Summer 2011

[Hoomin_erra]

Some one has it in for me don't they!!!!!

I finally get a chance to move the bees back up home onto the heather, and the weather goes shitty again!!!

[gavin]

That's beekeeping for you! Once in a while it all goes well, and the better you can manage things the more often it goes well.

I reckon that in the Angus Glens there could be another fortnight of heather bloom. If there is no frost and if we get some settled warmer weather they may bring more in.

My better three colonies have filled a super each on the heather. One more or less fully capped super came home yesterday. One stock (look like Italians) are just retreating inwards in their brood box, unwilling to go out in the cool breeze.

[Troutnabout]

I thought fishing was bad for highlighting the end of summer but bees are worse. I went to check the hives yesterday, the 1st time for two weeks. The 1st thing I saw was a couple of drones being forcibly evicted from their home. I took a few sealed frames from the two hives, 13 in all. but noticed that there was a lot of comb that is unsealed. There was also a lot of bits of wax on the removable floors (OMF's). does this mean that the bees are taking their supplies down into the brood chambers; and if i had been able to get to the hives last week I'd have been able to get more sealed comb from the hives?

The swarm that I managed to capture back in June is doing well after the initial near disaster and is now a strong hive and is still carrying in pollen. Two frames in the super have been sealed completely but on one side only. It looks very nice, flat, edge to edge work.

[Trog]

I know what you mean, Trout. I was out after seatrout on Saturday ... thinking of all the fishing I hadn't managed to date, though glad to have managed some at least and hopeful of more. Drones were being chucked out of one colony on Sunday but there are still some in others, and even the odd bit of drone brood; almost as if the bees are hedging their bets!