Drones flying today

[Karsal]

Checked my hives today to see which ones had come through winter and was surprised to see drones coming and going from the landing board. Swarm season may start a little earlier this year than last possibly?

 

[Curly green fingers]

Checked my hives today to see which ones had come through winter and was surprised to see drones coming and going from the landing board. Swarm season may start a little earlier this year than last possibly?

My second inspection today no drones flying but I noticed small amounts of capped drone brood ,
My best buckfast colony is now double brood the super I put on is full of nectar , there bloody productive I'll give them that .. come on black girlys... Catch up..

 

[Beefriendly]

.. come on black girlys... Catch up..

No chance....now you start to see the difference when using quality stock.

 

[Wingy]

Inspected mine on Monday, a Buckfast 2018 Q as a Nuc last June is now on double brood and almost filled their first super. Some drone brood and a couple wondering over a couple of frames.

 

[Curly green fingers]

No chance....now you start to see the difference when using quality stock.

I do love my black girlys though there's something special about them.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Inspected mine on Monday, a Buckfast 2018 Q as a Nuc last June is now on double brood and almost filled their first super. Some drone brood and a couple wondering over a couple of frames.

I'll give mine another week then there having a second the orchards are coming into flower .. the osr is flowering but not at peak yet ,there working it but the most are going to the tree's . Maple, cherry blackthorn, willow, sorbes, damson, some malus are flowering also and I've seen Hawthorne not far behind...
The orchards, cider apple and pear will be open in a week .

 

[Finman]

My best buckfast colony is now double brood the super I put on is full of nectar , there bloody productive I'll give them that .. come on black girlys... Catch up..

The hive needs another super, where bees can store more nectar. Otherwise bees full brood combs with honey.

Urgent to give foundation box. Drawing foundations prevents swarming. Foundations next to brood.

 

[Finman]

Inspected mine on Monday, a Buckfast 2018 Q as a Nuc last June is now on double brood and almost filled their first super. Some drone brood and a couple wondering over a couple of frames.

More super space and fast!

At same time when you put second super, swap the brood boxes.

If bees have filled lots of brood combs with honey, you may lift them go third box and put brood foundations to second and third box. Put foundations in one group, that they become even.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Give needs another super, where bees can store more nectar. Otherwise bees full brood combs with honey.

Urgent to give second foundation box. Drawing foundations prevents swarming. Foundations next to brood.

The second brood box has plenty of space there still drawing it out, I know what you mean sooner rather than later I did think about putting another super on today should of gone with my hunch..

 

[Finman]

The second brood box has plenty of space there still drawing it out, I know what you mean sooner rather than later I did think about putting another super on today should of gone with my hunch..

Have you inspect the brood combs, how they are filled with pollen, nectar and brood. There may be quite a mess, but bees put them in order later.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Have you inspect the brood combs, how they are filled with pollen, nectar and brood. There may be quite a mess, but bees put them in order later.

The bottom box is full of sealed brood the second 9 drawn frames 5 with eggs in the rest were mixed pollen and stores ... Two frames to draw out .
The honey super has 8+ frames of nectar .
I'm going tomorrow to put another super on .
Cheers Finman...

 

[Murox]

The bottom box is full of sealed brood the second 9 drawn frames 5 with eggs in the rest were mixed pollen and stores ... Two frames to draw out .
The honey super has 8+ frames of nectar .
I'm going tomorrow to put another super on .
Cheers Finman...

As your first super is about 75% full add at least 2 more supers of DRAWN COMB on top of that first super. Adding several supers of DRAWN COMB rather than adding 'more as needed' can help with honey yield.
If needs be the third super could be foundation (but get it on now), and when 6-8 of those frames are drawn and filled, add another super and repeat. They need space to evaporate all that nectar and ripen it into honey, it sounds like you have a good flow coming, they can swarm for a lack of space to store it!

 

[Finman]

The bottom box is full of sealed brood the second 9 drawn frames 5 with eggs in the rest were mixed pollen and stores ... Two frames to draw out .
...

The Queen is good. Hive will become quite big, when the bottom box brood emerge.

 

[Wingy]

Cheers Finman. 2nd super went on at inspection on Monday. This is the hive in my garden and has been bringing in nectar and pollen whenever the weather has been fit for the bees to fly. They have had gorse always on tap, lots of nice gardens, a woodland 30yds away full of blackthorn, willow and more, OSR 200 yds away. This hive has it easy lol

 

[Curly green fingers]

As your first super is about 75% full add at least 2 more supers of DRAWN COMB on top of that first super. Adding several supers of DRAWN COMB rather than adding 'more as needed' can help with honey yield.
If needs be the third super could be foundation (but get it on now), and when 6-8 of those frames are drawn and filled, add another super and repeat. They need space to evaporate all that nectar and ripen it into honey, it sounds like you have a good flow coming, they can swarm for a lack of space to store it!

I've got drawn honey comb it's brood frames I'm lacking in I'll take your advice and put two on this colony today, this is the biggest colony should I do the same with the other 5 they have supers on but only a third full of nectar?

 

[Murox]

I've got drawn honey comb it's brood frames I'm lacking in I'll take your advice and put two on this colony today, this is the biggest colony should I do the same with the other 5 they have supers on but only a third full of nectar?

Its a balance between how prolific the queen is, available nectar sources (you seem to have an abundance) and weather and size of colony now (double brood, numbers of full brood combs etc). If your weather is set to be fair and you you have a good steady flow now and they are on double brood it should be ok, they shouldn't get overwhelmed with work

 

[Curly green fingers]

Its a balance between how prolific the queen is, available nectar sources (you seem to have an abundance) and weather and size of colony now (double brood, numbers of full brood combs etc). If your weather is set to be fair and you you have a good steady flow now and they are on double brood it should be ok, they shouldn't get overwhelmed with work

Sorry to reply so late ,
I agree , there not all double 2 are double brood buckfast bees and 4 are amms.. brood/half .

The brood/half have one super untill Thursday
And the 2 double brood have both got two supers.
I'm looking at them on Thursday morning , on Sunday they were really busy nectar exchange on the door step really nice to see.
Thanks murox.

 

[Murox]

Sounds like you've got it under control. I'm still trying to get a first inspection done. Thought today would be okay but the easterly breeze was just too strong today, shame because out of the blast it was 13-14C. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Sounds like you've got it under control. I'm still trying to get a first inspection done. Thought today would be okay but the easterly breeze was just too strong today, shame because out of the blast it was 13-14C. Maybe tomorrow.

You don't realise or even forget some times the distance between us . There was some on here that had done inspections weeks before me there down south east. Are your bee's looking ok ? What bee's do you keep??...
Finger's crossed for tomorrow, we have to wait a good while before we look at our bee's for the first time.