New season starting life returns

[tudor 1,568]

Well, it's that fabulous time of the year when the mornings are drawing out, the sun is shining quite a lot, we still have frosts but the days warm up, and the bees are flying.

 

So, for hobby beekeepers the indicators of success are drawing near:

 

hives survive through the winter

stores have been enough to help through the cold of the winter

hives start to build up in Spring

queens are doing well and laying workers, not drones

 

And we have planned for this next season, and have enough kit and treatments for varroa.

 

And in the next few weeks it will be time to open hives for that first inspection, and as well as housekeeping, looking at all the things we think about each time:

 

Bee numbers: few, sufficient to cover brood, lots lots

Queen right, look for eggs and young larvae

Brood type and state (eggs, open, closed), queen cells

Disease or abnormality :

bees: deformed wings, lots dead bees

brood: AFB, varroa status

Stores sufficient to last until the next inspection

Room sufficient

 

And no need to feed unless there is a crisis, the bees will bring along their hive as the season develops - and you don't want to push them into swarming ...

 

I really love this time of the year - and all times of the year.

[Shaun 1,555]

Opened a few hives today.

Feed, 3 rest were okay.

2 strong hives had modest patches of capped drone brood along side the 5 or 6 frames of worker brood.

Looks like it could be game on real soon (swarming season)

[Cyathea 354]

yes, some of our sites are going bananas, loads of brood the works, other sites a bit quieter, but still looking good. i am finding the differences in development between the geographic sites really quite interesting. most of our hives are double boxes so hoping swarming doesn't become too much of a problem, but will be keeping a close eye on them all regardless, partly just out of nosiness, it's my first real season to be able to watch the buildup, and it's very enjoyable

 

we had to clean out a colony from under a fallen tree the other day, it was really interesting to see the bees clustering gamely in the open, but with a lot of brood and honey, we think this was a last seasons swarm which has only been discovered when someone wanted to cut the tree up for firewood. cut the combs off, and put them into a hive, left it there hoping the queen is in there and the bees will take to their new home. must go look at them in a day or two to see what they are up to.

[Kirsty 38]

Brilliant info, thanks Tudor.

My one small nuc got off to a really rough start with heavy varroa infestation, then got completely robbed out, madly treated & been feeding over winter. Checked last week, looks very healthy, no afb seen, Varroa count only 1! and numbers have boomed with honey stores back again. Feeling optimistic & very proud for my tough warrior girls. Looking forward to experiencing my first honey flow this year

[tudor 1,568]

Hi @Kirsty , what good news, it shows that determination and courage are important both in the beekeeper and the bees.

 

Where about in NZ are you ?

[Kirsty 38]

Waitakere - and keeping a very close eye out for AFB given its within 5km of me.

With all the challenges our bees have to face from all angles..(nature AND humans) .its a wondrous thing they ever survive.

[Trevor Gillbanks 6,847]

nd keeping a very close eye out for AFB given its within 5km of me.

If you are meaning that you apairy is showing Red on Apiweb, then that means that AFB was found within 3 km of you site within the last 2 years. Not really very reliable information.

However, as beekeepers we should all be keeping a very close eye out for AFB. and other diseases.

[Kirsty 38]

Thanks Trevor but not i wasnt referring to the map at all, but rather notice from AsureQuality of a recently confirmed hive...and yes the grapevine confirmed it before the letter arrived so a good reliable heads up i think.

[annalilyvandenbroeke 5]

Waitakere - and keeping a very close eye out for AFB given its within 5km of me.

With all the challenges our bees have to face from all angles..(nature AND humans) .its a wondrous thing they ever survive.

Hi Kristy, I'm in Waitakere as well, and a newby beekeeper. Great to hear your story and please keep sharing. Are you a member of the Auckland Beekeeping Club by any chance?

[Kirsty 38]

Yes i am a member of the ABC

[annalilyvandenbroeke 5]

Yes i am a member of the ABC

Cool, then we'll probably meet at one of their field days!

[glynn 1,517]

We still have a few weeks to go

[yesbut 6,232]

Is that Porter"s ?

[glynn 1,517]

Yes

[Katikita 375]

BRRRRRRRRRRRRR:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::mask::mask::mask::sleep::sleep::sleep: It's still hibernation time;)

[Bron 2,780]

Freezing, it's snowing in them there hills. So pleased I moved to the warmth. Yeah right!

[Janice 3,991]

The day Tudor wrote this my bees were all flying. But the poor things have been inside for days now out of the frost, snow and sleet, and it's too cold to open the hives to see what's going on

[Gavin Smith 446]

What a contrast, grafted first QC's here today. I like warm.:devil:

[tudor 1,568]

The day Tudor wrote this my bees were all flying. But the poor things have been inside for days now out of the frost, snow and sleet, and it's too cold to open the hives to see what's going on

Hi @Janice

Yesterday it was very cold and frosty and sunny, and bees were flying madly bringing in pollen and (presumably) nectar. It was wearing beanie time, and not sleeves rolled up time. Maybe our bees are just tough, and also we have lots of micro-climates, and have sited most the apiaries to be sheltered and sunny.

But too soon to say how they have come through ... and I am not opening hives at all yet, let them decide until it warms up.

And the Club hives are still in the frost and shade at 10:30 am ... all bees inside.

[Janice 3,991]

I've had bees flying from all five hives in that nice spell a couple of weeks ago, fetching pollen, but I hope they haven't cranked up too much yet with this cold spell.