todays news

[drumgerry]

Will be up for a look in the next couple of days. Have 12 to 14 apiaries in the Monymusk/Kemnay/Castle Fraser area every year.

I used to live just along from Castle Fraser C4U - near Achath Farm if that means anything to you. In fact it's where I took up beekeeping in 2004. Beautiful part of the country that I still have a great affection for.

In other news temp here reached 24C here in Speyside today and I see it reached 27C on Skye. Bees all over the Gean trees here. Wasn't someone saying the other week that we wouldn't be seeing double figure temps for most of May? Shows it doesn't pay too look too far ahead with Scotland's weather!

[SDM]

Wasn't someone saying the other week that we wouldn't be seeing double figure temps for most of May? Shows it doesn't pay too look too far ahead with Scotland's weather!

That would be me, it was referred to as a " high confidence" forecast from several sources. They don't often get a general trend like that so completely wrong.
Sometimes it's good to be wrong !

[The Drone Ranger]

Good weather for beekeeping

Ran into the only psycho bees so far this season
Trying to split for a Snelgrove they just got crazy
Got the job done but they followed me round the rest of the hives causing trouble

It was a bit later in the afternoon so I called it a day
They need re-queening before they start producing many drones
Because she went below the board she wont produce any for a while yet
Once I get a queen in the top I'll move the bottom box and squish her without the problem of vicious bees

[Feckless Drone]

Good weather for beekeeping

At work - but got the solar melt system out (hope the misses does not miss those tights) - does that count ?

DR- have I got this right, you are using the SN board before you see Q-cells, looking to get the bees raising new Q's to your schedule and ahead of the swarming urge?

I've tried both before the Q-cells appear and then as soon as I see them. Not sure I can really detect any difference in outcomes from a limited number of colonies/seasons. I hoped I might be selecting for non-swarmy bees by doing the former but I guess dream on or I need another million generations for the selection.

I got a problem in a colony - two Q cells really well stuck together, old Q still laying a bit, so I thought supercedure! I put the two cells above a SN board, Q below in standard way. Next week, Q still laying, 2 stuck cells together. Last year I had the same situation and screwed up both cells when I tried to take one down and ended up with a Q-less colony but this time I've left the two pairs of cells stuck together in top and bottom, moved the old Q to a nuc and changed SN entrances. So - top has bit of sealed brood with few foragers, bottom has lots of foragers, hardly any brood. The concern is that with >1 cell I may lose a swarm because there are still good numbers of bees top and bottom. I might try to pull one Q out early on Sunday (day 15 or 16) and see what happens. Any similar experiences out there?

[nemphlar]

I wouldn't trust a large hive not to swarm, I had one large hive swarmed 2 years ago with the only hatching cell and left themselves hopelessly queen less. Brushed them through a queen excluder before I gave them a new laying queen. They don't know best

[The Drone Ranger]

DR- have I got this right, you are using the SN board before you see Q-cells, looking to get the bees raising new Q's to your schedule and ahead of the swarming urge?

That's the plan anyway

Once they make queen cells they are inclined not to give up trying to swarm
Snelgrove says only use method 1 (normal) before queen cells are started
If you see cells use method No2 (Not always reliable)

With the problem double Q/cells Its likely the first virgin out will bop the noisy neighbour next door

[GRIZZLY]

Bees in a bloody minded mood today. In attendance wherever we are in the garden. In combination with the midges they are making life a bit difficult. We are wearimg midge nets so this keeps the bees and midges away from our faces and long sleeves protect the rest. They might be becoming candidates for re-queening.

[fatshark]

Mine were bolshy today as well ... they're usually lovely and calm and I've used the larvae for grafting. That'll teach me

[GRIZZLY]

Yes mine are usually nice but not for a day or two lately.

[madasafish]

Yes mine are usually nice but not for a day or two lately.

I have two colonies crying out for requeening. My sting count at 54 is roughly double last year's at this time...

Good thing I am a man and can bear it :-) Apologies for sexism... Bees are responding accordingly...