What have you done today bee-related?

[AdamD]

The brood emits a pheromone that says "feed me, I need protein" which is why the workers put pollen as close to the brood as possible - i.e. in an arc around it, or possibly on the frame next the brood. (As you work into the frames you'll often see a frame of pollen and then know that the next frame will have brood in it. Othertimes there will be brood on the back of a pollen frame which the queen has laid before the pollen is consumed or moved out of the way and she lays the inner-most side). Some bees get more pollen than others. If the first super has an arc of pollen and within (below) it there are some empty cells, that usually indicates that the bees don't have enough space for brooding as they have cleared the super space for the queen to lay in, not realising that she can't get through the excluder.

[JoJo36]

Thanks Adam
Thats interesting and leads me to think whether a double or brood and a half would have stopped this?!
Too late now I suppose, I did think of putting queen excluder over super and place another super of empty drawn comb but thought it would get too complicated??!!

[Patrick]

Without getting too Zen like, swarming and it’s management is sometimes an art as much as a science. Sometimes success looks like damage limitation other times you assume the lack of swarming is down to your intervention but you can never be sure.

I have tried quite a few things over the years. One thing I am sure of is whilst congestion can certainly lead to premature swarming, the alternative provision of lots of extra space is no sure fire swarm prevention. If it was, we would all keep bees on double Dadants and bees would only reproduce via beekeeper intervention. So enough space is certainly desirable but it would likely not have stopped them making cells.

For me, weather is a major swarming trigger. I have had colonies across whole apiaries produce swarm cells, whether they are in single / double national, Commercial, loads of supers, few supers etc etc.

I think you just have to play percentages and go with it. I am sure some clever person will breed a queen that never swarms at some point, but don’t hold your breath . It’s all part of the fun.

I had two very low swarming years so thought I was due a bit of a cell fest. So far around forty percent have had a go, so no crisis (yet).

[Alfred]

I think weather is one of if not the biggest triggers at least from what I have seen this year
A definite pattern - theyre couped up for days or even weeks then the first really nice day they're off.
It was 13degrees at 06:30 this morning and 18 by 07:45
They were all fairly active so I chose to do a day with them.
Forgot my wellies,and having been given an ankle bracelet of stings a few years ago(could barely walk for a week) called it off.
Changing the fuel filters on the tractor instead,heard the unmistakable sound .


None of mine ,(the sound was in a major key so it was definitely an incoming colony )
They chose the polystyrene box which I thought would have smelled repulsive to them with all the adhesives and chemicals.
I've got one more hive that can be assembled but if any more turn up it's going to be emergency accommodation....

[JoJo36]

What a catch:)
Couldn't you apply to the government for a grant to house any more that turn up in your "emergency accommodation" as they seem happy to fund others that come across the English Channel!!
The first "bee hotels" it certainly sounds eco-friendly!
Then you've got their sugar feed and thats not cheap!!
Forgive my sense of humour, it is a bit early !!

[Alfred]

Another member of the earlybirds club!
This lot arrived at around 9:15 which is early too.
Ive been back today with the intention of bee inspection but it was a little cooler so I scarified a big patch of grassland ready for conversion to white clover while I waited
But as Im doing this Im getting strafed by the wendy house gang..HM is now on death row.
Before I came back I checked up on the polystyrene brigade.
They've bored a lower entrance.
I put the disc at the top to enter between combs as It would get 18"more altitude but obviously I was wrong .Again.

[Bobbysbees]

Nice make shift box Alfred.
I wonder if the make shift packing material/insulation board hives are the Bee equivalent of the shipping container cheap housing trend that started a few years back?
Small ,cheep to heat and purchase and easily stacked to expand space. Or maybe that's more like a standard modular hive system.

[NigelP]

Just needs a carrot and some coal for the perfect snowman...Nice one Alfred.

[Alfred]

It does look a little apprehensive too......

[AdamD]

I've never deliberately caught a swarm by leaving a bait hive out - but you never know - maybe this year. I've seen videos of people ty-wrapping two buckets together to make a suitable cavity and pulling them up in a tree. Maybe that's the way to go to get them up high.

One of my colonies has attempted to swarm so far this season. Clipped queen has gone leaving a few queencells. This was only 8 or 9 days after an inspection - so I just missed it. Others are OK, mostly on double brood now.