What have you done today bee-related?

[MickBBKA]

Interestingly Mick your forecast is better than mine for South Somerset. So pretty rubbish
in both then..

I take no pleasure in that fact...LOL At least you have the prospect of a late season crop, here in Winterfell that just won't happen. Starting to hear of some large losses this spring and colonies going down with CBPV. No doubt the NBU will warn us in 2 weeks time when its already too late.

Fingers crossed we all have a better next 3 weeks, after that its game over here...

[JoJo36]

At the moment it seems all we can do is keep the bees alive so roll on some good weather:)
Its not been good in Devon either!!

[NigelP]

Its changed from when I looked at it, it was the BBC forecast for Middlesbrough.......today they say you get Wednesday without rain....and all the other days with gentle breezes.

[Steve 1972]

I had a quick look at the supers yesterday which was dissapointing..6 colonies 4 of which are buckfast not a single drop of honey in the supers...another 3 colonies one of which is a really strong buckfast colony have around 3 half filled frames..it has never been over 14°C here so the bees have done well to collect that small amount..

[Patrick]

Interestingly hearing more reports of people and outlets running out of honey. I have stopped selling buckets to other beekeepers. This could be the person who stockpiled honey’s kerrching year...

[JoJo36]

With all my mishaps last year I only had about 5lbs of my own honey anyway and that was literally scraping the bottom of the extractor!!:(
Whats wrong with maple syrup anyway, I absolutely love it:)

[Bobbysbees]

Got all my inspections done and had to do an on the spot split with one of my hives as it had fully drawn queen cells.
Just my luck the first dry day we have had in ages and Im running round lick a blue arsed fly looking for kit lol
Hopefully I have thing in order and i might get into them within five days to see how things are going

[AdamD]

Interestingly hearing more reports of people and outlets running out of honey. I have stopped selling buckets to other beekeepers. This could be the person who stockpiled honey’s kerrching year...

My outlets are screaming for honey as it's hay fever season, "Is it ready yet, as you said May?" However, after doing almost nothing for a month, since Sunday, bees have been flying well and I can smell the OSR in the fields around my house - at long last. It will take a while for the harvest to come in, mind. However I have kept 3 buckets of last years' honey to mix with my anticipated OSR so it's not so pale and bland.

[NigelP]

Similar here, almost out of last years buckets and turning down bulk sales and shop stockings left right and centre.
We have had a reasonable few days up here if you count sunny intervals, 14C max, thunderstorms and hail as reasonable foraging weather
Bees are bringing in some nectar but no OSR fields around me at the moment so hoping for another decent spring blossom crop....sometime in June!
Colonies are well behind where I would like them to be with many queens having had a break and some hives needing added stores and pollen to boost them....a real mixed bag.

To give some idea of how far behind everything is this season for me; at the end of May last year I had already harvested over 700lbs of honey....MInd, we did have that exceptionally good spring last year which makes that sort of yield a bit atypical of most seasons

[Patrick]

Yes I normally do a spring extraction end May. With two weeks to go I am not holding my breath it will happen this year. Its tipping down again now.

Interesting mix of OSR planting policies at the moment. After some iffy cropping post neonics, some farmers have gone for an alternative break crop whilst others seem to have decided to go for it. Some seed breeders are reportedly offering seed cost refund deals in the event of crop failure and others are just relying on more pesticide interventions to keep on top of cabbage stem flea beetle. Presumably with less grown they are hoping for higher prices if they can pull it off. Not got any within flying range of me this year.