

[Fatbee]

Good to hear about beans! Lot more beans being grown this year because they count towards farmers greening targets under changes to subsidy payments.

 

[Dadnlad]

they count towards farmers greening targets under changes to subsidy payments.

Thanks, I'll be giving my local farmer friend a nudge about that then, he's stopped growing beans as not a good enough return - his fields are a wheat desert for my bees this year

 

[BrianO]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fatbee View Post
Blackberry is my main crop in July

I have blackberries on my allotment flowering now. Never grown them before - always hedge-rowed them - Didn't realise they flowered this much earlier than wild ones. Or has the weather sent them crazy?

No , about normal for some cultivars yo flower earlier, I have done on my allotment now in full flower.