Spruce's honey bees

I haven't seen as many bees in my garden as early as this for years. Hope it bodes well.

 

The way it is going it will be the year of swarms !!! at least the 3 weeks of sunny April they were able to top themselves up with nectar and fresh pollen , my crop is not till August so I will keep my fingers crossed , this weather reminds me of two years ago.

 

@Spruce ....are bees less active when it's windy? I was only thinking today while I was doing a bit of weeding that there doesn't seem to be a lot of bees around. It's been very windy here. It seems like it's been very windy for days on end so I was wondering if the wind would affect them?

 

Hi Fern
its mostly to do with temperature so it must be cold and windy

I was listening to Chris Evans on Radio two as I drove to work he was saying that London has lots of swarms more than any other year and blaming all the new beekeepers who dont know what they are doing .

My empty bait hive in the garden, I have a 20 scout bees checking it out so you never know I may have a swarm arrive later on or tomorrow

thanks for the question Fern

 

Thanks for the info. It's been warmer here and much less windy with plenty of bees about so I'm happy.

 

You are right Armandii , as he came out with garbage how to collect a swarm , about putting a queen bee in a box and they all follow , you have to find her 1st , like finding a needle in a haystack !

they didnt arrive tonight but its meant to be raining here tomorrow so they better hurry up or the rain may have them.

 

great day for beekeeping ... well I thought it was going to be

I have the hive from hell, it was a new queen mated late last summer so what ever the drone was its not very friendly and the cross with mine has turned out very nasty . I didnt get stung but the guy I mentor who parked a good 80 feet away got stung in the face as soon as he got out the car !!! he is ok now, right in between his eyebrows to be honest it was like out of a movie scene of "killer bees" they were everywhere just as well they are away from houses etc , both of us had about 100 or more attacking the mesh on the bee-suit trying to get us.
Its the ist time in 15 years I had to get in the car with the full bee-suit on and my wellies and drive off , I parked up half mile down the road and changed.

So I will have to re-queen down side is I have to find her to put a new one in. Upside is out of all the hives this one has already filled a super w and the others have only manged a 1/4.

I may make up a nucleus (very small hive) and then move the whole lot in as I have a feeling intorducing a new queen who non off the workers are her daughters wont go down to well and they may end up killing her so I will go with the easy option.

Apart from that , sunny birds singing
@hans as you can read not that easy at times

 

Oh Bother

 

well Zig not the words we were using !!! at the time.

I think I have lost a couple pounds with sweating, I had a shower when I came in and can of cider for my nerves

All fine now , the air con in the car was on full blast the miracles of the 21 century.

Hey at least they are not in our back gardens , imagine that with the neighbours.

 

It would have been lovely to have them here a few year ago, our nasty neighbour v nasty bees

 

anyone fancy making a movie , I can supply the bees free of charge but dont need to be returned

Bargain !!!

 

Hi All,

I arrived in at 4.15pm and as always give the greenhouse and garden a quick look about , I have had past couple of days scout bees checking out my swarm bait box at the bottom of the garden about 5pm I heard a massive buzzing and a dark shadow moving towards the garden , and yes it was a swarm of bees... here a few photos just taken ...

and as the saying goes;

"swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; but a swarm in July is not worth a fly"