Apichat

May 27th, overcast, 14C, but the break in the persistent inclement weather we've been having offered a chance for a swift and timely round of the apiaries.

Garden colonies were all performing well, producing honey, and not showing signs of swarming yet. However in one very strong colony the queen had managed to get up into the supers (beekeeper's carelessness!) and had chimneyed up the centre of the three supers with eggs and brood. Despite extensive searching she wasn't to be found so no alternative but to remove the excluder and let her find her own way back down.

Out colonies were not nearly as far on as the garden's. Their much higher elevation brings a harsher climate. Much less in the way of brood and honey production, even though they are immediately surrounded by gorse, broom, willows and Mays in full bloom, and no sign of swarming. Their time will come later as the weather improves, with any luck.

Being mindful of last seasons dreadful weather and it's affect on mating virgin queens, only one nuc was prepared from one of the stronger colonies. We'll see how this goes before doing any more.

8th May, temperatures up into double figures and holding at last! With better weather the colonies were all very busy bringing in nectar and pollen of many colours. They are generally in good humour at this time of the year and tolerate a full inspection without becoming defensive, which is ideal when you need to carry out a full examination of every frame in the brood chamber. Any that are readily defensive at this time are telling you that something needs attention.

We carried out the first full inspections this week and all but one were remarkably well on with brood across 9 frames in couple of hives, which goes to show that even in all that very poor weather and low temperatures they were getting on with it. Brood nests were carefully examined and queens were marked. As with previous years we replaced two or three frames in each with fresh foundation, which ensures complete replacement every three years. Old frames are kept for swarm traps unless they are beyond use. Donor frames were taken to boost the colony that was not performing as well as the rest.

Ekes and fondant feeders were removed, mesh floors cleared of debris, varroa boards cleaned, then three prepared supers put on each. All colonies are now queenright, have stores of honey and pollen, and space to build up. A final check on the structural integrity of each hive and we were done.

There were no signs of queen cells at this inspection but drones were observed in most colonies which confirms the swarm season has started. That changes the frequency of our inspections to weekly for the time being. Happy days!

29th April, 10C, sunny intervals, gusty winds. We've experienced more up and down weather over the last weeks often keeping the bees inside. When the sun did come out so did the bees, and they worked furiously, bringing in a range of different pollens and some nectar. Today the weather was good enough for a quick check round the apiaries.

The garden hives all had comb built in the ekes, some with a little drone drone brood present. Fondant in the feeders had been mostly used up. A quick look at an end frame revealed fresh uncapped honey, and by carefully prizing the centre frames apart slabs of brood were evident. They had been busy. Feeders topped up.

Out apiary colonies had no comb in the ekes and the feeders were empty. These being at a higher altitude and more exposed were not as advanced as the home apiaries and looked a couple of weeks behind. Feeders topped up.

Going through the colonies thoroughly, marking queens, changing old frames, adding supers and rapid feeders etc would have been on the cards in a normal year, but the weather is too variable yet. These tasks will be carried out the next few days as the better weather forecasted permits (fingers crossed!).

23rd March, 7C sunny spells, no rain. Last couple of weeks have been mostly cold and driech, but when sun has come out so have the bees, bringing various colours of pollen from the flowers, trees and shrubs that have come into flower. The gorse is in full bloom around the out apiary but haven't seen any honeybees on it.

Taking advantage of the break in the weather to check stores revealed a few of the feeders that needed topping up were showing signs of comb building inside. This is a good sign that the bees are making storage space, and that the supers will be going on soon. Sugar syrup and prepared supers at the ready!

5th March, it's 9C and sunny but wind chill makes it feel positively chilly. Days are tangibly longer and the light quality much improved. The bees have noticed the change and are out as soon as the sun shines but back in just as fast when it clouds over. March - the spring danger zone! Beware of stores running out, and of isolation starvation.

Night temperatures have remained low and frequently sub-zero, with frosty mornings, but haven't deterred the spring flowers. Crocuses and snowdrops are in full flower and the daffodils are showing. All hives busy today with orange, yellow, cream, grey, and light brown pollen laden bees returning. They are coming out to forage more frequently now, plenty pollen to be had but nectar is still scarce, As the colony awakens to spring the increased activity means more stores are consumed but are not replenished at the same rate. No surprise that all hives required fondant feeders topping up.

Still too cold for nest examinations yet, and are not necessary at this point. Inspections continue to be external only, activity viewed through the glass quilts and at the hive entrances. Varroa board debris indicates rough estimations of brood production. This tells you all you need to know!



Healthy activity at the hive entrances with various colours of pollen going in.

First bumblebee of the season seen on the crocuses today, always a good sign, but March is the spring danger point where stores consumption can outweigh replenishment leading to starvation. Colonies that were not up to par before winter may have dwindled in numbers to the point that they won't be able to get going and may simply die out.

Bees are starting to show interest in the Vitafeed Pollen Patty put in the ekes three weeks ago.

16th Feb. Full sun and 12 degrees brought the bees out in numbers today, and they were were bringing in a steady flow of pollen for the first time this year. It's a great sign and confirms the queen last seen in the autumn is still there and is stirring in to action. It heralds the arrival of spring (along with the blackbird that started his 5.00am singing at the top of the Larch two mornings ago!), better get prepared!



Not huge amounts, but a steady flow of orange from crocus and/or ivy, and a creamy coloured pollen whose origin I'm never sure about. They worked on for most of the day! Tricky to get a good photo as they were mostly flying straight in, not hanging about., no time for posing!

Wonderful news yesterday that good friend and seasoned beekeeper Tom McGravie received a most unexpected Honorary Lifetime Membership for the Edinburgh and Midlothian Beekeepers Association for his 'services to beekeeping, with all rights, honours, and privileges thereto appertaining'. Tom, who was a long standing member and past President of EMBA, is also a past East of Scotland Area Representative for the SBA, and was SBA librarian looking after the Moir Library for many years until it was handed over to the rare books collection in the National Library. He remains one of Scotland's most experienced apiarists having kept bees for over 53 years (there's nowt he doesn't know about beekeeping!), and his contribution to Scottish Beekeeping and in promoting best beekeeping practice over those years is immeasurable.



Well deserved Tom!

Iain

Fog rolled in last night leading to a cold and damp 5C start this morning after weeks of wild windy weather, ice and and snow, but the wind has finally calmed enough for a quick check around the apiaries.

The bees were up but haven't used much feed in last three nearly four weeks. Topped up the fondant, supplemented that with honey comb laid on top of exposed frames in the garden hives. The bees were on it instantly, just goes to show there's nothing like the real thing!

Usually put Nektapoll on the frames with the fondant feeders at this point to give the bees a boost as the spring arrives but supplies haven't resumed since Brexit, so trying out Vitafeed Pollen Patty this year.

Early spring flowers are showing all around now, snowdrops, crocuses, hellebores, mahonia, and gorse, all have pollen available and if the sun comes out the bees will find it.

28th January, overcast, windy, 10C, the first snowdrops and crocus are in flower, the daffodils are pushing on, and the bees have been putting in an appearance these last couple of days. Spring is on it's way and it's always a good reminder that the new beekeeping season is just round the corner and preparations need to be made.

17th January - A gloriously calm sunny day, bracing at minus 2C.

It's been 14 days since their first OA treatment. Checking the varroa boards the day after the first treatment revealed very few mites. It was time to carry out the second Oxalic Acid Sublimations and topping up/replacing any low feeders.

Following the last couple of days sub zero temperatures the bees were nicely down in the hives. Going about the process quietly and gently avoids having the bees trying to pour out while the wand is inserted. Once the power is applied and the OA fog billows through the hive they become agitated enough, and can be heard roaring inside. A silent hive at this point is an indication that all may not be well. In the event 2 were silent, and on removing the roofs once the wand had been removed and the colony allowed to settle it was evident that the strong colonies have remained strong but that 2 weaker colonies had died out. Both were dismantled and inspected for cause on site.

The first, in a garden apiary, was not an unexpected loss, having observed fresh drones at the previous visit, which is not a good sign at this time of the year. Inspection revealed very few bees left, perhaps as few as 4 or 5 hundred, as many that would fill your cupped hands. Many of the dead bees were drones. What evidence there was of brood production were just a few scattered drone cells either sealed or emerging.

The second was in an out apiary, records show that it had struggled through the season, been re-queened twice eventually becoming queen-right, but had never managed to reach full strength despite our efforts. There were very few bees left, as little as 3 or 4 hundred, and no evidence of any brood at all.

Both colonies were queen-right and had sufficient bees and stores when configured for winter and should have been able to survive and continue brood production through to spring. With so few bees left and no evidence of brood production, queen failure seems the most likely cause. This would not be a surprise considering the weather conditions during the season when the virgin queens should have been out mating. The rate of failure, more than 60%, of the splits and nucs created around the same time would support this theory.

Fingers crossed the colonies left are strong and will remain so!