Autumn already?

[EdNewman]

Two of my hives are behaving like the have in previous Autumns. The queen is slowing her laying down having gone down from 8 frames a month ago to 3 and brood frames are filling with honey, it has gone from one frame full of capped honey to three in two weeks. They have plenty of super space.

I though they might be preparing to swarm so I have been checking closely and no sign in either hive.

The other hive in the same location is still fully laid up and filling supers quickly.

Anyone else seeing similar?
Ed.

 

[Griffo]

Up on the hill near me I spotted some heather just coming into flower. I thought it was just an isolated plant but then realised the whole lot is about to bloom.

 

[user 3509]

The heather is in flower on Dartmoor. The laying rate of our queens seems to be slowing as well.

 

[Bakerbee]

I have one hive im watching closely as they are filling every space with nectar and pollen, even in brood area. Theres a super above largely ignored. I took a brood frame of honey off the other day extracted and gave back. They are already filling it with stores. So now i have removed the excluder (very temporarily) scrapped the honey in bb and hoping they move it up. If that doesnt work im out of ideas..

 

[bingevader]

I wonder if it's anything to do with the weather?
An increase in temps will result in an increased nectar flow, but you'd assume that prolonged water stress would then result in a decrease.
Our pond nearly dried up, the plants stopped flowering!

 

[simonforeman]

My queens are still laying where they can... loads of bias and packing the nectar into the supers.... they have not slowed at all right through this heatwave. Got fields of sunflowers and gladioli to come yet. The pickers can not pick the latter fast enough so some are out that they missed and the bees are coming back yellow with pollen.
They are also drawing out brood and super frames like I don't know what. Great for me as it's my first year, I will have spare brood comb and drawn supers for next year.

 

[BMH]

Up on the hill near me I spotted some heather just coming into flower. I thought it was just an isolated plant but then realised the whole lot is about to bloom.

Interesting!

I thought we had no chance on the heather this year, but been some good downpours over the past 2 weeks.

I have a few colonies within 200m of heather moorland. Lets see what they can get up to over the next couple of weeks.

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

Could have done with downpours in June though, might just put a few on as Balsam is starting to deliver again and will probably get more crop from that as we will still get outsiders putting forty hives on an acre.

 

[Angry_Mob]

Could have done with downpours in June though, might just put a few on as Balsam is starting to deliver again and will probably get more crop from that as we will still get outsiders putting forty hives on an acre.

Balsam is in full flow for me, I watched my hive briefly on Sunday and about 1/5 of the bees where coming back were white. Yesterday evening it looked like every other bee.

 

[BMH]

Could have done with downpours in June though, might just put a few on as Balsam is starting to deliver again and will probably get more crop from that as we will still get outsiders putting forty hives on an acre.

Very true. I wouldnt move hives to it this year for personal reasons but hopefully the ones close by will do well. They each got 2 supers full last year in that spot plus a winter feed.

Seems to be plenty in bloom still around here.