2020 Season.

Spied our first Bumble yesterday and also had a Honey Bee in the poly. So we have some local action. I plan to set up some trap hives is April.

Good idea. I'll be putting my trap hives up in April also. This year I intend putting some up miles away to try for some new blood - not that the old blood isn't pretty good! Any swarms I get from those I'll keep in an out-apiary for a while to check temperament, performance etc before bringing them home. No bumblebee here yet, but the honeybees are flying freely. It's a strange winter - I'm seeing bats flying around the house regularly, obviously feeding on insects attracted to the house lights.

I have plans to install a purpose built apiary this year. I need to keep my bees on a higher part of the plot as the damp may be a problem lower down. This puts the Bees close to the main track through the plot so I think its a good idea to keep them flying above head height. I am thinking of using the 50% shading membrane as used on tunnels etc supported on posts. What do you lads think?

That'll do the trick - and also help to keep the wind off them.

This sunny spell has brought out the bees to Gloria`s flower garden in droves. Its great to see that they got through the winter ok. The apiary is finished and I will be putting trap hives out later this month so fingers crossed.

Lots of activity going on in this fine weather. The Bees are working the early flowering shrubs so hopefully they will get off to a good start. I put a bate hive out yesterday which quickly got their attention. Not that I am expecting any action yet but it was nice just to them while drinking me coffee.

The Bait Hives are in place all lemon grassed up but as the neighbors have got rid of their Bees I can only hope a passing swarm gets the message. I am sad to say there are no longer honey bees flying around. Still fingers crossed.

Still no real action at the bait hives but I have seen a few blacks looking them over.

Very slow Spring for bees so far. I opened the hives yesterday and very little happening. Bait hives are up, but no scouts checking them.

I had a swarm of black Bees arrive a few days ago. Very pleased of course but I didn't unfortunately, see it arrive. I find swarm watching exciting. My other bait hive has some bees investigating so fingers crossed. Hows yours Sean?

Congratulations Cristy. That swarm should give you a good bit of honey this year, granted we get a reasonable summer. Nothing happening here - the bees are drawing water from the pond - a sure sign there is no honeyflow.

Finally! First real honeyflow of the season began yesterday. Had to shove on extra supers. Still no swarms though. Even the two hives which I purposely restrict to encourage swarming have not obliged!

Not much going on over here with all this wet weather. We had a bit of real action one day last week. I will get into the colony at the end of the month and see if we have a laying Queen. They are taking in pollen so fingers crossed. I have seen a few bees around the bait hive but it is getting a bit late me thinks. We needed the rain of course but I think it can stop now

The Bees are very placid. Perhaps too placid or am I just a bit paranoid about them? Watching them close to the hive they seem quite unperturbed by my presence. No action at the bait hive.

Honey crop is a disaster so far - they're barely bringing in enough to sustain themselves. Beginning to look like a washout this season.

The last two days have seen alot of action at last. Despite having the doors removed there is quite considerable congestion at the hive entrance. I will check the super on Saturday. Plenty of bramble in flower around these parts.

It's all right for people living in the sunny south-east. Hereabouts the babies come out grasping umbrellas.

So the wheel turns. I got another swarm in my second bait hive yesterday. Not worth a fly! but I am thankful for it. This "Swarm" did not arrive as one might expect. Three days ago I noticed some scouts showing interest. The numbers increased as the day went on until dusk. The next day more turned up and by evening I would have been forgiven to think the swarm had arrived. Yesterday morning I got to the hive early and had a peek. Nothing. I spent the whole afternoon watching and more and more bees turned up, but not on mass like I was expecting. Eight o`clock last night still loads of activity so much so that I think that they must be installed now. So Sean, is it common for a swarm to arrive in dribs and drabs? Still I am glad to have them, I am now hopeful for the third bait hive even though I think it`s getting a bit late in the season, or am I just being gready?

Congrats Cristy! Yep, they do arrive that way sometimes. I think it may be the case that the scouts from the swarm find more than one suitable spot, so more of the bees come along to check it out before they finally make up their minds.

Thanks for that Sean. As you might have guessed, I am new to this bait hive malarky. Looking back at a book that I purchased in 1972 " The Principles of Bee Keeping". It does not mention them at all. So thanks for the tip about Lemon Grass oil. There are lots of scouts around my third and last bait hive. What a year I am having compared to the rather torrid time of last year. In April I had just empty hives now I may well have three colonies and some honey for myself.

Its a shame about July`s weather. What seemed to be a promising season earlier on now there are doubts setting in. I am well happy with the progress of my two colonies but speaking to some local beekeepers it is going to be a bad year. As well as having good-tempered black bees, I will get a bit of honey for myself which is a bonus. How's your season going Sean?

I've been keeping bees now for nearly fifty years and this is far and away the worst season ever. The stocks have barely enough honey for themselves. I'm pinning my hopes on a late flow from Bell Heather, Blackhead and finally Ling. Failing that, I will have no honey - for the first time ever.

Thats a real bugger Sean. Fingers crossed. Perhaps there will be a bit of Ivy to come. I suppose the problem is worse for large apiaries with many hunting a diminished resource. Mine are still putting on weight thank the Gods.

No Cristy, the nectar resources around here are practically limitless - it's all to do with the weather:  May here was too dry - not enough moisture in the ground for the flowers to give out nectar;  Things were so bad at that crucial build-up time of year that,  if I hadn't allowed every stock a full super of honey going into the winter, they would have starved!  Other keepers around here who winter their stocks in a single brood box had to resort to sugar feeding. Then June and July came too dull and too cool!  August is behaving a bit better so, like you say, fingers crossed!

What a difference a couple of weeks of bad weather makes! My Bees are going backward, to a point that my hopes for a few jars for myself are diminishing by the day. Ho Hum. It is what it is.