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Our queen rearing group met again this evening and we got a few more cells into apideas.
Good turnout on a damp evening with nearly 20 present.

The forecast for the next two weeks look poor and we have a lot of queens in apideas ready to take a mating flight any time now. Most of them emerged on the 2nd or 3rd June.
There are 25 more cells with queen due to emerge this Thursday and a further 20 due to hatch the following Monday 18th.
All it needs is one half hour ...

We now have about 35 signed up to the group and are getting over 20 people turning up some evenings.
There was a batch of 65 cells due to hatch at the weekend and homes were found for all of them, mostly in apideas but also to requeen several colonies which had swarmed a few days before. Several people brought in apideas and we did not have enough cells to put in them all.
Last night I checked 26 apideas at the mating site and 22 of the queens had emerged.
I have 18 of my own ...

Here we are in June already. So what gives? The bees are booming and I have every box except one nuc with bees in now (plus a couple I've borrowed). Six to fifteen plus three Apideas if all the queens mate, although several boxes of bees will be used to requeen the less mild stocks and boost the strength for the heather. On the basis that you learn from your mistakes I've learned a lot (again) this year. The season started early with rape in flower early in April and it is still in full flower ...