BBKA Forum

Hope to take some bees up on Wed morning, hope I am not too late......

Still plenty for the bees to go at if the weather plays nice..RBWH/Bramble/Thistle/Clover/Phacelia and mustard..
Here is one of the little darlings on the bramble blossom yesterday..how cute do they look all fluffy and hairy..

brilliant pic!

MickBBKA wrote: ↑

02 Aug 2021, 16:58

Hope to take some bees up on Wed morning, hope I am not too late......

Should be fine. lots of ling yet to flower. Could be a good year

4 very strong colonies set up at Westerdale on Wed, no need for any unites. Weather this last week has been a complete pain with either thunder storms, down pours or strong winds taking turns. I have 2 more strong colonies to go to Commondale but just can't get the supers changed. Started today and had to leave through some nasty lightning and a Biblical deluge, bone dry half a mile away. Next 2 days forecast the same as well as heavy rain Sun & Mon, then I am booked with work So not sure whether to take them as it may be another week.

Me thinks you live with the god of thunder on your shoulders Mick
Don't know anyone who gets worse weather then yourself.
25 miles south of you it has been mainly sunny with cloudy intervals, mild breezes one thunderstorm and occasional light rain has been late evening and overnight. The supers on the moor are already filling nicely.

Addendum.....your god does not like being abused......torrential downpour 10 minute's after writing this

A week ago there was plenty coming in however there is not much income now so I am taking supers off. Time to treat for varroa.

Masses of this over a two mile stretch has been going berserk for several weeks now .. i have five nucs in my garden apiary with 2021 Queens and not a single ghost bee has been spotted from either of them.. rich pickings elsewhere me thinks..

Same down here Steve. Not seen a single ghost bee although lots of balsam about. My garden hives are desperate for any nectar at the moment, which is unusual for round here as a light but steady flow usually goes on into September with balsam being the last nectar source, but not this year.
Taken off my last summer blossom supers, most are mostly half full at best which tells it's own story.
Thank goodness for the heather, at least 3 weeks of it still to go. So took another couple of hives up there this morning. Doubt they will produce much excess as both are newly promoted nuc's but they will at least get some decent foraging in for themselves and with a bit of luck they may surprise me.

Plenty of part-filled supers - and colonies are light below in some cases. The honey in the supers is mostly OK with regard to water content. Checking some yesaterday, there is a little liquid stores in the brood frames but there's not much coming in - bees are flying in the afternoon and evening better than in the morning.

A couple of summer nucs developed well in 8 frame boxes and each gave me a little super of honey each which was a bonus. They are big enough to go into full sized brood boxes for winter.