May & June Update
Late April was cold and damp in our apiary; too cold to do a full inspection of the hives. So myself, Douglas and a new junior beekeeper, Elodie (12), looking very glamerous in in her new bee -keeper suit, did only the bare essentials.
Elodie and Bohdan opening up the hive
Locally, there is early spring hawthorn and catkin blossom, and the bees are out foraging when the sun is out. On the 30th April, we removed the winter candy feed and looked at one frame in each hive. We saw that there were eggs and larvae, evidence that the queens are laying. We put a queen excluder on top of the brood box, to confine the queen to the brood box , where she lays her eggs. On top of the queen excluder we put a ‘super ’, a box with frames and wax foundation, which the bees will build up (draw out) to make cells where they will store their honey. The other bees in the hive are smaller than the queen and they can get through the queen excluder into the super. The supers are the storage area in the hive and later in the year, this will be where we will harvest the honey. The queen and her attendants will stay in the brood box where the queen will lay up to 1000 eggs a day!
Checking the inside of the hive
By the 21st May, the weather had improved enough to do a full inspection. Two of the hives are lively and look strong. The queens are laying well and there are lots of eggs and larvae. The third hive is not so active, there are fewer bees, fewer eggs and larvae and lots of empty space. We decide to remove the super, to confine the bees in the brood box and to give the bees a feed of sugar syrup to prevent starvation and encourage the queen to lay.
Only time will tell if the hive will pick up. Fingers crossed.
Bye for now, Bohdan, Douglas and Elodie
