Weather this week

[Jon]

There is snow predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday and temperatures look like staying low all week so bees might not be able to get out to forage. I am going to check today to make sure all of mine have a little fondant - enough to see them through this week. Brood rearing should be well underway by now so the stores can be depleted very quickly.
Don't panic Captain Mainwaring!

[GRIZZLY]

Ditto here in S.W. Scotland.Was hoping to put a second brood chamber +foundation and lots of feed on top but too cold -will have to twiddle my thumbs for a little longer.Must burn something to the heat gods.

[Trog]

Some of my lot are still eating the candy I gave them a couple of weeks ago; the other two got the last blocks the day before yesterday. Just been to buy lots more sugar to give them a syrup boost when the weather warms up a little. A long, cold winter for the poor things!

[GRIZZLY]

Weather today is bright sunny and cold.Bees taking down feed - already got thro two pollen patties.Not a chance of "going in" yet.Lots of natural pollen going in whenever the girls get a chance.The earlier snow missed us completely , lots of it to the north,west and south but we got a lot of rain later.IF IT WOULD ONLY WARM UP BY ABOUT 5 degrees.

[drumgerry]

Still got a few inches of wet snow lying in the garden here in Speyside. That's down from the 15 inches or so we had between Wednesday and Thursday!! When will winter end?!! Hopefully better weather for the bees this week - snow melting fast.

Gerry

[Trog]

Sunny here but beginning to cloud up in advance of incoming 'weather' due to arrive by nightfall. Just going to change from Sunday clothes and get out into the garden. Will watch, but not disturb, the girls!

[GRIZZLY]

Another day of wet and wind.Temp going up a bit tho'.Colony now very strong ,must get into them soon.

[Jon]

It is pelting it down in Belfast as well. Friday or Saturday look like better days for a colony inspection.
I was lucky enough to get mine checked between March 17-19 when it was warmer.

[GRIZZLY]

Lovely today WARM and SUNNY.Got a quick look into the bees.Couple of frames of brood then the rest of the broodbox honied up.Managed to stick another b'box on top for a bit of room for the queen to hopefully lay in .Should be a good source of food frames for neucs later on.

[lindsay s]

A nice sunny morning here today and I was looking forward to going through my hives.

When I arrived at my apiary the bees were flying and bringing back orange, yellow and light green pollen. So far so good you would think, but a light Northerly was blowing so there was a nip in the air. In fact it never got much above 9 degrees C here today so it was not worth disturbing the brood in such chilly weather.

The weather in April was poor even by Orkney standards so the last time I managed an inspection was way back on the 11th. I read in a recent edition of Beecraft you should wait until it’s at least 16 degrees C before opening your hives. If that’s the case I will be waiting till June.

My hives now have new open mesh floors and a little slurp of syrup to keep the bees going. I’m now spending my first May weekend cleaning spare hives and giving them a coat of Cuprinol. No sign of it warming up here yet.

P.S. The exploits of the Mull beekeepers must be spreading far and wide because I believe a pair of European bee eaters have turned up (maybe to feast on some good Scottish bees).