apiary news
Weather: improve slightly with temperatures averaging 15°C to 17°C. Plenty of showers and one very heavy thunderstorm.
Forage: chestnut, Hawthorn, lilac, green alkanet
The modified Snellgrove on blue hive isn’t progressing very well. May need to introduce frame of eggs to encourage queen cell building
Weather – more of the same – wet and cold. Temperatures not getting above 14°C. Forecast to warm up next week.
Forage: hawthorn, OSR, Apple, Green alkanet and lilac just starting.
Colonies starting to expand- still very early in the season. Will need to decide on where to put the new colony being created by Blue using the modified Snelgrove method which seems to be progressing well.
Collecting pollen from dandelion
The early Spring weather has been very poor – lots of rain and cool temperature. Only now – mid-April have the temperatures started to get to 15°C. I decided to feed all of the colonies with Ambrosia and most took down 1Kg and 2 got through 1.5Kg.
Nearly had a swarm with Cyan which is the largest colony – 2 capped cells but queen and eggs present. If I had left it another day I think it would have tried to swarm despite queen being clipped. Lack of space likely to be the main trigger.
Needed to move the colony at my out apiary to a new position. As it was around 20m I’ve brought it back home for 3-4 weeks and will then move it back to its new position. Have moved Honeydew to the out apiary as I wanted more colonies at a 2nd site as a backup.
Given the reports of queen cells also being found by other beekeepers I have put out my bait hive which is earlier than I normally would.
Deadouts: Emerald – was a strong colony going into Winter. Seems to have petered out with only a few bees on the frames. Lots of stores left.
Blue – lots of dead bees on the floor, none on the frames. Was alive early Spring and had taken 1/4 block of Ambrosia down.
Forage: Lots of blossom out, strawberries already flowering and dandelion in abundance.
Weather: continues to be fine with the temperatures 20° to 22°C
Forage: Red, hot, poker, goldenrod, finishing Rebecca and Himalayan balsam.
Starting to feed the light colonies without supers. Concerned about Aqua as it looks to be shrinking and may need to unite with the Nuc.
inspection split into two parts because of the weather, so took a decision to unite Aqua nanda Nuc
Wally Shaw