Neonach
Lateness is the prerogative of royalty
by
, 10-08-2011 at 03:30 PM (5835 Views)
A succession of artificial and natural swarming in the course of little more than a fortnight may prove to be the turning point in my bee-keeping. Such a short while ago I had just one viable colony, plus the remains of a colony that had lost its queen but was nonetheless producing drones. Now I've three more hives with queens, though I'm not yet sure whether they are mated. The first scent of autumn is in the air, and the weather has turned much cooler and wetter: I'm now concerned that we may not get the dry warm conditions needed for mating within the next fortnight or so, and even if that turns out well, the wild flowers - though exceptional good this year - are starting to fade, with only the heather to come. However I can if necessary supply syrup/fondant and Nektapol for the autumn and winter, but the mating is something the bees have got to manage for themselves!