Hmmm... its just me that's confuddled, you are correct, MAY is the hawthorne.Originally Posted by prakel
blackthorn flowers with no leaves, hawthorn the leaves come first then the flowers
Hmmm... its just me that's confuddled, you are correct, MAY is the hawthorne.
blackthorn flowers with no leaves, hawthorn the leaves come first then the flowers
It's one of those fickle plants which sometimes yields in some places and not others, it's one of my best sellers at market when my bees do do well on it, the honey has that heady scent as if you're standing under a mature hawthorn in full blossom on a warm afternoon, delicious.
Doesn't hawthorn have a touch of cat's piss about its aroma?! Can't say I noticed last year when we got some locally, which is very unusual.
I opened an IBC yesterday to take syrup round some sites south of here but in the end used little of it. The better sites are OK for stores and the bees were busy. Some sycamore has been out for a week as has been the earliest horse chestnut in the warmest spots. Bird cherry is still in flower. OSR and dandelion too of course. They seem to use sycamore even while it is wet.
The recent discussion here on apiary vicinity mating can now be found in this new thread:
http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/sh...icinity-mating
Lol. Maybe, but that doesn't quite do it for the punters when you're waxing lyrical about its magic healing properties and wonderful flavour while they're tucking into a taster.
Day of firsts for the season yesterday; first sting, first demaree and first mating nuc made up. Only one hive showing any inkling of swarming so it got the demaree. The mating nuc was just opportunism after a big sealed Q cell was found in a colleagues hive - supercedure as its only one and on the bottom of the frame. The original queen was running around on the same frame but must be getting on a bit - yellow is that 2013 ? Colleague wants to wait to re-queen in a few weeks and was about to tear down the cell so I cut it out for myself.
I am getting grafts started now. I have 9 queens due to emerge tomorrow and I frame I grafted on saturday has about 16-18 cells started.
The weather is crap. It would need to improve in a week or so so that the queens can take mating flights.
Excellent news Jon. I might use the strength of the demaree hive to graft into the top brood box and get going for the season.
I am using a queenless box to get grafts started.
My first grafts have just emerged (yesterday) - 8 from 9 started - so weather permitting I'll get 1/2 dozen queens from them. A second lot of 8 went in on Sunday with 7 taken. This is from a demaree where the colony was already drawing queencells - so ready for raising. The colony is doing well but doesn't have the temper I like so I might leave a queencell in there and whip out the queen.
Weather is also good (22 degrees yesterday and 19 today) so there's plenty of nectar coming in. Mankini time if the weather holds for much longer!
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