Thanks to
the current virus pandemic, 2020 is turning out to be quite a different year
from the one we had planned, but our bees are carrying on as if nothing has
changed. Lockdown caused by adverse weather is the only thing they are
experiencing and, like us, when they can get out, they do!
Spring is
always an exciting time of year; we’ve got our colonies through the winter,
we’ve found the queens and checked that they are laying, and we’ve seen pollen
being brought in by the foragers. We’ve noted how rapidly the numbers of bees
are increasing – it’s still amazing to see a baby bee hatching, pushing its way
out of a wax cell, and to see newly-emerged fluffy pale drones wandering around
on the frames. It’s now that we have to pay attention to what the bees’ plans
are, and to keep an eye open for queen cells, and if the bees are planning to
swarm and propagate the colony, or replace the queen without dividing the
colony.
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| Honeybee swarm hanging 5 metres up! |
Typically,
if we judge the bees are planning to swarm, we try to beat them to it, and
split the colony so that we don’t lose the majority of them. I swear our bees
wait until our backs are turned and then they’re off! There they are, quietly
getting on with the business of constructing comb, storing nectar, generally
moseying around – we say ‘hello’, don’t spot the queen cell (usually covered in
bees) and the next thing we know, they’re cheerily waving ‘goodbye’ as they
thrum up into the air. Well, this year we were ready for them, and within a
matter of days we went from six colonies to ten. During the current situation,
beekeepers are allowed ‘out’ with the correct paperwork, and in the past
fortnight we have been asked to collect four more swarms. We’ve seen queens in
all of the swarms we captured, so now we just have to check that they are
laying in their new homes….wish us luck!
Stay safe
and enjoy your beekeeping. If you have any questions about bees, please call us
or email us and we’ll try out best to help.
